LPC vol2 #3 - Time Machine!

[hawken]

http://labourinlabour.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/back-to-the-future.jpg

Create a time traveller and a time machine!

You have 2000 triangles and a 512 x 512 colour / spec / alpha maps, in total.

rules:

1. NO NORMAL MAPS!
2. entire texture area is 512 x 512 pixels. Break this up however you wish.
3. 2000 triangles are for the machine & the traveller, break this up however you wish.
4. Feel free to enter in this thread, or make your own thread. We will have a final thread for submissions.
5. For presentation please check the LPC style guide:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51622
6. making existing movie titles is fine, but not required.

END DATE: AUG 1st (if you miss this date feel free to build a real time machine and come back)

Great Scott!

[butt_sahib]

i FUCKING love you hawken......much appreciated

[sketch81]

Thanks Hawken.. ;)

[sketch81]

One question.... Do we base the time traveller and time machine from a movie or do we create our own character/machine ? Thank-you!

[n33kos]

Wonderful!

Ive never had the opportunity to work with such a low poly count, the lowest I have gone is 4000!

time to get sketching!

[Zwebbie]

Fun! I'll join as soon as I finish up the Polypack.

Be sure to get this onto the front page too, that's what it's for.

[hawken]

give it time

[Mike Yevin]

wowza, i didn't expect to see this until after the tf2 polypack. time to get sketching :poly142:

[Zwebbie]

I'm making a baroque portal to serve as a gate to other times. I hope it's okay, even though it's not technically a machine?

Also, since it's supposed to be attached to a wall, is it okay if I delete the back faces?

http://www.joeyspijkers.com/contests/TM1.jpg

[ES_139]

cool!! can i makes a delorean???

[Swizzle]

Introducing our courageous time traveler, Dr. Fentonworth and his trusty companion Gladstone!
http://imgur.com/mAdje.jpg

Behold! Dr. Fentonworth's time machine! (Complete with Gladstone-friendly mini-machine!)
http://imgur.com/1cDyl.jpg

I'm at 1908 triangles altogether, so I still have a bit of wiggle room. Not sure if I'm going to do anything with the extra tris, but you never know.

[beezul]

OMGZ SO COOL! woooo! gonna get started asap! THANKS ALL! and thanks HAWKEN

[beezul]

cool idea zwebbie..
holy crap that was fast swizzle lol
looks great!

[hawken]

I'm at 1908 triangles altogether, so I still have a bit of wiggle room. Not sure if I'm going to do anything with the extra tris, but you never know.

dog back-pack

[Zwebbie]

dog back-pack

dog top hat!

[THE 5]

First time I participate in a art challenge :D
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm198/Nightterror5/Polycount/LPCPreview1.jpg
Hope I find the time to finish this.

[Ninjas]

Going to try for this one. Here is my WIP:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3289323/Traveler.jpg

[Dracowyr]

Awesome work so far! I can't wait to see what else is coming!

Of course, I couldn't resist a DeLorean...WIP

Marty is going to be tough! I'd like to try to recreate the movie poster.

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/back-to-the-future.jpg

http://rhys-yorke.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Screen-shot-2010-06-25-at-7.46.36-PM.png

[Ninjas]

Nice Delorean! I need to start on my time machine part soon-- maybe something like a ghetto blaster. Here is my WIP update:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3289323/Traveler2.jpg

[achmedthesnake]

so totally entering...

[sketch81]

Hey swizzle, how about a monocle and cigar for the little pooch...
To all the other polycountians, the entries are coming along nicely!

[Zwebbie]

Ninjas: I think the arms look a bit wonky. A tad short, and I'd expect them to be broader at the elbows, rather than just tapering all the way.

---

Update on my part. I made a simple time traveler and one of four allegories of the ages, the Age of Bronze. Currently, the structure has 258 triangles, Time has 208, the Age of Bronze has 213 and the time traveler 376, for a total of 1055. So with another three ages, I don't think I'll be able to fulfill the original plan of also having the three stages of life personified.

http://www.joeyspijkers.com/contests/TM2.jpg

[Swizzle]

This is still super WIP.

http://imgur.com/QPiz8.jpg

[dregoloth]

TARDIS wip
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FW-tZqWLvCI/TCaX5__2gvI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/GIc23lfkgy0/s576/tardis.jpg

[coop510]

http://cdn.complex.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/billandted.jpg

[achmedthesnake]

swizzle - love the start on the character - especially the gradients in the color'd pants - why do you do that?

oh and for a 512x512 map - i think maybe you could allocate more texture space for the face maybe? - I can see from the form of machine that you could re-use/instance a lot of the texture space

good start.

[hawken]

If you can get bill AND ted in 2000 tris, there should be some kind of reward waiting for you in low-poly heaven.

[butt_sahib]

Excellent start swizzle :) quite similar to what i had planned, but better :P

[JimJupiter]

This is my first contest! I will model the time machine of Bernhard in Day of the Tentacle!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3546/3372113874_9a67f29763.jpg

first WIP's shots will follow

[Swizzle]

swizzle - love the start on the character - especially the gradients in the color'd pants - why do you do that?

oh and for a 512x512 map - i think maybe you could allocate more texture space for the face maybe? - I can see from the form of machine that you could re-use/instance a lot of the texture space

good start.

I'm trying to think of a non-bullshit answer for why I put gradients on the pants. Honestly, I can't think of one that's satisfactory other than "it looks good."

I'm still trying to figure out how to best go about allocating all the space on the UVs. I've never done environment art before, so I'm having a hard time figuring out the best way to lay things out. The character is already taking up a 256 sheet and I'm probably going to use a 128x256 for the dog, but everything else consists of things I haven't figured out yet. I'm definitely thinking of redoing the UVs for the head so it has more texture resolution, though.

[JimJupiter]

Great idea for my first participation. I'll try to model the time machine of one of my all time favourite games, Day of the Tentacle. Hope you like my first steps.

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/5522/test2af.jpg

[Youngblood]

Hmmm, I might have to come out of my lurking slumber to get involved in this. Someone ought to do something like Donnie Darko, maybe I will...

Or perhaps Hiro from Heroes.

But I'm going to think of something original before I automagically default to currently established IP. Besides, I'm not sure how much any of that is really based on what is actually theoretically possible with time travel...that is only moving forward. I'm not saying it's bad to see that stuff, I love Marty McFly as much as the next guy, but I'm saying it's also cool to see Sci-Fi motifs based in reality.

[hawken]

Hmmm, I might have to come out of my lurking slumber to get involved in this. Someone ought to do something like Donnie Darko, maybe I will...

Or perhaps Hiro from Heroes.

But I'm going to think of something original before I automagically default to currently established IP. Besides, I'm not sure how much any of that is really based on what is actually theoretically possible with time travel...that is only moving forward. I'm not saying it's bad to see that stuff, I love Marty McFly as much as the next guy, but I'm saying it's also cool to see Sci-Fi motifs based in reality.

If it's realism you're going for, why not try John Titor :poly121:

[Squiggly_P]

I've been wanting to make a really really low res scene lately, so this is a good excuse. I'm gonna do Hot Tub Time Machine, Chibi-style.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/Squiggly_P/TestRender001.png
Basing the characters off the DVD cover, but I'll probably go off model a bit. I'd post the cover, but I can't find an image. IMDB has it, but i can't DL it, so here it is on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2236058880/tt1231587

I estimated about 500 for the scenery / Hot Tub, so I still have some freedom to detail them a little and make them a bit more unique. Right now their just variations of one mesh. I wanna get the hot tub scene built before I add much more to them so I know how much detail I can afford.

[mradamw]

Hey all - I'm new to these forums (been with Gam...er...another forum for a while) but always drop past here to see whats potting. Saw this LPC and decided to throw my hat into the ring (never tried something this low before so should be fun :)

Here is my guy - he traverses time in a ball. Yes - a Vorpal Ball generated from the Vorpal Generators on each of his hips. The backpack is the main generator - the power source is Vorpgas storied in the canister attached to his pack.

Managed to hit 2k on the head (strangely chuffed with that!)

http://adamwhitcroft.com/images/LPC/Polycount_time_machine/lpc_timemachine_wire_1.jpg

Swizzle - looking awesome man, best of luck getting that machine onto the remaining texture space. The dog is freaking awesome

THE 5 - good luck bro - off to a good start there :) Perhaps widen the glasses a little?

Zwebbie - woah man thats quite a challenge you have set yourself - good luck

dregoloth - nice one man, good ol telephone box time machines :) can't go wrong there

JimJupiter - looking ace man. are you just gonna do the time machine or are you gonna try squeeze in a traveller too?

