Help modeling past PS1 graphics?
interpolator
So I've watched plenty of tutorials, and even visit the LOWPOLY stickied thread almost every day but I'm still stuck in the PS1 era of extreme blockiness. What's the secret to making meshes full of dense triangles to achieve a more realistic or respectable look?
I so far follow the standard procedure to modeling. I extrude, I use cut, I inset, but my models rarely exceed 200 polygons.
An example what I'm struggling with (note this model is old. I've since learned cylinders are not suppose to have triangles all over the place). This is suppose to be a Taxi but I'm not sure how to add more geometry to make it curved. I'm also not sure how to model intricate things like the vents.
I so far follow the standard procedure to modeling. I extrude, I use cut, I inset, but my models rarely exceed 200 polygons.
An example what I'm struggling with (note this model is old. I've since learned cylinders are not suppose to have triangles all over the place). This is suppose to be a Taxi but I'm not sure how to add more geometry to make it curved. I'm also not sure how to model intricate things like the vents.
Replies
"Overflowing with triangles" is not a worthy goal. Focus on making every polygon count.
I also do alot of freestyle modeling where I model stuff but they don't get saved (because again, I don't know how to make non-PS1 looking objects so I don't usually keep them).
Not sure how this helps haha. But surely you haven't watched that many tutorials out there, there's loads of organic stuff, even http://cg.tutsplus.com/ has plenty of free basic tutorials.
Maybe try something different, start modelling from a single plane to force yourself out of the "box" look... see http://vimeo.com/10941211
Also, trace over the picture of the car.This way its easier to adjust your edge loops/quads before actually messing around with the model in 3d.
As for the vents, I made this for you. It's probably not the only way to do it, but it took me maybe 2 minutes to do.
And then after you'll probably want to reduce all the unnecessary geo, this is quick and dirty. I know the vent was just an example of intricate stuff, but it shows that a lot of modeling is a puzzle game and coming up with solutions to problems, and then later on those same problems come back up and you'll spend maybe 1 minute on that problem instead of 1 hour.
I've since moved onto 3DS Max where the tools are much more powerful so I hope to take advantage of that now.
As for everyone else, thanks for the suggestions. I'm definitely going to try again with the Taxi soon and post back when I feel something needs improving.
I second what someone said earlier about studying low topology as well.
Can anyone comment if I'm on the right path? I've also taken into consideration about using quads over triangles.
Here's the unaltered image.
also, as breakneck said, you have to learn about smoothing groups and edge flows. Might seem daunting at first, but you'll get the hang of it.
Also, since you're starting, get tons of references, not just one. Get a blueprint, get pictures from all sides and angles. BLueprints sometimes don't align, so you have to improvise and this is where other references come in handy.
oh and subscribe to this thread. It's what helped me with my car, and it's still helping me now. It's a loooooooooong thread, but it's time well spent. Doing screws, bolts, and other industrial parts will help you understand edgeflow, topology, and smoothing. Then you should have an easier time with your car.
It's my friend.
If I can get these issues solved, I can continue on my path to modeling.
If you're moving something and it seems to create extra polygons, you probably had those polygons created some other way and didn't notice it since it was sitting right on top of another edge/poly. This can happen from a bad extrude where you didn't move the object you were extruding, or a myriad of other methods. Just be more careful.