The Great Collaboration Challenge

Joining a competition   http://www.game-artist.net/forums/great-collaberation/18558-great-collaboration-challenge.html

Seems like fun. I enjoyed the last competition I joined, and liked what I created. This should be fun!

New Portfolio Site

I changed my portfolio site to http://tswarnke.weebly.com/ I need to post pictures of material break downs. and post more work, but fairly happy with it.

Progress and inspiration

Progress on newest building. The building is created modularally-is that even a word? To allow the Level Designer to make variations of the building. I have been told he doesn't like me much...

Noah Bradley posted a really great article about persistence in not giving up, check it out!

http://www.noahbradley.com/blog/2012/keep-going/

More Progress

Progress

Making progress on my building.

Having to redo some of it, but getting there. Just... it looks more run down than war torn.

Workflow Advice

I found this nugget of gold on the polycount forum It was posted by Chrisradsby

Remember: Props are much more impressive when put into context, even if they're simple.

 

I say:

 

1. Go into http://www.conceptroot.com/ and find inspiration and reference for you next scene.

2. Start to plan your scene, decide on what's important: The whole picture or a close quarters scene with lots of detail. (Best worlds is if you can fit both)

3. Plan your textures, write down a list and get down the initial textures you would need for the basic overview of the level. (wooden beams, concrete, metal etc)

3.5 Decide your texture workflow, is it really worth it to Zbrush or have unique textures for smalll props? Is it worth going through all the high-low poly baking? Will you see all that detail?

4. Go modular, tilable textures and modular parts that you can put together in your 3d-modeling software.

5. Create the shaders you need to set everything up.

6. Greybox your environment and some bigger props and add your basic tilable textures to them so that you feel like you're getting somewhere.

7. Post to polycount and get feedback as soon as possible.

 

Brick Texture

Working on an Art Test, I needed a brick texture, and one better than my previous attempts. Took me a couple tries to get the normals decent result. I used PhillipK's tut as a roadmap.

Going to use it as a base for a damaged version to use for vertex blending.