Squiggly_P - YES! cant wait to see how this one goes

Cheers guys

[ocarian]

Hi all !
Interesting challenge :)

Excelent start Swizzel

Hop I try to make something :D

Concept

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/Concept_Machine.jpg

the machine model

704 Triangles

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/Wip_ModMachine.jpg

[moose]

If it's realism you're going for, why not try John Titor :poly121:

ive been stuck reading this site for the past 30 minutes! lol damn youuuuu!! ahahah. This sounds like a fun mini comp, time to dust off the ole modellin hands!

[gsokol]

Sweet idea....I'm going to get in on this..

First thing that popped in my head when I thought about time machine:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j203/white99stang281/napoleon-dynamite-time-machine.png

Here is a quick start on the machine itself...definitely have a long way to go, but its a start:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j203/white99stang281/WIP_1.jpg

[Spacey]

I'm in.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/wootmonkey/Art/timetraveler_wip01.jpg


Zwebbie - Ambitious! Really hope you can pull it off.

Swizzle - Bam, right out of the starting gate. Love the doggy sidekick. I was thinking of making a kitty for my traveler named Bartholomeow.

Ninjas - I agree with Zwebbie. The arms look like they were pulled straight out from putty. It's missing that form on top created by the supinator longus muscle (and others). Already have a nice start on the texture, though.

mradamw - Great start; lots of character already. Now lets see what you can do with the texture!

[mradamw]

ocarian - really cool idea there man, i love the clock vibe. what about putting some kind of face under the clock hands? Just a big 1 plane cylinder or something? Or maybe have that like above the hands and below the cockpit so the spinning clock hands don't turn his machine into time machine death harvester...?

gsokol - haha rad

Spacey - woah nice start man, really diggin it. thanks for the kind words hope i don't let you down!

[amsmntparks]

Dibs on Dr. Dinosaur!
http://www.nuklearpower.com/comics/atomic-robo/090428.jpg

[Avanthera]

Crappy concept for now;
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3587178/forweb/Concept_1.jpg
Was thinking of a guy who finds an item that will activate these portals, which are in fact time machines. like stargate :P

[JimJupiter]

Haha, Napoleon Dynamite, I love the idea!

[dregoloth]

wanted you people to check my proportions before I actually modelled the head and the feet.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FW-tZqWLvCI/TCoLU5kAgPI/AAAAAAAAAEU/5dqCe7kiHb0/s912/person.png

[raul]

So we can do anything we want, as long as we have a time traveler and a time machine? but no highpoly baking? Even for the ao?

[gsokol]

@raul - nowhere does it say you can't do baking, it just says no normal maps. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like doing it for AO is probably fine, since your end result would still fit the guidelines.

[The Scrub]

he looks seriously messed up with smoothing so here's my blocky time traveler in a suit
currently at 667 polys in all so I may go for a bit more detail as the mouth is currenly just drawn on.
I'm thinking of giving him an umbrella.(naturally made to look like it is an integral part of the machine)
Oh and of course he is rigged(yes I know the basics of that. it's just a few dumbly placed armatures that by he miracle of god happen to work) though he is rigged badly I can still move him into different poses(went for the arms outstretched position first then worked my way up to here)

right now he just looks like he wants to greet you(and hand you a lawsuit) so I'll work on the suitcase time travel machine to make it stick out more
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/1858/maninsuittimetravel.jpg

[The Scrub]

update again
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/7966/maninsuitupdate01.jpg
I started 1 or 2 hours ago I'm just really really bored and have some ime on my hands

[JimJupiter]

Time to kill some polygons ;)

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8319/test7f.jpg

[Flow]

Hi,
Its the first time I'm participate a Polycount Competition an time machine is a very Interesting challenge !!!. I apologise for my bad english, I'm french and I don't speak english very wel l :(.

This the model of my "Toilet"machine time and the concept.

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/8061/tmwip.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/tmwip.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Y_M]

Dibs on Dr. Dinosaur!

nooooooooo!!! My fantastic idea already dibbed D:

Damn and blast. Now I will have to wish you luck and think up an even more fiendish idea.

EDIT: I appear to have inadvertently become a timetraveler myself. :poly122:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2126504/tachyon/Wibbely-wobbely-timey-wimey.PNG

I have no idea how the heck this happened, what's weirder is I'm making props for a timetravel themed tf2map called tachyon.

[dregoloth]

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FW-tZqWLvCI/TCqlWGfuoXI/AAAAAAAAAEY/YK9PklMygNo/tardis.png
final TARDIS. alpha for the light up top doesen't want to work with my capture softwares so I'll try to work around that.

[gsokol]

dregoloth, what are you capturing with? Just try using print screen.

[mradamw]

hey all - some updates on my guy.

The astute among you may notice a small change in his back-pack apparatus - after looking at it for a while I recon the old Vorptank on his back was too big and cumbersome, (and everyone knows when travelling in time you need to be able to run away from mastadons or laser pistols) so have opted for two smaller tanks (i think they also give a pretty cool silhouette). I have been optimising the mesh a bit so the tri count has now dipped below 2k (if i can find something i can do with 10 tris ill be sure to add it :P)

Ideas?

http://adamwhitcroft.com/images/LPC/Polycount_time_machine/lpc_timemachine_col_1.jpg

Feedback time:

amsmntparks - im not sure if ill be shunned for saying this, but haven't heard of that before so looking forward to seeing it!

shrew81 - ill wait till i see some more (as not really sure what im looking at right now) but the dude is looking cool...what time period are you imagining this guy being from as right now its hard to tell simply by looking at him

dregoloth - hey man - what style are you going for (ie are you shooting for realistic proportions or cartoony as this makes a huge difference when it comes to asking us for proportion feedback). Im gonna go ahead and assume you are going for a realistic human proportion - aim for 7 heads high for his total height ok. Also, the collection of tris on his thighs, that needs to be sorted out. I suggest you use either a 5 or 6 sided cylinder for your limbs (legs and arms) and even for your torso...focus on getting your silhouette down before adding in unneccessary loops. I will happily email you my model so you can see what i mean? Have attached image as some reference :)

http://adamwhitcroft.com/images/LPC/Polycount_time_machine/dregoloth_feedback.jpg

The Scrub - hey man, reminds me alot of the Dire Straights music video :) If you have any lights in the scene I suggest you delete them for now as the harsh shadows in there make it very hard to see whats going on. Are you trying to use as few tris as possible? The 2k limit is pretty generous so maybe throw some more geometry into your guy to eliminate the blocky vibe (unless that is what you want in which case tell me to hush up)

JimJupiter - yes please! you could shave off tries in the propeller (just use a plane there) and also in the door and window recesses (as they are not essential - you can fake it with layer effects in photoshop) i recon you could get that sucker to 2k without sacrificing too much :)

dregoloth (again) - what about adding some grime and dirt to your phone-booth? I think it could add a nice travelled feel to it? Also what about something like some graffiti from different times? Could be a way of showing the booth has been around (so some tags from the 80's, some hippy flower power art, some eqyptian grafitti aka hieroglyphics)....just a thought

[The Scrub]

OK so my to do list
-make him less blocky
-fix the lighting
-get a better time travel machine I mean suitcase is fine for now but I don't know
-make the character look more personal(less like a jaw hanging open automaton)

considering how he looks like a Gentlemenne maybe a steam powered time machine.

[sketch81]

Looking to recreate the time machine and traveler from the 60's movie The Time Machine. :poly124:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9900/0108thetimemachine.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/f/0108thetimemachine.jpg/)

[Zwebbie]

Modeling is done, 2000 triangles exactly. The ages are, clockwise from top left, gold, silver, bronze and iron, although they'd be hard to recognise, I imagine.

http://www.joeyspijkers.com/contests/TM3.jpg

[gsokol]

Started work on Napoleon. Currently at 1300 tris.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j203/white99stang281/WIP_2.jpg

[The Scrub]

Started work on Napoleon. Currently at 1300 tris.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j203/white99stang281/WIP_2.jpg
awesome looking forward to it

[glenatron]

Think I'll have a beast at this one. Here's a rough sketch of what I had in mind

(the swirlies will be coming out of the tv set, and there'l be loadsa betamax cassettes lying about)

http://fox-gameart.net/time_machine_concept.jpg

[The Scrub]

"Hello Gentlemenne! anyone know where to get a cup of tea?"
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/53/themaninthesuitupdate2.jpg
steampowered backpack time travel
because where we're going we don't need tea

[Flow]

This is my first participation on a polycount competition.
I find that Time machine is a good subject !!
Here is my Time Traveler with is "Toilet" time machine.

http://www.militello-florian.com/TM_wip.jpg

Actually 1730 tris but I think I shall add some props.

