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Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 19:51
by MDV
I tried to create alternative for Defender and got this:
Image
So, I don't know is this model playable.
P.S. I use mainly simple objects you see. Have no any fantasy. :roll:

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 20:03
by smoth
very nice, keep going.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 20:43
by MDV
Thanks. So, it's my first official model... :mrgreen:

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 21:19
by Wolf-In-Exile
Looks decent, clean geometry from what I can see from the shaded view. The small bevels on the turret base and missile holes are unnecessary geometry though, IMO.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 23:04
by Argh
Good job for a first go :-)

To clean it up, replace the beveled cylinders with plain ones (you can communicate the bevels with your texture, it's quite effective), make the tubes 8-sided cylinders, make the "feet" all one piece, instead of multiple pieces stacked on top of each other (at game sizes, those little "steps" will not be very visible) and I'd raise the launcher a bit, to give it freedom to rotate without obviously clipping into the cylinder you're using as the main turret piece.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 23:38
by MDV
Oo.. I must learn texturing.)
Defender is an often useable unit. When I am put it into game, I test model's speed and optimize it.)))

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 03 May 2008, 23:56
by rattle
Yeah drop all the small bevels. If you really want bevels then make them big enough so they can be seen.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 00:02
by Argh
Heh... it's not that it's going to be bad, as one unit. It's that, if you don't learn to be fairly efficient on polycount from the get-go, it all piles up- 50 triangles here, 40 there.. with 20 units on the screen, that's a 1000 triangles of waste on-screen, and tens of thousands of waste overall, if users are running a shadowmap pass.

It's your first go at all of this, so you should make it as efficient as you can, to learn good habits, instead of learning bad ones and then having to un-learn them... it's easy to model sloppily, but if you then have to fix stuff later, it takes far longer than just doing it right the first time, trust me, I've been there many times ;)

And yeah, uvmapping / skinning's the next big step, and usually the hard one- modeling and animation are relatively easy. I'd get your model really tight before doing that though, a tight model is (usually) easier to uvmap, although that depends on how many face-cutting tricks you use (looks slyly at GMN)...

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 11:34
by MDV
Thanks for advices.)
Current variant is:
Image
I killed some bevels. Other I can use to accent team color. Maybe I shall put rockets in holes of barrels and they will launch when gun fires.
Also I modeled Core Pulverizer, but there are so many cylinders. :(
Image

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 15:44
by Freelancer_Axel
i like the them, but im no designer or whatever, although id like to be (i realy wanna help out with this TA-S) i just think you keep on perfecting your skills and youll do fine 8)

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 15:53
by Saktoth
Polytcount?

The defender looks like you smoothed it, a wireframe would be more useful forcritique.

We really need more texture artists.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 16:14
by clericvash
They look pretty good, nice work man!

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 04 May 2008, 17:47
by Tribulexrenamed
Saktoth wrote:Polytcount?

The defender looks like you smoothed it, a wireframe would be more useful forcritique.

We really need more texture artists.
I would be more than willing to texture things. However, I need a properly UV-mapped unit to texture, as I have not yet mastered UV-mapping.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 05 May 2008, 13:36
by Crayfish
Cool. They're really nice, especially for a first attempt! My first attempt so far ended in failure, but I'll keep going.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 05 May 2008, 14:37
by Warlord Zsinj
While the defender isn't doing anything special for me - I really like your pulverizer. It has a very cool look about it. If I could change anything, I might fatten up the 'neck' a little bit, as it looks a little bit flimsy.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 05 May 2008, 14:46
by MDV
Thanks. I'm trying to create textures.)))

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 08 May 2008, 09:06
by REVENGE
That pulverizer is indeed something special. Very organic and refined. However, here I have invoke considerations for general style and identity. I've always felt that ARM should have more refined, organic looking designs, while core should be kind of blocky and imposing. Maybe the styling for the two turrets should be switched?

Anyway, my 2cents, but regardless, respect for those two models.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 08 May 2008, 09:53
by MR.D
I find that remark quite untrue.

There are plenty of core units that are rounded and use soft edges, just as many as ARM.

I've found that the basic principles behind ARM units is this,
ARM uses straight forward and simple design made for speed, uses streamlined shapes, typically makes use of "even numbered" parts(2/4/6), and has a Humanoid element in the design such as cockpits or in the case of Kbots a very humanoid shape in the layout of the units.

Core uses a heavier, fuller looking unit that many times is blocky, but not always (look at the Cavedog models, hardly any of them are "blocky"),
Core's units are fat and beefy appear to be slower but more powerful looking, Core units use Odd #'s of parts quite often (1/3/5) throughout their entire unit lineup, and use a pilot-less design in their units such as with their vehicles that have no design built in cockpit area, and units like SUMO and Can which use their head for the turret where the weapons are instead of like ARM which would put a cockpit area where a pilot may be in a similar place.

Sorry for the rant, those models look excellent, I can't wait for you to get warmed up and pump out some more of those, quality stuff you're doing right there.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 08 May 2008, 23:15
by MDV
Oh.. Texturing is hard. :(
I'm making some kbots now (A.K., Freaker, Pyro), so that don't spend time in vain.

Re: Missile launcher

Posted: 08 May 2008, 23:20
by Argh
MDV, a model without a skin won't get used. You need to stick to it, and learn how to get your model unwrapped and skinned. Sorry, if that sounds mean or whatever, but it's true- modeling's the easy part, skinning's the real challenge. Anybody who knows how to skin is very unlikely to bother skinning your work for you, unless it's really, really well designed.

What part is giving you trouble right now? There are a lot of people here willing to help you understand the process.