First steps in modelling

Decided that I'll really need to learn how to model, both for HL2 and
for a game project we are making for uni. Here is my first piece in
milkshape - a sign for the pub "The Green Lady", for use in my uni
project...



Its pretty basic I admit, but you have to start somewhere :biggrin: It uses
208 triangles, but most of those go on the curls on the frame work. My
early effort had, get this, 720 triangles!



As you can probably guess, all of those were spent on the hinges,
though I also had more detail on the sign itself. I deemed these
details unnecessary given than the camera in the game will rarely be
close enough to pick out such details, and so simplified the model.

If I remember the old HL1 game correctly, it had an acceptable epoly limit of around 5000, so I don't reckon 200 odd is too much for a nice little embelishment.

I mentioned smoothing groups in irc. Looking at the top pic, in particular the pieces of square rope, they come to mind again. When you create a block in milkshape, each face is assigned a different group, so that the corners stay sharp. When you assign the whole block to the one group, it rounds it off a bit. Maybe try the same with the blocks that attach to the sign, but to be honest, I think you should work more on them. They look like you just threw in a couple of cubes because you didn't know what else to do. Make them thinner, like they've been folded over the sign, and paint a srewhead onto them, maybe. Or even some water stains running down the sign from them could help them blend in better.

There a prog from nvidia that you might be interested in. It's meant to create various lod models from one high detail model. My system doesn't seem to like it, though you may have better luck with it than I did. It only supports a few filetypes, but you can do the necessary juggling in milkshape.

Continuing the pub theme, today I made a bar stool (perhaps not the
most pub styled example, but once skinned I think it would look the
part) with a tad too high 396 polygons, and a picnic table at 240...

nice nice ^_^

Did one more, but I'm not too happy with it. Its a wagon wheel, though
I couldn't get the central part looking right. The spokes were quick
and dirty - I considered making them a little more detailed but given
that its 504 polys as is, and again its unlikely that the player will
notice the detail, I decided against it.

You might want to consider using something like Maya (sorry) create a nurbs model and transfer it to polygon. I believe you can put a Poly limit too.

Cut some detail on the central hub of it and make it more curved on the outside if I were you... Plus try using transparent textures for the spokes instead of polygons.

I'll always envy modelers :biggrin:

errr im confused

What format do you export as, and how exactly do you go from a stupid model in MilkShape, to a prop ingame.....

me very confused, could you point me in the direction of a tutorial or something?

http://www.google.com/

Milkshape 3d tutorials

Should give you a whole list.

Nice models Reno, very good for a first try, my first model was horrible.

Some images in this post have been automatically down-sized, click on them to view the full sized versions:

ummm.. lol :biggrin:

it's supposed to be a water gun :/

Not bad for such a low poly model, it would be fine as a world model in
HL1 or something along those lines :smile: As for your previous
question...well I'm sure you know about the tutorial right on this very
site by now.

Not bad for such a low poly model, it would be fine as a world model in
HL1 or something along those lines :smile: As for your previous
question...well I'm sure you know about the tutorial right on this very
site by now.

yes i saw it now (^_^)

heh i have to learn how to actually make stuff ... that's not all crappy :biggrin:

cool thing about even basic modelling skills is you can make all kinds of simple stuff for maps.. minor details and stuff!

I'll always envy modelers :biggrin:

Yes.

(And not sounding too american): "I totaly agree"

Whish i could break the "boring-barrier" sometime and start learning how too...

I did it! I made a model!

Somebody followed the milkshape tutorial :razz: Gotta start somewhere
though - and that looks pretty much exactly the same as the milkshape
one if I recall correctly so good job :smile: I think the first step is the
hardest part, and well, you've made it.

Recently I've been doing a little more modelling, and here are a couple
of my better models in a quickly knocked up scene. The palm tree has
about 750 polies and the seagull has about 350 I think...



Both of these models are for my uni project, and both are also going to
be animated by me. I've so far made a standard flying animation for the
seagull that looks not too bad, but I can't be bothered making an
animated gif to show it :biggrin:

Somebody followed the milkshape tutorial :razz: Gotta start somewhere
though - and that looks pretty much exactly the same as the milkshape
one if I recall correctly so good job :smile: I think the first step is the
hardest part, and well, you've made it.

Recently I've been doing a little more modelling, and here are a couple
of my better models in a quickly knocked up scene. The palm tree has
about 750 polies and the seagull has about 350 I think...



Both of these models are for my uni project, and both are also going to
be animated by me. I've so far made a standard flying animation for the
seagull that looks not too bad, but I can't be bothered making an
animated gif to show it :biggrin:

hah that looks awesome, even in it's grayness it looks... somehow... cool?

anyways, here's a truck i've been working on during the blackout of 05'

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/neurd/Modelling/Truck2.jpg

ingame:





the textures need work, as you can see

ive just started to learn to modelling with some help from fisheye i
made a spinnny coin, but its harder than i thought :smile: , atm i prefer the
animating side and am making some hanging civilians with dangly legs
for my next tfc climb map :razz:

those models look amazing for your first reno gj