[hawken]

So we can do anything we want, as long as we have a time traveler and a time machine? but no highpoly baking? Even for the ao?

ao baking is a graphical technique, which is applied to the diffuse. Much welcomed.

[Y_M]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2126504/time-machine-wip-01.jpg
580 tris so far after around 2 hours chugging away. All of that is UVmapped, it just needs arranging once I've got the rest of the mesh.

Its fun working out what faces can share uvs :)

[amsmntparks]

Traveler model mostly done. Not crazy about the head, but we'll see how it turns out with texture...
Plenty of room left for the "time machine" too.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/6965/drdwires.png (http://img24.imageshack.us/i/drdwires.png/)

[Y_M]

Head looks ok to me, slightly longer and thinner snout perhaps?
EDIT: actually, I'd make the machine on his back more like saddle bags, less likely to fall off or get knocked on something.

[dregoloth]

thanks for the advice maradamw, it really helped. I decided to redo the geometry so that it looked more doctory.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FW-tZqWLvCI/TCzIu4QUxMI/AAAAAAAAAEo/7McZqecGYxU/doctorredo.jpg

[The Scrub]

I want him standing in an modern enviroment with a WTF look on his face
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/3782/update3m.jpg
looks like he got his tea

[Y_M]

Working on my time traveler. Just got the whole body complete. As I take a few steps back to look at the whole and produce my render to show you, I realise just how off the proportions are.
Tomorrow's job is to fix up all the various proportions like bulking out his shoulders and legs as well as increasing the scale of the beak.

http://www.subtleallusion.com/images/misc/professor-styraco-wip-01.jpg

@ amsmntparks I hope you don't mind that I'm doing a dino too, I made sure I did something different to what you started.

[willy-wilson]

Thinking about entering, funny i started reading the time machine just a couple weeks before this started, throwing some ideas around for a victorian era time traveler.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/willy-wilson/ideas.png

[boomz]

Great stuff so far, looking forward to seeing them progress.

My WIP: VW Bus + gigantic turbine generator thinger shoved in the back. This guy really wants to get back to the good ol' days...

http://roryjones.net/gallery/unlisted/vwbuslpc/images/vwBus-04.jpg

Sitting around 1900, so I'll have enough to play around with light beams and other FX / filler details. I'll probably optimize as I go, not sure how I want to attempt splitting up space between the psychedelic paint job of the van and the rest.

[beezul]

Time traveling alien lizard pirate =D
For the time machine leanin towards a mix between 4 and 5. i had a long ass post about everyones designs.... but pc keeps logging me out... so ill have to post later.. =/





http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/anupiratenew-liz.jpg

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/anupiratenew.jpg

[BadGeometry]

Hey everybody.

Here's my entry so far.

My time traveler is a professional time traveling photographer for National Chronographic.

http://i50.tinypic.com/10mll51.png

http://i49.tinypic.com/jtnvch.png

His machine is a modified scooter based off the Honda Spacy 125. And I took many ideas from BTTF of course. Because we all know that Flux Capacitor is what makes time travel possible. :)

I'm happy with where the scooter is at so far, but as with my photographer, well, he looks like a photographer, but not a time traveler.

A friend of mine suggested adding a small, exotic pet. I settled on a feathered, dinosaur creature for that (not pictured in this image), but it's still not selling me. Maybe some futuristic clothes perhaps? Some futuristic gadgets? A robot arm was also suggested to me but I think that may be going a bit too far.

Also, first post, good to meet everyone. I dig the entries here so far. Will post comments on them a bit later.

[willy-wilson]

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/willy-wilson/Capture-54.png

[butt_sahib]

mradam
great silhuette, reads nicely

Zwebbie:
Will be so much fun to texture :)

FLow:
Character looks nice. Add more character to it!
Youre wastig alot of polys on the toilet seat

gsokol:
Looking nice but youre wasting alot of polygons. Esp the face and the bottom of the shirt+groin area. You'd be better off using that geo for better joint deformation.
Use triangles as much as possible.

Scrub:
hehe looks nice and different :)
Is there a reason why you dont have any smoothing groups applied to the model.
I suggest rotating the arms and legs 45 degrees vertically (arounf vertical axis i.e.). That really makes the sillhuette look alot better and not so blocky

Dregoloth:
Is there a reason why only the head is triangulated?
Remember to push the sillhuette as much as you can!
Fix the shoulder area! :P

willy:
Looking smexy! :D
You coud use thirding (http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg) (atleast thats what poopie calls it) on the pencil/pen to save uv space. I know it seems un-necessary but you could use that to give relatively higher pixel density to the journal

[Y_M]

update on prof. styraco:

http://www.subtleallusion.com/images/misc/professor-styraco-wip-02.jpg

proportions are waaaaaay better now :D

Those hands aren't up to date. I re did them after taking that.

[The Scrub]

mradam
great silhuette, reads nicely

Zwebbie:
Will be so much fun to texture :)

FLow:
Character looks nice. Add more character to it!
Youre wastig alot of polys on the toilet seat

gsokol:
Looking nice but youre wasting alot of polygons. Esp the face and the bottom of the shirt+groin area. You'd be better off using that geo for better joint deformation.
Use triangles as much as possible.

Scrub:
hehe looks nice and different :)
Is there a reason why you dont have any smoothing groups applied to the model.
I suggest rotating the arms and legs 45 degrees vertically (arounf vertical axis i.e.). That really makes the sillhuette look alot better and not so blocky

Dregoloth:
Is there a reason why only the head is triangulated?
Remember to push the sillhuette as much as you can!
Fix the shoulder area! :P

willy:
Looking smexy! :D
You coud use thirding (http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg) (atleast thats what poopie calls it) on the pencil/pen to save uv space. I know it seems un-necessary but you could use that to give relatively higher pixel density to the journal
smoothing groups would be my undoing... maybe

[willy-wilson]

mradam
great silhuette, reads nicely

Zwebbie:
Will be so much fun to texture :)

FLow:
Character looks nice. Add more character to it!
Youre wastig alot of polys on the toilet seat

gsokol:
Looking nice but youre wasting alot of polygons. Esp the face and the bottom of the shirt+groin area. You'd be better off using that geo for better joint deformation.
Use triangles as much as possible.

Scrub:
hehe looks nice and different :)
Is there a reason why you dont have any smoothing groups applied to the model.
I suggest rotating the arms and legs 45 degrees vertically (arounf vertical axis i.e.). That really makes the sillhuette look alot better and not so blocky

Dregoloth:
Is there a reason why only the head is triangulated?
Remember to push the sillhuette as much as you can!
Fix the shoulder area! :P

willy:
Looking smexy! :D
You coud use thirding (http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg) (atleast thats what poopie calls it) on the pencil/pen to save uv space. I know it seems un-necessary but you could use that to give relatively higher pixel density to the journal

Wouldn't i have to add more geo to do that?

[Youngblood]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vKMNgkGe3L4/TC6dYzpUYLI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/lMIc_Ea_-sQ/TimeTravelMonolith.png

A sketch, I'm not really happy with where it went, but it's a start at least. I'm going to rework it completely next time around, especially because it needs so much dang texture space. Thoughts, comments and critiques greatly appreciated!

Oh and also note...that's a generic character from XSI for reference. He doesn't represent my character much at all.

[willy-wilson]

Hmm im not liking it, not at all.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/willy-wilson/Capture-55.png

[mradamw]

hey guys,

just a quick update from me on this one - sorry no time to give feedback as im popping out with the lady for a while :)

Not sure how to go about fixing the seam issues with the cell pattern (so may just leave it for now and pose him in a way that you wont see it :P)

using the xoliul shader - 1 light

http://adamwhitcroft.com/images/LPC/Polycount_time_machine/lpc_timemachine_col_2.jpg

[Y_M]

Feedbacks:

@wilson: both the journal and the bag look good, though I can't envisage how the straps are working, though that's probably just cause it's a single colour still.

@mradamw: That hexagonal suit looks great. I like the orange but I think it doesn't work well with the light blue glows. It's creating a bit of a murky colour between the two at the mid-range alphas.

@youngblood: those rings can be done without using much texture space at all. If you make the ring a flat loop, you can put each poly's uvs on top of each other so you can make the whole set as you see them there, but with only using ~128^2 diffuse+alpha and a few hundred polys.

@betelgeist: Love the character concept. I also like #1 of the machine concepts. Being carried by an animal is a great idea, though it will leave you short for polys. Though out of the ones you like, 4 and 5, I like #4 since it looks like an awesome pirate ship with the mast+sail :D


Started a quick bit of texturing on the professor:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2126504/professor-styraco-wip-03.jpg

I just want to check, if I have an alpha channel for something, that has to come out of my 512^2 pixel budget right? I've currently set aside 128^2 for an alpha channel for some foliage.

