Polygons and whatnot (mostly polygons)

[Chronodiver Lokii]

I made a knife in 3D today
It is over 7k polys

Why?
Teacher said he wanted hi poly
and that is what he is gonna get.

THE SUPER SIMPLE KNIFE OF 7K POLYS
Aaaaand then i have to go in and make it lo poly so i can normal map and texture that bad boy.
Go 3D gooooo

 

[ZIO]

How can something as flat as a knife manage to become 7K polys?

Man.

But then, I've never 3D before.

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

If you apply smoothing to stuff, anything is possible :3

Seriously. It's the funnest thing.

"Hmmm....this knife is too simple and not hi poly......OH I KNOW. Smoothing."

Bam. There are polys everywhere on that knife.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

It was also my unbirthday today, so celebration all around

 

[Geist]

I made a knife in 3D today
It is over 7k polys

Why?
Teacher said he wanted hi poly
and that is what he is gonna get.

THE SUPER SIMPLE KNIFE OF 7K POLYS
Aaaaand then i have to go in and make it lo poly so i can normal map and texture that bad boy.
Go 3D gooooo

why do you need it in low poly to normal map and texture it >_>

Randomly going pseudo preachy, but it is valuable info - there really isn't such thing as high/low poly modeling anymore. New game engines allow real time renders that are so efficient that polys barely have a role to play in render times anymore. Model resolution is pretty much determined now by efficiency and whether or not you need polys in certain places due to camera placements/ angles/ normal resolutions/ bump/ displacement resolutions and blah blah blah
I acually know someone who would call your 7k knife too low poly for him if he were to do closeups lol

 

[HondaFoo]

Thanks for all the birthday stuff guys! I celebrated by working the night shift at my part time job and being super tired

 

[Geoberos]

And I thanks y'alls for the wishes as well. I just Leagued with the Smashers from my city all night instead D:

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

I mean i still have to make the normal maps to apply to the lo poly.

cuz teacher doesnt want the 7k knife. he wants a suuuuuper low poly knife
i was just like ITS LATE AND NIGHT I MADE A KNIFE. SMOOTHING? smoothing.

 

[Geist]

smoothing is too fun
and bevel
bevel all the edges

 

[choknater]

dont need hi polys for great art :D

 

[Geist]

I would model that porygon with so many edge loops

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Looool

Omg....went to a presentation by a Valve programmer yesterday
He mostly talked about gameplay though
it
was
AWESOMEEEEEEEE

Free DOTA2 beta key. xD
And got rick roll'd since someone asked about Half Life 3.
There's always that one guy.

 

[Geist]

The other day I saw the actual master chief 3d model from halo 3

 

[C.SDK]

How does one go about shading? I can't shade.

Spoiler

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Bren
How beautiful was it

 

[Geist]

I like the new thread title

How does one go about shading? I can't shade.

Spoiler

Unfortunately, that's like asking 'how do I draw', there's no magic formula other than practice. Shading techniques are quite numerous, and in addition to being expansive and complex theory-wise, are also very situational.
My biggest advice would be to study photos that have dramatic lighting and understand how light defines shapes and forms in 3 dimensional space. Consider how colors translate into grayscale values, and in turn how to translate that information to a scale of absolute black to absolute white. That contrast between darks and lights is what gives an image the illusion of three dimensions.
Practice different techniques, such as cross hatching, inking, and more realistic shading, and look at drawings that other artists have drawn. You'll notice that not only to they apply value to their lines and make them either dark or light, but they apply direction as well, and the lines usually follow the shape that they're shading.
So basically practice and practice until it becomes second nature, really. It looks like you already have more than enough of a head start looking at your drawing you posted. Just keep at it.

Bren
How beautiful was it

suprisingly messy and ugly with a lot of n-gons and poles hidden in places the camera would never see
yet it was glorious

 

[C.SDK]

Unfortunately, that's like asking 'how do I draw', there's no magic formula other than practice. Shading techniques are quite numerous, and in addition to being expansive and complex theory-wise, are also very situational.
My biggest advice would be to study photos that have dramatic lighting and understand how light defines shapes and forms in 3 dimensional space. Consider how colors translate into grayscale values, and in turn how to translate that information to a scale of absolute black to absolute white. That contrast between darks and lights is what gives an image the illusion of three dimensions.
Practice different techniques, such as cross hatching, inking, and more realistic shading, and look at drawings that other artists have drawn. You'll notice that not only to they apply value to their lines and make them either dark or light, but they apply direction as well, and the lines usually follow the shape that they're shading.
So basically practice and practice until it becomes second nature, really. It looks like you already have more than enough of a head start looking at your drawing you posted. Just keep at it.

Thanks so much for the advice! I will definitely keep trying =)

Loki, I saw your post in another thread informing Vinyl that one can come in here and ask about art schools. I was in an art academy in my high school and did a bit of community college here and there. I've always wanted to go to an art school but I don't know how or what's the process to get in one. I know that you need a portfolio (which I have almost nothing ) and SAT or ACT scores? I've always considered Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) because they don't require a portfolio. I also heard really good things about Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) but they do require a portfolio. I think I read somewhere that more often than not, art schools that don't require an art portfolio aren't really reputable.

