Remaking my infantry

[Snipawolf]

So, does anybody here have any decent tips about infantry-like models? I would appreciate all the help I can get, and would love to make anything and everything more efficient, and look better.

[Zpock]

I recommend using heavy platelike segmented armor, since you can't use skeletal animation.

[Snipawolf]

Bah, I don't need anything like that. I am decent enough with animation, and, this time around, they may have 4 keyframes or more for their running animation. I only used 2 last time. Argh's springer style of animation (only 2 frames) looks pretty good on really small things, but for giant mechs and stuff, no, heh.


Edit: Also, animating the 2 keyframes, literally, took ten minutes or less. So, I am sure some more effort in that area could look even better. Chests heaving up and down, packs flopping due to humans bouncy running, maybe. I can do all sorts of stuff with more keyframes and better models.

[Zpock]

What I mean is that heavy armour is rigid in nature and looks better when animated using the methods available.

[Snipawolf]

Too bad, my boys are organic

[Neddie]

For that matter, they're wearing pretty skimpy armour.

[Snipawolf]

Well, you haven't even seen my concepts of t2 and t3

Heh heh heh heh heh heh

[Gnomre]

Since there are no skeletal animations, you have to try to mask the joints' (shoulders, elbows, pelvis, knees) obvious inaccuracy. There are two fairly simple ways:

Blocky armor. The quickest non-stormtrooper examples I can think of are both from Halo:
http://www.ukgamer.com/images/reviews/halo/marines.jpg (for a not-so-much armor approach)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... Halo_3.png (obligatory Master Chief, which is a good example of a full-body suit of armor. Of course you can google more)

Blocky armor hides the oppurtunity to see the inaccuracies while giving an adequate reason for hiding it at the same time.

Alternatively, things like vests can work quite well, at least on the upper body.

Other than blocky armor, dark clothes under the armor. Brighter colors are easier to see geometry wise, due to shading and other factors. Darker colors are useful here because they hide the details.

Here's a shot of a couple SWS troops which illustrate all of the above the techniques (and the knees on the fleet trooper show why darker/blockier works to your advantage):


The rebel troop is 850 tris, the scout trooper is a tad over 700 (stormtroopers are around 750 on average). They could probably be made a tad more efficient but eh.

[Snipawolf]

Thanks for the info.

How I deal with joints is quite simple, I just model a kneecap onto the thigh. I lift the face at the bottom of the cylinder. Is pretty simple and works.

Generally, my infantry aren't big enough to be close, but when they are, I want them to make a decent impression.

[KDR_11k]

Bulky armor?

[Snipawolf]

See, even KDR agrees

[1v0ry_k1ng]

what is that from?

[rattle]

GINTA