[willy-wilson]

Im not really sure either tbh. The two outside straps seem useless.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/willy-wilson/9511.jpg

[Y_M]

It looks there like they've just been tucked into the loops to keep them neat, the owner of that bag probably doesn't use them, so just tucks them out of the way.

[Piflik]

Ok...after reading the first post about a bazillion times and finally realizing that I still have time because the deadline is not the 1st of July, I decided to try and build my own time machine...it is a bit low tech...and I cannot guarantee its functioning, but its pilot (not yet modelled) has full faith in his creation.

Here's the machine and its 'engine'...a baby dwarf mammoth...

Currently at about 1350 triangles...let's see if I can create the pilot with the remaining 650...I am caonfident...

http://www.piflik.de/stuff/Time_Machine01.jpg

Edit: Traveler done...together 2000 Tris exact...

http://www.piflik.de/stuff/Time_Machine02.jpg

[ocarian]

Hi all

very Cool design mradamw :)

"...what about putting some kind of face under the clock hands? Just a big 1 plane cylinder or something? Or maybe have that like above the hands and below the cockpit so the spinning clock hands don't turn his machine into time machine death harvester...?"

Thanks for Advice :)
We have a good Budget on Polycount so I make a lot of detail with modelisation ;)

New up, the traveler

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/Wip_ModCharacter.jpg

1090 Triangles. Perhaps more later :D

And first step on texture

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/WIPCOLOR_01.jpg

Voilà

Good luck everyone !

[premium]

Nice stuff guys! Too bad I have no time to jump in this.. :(

[Flow]

I've start the texture of my model.

It is only the beginning, it still stays many thing to do.

http://www.militello-florian.com/TM_wip5.jpg

Good luck !

[Piflik]

First couple if models textured...

http://www.piflik.de/stuff/Time_Machine03.jpg

[butt_sahib]

ocarian:
Excellent! :D my fav entry so far (though its really hard to decide :))

great work piflik, this idea was my second choice XD
I think the modeling is nice but IMO you could have distributed teh polys abit better. Eg. the circular discs on that electrical capacitor should (A) have lesser sides and (B) be lesser in number. The big wheel should have atleast one more edge. The mamoths tusks should also have another edge. Not much you can do about now, but i just thought id share my ideas.

[Piflik]

Thanks...yeah...I could save some tris on the capacitors...might actually do that and give the wheel some more sides...not sure about the tusks, though...personally I think 3 sides look more roundish than 4...

Anyway...I textured the 'engine' and The Doctor and his Sonic Screwdriver... :D

http://www.piflik.de/stuff/Time_Machine05.jpg

...I still suck at texturing...might revisit them after posing the figures.

Edit: Reduced the sides of the Capacitor-Discs from 8 to 6, saving a wopping 80 tris...increased the sides of the Wheel by 66% (from 12 to 20...still have to even out the UVs, but other than that it was an easy fix)...still have 16 tris...I'll see where I can put those...

[Millah]

I'm diggin the entries so far. Keep up the good work everyone!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor.jpg

I dunno if I was hungry when I was thinking of what to do for this comp or what but I had the idea of a character with a time vending machine. To transport through time he enters the date into it and the machine spits out some tasty treat that upon consumption takes him to a different time. Crits welcome. Sitting at 992 triangles so far so still a good be of freedom to try out different ideas. :)

[Millah]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor2.jpg

small update. Shortened arms and moved head shape around. Cut in some different fat forms. Give him some teeny shoes.Bulked forearms and made a rough watch. Cut in vending snack area.

[BadGeometry]

Update time.

http://i50.tinypic.com/11b6muo.jpg

So here he is. The whole thing is at 1870 tris while the time traveler and his camera weigh in at 1128 tris. I'm a little worried about his shoulder joint though. Somehow I think the topology could still be improved there. Any tips?

I've also been thinking about adding a sidecar and having that be the the time traveling device. I did a quick mock up and it really adds a lot to the silhouette, but I'm gonna need to shave some detail from the scooter, namely the exhaust vents.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2wf8yn4.jpg

A friend of mine commented that I might be better off sticking with just the scooter since I'm a bit too short on the polydollars to bring its level of detail closer to that of scooter's. Right now it weighs in at 222 tris.

What do you guys think? Yay or nay on the scooter? If Nay I'll just add more detail to the Traveler and the scooter.


Millah
Great job on getting his fatness down. Is the whole thing, Character and Time Machine, 992 tris? I'd suggest doing some more concepts for the vending machine since I think it's silhouette is a little weak. nothing major since it is based on something box shaped, but maybe some tubes or something just so it looks like it's more than just a vending machine.


Piflik
I think you're off to a good start with your texturing. I'd say for your cave man, make the darker areas of his skin a little warmer. Rather than adding black to your skin tone, add some dark red or orange to the skin tone.

Everyone else, looking awesome so far. Keep it up!

[butt_sahib]

willy wilson:
Would u mind posting a wireframe of that pencil?
I thought you might have geometry for thirding. However, if you dont have geometry to spare, you can still reduce the size of the texture space for the yellow part of the pencil as its a constant colour (almost). It would work even if you have the yellow part 1-pixel wide (as i dont see any markings/writing on the texture). Just think you could use a larger space for the journal :P

Bad Geometry:
Looking excellent :D

[Mike Yevin]

Wow, tons of great entries in here, makes me kinda nervous to even attempt. I'll probably bust out quick concepts and block outs tonight.

mradamw and ocarian, I absolutely love both of your character designs, can't wait to see the finished products

[beezul]

thanks Y_M
def goin for a piratey boat feel =D
would love to model the skeleton horse.. maybe another time though. I will be using this character for an indie game that I'm working on... so there might be room to model the Horse too.

did you ever figure out if the alphas have to be put into a seperate space that counts on the overall map space? or can we just pop em reguardless.

Millah- hilarious concept. cant wait to see some greasy looking maps on that guy.
Ocarian- very cool old dude. really diggen the wip maps.
Mradammw- awesommeeee. wish i knew how to fix that seem problem... i tend to stay away from tiled surfaces. if you were painting in modo you could easily fix that by just handpainting over the seem... dont know any other way.

an update... managaed to hit exactly 2000... PHEW.
now itll be hella challenging to fit all this on that map..



andddd i just realized i forgot his should piece..... so now i have to get rid of about 21 tris


http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/timemachinebetelgeistwip.jpg

[gaganjain]

So many awesome work :)
Here my W.i.p Right now it 731 tri
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/5480/lowpoly.jpg
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/9150/lowpolyhead.jpg

[Simmo]

Man tough competition.. really nice work here.

I started on mine tonight, I hope I can get it done on time. I'm doing this machine from Invader Zim: http://imgur.com/oitDr.jpg

Technically it's not a time machine in the classic sense but whatever, mine will be :-p

So tonight I got Zim modeled. It's my first character, and it's not rigged. He's not unwrapped yet, these are just coloured materials in max atm:

http://imgur.com/3mrI2.png

I'll start on the machine tomorrow.

Again, so much great stuff here. I just wanted an excuse to do some lowpoly.. man it's fun.

If I have enough tris left I'll do GIR too :D

[Millah]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor3.jpg

sitting at 1914 tri's. Probably gonna save the rest for fixing stuff I find as I texture and for maybe adding effect alpha polys.


BadGeometry: Thanks. I took your advice and pushed the design of the vending machine a bit more to have some fun :)

Your scooter dude's looking pretty cool. Keep it up! :) As far as the scooter goes I'd say that exhausts vs. scooter is a toss up. Both seem like great ways to add character to the piece depending on how you flesh them out. One thing I would say is that there are definitely some polys you could be saving in the wheels on the scooter. at this low of a rez there's not much point in having a center loop on the wheels.

BetelGeist: Thanks man. :)

Simmo: Haha nice Invader Zim. Really nailed the style.

[dirigible]

Hey, all. I'm gonna try my hand at actually completing one of these. I'd post pics of my progress, but...it won't let me. I think because I just created my account? Anyway, cool challenge!

[hawken]

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/timemachinebetelgeistwip.jpg

I like how the boat is tilted forward, gives it a nice sense of dynamism

[Simmo]

Update, pretty much modeled the machine itself. I decided to do an original design but in the style of the stuff Zim has in his base. This was tough to keep under budget

I JUST fit Gir's head in there hehe! :)

All up 1995 tris:

http://imgur.com/plym2.png

http://imgur.com/BT7jc.png

[kaptainkernals]

Love that you have gir in your design. love gir

[Leandro Henriques]

Great idea and modeling.

This contest´s got lots of fun entries.

[dirigible]

Not sure if my last post got through, so I'll pretend this is my first...

Making progress on my design, guys. Gonna see if I can actually finish one of these things.

