Sparhawk's Props

[sparhawk]

Notestand, but I think I have to work on the textureing.

 

[Fingernail]

why is there no shadow?

 

Otherwise it looks nice. Bit small?

[sparhawk]

The light I used doesn't cast shadows, because I used it as an ambience. I compared the size to the player model bounding box (I used it as a reference) and I thought in relation to the stool it looks ok. You think it is to small? In size or width?

[sparhawk]

Since some have already looked at the test_watermill.map, that I created, I would like to get some feedback on the waterwheel.

 

I would like to get some honest feedback on the model. Not something like that "Well, for a programmer it looks ok-ish" thing. If you think it looks like crap, just tell me what's wrong and I try to improve it.

 

One thing that I don't particular like is the texture, but this is one area that I can not really do. If somebody knows of a good wood texture, that I can use instead, I'm all ears. The model is also rather heavy. This is due to the nails, which are the worst bit. The major part of the model I did in a rather low poly fashion, only the nails are bad. I guess I can create a normalmap for the nails and apply this instead, but I don't know how to do this, so a good tutorial would be helpfull.

 

The complete wheel is about 7000 vertices, where roughly 6000 are just the nails.

 

Here is an unlit version with only ambience light.

 

 

Here is a more closeup with the player lantern lighting:

 

[greebo]

I already posted in the other thread that the polycount is immensely large (13000 polys is just a tad too much). The nails can probably be cut down to approx. 10 polys each or completely replaced by a normalmap. Apart from that, I like it, it has a good appearance.

[sparhawk]

Yeah, I know. I look into how to create a normalmap for them. The detail is lost anyway, because I modelled them like some shrivelled old rusty nails, but on screen they just look flat. I guess I can just as well use a box instead and it probably wouldn't look any different. The nails alone add 11200 faces.

[Springheel]

I think the wheel looks pretty good. The nails that I can see just look like simple squares, however, so I'd definitely replace them with a normalmap.

 

The only thing that looks a little out of place is that smooth donut-shaped thing in the center--I can't tell what it's supposed to be.

[mikebart]

 

Just an idea, this was the only totaly wooden water wheel I could find, its not as ornate or chunky as yours but you can see how its divided into 8 segments, if you made 1 1/8th segment of this type of wheel, you could repeat it 8 times and then model the axel seperatly, I think your model looks nice but probably a bit costly in the poly department

[OrbWeaver]

You won't be able to replace those simple squares with a normalmap, since it looks like they protrude perpendicularly from the wood, whereas a normal map can only represent gradients. I would replace them with a small hemisphere representing the nail head, and then bake this into a normalmap.

[sparhawk]

I think the wheel looks pretty good. The nails that I can see just look like simple squares, however, so I'd definitely replace them with a normalmap.

 

Yes. I'll do that. Doesn't make sense as it is at the moment. It doesn't even need a normalmap, because you can't see the irregularities anyway, so a simple cube would do as well.

 

The only thing that looks a little out of place is that smooth donut-shaped thing in the center--I can't tell what it's supposed to be.

 

Yeah. That's supposed to be a metallic case for where the pole would be stuck through, to support the weight. I have to fixe the vertex smoothness there, because currently it looks more like a mushroom. It should get a more sharp edged look there.

[sparhawk]

Just an idea, this was the only totaly wooden water wheel I could find, its not as ornate or chunky as yours but you can see how its divided into 8 segments, if you made 1 1/8th segment of this type of wheel, you could repeat it 8 times and then model the axel seperatly, I think your model looks nice but probably a bit costly in the poly department

 

The axle is modelled seperately. I modeled each part of it as a seperate module, so it's easier to change individual parts of it. Actually the complete wheel, without the nails is rather cheap, polywise, because I modeled it with low-poly in mind. Only the nails add so much to it. The model with the nails is about 2000 polies, while the nails add about 11000. Yes! That's no typo. It is indeed eleven thousand just for the nails while the other models combined have about two thousand.

 

As for the segmentation, I looked on google for references and I found quite a variety. The one that I choose then was like the one which I modeled with 12 segments, I made it a little bit more ornate though, but this is not what adds the polies. I'm going to fix this now.

[sparhawk]

You won't be able to replace those simple squares with a normalmap, since it looks like they protrude perpendicularly from the wood, whereas a normal map can only represent gradients. I would replace them with a small hemisphere representing the nail head, and then bake this into a normalmap.

 

My first attempt was with a hemisphere, but it didn't look good IMO. The nails were much less visible then now, so I replaced them with this.

[PinkDot]

Wheel model looks good. But as you said - texture is the weakest point. I'd give something like on mikebart's screenshot. Texture on those support beams are too repeatable. Try vary the UV coordinates, so each beam gets diffrent part of texture. And I think the planks on the main circular part are too narrow. Such wheel requires bigger (=stronger) pieces of wood.

 

And for me there's too many of those beams - about 8 up to 12 would do, but this may be just esthetic thing.

 

BTW: I have to get back to programming...

[sparhawk]

Texture on those support beams are too repeatable. Try vary the UV coordinates, so each beam gets diffrent part of texture.

 

I already tried that, but the problem is that the texture is not giving this. In the beginning I thought that this texture would be good because it had 12 different planks, but when I UV mapped it, I realized that there were only about three different planks, because they were simply mirrored, so I don't have much variety to choose from with that texture. If somebody can provide me a better texture I can fix that but I have no idea how to do textures and I doubt I would be decent enough at it.

 

And I think the planks on the main circular part are too narrow. Such wheel requires bigger (=stronger) pieces of wood.

 

You mean the rim part is to thin?

 

BTW: I have to get back to programming...

 

[PinkDot]

You mean the rim part is to thin?

The size is OK, I'd just give about two planks instead of four on the rim - just stretch the texture.

[sparhawk]

Ah, I see. OK. I give that a try.

[sparhawk]

I removed the nails now and replaced them with a box. It doesn't look different, but it shrunk from 13000 polies to 2100. I also added a pole to the map and next I want to make some cogwheels and the grinding stones for the interior for the mill.

 

I have to see what I can do about the texture though. Anybody up to the task of creating a decent texture? The sourcefile for the model is on SVN in the model_src repository if anybody wants to give it a try.

[Springheel]

I could have a go at the texture, but I won't be able to for a while (busy with reorg right now).

[mikebart]

BTW: I have to get back to programming...

 

This is kind of like that wife swap programme I've been seeing on TV, hmmm.

[Crispy]

Next up, Crispy does sound design!

 

(Cover your ears, people. This could get nasty.)

[sparhawk]

I could have a go at the texture, but I won't be able to for a while (busy with reorg right now).

 

No problem. Whenever you have time.

[ascottk]

This is cool It's great the team is versatile so we don't have to rely on other members to get things done. When I first joined I was confused about why people who've been on the mod for a while didn't know how to get models/materials into the game Great job, spar & spring & other members who're trying out different things

[sparhawk]

Thanks! Actually I alsways liked to model, but I was never good at it. With Blenders improved features, it gets much easier, and doing mechanical things is not as hard for a start, then doing organic stuff. I must say I learned quite a lot with this wheel already, and the UV mapping is really a breeze with Blender. I don't know why anybody would use expensive UV mapping tools, when Blender is really perfect at this and comes for free.

[Baddcog]

Like the water wheel

[sparhawk]

Thanks.