 

[HondaFoo]

Well SCAD is quite reputable but they may be the exception. Some advice I can give is to try and make your adventures in art school as inexpensive as possible, such as taking general ed courses at a community college and just transferring those credits over. It's a very expensive investment and we artists don't necessarily make the income to pay off those debts quickly like a doctor can for med school

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

That is far from the truth
SCAD is up there on the list of the best art schools in the country, if you ask me. If it wasn't so far from Ohio, id be there in a heartbeat
So I'm just getting my masters there (I want to teach after I work in the industry lol)
Make sure you check out the schools to find your perfect fit
You shouldn't discount a school just because they don't require a portfolio

what major would you be looking into?

Bren, that's awesome looool
They are using the tricks of hiding stuff well? xD

 

[C.SDK]

Well SCAD is quite reputable but they may be the exception. Some advice I can give is to try and make your adventures in art school as inexpensive as possible, such as taking general ed courses at a community college and just transferring those credits over. It's a very expensive investment and we artists don't necessarily make the income to pay off those debts quickly like a doctor can for med school

Yeah, I'm aware of this. It's mostly why I've put off from going to an art school – it's expensive and you won't exactly get a high paying job straight out of graduation unless you have some really, really good networking. As for the community college route, I've botched that. I can't afford it and I won't receive financial aid either.

That is far from the truth
SCAD is up there on the list of the best art schools in the country, if you ask me. If it wasn't so far from Ohio, id be there in a heartbeat
So I'm just getting my masters there (I want to teach after I work in the industry lol)
Make sure you check out the schools to find your perfect fit
You shouldn't discount a school just because they don't require a portfolio

what major would you be looking into?

Bren, that's awesome looool
They are using the tricks of hiding stuff well? xD

Really? That is pretty interesting. What lured me into SCAD was the campus in Hong Kong and that it didn't require a portfolio, haha. The major that I'm looking into is illustration

 

[Geist]

Honda does have a point though.
A 4 year art course in a generally non-arts college can give you the skills you need, for a way lower price. The main difference is the connections you'll get in a private art university.
Any school with a degree program is required by law to have teachers that have degrees as well. And since degrees are becoming less and less mandatory for artistic jobs, you'll likely be getting full time teachers who don't actively work in the field or industry. I'm not sure if inside connections are as important with illustration as they are with 3D modeling...

Call some studios up who you'd be interested in working for and ask for recommended schools. That's how I picked AI Vancouver.
(Also I don't know how it is in the US, but I know at least in canada the length of time you're expected to pay back your loans is longer if you're an artist than if you're a lawyer or a doctor. I heard they hound you really bad if you're grading with a law degree, where I have a full year before they even start charging interest lol)

Bren, that's awesome looool
They are using the tricks of hiding stuff well? xD

Yeah my instructor's point was that you don't have to be completely anal about the entire model, and if a part isn't perfect you just cover it up with nice textures and keep the camera away from it lol

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

I did that today with a lamp for my material and lighting class
All that matters in the end is the textures and lighting anyway


But yeah
Scad had MANY awesome campuses

Check out as many art schools as you see necessary xD

 

[Yink]

Sup art people!? Just wanted to let you guys know I'm studying abroad in Japan this coming semester for Asian art history and brush painting.

 

[choknater]

fun!

if u make art show us

 

[HondaFoo]

Give us more art to munch on

 

[Yink]

Oh I will definitely be posting it. Sumi-e is something I've wanted to try for a really long time.

 

[C.SDK]

I love sumi-e art. I'm so jealous.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

There is a filter in Photoshop called Sumi-e

 

[C.SDK]

I think there was also another filter called pastel but it never really looked good, lol. I say there was because I use Photoshop CS6 and I don't see those filters anymore (including Sumi-e).

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

I've actually been painting frequently (aka moreso than usual, with all the 3D stuff....)

I'm happy x3 I'm starting to find ways of painting I like o u o

 

[Geist]

Lokii yesterday I learned that my mentor studio instructor was one of the 5 or so people that came up with the idea for mirror's edge
:3

 

[#HBC | ZoZo]

I had to do an analysis on Mirror's Edge

tl;dr great idea bad execution

 

[choknater]

i saw an amazing first person parkour video on reddit

reminded me of mirrors edge

 

[cannedbread]

i loved mirror's edge so much but it has like literally zero replay value. i hope they make a sequel or something.

 

[Charmander]

So guys, do you know anything about Pratt Institute? I live in New York, and I'm pretty good friends with one of the professors, but what are you're opinions on it?

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Lokii yesterday I learned that my mentor studio instructor was one of the 5 or so people that came up with the idea for mirror's edge
:3

nflksdajfkljsadjflkasjdflkjsadkfjsakdjfks HOLY CRAAAAAAAP
That
that game
was just
the art direction was gorgeous

asldjsalkdjlksajd -fangirls-

They are interested in a sequel > u < yisssss

Pratt is awesome from what i've heard : o

 

[cannedbread]

They are interested in a sequel > u < yissss

oh what oh **** yessss

 

[Geist]

nflksdajfkljsadjflkasjdflkjsadkfjsakdjfks HOLY CRAAAAAAAP
That
that game
was just
the art direction was gorgeous

asldjsalkdjlksajd -fangirls-

They are interested in a sequel > u < yisssss

Pratt is awesome from what i've heard : o

Yeah he was showing us a really old gameplay prototype of a sort of gun-fu equilibrium parkour game. All the buildings were blocked out in like pure white with no textures, and when that project crashed, for some reason someone stuck with that blank white look for the city.

I envy my instructor's job. All he does is work in tiny groups of people and concept out entire game ideas over and over until one of them sticks.

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Woaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

The blank white look is what made the game so cool
I loooove the stark colors. so cool

Some people just live the dream xP

 

[choknater]

i love the tony stark colors