Would post progress shots, but still cannot (due to being a new member or something).

Got my geometry pretty much finalized. Used up all 2000 tris. Now I just have to UV and start texturing.

[BadGeometry]

Some concept changes and geometry changes later I've arrived here. Put him in a nice futuristic jumpsuit to make him look more like a time traveler. He's also getting a matching camera.

Here's the progress on the texture so far. I wanted to finish him tonight but it's getting mighty late. Guess I'll have to settle for tomorrow.

http://i27.tinypic.com/t8rs4m.jpg

BetelGeist
I love the direction you took with the design. Good luck with the shoulder pad!

Millah
Now -that's- a time machine. Nice work!

Since you mentioned the bit about the inner ring around the wheels, I've played around with the idea a bit but I'm still not sure about it since the wheels may end up looking a bit more blocky/triangly. On the other hand, that's 40 extra tris to play with.

It won't mess up my UVs nor have I textured it yet so it's still up in the air.


Simmo
Very nice! You really got the art style down pat. Lookin' forward to the textures.

[beezul]

Hawken- Thanks dude! I couldnt imagine the shape without it being "posed" in action. was much easier to model while imaging it flying through time and space. complete with WHOOOHHHH VROOUUUUUUUUU sounds effects...

BadGeometry- thank you very much! I like to be as funky as possible. i got the shoulder pad in. All i had to do was clean up a bit. still hit 2k exactly. Wish I could start unwrapping to texture but Ive been swamped with some level design work for this indie game. Ill post another wip after the 11th!

Nice map by the way! Im really glad you made him look so futuristic with it. I was concerned that he looked a bit too modern judging by your last post. You def made a great choice there. I hope to see the scooter go the same route.

[dirigible]

Hooray, I can finally post pictures! Here's my dude.

I sort of envision him as a middle class Italian tinker, circa 1900. As such, the ONLY fitting time machine would be one of those ridiculous disproportionate bicycles from the time period.

I used a total of 1976 tris, but I'm thinking about re-purposing some of of it (the toolbox to his right, and maybe the pouch to his left) to make the time machine cooler. I'm not sure it looks timey wimey enough right now.

BadGeometry- I'm really liking how your guy is turning out. Are you still doing the pet-thing?

BetelGeist - I love that ship, man. How big is it gonna be, proportionate to the alien? I think it'd be pretty cool if the sizes in the image you posted were the actual proportions.

ocarian - Loving that design so far! Can't wait to see him fully painted.

Flow - fantastic job coloring the time machine! I think your time-traveler still needs work, though. She (?) still looks kind of generic.

[beezul]

Dirigible- thanks =D those are in fact pretty close to the actual proportions. I was thinking about bowsers flying head ship in Super Mario and Mario Kart as well. He will have his knees up to his chest rather silly like. I like to put spooky characters in silly scenarios =D

I like where you are goin with this design. I do feel however that the helmet seems a bit akward. It really doesnt look like it would stay on his head if he moved.

I suggest experimenting with the idea that maybe he took if from a giant soldier and its too big for his head. This way it could still be comical, but funtional as well.

Also, perhaps think about adding the tool box to the scooter. like on a carrier. That way He could collect tools from the past and still be able to ride his bike.

[dirigible]

Hmm, the more I look at it the more I like it. The problem is that he's got a lock of hair that sticks up and out in front and it's conflicting with the helmet. Also I found out just how cartoonish his head is when I had to try to conform a realistic helmet to it.

As for the toolbox, that's how I had it originally. I think it'd probably be best if I went back to it. Too many separate pieces floating around isn't good.

[beezul]

looks much better so far.. make sure his face is still visible though.. maybe just his mustache. although he is wearing a warrior helmet you must still push the comedy. he has a funny face =D

[dirigible]

I've pretty much finalized the geometry, especially since I UV'd everything.

BetelGeist, I took pretty much all of your suggestions (can't say no to good advice!), and I also redesigned the bike to make it more...appealing?

I'm now at exactly 2000 tris, woohoo.

Now comes the hard part....texturing....

*ADDENDUM: I'm new to polycount, so sorry if this is obvious, but...why is it that when everyone else posts an image it appears directly in the thread, but when I do it they appear as thumbnails that I have to open?

[hawken]

everyone is hosting their image, then posting them using image code. A good place to do this is www.tinypic.com it'll give you the code you need to post on forums.

[Flow]

Here is a smal update for my time traveler .. Texture is advanced well but I have some things to be made.
1924 tris

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7978/tmwip6.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/tmwip6.jpg/)



Good job everyone !

[ocarian]

Cool Work Flow :)

Thanks for comment BetelGeist butt_sahib and dirigible :D

New Up

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/WIPCOLOR_02.jpg

New Polycount 1078 Triangle for character (Last 1090 triangles)

Keep up

[dirigible]

Making progress with the texturing. His eyes actually made him look so adorable that I had to shrink the irises.http://i31.tinypic.com/eg94di.jpg
ocarian, that looks fantastic!
flow, I like the energy bubble. I'd been considering making one of those for my time machine, but I'm out of polygons :(

[Millah]

Keep up the good work everyone! :) Lots of nice updates this weekend from people. Here's my little update. Got the guy first pass uv'ed and an early texture going for fatty. Def. have more work to do. Not sure if I'll keep the face or not, his expression looks kinda dumb at the moment but that might be funny? meh. Was going for an overbite for sure. I'm all ears for any crits. :)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor4.jpg

[Zwebbie]

I'm going to have to forfeit; an indie game I'm working on will be releasing info soon, so I'm needed elsewhere.

This is as far as I got:

http://www.joeyspijkers.com/contests/TM4.jpg

Good luck to the rest of you!

[GreasyMnky]

Modeling is almost finished, so far I have managed to get exactly 1000 tris for the character and 1000 tris for the machine!


I might optimize the machine a bit more, thinking of getting 8 tris from the legs, 4 from the dash and 8 more from the antenna for a total of 20 extra triangles. I think I will use them for a holographic interface…




http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_tm_wip_mod01.jpg

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_tm_wip_mod02.jpg

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_tm_wip_mod03.jpg

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_tm_wip_mod04.jpg



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1xmwjXN670

[Millah]

Zwebbie: Dang man. was looking forward to your entry. I loved your lp oz entry over on GA

GreasyMnky: Nice vehicle dude! Makes me wish I had done an actual vehicle. :)

[dirigible]

Progressing with my texture.http://i29.tinypic.com/23r2wk2.jpg
GreasyMnky, it looks like you have some unused tris lurking around the top of your character's breasts. You probably don't need two edgeloops circling her neck, either. The dashboard and antenna you already know about...I think you could also probably collapse some of the quads on the rear-view mirror into tris without losing any silhouette, same for the head-lights. You could probably make the bug-legs into triangular prisms instead of rectangular prisms, without losing any noticible detail. All told that's like...100 extra tris.

Zwebbie, too bad you're dropping out, man. Your mausoleum looks awesome.

Millah, I would definitely change the face. It looks pretty out of place, especially the skin tone. Most people get more 'ruddy' around the face, but this guy's skin gets yellower.

His hairy chest and stomach are grossing me out, man!

[BadGeometry]

Progress!

http://i30.tinypic.com/2u44rjb.png

He's about 90% done. Gotta do some seem fixin' and finishing touches, but he's almost there. Tomorrow, scooter time.

Flow
Good work so far. I think you could push the smoke a bit more.

ocarian
Nice job! I love his face. The eyebrows look a little too far up when his goggles are raised up. The alpha hair looks really nice.

Millah
Dear lord, that massive flab! That forest of body hair! Good job. His facial skin tone doesn't seem to match his body's tone though.

Zwebbie
I'm sorry to see you drop out man. You really had an interesting idea going with the ruins motif. I hope you'll consider finishing it sometime soon.

GreasyMnky
The time machine has a really neat silhouette! Looking forward to textures.

dirigible
I love the detail you've put on his vest and pants. It looks awesome so far. Keep it up man!

[hawken]

wow this challenge is certainly heating up!

very impressive guys

[Ani]

There's some really great stuff here! I'm tempted to join in the fun :D

[GreasyMnky]

@dirigible thank you for the critics, it allowed me to scavenge around a 100 tris wich I used for the holograms above the vehicule and for the belt of the character. I tried to remove one loop of the neck, but it broke the feminine silhouette. I also kept the legs 4 sided, I want them to be solid beams of metal.

At first, I tried to put the bags on the back of the vehicule, but I think they look better on the character. The models are still at 2000 triangles.

(top character go with top vehicle)


http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_optimisation01.jpg
http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_optimisation02.jpg


@BadGeometry thx for the comment, I hope I will be able to compete with your texture skills. Can't wait to see what you will do for the scooter textures.

