What is Needed to Make a Level

So I have decided to make a modular level, similar to what I had been doing with the road pieces.  I looked at my ideas for levels and decided the one I could probably piece together quickest is the space ship cargo hold.  So with the level picked, I had to decide dimensions.  This was fairly simple since the last time I was deciding on a level to make I had a rough idea of the size.  For the cargo hold, I am thinking something like a square with a side of two kilometers.  This would make a four square kilometer box with twenty-five possible points of contention.  While this may seem sparse, I want the game to flow in more small skirmishes than full team on team which I think this size and distribution may provide.  Of course the big test will come once I get enough done to start assembling the level.

With the level picked out, the size chosen and key points selected, I then began to think of how I wanted the level to look.  Since I am going for fairly quick and many of the pieces will be repeating right next to each other, I am going for a cleaner look.  So the only thing left is what actually needs to be made, which I have listed at about twenty pieces.  I am sure this is not a completely list as it has no unique pieces on it, but I think the main modular set will include about that many.  Below is a brief listing of how those are divided.

Floor tile: one piece; probably the most repeated unit in the map.

Ledge: two pieces, either a corner or an edge; used with raised platforms mostly.

Ramp: three pieces; one to go up, one to go down, and an optional mid piece.

Supports: four pieces; a base, a top and an optional mid section as well as a whole section; these are needed not only because floating platform drive me nuts but can also provide some more covered areas.

Walls: six pieces; all are either a corner or an edge, and either a base, a top or a mid section; mostly to wall in the map and the base.

Windowed Walls: two pieces, corner or edge; I want to use these on the north and south walls to break up the way the walls look.

Note that any pieces used for flooring (floor, ledge and ramp) I want to display the current owners colors.  These will be shown by lights in the floor which will change when the sector changes hands.  This means each of those will need five versions of each texture (one for each team and a  not captured color).  I have actually started on the main floor tile and hopefully I have something to show for next time.  Until then,
~gunnah

Another Week Already in the Books

So I started the week with two models basically done with being blocked out.  From there I decided if I worked on one model, it may get to completion faster than working on both at once like I normally do.  While working on the one, which I have called Scorpio, I have though of one other design which I have yet to block out.  None of these models are in any condition to be shown yet.  With any luck, the first concept will be up about middle of next month, for reasons I will discuss shortly.  For my first demo, I am hoping to have four tanks available to chose from, so this is a priority.

Now, for what is going to delay my tank modeling process: a contest.  I think my skill is decent, though nowhere near where I would like it to be, but I never have any deadlines.  Should I say something and the date passes like it always does, I move on to the next item on my to do list.  I am hoping entering the contest will give me a little more of a push to get stuff done.  The post after I submit my entry, I will put it on display. I am hoping it turns out as good as I have envisioned.

Just a final note, I have made some minor changes to the log's layout.  Biggest of these includes a list of tanks and their current stage of development.  I am hoping that keeps me motivated.  Until next time,
~gunnah

Creative Flow

So recently I have been learning the process of bringing something from an idea to a full fleshed out 3D model.  It seems most people start with a series of sketches and then make a high polygon count block model from the sketch.  However, since I am still getting adjusted to digital drawing - I have had a tablet for a little while now, but have not really had much of an excuse to use it - I have modified the process slightly and will describe it below.

Concept Block Out
This is an extremely low poly version of the models I want to make.  The real purpose of these models is to figure out what are the main pieces I want in the model and what proportion each piece should have to the others.  These look like a lot of my early work since they are primarily primitives and are nothing to show, unfortunately.

High Poly Concept
Once the block out is finished and I feel there are no other major pieces of the model to add, I will set it aside for when I start this modeling phase.  Here is when I take the hideous sets of cubes and cylinders I am calling models and turning them into showing I can show.  Most items will be blocked out as separate objects.  Minor details will be omitted, but I will probably share these images, if not the full turntable.

High Poly Model
At this point I go through and start examining the model's topology.  In addition to topology fixes, and final tweaking to the model will be done.  Once everything is where I want it, I will add in details like bolt and the like, giving the model its final looks.

Textured Model
Once everything is set in just the right place and every bolt is where it belongs, I will texture the model.  This process includes the diffuse, specular and occlusion maps.This process is likely to start with piece by piece texturing and then baking each piece onto a final UV map.

Low Poly Model
With everything set and the model looking exactly how it will in game, hopefully, the process of removing extra baggage starts.  The goal at this stage is to get the model to have as few polygons as possible while retaining the basic shape.Once set, the high polygon model will have it's normals baked on to the low poly model.  The model will then be rigged, a series of animations sequences created and exported for used in whatever engine I have selected at the time.

Hopefully, this will shed some light on what I will be doing in the upcoming weeks.  My goal is to get four tanks for my initial release to demonstrate the weapon selection screen.  Until next time,
~gunnah