obviously this wouldn't be a fight if you hadn't posted, and your "proper" high poly still has issues, but you'll probably just brush those off as opinions and wrong statements. simply saying "you're wrong, you have no idea what you're doing" is no way to show how said person is wrong, but apparently you are satisfied with saying yours is the right way, so I guess that is how this'll go.

But they are opinions and they are wrong statements.

Looking at your AR that you uploaded. I see a lot of hard edges, which I imagine is what you're talking about. The problem is, in real life, there are very rarely hard edges on anything. Everything has a slight roundness to it. Even on guns. When creating a normal map, you have to exaggerate those round edges to make it look "realistic" in a sense. Or else you get a mix of the look where you almost have low poly content mixed with high poly bakes. My best example is with your AR is how you did the cheek rest:


VS.



So you've got some really nice edges, and then some not so nice. Which makes it look like you didn't actually create a completely high poly model and bake down. Also in the screenshot you posted, you've got nasty pinching due to the lack of a proper high poly model and bake.

I'm not trying to be super aggressive. Just trying to point out bad techniques before they become habit.

You've also have quite a few wasted polys in your low poly model, and I'm not sure why as they don't seem to be benefiting the model in any way.
Edited by BOBTHEGREATTHE2ND on Mar 21, 2013 at 12:02 AM

lol.

then back to my original argument; why use turbosmooth when chamfering gets the job done and gives more control than just "iterations"?

the left one is just a corner with turbosmooth, the middle is chamfered, and the last one is turbosmoothed with guidelines. chamfer can adjust the edge's size as well as the number of polygons used, whereas turbosmooth begins to bend light the wrong way, seen on the last one where the light near the edges bends outward.

I'm not so sure you understand the concept of why people use turbosmooth when modeling next gen assets?

Yes, chamfer can get the job "done", but when modeling a super high poly asset that will eventually be baked down onto a low poly asset your going to want more detail, even if that means turbosmoothing. When you model a high poly you generally use multiple lines throughout your object before smoothing. More lines in certain areas will control the hardness of an edge, and it will inevitably look much better then a simple chamfering a few times on a side.

Well, turbosmooth will give you more freedom and abilities that chamfer dosent offer. For example, you cant make a nice round edge with the chamfer tool. The chamfer also does it at angle which can be unuseful compared to how turbosmooth and edge control would do it. In the edge you will have more control over the output of the asset if you put the work into it. Chamfer has its upsides in some cases but in this particular one I'd have to personally go with turbosmooth + edge control to get the job done right.

If an edge is going to be flat there is no point making it out of 20 polygons. High Poly or not. Next Gen or not. That causes longer rendering times when baking normal maps for my first point. My next point is, if you have a 5000 polygon budget for an asset and you can get it done and lose next to no quality at 1000 polygons, you do that and not make it out of 5000 polygons. Just because you have a budget doesn't means you want to get as close to the roof of it as possible. You try to get a balance between number of polygons and the quality of the asset.

Masternoob is definitely going the right way. Save polygons where you can because ill needed polygons will just be a waste overall.

Max has terrible chamfer tools, no debating that.
You will end up with either really bad artifacts or you will have to clean up the chamfered edges.
You do not have to do this when you know how to make a good high poly model that is designed to bake to a low poly.
Using chamfer to make high poly to low poly models is a ridiculous concept.

Anyways, someone show some nice WIP's please :)
Edited by Maniac1000 on Mar 21, 2013 at 10:07 PM

Yes master.







The model was originally COD4's\IW, but I may as well have modeled it myself for all the changes I made.

I modeled in the glove ends and proportional arms (my size)

Unwrap is mine.

Textures are mine.

I used gloves and sweater I wear IRL as references.

i suck at textures.

SO WHO WANTS TO RIG IT?
Edited by Jesse on Mar 22, 2013 at 02:25 AM

B40 bridges?

It's looks really cool. Add glasses like in b40 and work on the bottom of the bridge to create gateways to attach the bridge to the cliff. It would be good :)
Edited by darksoldier on Mar 24, 2013 at 08:31 AM

^ and also looks like it could use some sort of pylons,/side-supports. And lights.

crate space C:





Edited by 6thLoneWolf on Mar 24, 2013 at 05:58 PM

Feels like a really long bridge :P

its look nice map

Here's some.. half life 1 quality covenant corridors.

Maybe it's good enough for the halo beta restoration if they want some covenant corridors?



I dunno. I'm really amateur but this reminds me of the alpha from like, 1999.

Just for fun x)

(added some details on thoses shaders, exemple on the ghost one)

Cool.
Pretty nice shaders.

Here's some more of it, with some badly photoshopped guys in it for appeal.

That was my plan, But this is all just warm-up stuff, unless I get extra lazy.

I just tried my own thing and it ended up reminding me of Half Life 1 or some other other old game from 1998-2000.

Thank you :) Time to release no ? Oh and they are all completed, LODS etc... Already improve dat illum on the antenna and make a good collision model x)




Oh, nice job vergil ! Keep it up the great work ! :D

Sooo shiny.... that's amazing

My modeling skills are very basic. I understand that it is best to create a highpoly model and make a low poly model out of it but everytime someone says bake I have no idia what thay are talking about. I use chamfer menny times but never had a use for turbosmooth let alone edge control. untill now realy. Im working on some forerunner bases and weapons and realy want to take my modeling to the next level so im wondering if someone can give me a crash corse. If you will in this area of modeling makeing something highpolly with edge control. Bakeing or whatever and. finaly makeing low poly model. It does'nt have to be some grand model I just want to get the consept. down.
Also im a little confued how you guys go about makeing these bitmaps. with all these cut up peaces. that include like everythang you need. I have been useing 3ds max 8 for a very long time. actuly started with max 4.0 but apperently I dont know what im doing and everythang I make turns out like low polly crap. I consider my self advanced at uvw maping and unwraping but my modeling skill needs a boost! I want to beable to round off some edges on this forerunner base I'm making. & chamfer dosent seem to be cutting it.
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 30, 2013 at 08:12 PM

http://vimeo.com/10941211

http://www.xfire.com/video/5ef31a
Lag test

Recorded in 1080P at 60 FPS (initially...), but xfire murders the video quality.

Something about getting baked?....what??....420???

makes green ghost two years ago.
Gets raged at because flood cant change the ghosts colours.

Pretty nice ghost cheddar :) That's why I made my own. It is just for fun, bacause I want to see what looks the ghost have with differents color premutations. I have already a red ghost, green, purple and blue :D Maybe in the futur, I will add some floods things like the mendibules etc... who's know.

Also, I fixed the antenna (AGAIN YA KNOW)




But, some part on the illum look bad, I need to unwrap it :)



Edited by darksoldier on Mar 31, 2013 at 07:39 AM

cause new page

that could be a fun anti-cheat mechanism :P

I think I said this before, but don't color the cubemap 100%. it destroys the purpose of having a cubemap applied.

yeah your green ghost looks pretty nice. nice and dark. looks pretty smooth with the green cubemap :).

needs better flood bits (I can draw a concept if you like)

an object for upcoming project:

A new CnR Island?