I also began to unwrap (btw the TexTool script with RoadKill totally rocks!)
This is what I have so far:

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_uvw01.jpg

[amsmntparks]

http://a.imageshack.us/img195/3984/drdtexturedpass1.png (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/drdtexturedpass1.png/)

First pass on the textures. Still need to drop in shadows, highlights, and maybe a touch of AO. Thoughts?

[Simmo]

Man some really great progress in this thread, I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the finished time machines :)

GreasyMnky: I love the design and silhouette, really nice modeling. Also I agree, textools is great, such a time saver!

amsmntparks: Looking good, great idea. I think with some shading it'll look great, if you're going for the toony look. Your texturing style makes me rethink mine:

http://imgur.com/tIuoy.png

http://imgur.com/m7ph2.png

I've never really done this kind of texturing before (not that I'm that experienced in texturing at all!) I'm thinking of scrapping it, and re-doing it in a more cel-shaded way, more like the show.. I don't know at this point. It's obviously nowhere near done as it is. Nevertheless, any feedback at this stage would be greatly appreciated!

Keep up the awesome work everyone, this is lots of fun

[Coolbot4k]

Wow, amazing work everyone! :)

This challenge looked rather interesting, so I decided to join in myself. I chose to do Robot Ness and his time machine from Earthbound. These were my references:
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/coolbot4k/TimeTravelReferences.png

And here's what I've produced so far:
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/coolbot4k/NessRobotNoWire.pnghttp://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/coolbot4k/NessRobotFront.pnghttp://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/coolbot4k/NessRobotBack.png
http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab247/coolbot4k/NessandPhaseDistorter.png

Ness is 434 triangles, and the "phase distorter" so far is 628, so I'm well under budget. I'm not too sure about the texture for Ness. I may redo it.

[GreasyMnky]

@Simmo thx for the kind comment:)

@amsmntparks great start on the textures!

As for my progress I still have some optimisation to do on the UV space, and I might have to sraighten some of the shells borders to avoid getting jagged seams...

Heres a screenshot (square = 4x4 pixels)

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_uvw02.jpg

I'm open to suggestions on how to optimize the space or to redo the unwrapping (I'm still new at this)

Looking forward to see the outcomes of this challenge

[beezul]

@Simmo thx for the kind comment:)

@amsmntparks great start on the textures!

As for my progress I still have some optimisation to do on the UV space, and I might have to sraighten some of the shells borders to avoid getting jagged seams...

Heres a screenshot (square = 4x4 pixels)

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_uvw02.jpg

I'm open to suggestions on how to optimize the space or to redo the unwrapping (I'm still new at this)

Looking forward to see the outcomes of this challenge

lookin really cool dude. awesome design so far.
doesnt folding the geometry like that (left onto right on the body) create an artifact or slight seam running down the front of the model?

[Zwebbie]

I'm open to suggestions on how to optimize the space or to redo the unwrapping (I'm still new at this)
If I were you, I'd straighten some of the edges on your UV map to make them easier to paint. The middle seam of the torso will look better if it's straight, and the arms and the robot's legs ought to be much easier to work on if you change them.

[dirigible]

BetelGeist
No, mirroring UVs does not automatically cause artifacts. In fact, it can even help you get rid of seams! Pic related, there are 4 mirror seams in this picture. Can you spot them all?
http://i25.tinypic.com/9i8xok.jpg

GreasyMnky
I've tried something new on this project, which is making my UV edges nearly square. This allows me to draw lines that run perfectly horizontally and vertically. This is the only reason I am able to get such crispy lines on the pants (above picture) - they are just 1 pixel wide lines that run vertically up the texture. The technique causes some stretching, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pants do usually stretch and deform, etc etc.

Here's how I UV'd my character:http://i26.tinypic.com/2qncu3l.jpg

CoolBot4K
Looks good so far, man!

[hawken]

all that text on your UV map might prove a problem ;)

[BlazeF]

Hey guys,

This is my first low poly character to date. Still in the middle of tweaking some of the verts but I think I'm pretty close to getting the wires finished.

I'm sort of cheating here by my choice... but I couldn't help but pick one of my favorite time travelers, Cable.

Any critique or help with the model would be much appreciated. I'd like to clean up my wires further and even get a little more organic with what I have.

http://www.blazefergusonart.com/wp-content/gallery/tempstuff/cablesil2.jpg

http://www.blazefergusonart.com/wp-content/gallery/tempstuff/cablesilwires2.jpg

Thanks guys

[BadGeometry]

Progress on the scooter.

http://i29.tinypic.com/2pozhwy.jpg

The back needs still needs plenty of work but so far I'm really pleased with how it's coming along. With any luck, I'll have this bad boy finished tonight and ready for rigging. After which I'll have to a short hiatus for Siggraph. But I should be back in time to submit the final entry.

amsmntparks
I think one thing you might wanna do if you decide to add some AO would be to up the contrast on your AO after you bake it so you get some sharper shadow edges.

Simmo
Your texture is looking great! If you still want to do it over, I'd still hold on to this one. If you throw on toon shader on that guy it'll be a spitting image of the show I think.

Coolbot4k
If Ness is barealy scratching 500, I think you can afford to add a few bevels to him and make him look a bit nicer. The phase distorter is spot on. I might shorten the nose just a tad, but other than that, it looks good.

GreasyMnky
Thanks for the compliment, man.

dirigible
Loving that layout, man. You gotta tell me how you got rid of the seams on the top of his head where the scalp meets the rest of the head. With hair it's not exactly an easy thing to do.

BlazeF
He looks pretty good, though he also looks to be a little high on the tricount. He also needs an edge ring or two along his waist.

[BlazeF]

@BadGeo - That model is looking pretty sick :) Could you share the wires on all of that?

Currently on my model it's at about 1900 tri right now. So I'm just under the limit. Might add to a few areas to really push that silhouette. I also agree that his waist could use another loop to define that form a bit.

[GreasyMnky]

Thx everyone for the constructive critics!


@ BadGeometry I really like glowing lines on the side of the scooter

@Betelgeist Thats what I was afraid but seems like Zwebbie and dirigible had a solution, now I hope I straightened everything allright

this is my new layout :
http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_uvw03.jpg

[BadGeometry]

Scooter is almost done.

http://i31.tinypic.com/4j2uch.jpg

All the major parts are done for the most part. Would love some crits and suggestions since I still think it's missing something. I'm gonna add a dust/dirt layer once everything else is done.

BlazeF
1900 tris eh? Nice job! Looks more high poly than he actually is.

I'm glad you like it! You can see my wires on page 4 of this thread, though I've made some changes to the Time Traveler since. Mostly joints loops and stuff. Nothing too major. I'll be posting updated wires probably when I finish up.

GreasyMnky
Thanks man!

Your UV layout looks much better than before. You're really cramming in detail in there.

[Spacey]

Wow, nice job everyone. I'm really gonna have to step it up.

Ani: Don't you be teasing me, darlin'!


Getting back to this. First texture pass on the traveler.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/wootmonkey/Art/timetraveler_wip03.jpg

[dirigible]

BadGeometry
Actually the problem wasn't filling the seam between hair and scalp. I laid out my UVs such that the face, scalp, and beginning of the hair were all on the same island. The hard part was bridging the gap between the start of the hair, and the main body of the hair.
http://i28.tinypic.com/ajx92b.jpg
To do this I exported my model as a .obj and imported it into Photoshop's 3D paint tools. This allowed me to paint directly on my model using all the familiar tools of photoshop, so that I could directly paint out the seams. Mudbox and Zbrush can do this as well, but my computer's hardware isn't good enough to run either of those :(
Nice texturing, man! I love the colors you have going. I'm worried that the time traveler will be overpowered by the scooter, though. The traveler himself is just black, white and faded orange, but the scooter is VIVID BURNING RED-ORANGE.

GreasyMnky - nice layout, man!

[BadGeometry]

Dirigible
Ah, of course. I always forget that Photoshop can do some 3D action. I really need to learn how to do that. That stuff's been out for a while and I still haven't figured out how to do it.

You raise a good point. I might try and make his vest a little more vibrant and up the contrast on his suit. I might try using some different colors for the hot spots on the skin and suit as well. That might make him stand out some more.

[beezul]

Coolbot4k- thanks for that blast from the past.. loved that game! looks just like it.

Dirigible- Thanks for the tip. I think the reason i asked was because I ran into some issues with that overlap while rendering in Maya. It was low poly stuff and I wanted higher res clean images. So i went through hell trying to hide what looked like a seam running down where i folded the uvs perfectly ontop of each other.
You textures are looking wonderful..
BadGeometry- Very cool scooter brah. I want one o those. Hope Siggraph worked out for ya.... you guys need to try some Modo 3D painting.

