oops, last one should have been a full model, not just half. Here's a full one with a little shaping added.

https://www.flash-fx.net/images/3D/sa...e_dragon1a.gif

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
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you are the best!!!!! i love yer style:attn:

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Environment Artist @ Plastic Piranha
www.joopson.com

Lookin' good, buddy!

I really like the sword texture.

joopson - thanks It's real fun doing a cutesy style.

swankymonkey - cheers man the blade handle and guard are hand drawn but the sheath symbols and the blade are adapted from reference images (so no credit for those bits)

Problem: I've just realised that I've already used up both 512 image maps for the samurai so the detail will have to drop when I add the dragon texture
I'm guessing that the bottoms, feet and hands can lose a lot of detail as well as the sword handle (will often be covered up by the hands) and the sheath (mostly under his arm so not as visible).
I might also remap the sleeves as there isn't much detail but they take a fair amount of space up.
It's good experience to figure these things out now and not when its nearly finished!

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
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just a little update as I've been a bit busy recently.
Added a head (maybe with too much detail but I was thinking that it could make mouth expressions) and started detailing the arms with basic wings. Need a leash adding, the legs tidying up, some ears and then the whole model will need refining.

Currently at 960 tris which is nearly my target of 1100 which should leave me with around 250 for a saddle and tidying things up.

https://www.flash-fx.net/images/3D/sa...e_dragon1b.gif

https://www.flash-fx.net/images/3D/sa...e_dragon1c.gif

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Nov/Dec Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
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www.flash-fx.net

Your chars have a really cool apearence. I like cute characters very much, but it seems I'm not able to model that. Everything I do goes to the realism side, and sometimes this gets me annoyed. But some day I'm going to achieve this ability too (I hope...). Going back to your chars, they are looking great to me!

Hey looking good T1ck!

Only one suggestion...

Soften the normals on your characters, it will help make them
look even better. None of my polys are smoothed but people think they are, and all Ive done is soften the normals. Its like turning up the smoothness on nurbs.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of his mighty steed!!!

how did you model that???? could you post a mini tutorial in this forum?:bow: please

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Environment Artist @ Plastic Piranha
www.joopson.com

jramauri - thanks I just stuck with the concept drawings and they kind of stayed cute when modelling. I bet if you tried modelling a mario or sonic or similar they would turn out real cute, you've definately got the skill.

papalatistudios - cheers and thanks for the suggestion . At the moment I actually prefer keeping them all hard until the model is nearly finished and then softening it out and tweaking it a bit. The samurai dude is softened (not the sword) but a couple of edges wont play ball and are staying set hard He's also not joined down the middle yet so that might be showing hard edges up).

Joopson - thanks Its just box modelling on the head (turned about 45 degrees'ish) and an extruded six-sided cylinder for the body. It would be a great goal to do tutuorials for people but I think I need more experience first (especially UV's). If this gets finished early then I might consider something basic though

Update: I've been transferring the UV's to a single texture map for the samurai, some of the detail has gone but sharpening the contrast might help distract from that.
Do people create high res maps and then reduce them later???

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
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Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
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About smoothing the model: Why don't you try using smoth proxy mode? You stay with your low poly model, but is able to see how it looks softened. Pressing Pagedown and PageUp you can see your model in higher or lower levels of detail. I used this in my model, and worked pretty good.

Thanks for the tip jramauri, I'll give that a go at the weekend

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Nov/Dec Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Sep/Oct Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Jul/Aug Challenge 2005 Entry
www.flash-fx.net

The only problem I see happen when using proxy mode is that it builds up quite a history on your objects and can slow down your system if it isnt very fast.

T1ck you said you softened it already I thought so. The only thing was the middle where the hard edge was. But you answered that for me.

Are you waiting till you decide on a final texture then your going to mirror it to save time on placement?

Originally posted by t1ck135
Do people create high res maps and then reduce them later???

Originally Posted by

I think thats a good strategy. Paint your high rez textures and then dumb them down by resizing the image. That way you don't have to paint with big pixels and you will end up with smooth transitions in your resized textures.

You are a brave man working within this poly count. Keep up the great work!

Dave

papalatistudios - Thanks for the info, I've not the fastest machine (1.7 Pentium M laptop + 1gig memory) so might experiment with proxy on another model if it slows things down. Yep, I'll definately finish the texture and then mirror it to speed it all up

swankymonkey (dave) - Brave or stupid, its a fine line
I've been working with the actual size of the maps (pixel by pixel) as for some reason I find it fun and relaxing - dont ask why! I've always liked retouching images and collaging photos together so that might be where I learned to like it. The poly count is fun as well (sucker for punishment?) as it means I have to go back and rethink the mesh every now and again to optimise whats going on. It'd be really good after this to knock the whole lot down to half its current count and see how it turns out! - call me crazy

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Examples of bTraffic - a traffic animation tool for Maya
bFlocking - a tool for Maya 8.5+ to generate flocking and swarming behaviours
Jan/Feb Challenge 2007 Entry and W.I.P
May/Jun Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Mar/Apr Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Jan/Feb Challenge 2006 Entry and W.I.P
Nov/Dec Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Sep/Oct Challenge 2005 Entry and W.I.P
Jul/Aug Challenge 2005 Entry
www.flash-fx.net

You don't have to explain. I totally understand wanting to test yourself and maybe even getting in your own way just to see how you can adapt. More power to ya