moving forward...
I have been away for a while and decided to get back into things by picking up this project again.
I added some new geometry. I added more detail to the engine in the form of some pressure vessel. I borrowed the idea from macsrevenge's version at:
https://srv01.simply3dworld.com/showt...highlight=sand
I have to set up the UV's for the new bits, then start back in on texturing.
I really want to texture this but I have not seen a GOOD maya hard surface texturing tutorial. I have spent a good deal of money searching. There was one from gnomon in the behind the scenes series although this one was for maya I was very disappointed as the instructor kept glossing over all the details. It amounted to him showing the initial untextured model, some basic prep work, and then a couple brush strokes and finally jumping to the finished beautifully textured model with zero useful instructions on how to get there!
The best I found was one from Gnomon by Neil Blevins but it was for 3ds max and I found almost nothing that I could figure out how to apply to maya.
I sure wish someone would make a detailed hard surface texture painting tutorial for maya and photo shop. The real issue is using the painting tools - Photoshop, illustrator, bodypaint, zbrush, mudbox..., figuring out how to use these without any training is hard. Also, I could use a full on photoshop painting techniques tutorial showing how to paint panel lines, raised and sunken panel details, grunge, drips, scratches, chips, etc. I am not a painter and have not used photoshop much so every time I fire PS up I get frustrated and quit.
Anyway, here is the finished model with the new details (I still need to do the UV layout on the new bits before I can start texture painting).
1 of 3: full view
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675
Last edited by ctbram; 17-10-2009 at 03:53 PM.