This was Painted in Modo
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/betelgeist-timetraver.jpg

Still need some tweaks... but Im going to move on top the ship and try folding the uvs over to save some space.

[hawken]

It's good, but will look much better once you turn off the blending. LPC challenges prohibit the use of texture blending (filtering) and antialiasing. Check out the LPC style guide thread here: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51622

you should be going for something "crispy" like this:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/wootmonkey/Art/timetraveler_wip03.jpg

[beezul]

ohhhhhhh. whoops! ive never done that before. ill get right on that! thanks

[beezul]

Looks like i need to fold the face and move some things around to get the chest a little more uv space =/ BALLLLLSS
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss28/Betelgeist/betelgeist-timetraver2.jpg

[dirigible]

Arrgh, I've been working with bilinear texture filtering this entire time! Well here's my traveler's pretty much finished texture, with no filtering or aliasing.
http://i27.tinypic.com/2ev46jt.png

It's been suggested that his iris and pupil should just be solid blue and solid black...thoughts?

Also, gloves: yes/no?

[BlazeF]

@Dirigible: That guy is lookin pretty damn sweet man! Loving the textures on scarf and jacket!

@Badgeo: haha my bad, didn't see them there even though I swear I looked for them O_o Anyway super clean work :) I don't think I'm going to post the updated wires... just because there's no real use... heh

Though textures should be started on pretty soon... been busy... with my new tv this weekend...................... /hugs tv

[ocarian]

Hi all

Cool texture Work BetelGeist and Dirigible

New Up on Machine's Texture

http://ocarian1981.free.fr/IMGpagesite/galerie3D/ChallengePolycount/WIPCOLOR_03.jpg

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/7929/timemachine.jpg

That all for this week end more soon :D

Keep on the good work all :)

[Zwebbie]

@Dirigible: I think you should try to make the skin tones more lively. They're pretty monochrome at the moment. I made a quick paintover:

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2867/dirigiblepaintover.jpg

What it mostly came down to was adding saturated red in the darker areas (and I went ahead and kept it for the hair and clothing as well). The ears, cheeks, nose and the tips of the fingers got an extra layer of red as well. I also think you ought to define the nose better, since it tends to fall away when you squint; The paintover has a bit of specularity and a shadow under the nose and moustache.

[dirigible]

Thanks, Zwebbie! I think you're right about livening up the skin tones. I consciously decided not to paint the shadows in redder tones, but I don't think that I managed to accomplish what I was going for. I'll go in and red things up.

My limitation is that he is entirely self-lit, and the mustache will be moving around so I can't paint a shadow under it.

Great advice, I'll post an updated version soon.

[drelectro]

@ocarian: i think you should do a little more color variation on your machine.. at the moment it looks too monochrome. i imagined a more steely version.. but thats just my taste. i love your prof!

[dirigible]

Improved?
http://i26.tinypic.com/2hzjwua.png
(I lied about being finished with the traveler's texture)

[duncan]

Hay guys and girls, I have been watching the fun for long enough, time to get involved.

@BetelGeist: I am a huge fan of your style. I am super keen to see how your guy panns out.

@dirigible: I love your little guy. I agree with Zwebbie more lively skin tone would help a lot and also give him a really nice cartoony feel.

@BadGeometry: I think your guy is my fav so far. The face is fantastic.

Here is my contribution. Terry the time traveling space worm. I am sitting on about 1322 tris at the moment so I have some space to move. He is still very wipy but I hope to have him up to scratch soon.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/2246/48600806.jpg


Great work so far everyone I am keen to see some more progress from all.

[mradamw]

duncan thats brilliant as always! love his little expression there :) what about having terry's tail like pushing a button or something (have a little control panel infront of him and have his tail pressing a big red "BRRZZARP" button?

[GreasyMnky]

quick update on the textures
blocking colors and testing some patterns, I still need to do some more work on the legs and on the back of the character


http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_textures01.jpg
http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_textures02.jpg


@duncan nice character, I like his big facial expression


@dirigible definitely improved, he looks more healthy


@ocarian nice machine, I like it


@BetelGeist I really like your design

EDIT:

added contrast and changed the "scaly" pattern for a woolen texture, feels more warm.

http://greasymnky.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lpc_wip_textures03.jpg

I might add some leather patches and brass buttons next to complete the look.

[duncan]

Little Update.

@mradamw: Thanks man. I did not think of that one (bugger). Unfortunately it is a little too squishy in there for me to add one now :(. I did decide to add a toy key though.

@GreasyMnky: Thanks for the kind words :). You have an interesting character there, reminds me of something out of Brazil or something (which is a good thing). My only crit at this stage would be that everything looks like it is made of wool. I am not sure if that is what you wanted but it makes her look a little like a Sackboy from Little Big Planet. I am interested to see where you go with it. Keep up the good work.

Added some steam and a toy key. Still have some tris to go but I am going to concentrate on the texture first and add extra stuff as I go.

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5559/65593249.jpg

See you soon.

[Sakichii]

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/201/4/1/TimeTraveller_concept_by_Sakichii.png

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/201/e/f/Time_Traveller_by_Sakichii.png
Approximately 3 days work, from design to textured and rigged model, ^_^' with a total of 1979 triangles.
Not satisfied with the texture yet but it's getting there.

[Millah]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor5.jpg

Update.
- Re-did the face by painting a face first and then warping uv's to the face and finally rendering the results to a new set of uvs.
- Skin needs a lot of work, in general any area that has skin needs love.
- Added suspenders and changed the guys fat forms to be a little more realistic.

I've been playing a bunch with render to texture on this project and it's been pretty fun. Still have a ways to go, everything you see here is probably more grainy than it will be in the final because this is 2 256x256 maps and I've been working at higher rez as an experiment for fun on this one.



@Duncan: Cool concept. I like the hud!
@Derigible: Nice progress! The thing that sticks out to me about your guy is that he's got no eyelids. Even pixar eyes have eyelids. It might just be the style you're going for though. I like your dudes vest.
@BadGeometry: That scooter turned out great!

@everyone else: keep it up! It's pretty inspiring checking out this thread. Times running out... or is it?!?! :)

[ocarian]

Hi

Excelent concept duncan , I really like the texture Work :)

Little Up

I made some retake (Thanks for advice drelectro :D

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/1522/timemachine01.jpg

voilà :)

[Ani]

Ok, I'm in! First up are some quick concepts for my ideas.

Spacey - no teasing you this time ;)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4813165747_c8ed811c4e_o.png

[duncan]

Hello.

@Millah: Thanks. I like the concept behind your guy. I almost went down a similar path.

@ocarian: Thank you :). I am really digging your time machine. Really nice clean textures.

@Ani: Love the concept, I am super keen to see how it translates to 3D.

A little more.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2229/28532138.jpg

[Mosbey]

Going with the bottom right version as a childs time machine, child concept in the works, will post more soon.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/60/toyboxconcept.jpg (http://img295.imageshack.us/i/toyboxconcept.jpg/)

[_CAD_]

some awesome entries so far. heres mine im overshooting the poly budget at the moment but ill bring her down once im happy with everything, oh and she will have a time travelling hula-hoop.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp26/__CAD__/Alex_Progress01.jpg

[beezul]

ani thats some great concept work... but i really think the machine is too similar to duncans. =/

[BlazeF]

@Ani & Betel: I don't! Make it clean and it will certainly be different enough :) It's like dexter's lab! W00t

[HandSandwich]

Awesome work everyone. I love that concept, Ani. That'll look awesome in 3D

[beezul]

@blaze- sure. because making it clean completely changes the fact that its basically the exact same design, but with four curved rectangles at the bottom.....

[Spacey]

Ani: Bwahaha, simple and wonderful. You never fail to deliver the goods.

Slooooow going, but managed some texture on the machine.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/wootmonkey/Art/timetraveler_wip04.jpg

[Ani]

Thanks for the comments! I'm getting started on the girl right now :)

Betel - I don't think that the design is too similar at all. Okay, so it has a glass top and it's round but there are more elements that make it different than the same. I'm still gonna go with it though cause I know it's not going to turn out to look anything like duncan's.

Also got a question about the texture(s) though - we're meant to have both the machine and traveller in a single 512 diffuse, right? Cause there's a few who are doing 256 ones and I'm just a little confused?

[glenatron]

You just need to not exceed 512x512 pixels in total, as far as I'm aware. So you could have:

1 x (512x512) or
4 x (256x256) or
2 x (512x256)
etc.

So if youve got any tiled bits, seperate them ( but i doubt you will by the looks of it). Awesome concept btw, as been said before, will look smexy as hell in 3d.

