Random WIP 2006-2011

[smoth]

First ingame shot, looks amazing with the normalmap and just the occlusion bake for coloring:

pretty cool man!

[[Krogoth86]]

Maybe it's because of the viewing angle but I see no advantage in terms of a "depth" feeling on that model. Maybe except for the scratches on the torso where the arm starts everything looks more like a "flat", standard texture to me - it totally misses the illusion of depth it should create...

[Cremuss]

It's because he made the mistake to reduce the tri count of the low polygon model too much. You can't do miraculous things with a normal map, it's just an upgraded technology of the bump mapping which is here to increase the depth and details of the texture. It can't create polygons.

[[Krogoth86]]

Hmm - I don't think it's because of that. It might be because of the lighting...

You don't need lots of polygons for a good normal mapping effect - in fact you can have a simple box with six sides and still have a nice normal mapping effect on it. It just simulates some nice lighting effects on the surface which vanishes the more you don't look like straight down on the face but have a look from the "side" an see that it has no depth then anymore because as you said no geometry is created...

In this particular case the effect seems to go down to zero on that model - it doesn't look like some detailed faked lighting but just like a simple flat texture. It should look like this so maybe fiddle around with the lighting / light affection:

(http://www.3dkingdoms.com/nmap.jpg)

[Zpock]

I didn't put in specular lighting yet.

You can always do the same effect with standard textures although it would be static. Besides this isn't about creating the most awesome model yet but just testing the script and learning how to do the necessary steps in blender, so it won't be refined probably. Altough are you sure all those bumps, veins, teeth and stuff i put on there are hardly visible? This is the model (right):

[Argh]

Don't worry about the details. Once the specular pass is working, the normalmap will look right, when it's in motion.

[Warlord Zsinj]

Yeah, which is why I asked for a vid. You can't really show normal mapping working without seeing the way the light (and shadow?) specifically move along the geometry of the surface. Otherwise in a screenshot it just looks like an average baked in texture.

[smoth]

cremuss, that unit would exists possibly in the hundreds. That is a pretty high poly unit for one that will be in high numbers.

[Wolf-In-Exile]

Core Commander humping tyranid.

[KDR_11k]

Isn't CC a pretty low-light map anyway?

[Cremuss]

cremuss, that unit would exists possibly in the hundreds. That is a pretty high poly unit for one that will be in high numbers.

Yeah that's why trying to make this mesh looking High Res with a normal map is fail
But I'm not spitting on Wolf neither. It's good work

[smoth]

I think you are just frustrated with the flat tops on the arms. If the geometry was more round looking it would be much better and probably even lower on poly count(no offense mean Zpock)

[Zpock]

Yeah, I agree those arms could probably use some more polygons. Models coming later will be better I'm sure. This is around 600 triangles only, it's supposed to be at least somewhat more numerous compared to say a carnifex.

Right now I'm concentrating on more important things, that is trying to overcome Blenders retarded interface (as usual) for making proper animations.

[Zpock]

walk animation video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdpAfvIlneg

[Cremuss]

total win ! The walk cycle looks totaly natural and I know that walk cycle are pretty hard to do so it's pretty amazing ! Good work !

[Zpock]

It's pretty rough actually and can be made way better. I got basic animations setup now, idle-attack-walk, heres a picture of the attack:



Now I just need to set up so that each animation is played at the correct moment. I think I will use a COB variable to control it.

[Cremuss]

haha it looks like a dragon in that position.
Good :)

[REVENGE]

I better see the IW Jedis with this type of animation by release time!

[MR.D]

Why is the beasty humping my Commander model?

[Otherside]

guess its cause hes using the commander unit as a base and LUA'd the homogaunt on to it , if he could hide the commander model it wouldnt look like hes humping it :p