[glenatron]

Oh yeah, and here's where I'm up to atm.
Not sure if i wanna use spec maps because I've textured so many light bias highlights. Still need to finish up the skin, and tidy up some bits of texture here and there.

http://fox-gameart.net/time_machine_1.jpg
http://fox-gameart.net/time_machine_2.jpg
http://fox-gameart.net/time_machine_tex.jpg

And are we allowed to vertex light for final renders? If not I'll have to sort out baking the paint as best as possible, but have a feeling it'l get fudged as hell.

[Millah]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor6.jpg

Still toiling away.... Must.. finish.. before Starcraft 2!

[duncan]

Great work everyone.

@glenatron: Awesome!

Little update from me.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8403/62213509.jpg

[hawken]

vertex shading is fine.

[mradamw]

@duncan - dude to be 100% honest i preferred the glass when it was a bit cleaner - it feels almost too grubby for me now. HOWEVER if you want some grubby glass what about adding a small windscreen wiper infront of him so his view is always clear? may make a cool litle divide between super dirty glass and clean glass plausible?? just a suggestion :) again one of my favourites (damn you sir)

[statichavoc]

I'm new to the forums (found this via poopinmymouth.com (great artist!) and I've never really tried one of these low poly challenges. Great entries so far and I hope I can contribute :)

[BadGeometry]

Wow, really nice seeing the progress on all these entries!

http://i28.tinypic.com/5ouv06.jpg

After many arguments with Maya, I finally got him posed. It's say he's almost 95% complete. Just gotta do a bit of seem fixin' and he'll be golden.

Duncan
Thanks! I'm glad you like the face. I had a lot of fun working on it.
I really like your guy a lot too. He's got some really nice shapes going for him and I love the whimsical look he has. I agree with mradamw about the glass though. Maybe even instead of some wipes you could have some crude, wipe marks on the front, as if he tried taking a wash cloth to it.

dirigible
The added warmth on his skin really brings him out. Nice job!

GreasyMnky
Nice progress. You really made some good use of that UV layout. Your textures look really sharp and crisp. I'm a little curious as to what kind of look you're going for. I'll be honest, the head is a bit creepy looking.

Millah
Thanks!
I love how your model is coming out. I really like the work you did on his face, and your time machine looks really nice and high tech. I think the only minor crit is that I'd make his body hair a little more curly and scraggly. Otherwise, it's looking great.

Ocarian
Nice work. The light oxidation on the metal there. I like how sharp the textures came out too.

Ani
Your concept is adorable!

Spacey
That's some sweet texture work there so far, man. Can't wait to see the rest!

glenatron
The time machine looks great! I really your treatment of the wood texture.

This is probably gonna be my last update till next week. I'll be off at Siggraph till the 30th. I look forward to seeing the finished pieces!

[_CAD_]

Heres where im at just got a little bit of tweaks here and there and hopefully i can call her done.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp26/__CAD__/Alex_Progress02.jpg
http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp26/__CAD__/Alex_Progress03.jpg

BadGeometry : Thats awesome, the textures are really well done

Duncan: this has to be my favourite hes got so much character :)

[statichavoc]

Swizzle can we see your UV maps? I'm having issues and I feel yours might help me out!

[Ithoual]

Hi, verry nice stuff here, it's very interesting to see how diferents are the entrys :)

I little wip from me.

[BlazeF]

@CAD: Heya! It's looking really good :) Only point I'd really point out is that the face texture is a little off on the cheeks. I think it's just a tad too much white there. Aside from that, pretty solid :)

@Ithoual: Wow... Super impressed with your concept and original character design. haha man now I feel like SUCH a cheat for picking my character. Some really top notch stuff, I can't wait for the final model.

[duncan]

Hay people

@mradamw: hahaha thanks man :). It was a cool idea adding the windshield wiper. I alwayse intend to add some smudge marks where he tried to clean the glass but it turns out I don't have enough rez :(. However I do like the wipers.

@BadGeometry: :) :) :). I dig your pose. The whole thing turned out awesome. Now it is time for you to add some ace backdrop and your done. Great work.

@_CAD_: Thanks. I am not sure if you intended to have that dark halo around your Time window FX but if it is not intended I would suggest getting rid of it. Other than that I think you have done a good job.

@Ithoual: AWESOME! I really dig your character. Really nice style and the chair time machine is freaking sweet too. I am keen to see where he ends up.

Well I started in one spot and ended up in another (not always a bad thing). The dome has undergone a major re work and I like it. I just need to texture the windshield wiper and Terry before I start on a background... I tend to go overboard with these things :(

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5093/53420647.jpg

[hawken]

These entries are looking great!

We have about a week left (I'll leave the final entries thread open over the weekend).

We'll do iPhone size as usual - unless there's any objections.

[SojaBird]

Hey all,

I'm new to the polycount comunity but for what I see, things are amazing around here.
So I stumbled upon this topic and found out these marvelouse creations!!

So I though I'd start off with some display of my own work.
I did made some artwork for the challenge though I think I won't be able to 3D-lize this in this last week since I'm working on an other big project atm.

Anyway, I'd just show of my art for the challenge :)

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/207/4/6/Acid_Power___Time_Travel_by_SojaBird.jpg

Feedback pls :D

[Ithoual]

What do you mean by Iphone size ? The capture must be released in 640 480 ?

[hawken]

For final shots we usually require: wires shot with counter, in-game, beauty shot.

in-game is the iphone size - 480 x 320 (or should that be 960x640 now?)

[DaveSilver]

So I am just plain floored by how awesome the stuff you guys are creating is. I love it. Every design is cool, and great, in its own way and I am happy that I do not have to judge this competition. Anyway, I am new here and I was looking around, and I saw this competition and knew I had to enter. I love time travel fiction, and I love 3d modeling, so it was perfect for me.

So I have been working on this the past couple days and have gone through more iterations than you can shake a stick at but finally, I have this one. I think it's turning out pretty well so far. The time machine is the gate like object, and the traveler manipulates it with a wireless keypad that I have not made yet. The traveler is going to eventually have a brain floating around in his big noggin but I have not made that yet either. Right now my whole scene is at about 1986 tris but I have a few things I am going to remodel to save myself some tris and I should be fine in the end.

Anyway I love all the work you guys are doing so keep it up. Also don't think that since I haven't started my texture yet I won't be done on time because believe me, I will.
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/207/e/5/WIP_Time_Machine_by_chouji2.jpg

[dirigible]

Update. Got sabotaged by school and work. Hope I finish in time <8(
http://i30.tinypic.com/21ct5jo.jpg

Can I get some clarification on the final image rules? How is the in-game shot different from the beauty shot? Does it all have to be in one image, or in 3 separate images? Is there already a thread covering these questions?

[DMRadford]

First post, woot! Ok, now that that's out of the way: my time machine! I can't take credit for the design by John Hackman. Anyway, here it is so far. There's going to be a guinea pig in the glass area as my time traveler (the inventor is too cautious to send himself first).
http://dmradford.com/wp-content/gallery/wip/timemachine_v001_01.jpg
http://dmradford.com/wp-content/gallery/wip/timemachine_v001_02.jpg
-David

[duncan]

Hay people :)

@dirigible: Really nice but I think the helmet obscures his face a bit too much. I mean I really dig it but his face is were all the character is and it is a shame to loose that. It just feels a bit stuck on at the moment. With all that said he is still one of my favorite characters. Good job :)

Well I got a bit sick of Terry and decided to work on the background for a while. I still need to come back and finish his texture but I was glad for the little break.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8841/53104240.jpg

Close to the end now I am really keen to see how some of these cool entries polish up.

[amsmntparks]

http://a.imageshack.us/img21/5497/drdtextured2.png (http://img21.imageshack.us/i/drdtextured2.png/)

I had a hard time matching the texture on this to comic coloring style. I went for a cell shaded look on the character, but used gradients on the time machine.

[Millah]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor_final1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3591373/timevendor/timevendor_final2.jpg

Final stretch dudes! Keep on cranking! :)

[hawken]

Final submission thread is up! Good luck to everyone

[Proxzee]

Wow super good stuff in this thread. I wish I could jump into this.

[Av7xrocker97]

Man, I wish I was good with low-poly and texturing. If I could, I was thinking of making Ash from Evil Dead, holding the necronomicon and standing in front of the blue-ish vortex. I thinks that would've been so cool.

[hawken]

vote is now up http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75580

Well done to those who made it in, commiserations to those who missed the deadline - there were some great entries all around! Happy voting.

[DMRadford]

Hey, so I got so rushed when I was posting my final entry that I forgot to give credit to the concept artist: John Hackman | www.doodlingbanjos.com

-David

[womball]

This look like it was a ton of fun. May have to join in the next. Haven't worked that low of tris before.