Topic: General WIP

[kat]

A WIP topic to contain shots from or of levels, maps, environments and general game content that isn't modeled (but can contain models) - not game specific.

Screen shots and images should be kept to a maximum for 800 pixels width/height - members can use attachments. Also consider providing information about what you're showing so readers know what's what.

[kat]

I've been rummaging through my old RtCW archive and found some bits and pieces I had completely forgotten about. The corridoor section was originally a separate idea I had for another level but it found it's way into what was originally SP Generator, the level that never made it (got too complex and ran out of entities).

Funny thing is I wonder how long it'll be before mobile and small form factor devices will be able to play games like Quake 3, RtCW and their ilk; there's got to be a lot of income potential in the huge back catalogues of publishers and developers.

[Shaderman]

Nice videos kat.

I found some old screenshots showing two pieces of an unfinished Enemy Territory map:







The dome(?) of the towers is a model, everything else is brushwork I made wih Radiant. I remember that bump mapping/phong shader trouble I had...

I live near Heidelberg (Germany) where the original bridge and its tower are.

[Asaeis Wi Vio]

I'm currrently working on a Quake 2 map for the Berserker engine, which currently features new shaders such as luminosity maps, filter maps and such, and I have also made a dynamic skybox in order to support a day-night cycle. However, hopefully I can find a way to change the shape of the sky'box' so that it is more like a dome or a sphere, as when the sky is applied to the box, the seams and shape of the box tend to break the impression of the way the sky looks.

Here is a video demonstration of the map so far:

Demo

This is currently my first map for Quake 2, and also my first map with Radiant apart from a small testroom I made for Quake 4.

The later version which features a dynamic skybox currently doesn't work until I find a way to increase the bounds of the map from the 8192x8192x8192 Quake 2 default, I think the engine will probably be able to handle it. The blue light shaders with their luminosity and various filter maps were made by me, but everything else which comes with a special texture pack dedicated to the berserker engine.

The berserker engine features entirely dynamic per pixel lighting, so eventually when I get the sun aswell as the day-night cycle to work, as the sun moves through the sky, the shadows on the world will move in conjunction with it. So any shadows on mountains, buildings, structures and features will all move as the time of day changes.

Here are some other textures i've made for it, which are in the later version:

Strogg Insignia

Dynamic Skybox:
Day
North
East
South
West
Night

Landing pad - Base concrete/parallaxed texture is from the Berserker texturepack

I also made a few more insignias which resemble Strogg units which I intend to put in the relevent places.

I also need to fix the lighting in that stairway which connects to the landing pad, I can manually add ambient light to account for the bounce, but i'm not sure how to implament that realistically.

[kat]

@ Shaderman: you did a pretty decent job with both the bridge and the gateway/house, very interesting and distinct design.

@Asaeis: I'm not sure how the Beserker engine works but one thing you might want to look into is adding a second low value light that's in the opposite direction to the main source. The problem you have right now is that your shadows are pretty much pitch black, whilst they look ok players find them very annoying (a-la the lesson learned by idsoftware on Doom 3). Other than that, brushwork looks fine. Keep and eye on tight spots and bottle necks so make sure to use PlayerClips if available.

[Asaeis Wi Vio]

The problem with adding a second low light value in this is that lights don't bounce in this engine, that's what I meant when I said that I didn't know how to substitute for the ambient light.

Hopefully there's a way to make the sky cast a blue ambient light, so that the places outside or in view of windows aren't pitch black in comparison; but i'm not sure about the interiors.

Allthough personally I didn't mind the lighting in Doom 3.

[kat]

The problem with adding a second low light value in this is that lights don't bounce in this engine, that's what I meant when I said that I didn't know how to substitute for the ambient light..

You don't need to use an actual 'ambient' light if that's what you meant. So long as you can add another 'standard' light to the scene it'll act in the same way that tutorial points out; it's low value won't really effect the main light but it will lighten the shadows. It does depend on the engine though as I'm guessing based on the fact that it appears to have a decent 'dynamic' light set up(?).

[Asaeis Wi Vio]

I know what you mean, but the problem with that would be that even the secondary ambient light would still have a hard shadow, since lights don't bounce, and might make the lighting look more messy on the geometory; and I couldn't add a light which doesn't cast shadows because the map isn't 100% outdoors. Having skylight (ambience) appearing even in interiors wouldn't look right unless in the presence of a window.

When I say a skylight, I mean a soft blue ambience which origionates from the sky surface itself, so that even that ambience is comming from somewhere.

[silicone_milk]

Hey, I'm still around. Decided to stop lurking in the shadows. Here's what I've been up to the past two days - [dead image http://www.siliconemilk.com/music/toph_sketch6.png]

Character sheet for Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender to be used as a modeling guide. I want her rigged and ready for animation within 6 months.

[kat]

Saw the sketch you had up on Q3W and thought that was pretty good, I remember your few early scribbles from a while back so you've improved a lot. Character wise I'm liking this, I hope you keep the 'clumsiness' that's shown by the overall proportions of the design, lends a 'roughness' that people all to often try to 'design-out' of their work.

[silicone_milk]

thanks Kat.

I decided after posting the shot you had seen at Q3W that I didn't like the image (wasn't of a high enough standard for me) and took it down. Looking at it compared to what I have now, I'm glad I made that decision.

I'm not sure what you mean by clumsiness and roughness. However, I'm working on matching the proportions used within the cartoon.

This is the first drawing I've done since those early sketches when I first picked up a wacom tablet. I've finally created a brush with a texture that gives a very nice graphite pencil feeling to sketch with.

[ratty redemption [RIP]]

milk, cool and the results of your custom brush look really good imo. also i agree with kat, your obviously improving your hand eye coordination with the tablet *thumbs up*

[kat]

...I'm not sure what you mean by clumsiness and roughness. However, I'm working on matching the proportions used within the cartoon...

Heh, I meant that in the sense that she looks like she's waring ill-fitting clothing which lends 'character' to the character. I do realise there is an element of skill appreciation here in that you're still wanting to improve your drawing, but... let me put it this way... I have enough information there to model that character the way you've drawn here, and that's all you should be really concerned with at this point until your drawing skills improve.

[silicone_milk]

thanks ratty.
i still feel a bit clumsy with the tablet

Ah, I see, kat. I kind of adjusted her clothing a little bit to tighten it up around the waist and legs.

[dead image http://www.siliconemilk.com/music/toph_sketch7.png]

Nothing too drastic though. I think the belt is a bit more reasonable even though I only shaved a few inches off its diameter and the pants now look like pants (with a proper ending to the pant legs)

You'd really have to have the two images open in separate tabs and toggle between the two to see the difference.
http://www.siliconemilk.com/music/toph_sketch6.png
http://www.siliconemilk.com/music/toph_sketch7.png

[EDIT]removed dead image linkage. kat

[ward]

Much better with correct UV maps  . (Problem I had: http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=268.0)

Lightmass was set to preview quality, and the materials are just for testing, they will be replaced. The houses will get unique materials, doors and windows. Feedback is of course very welcome. (Check the original size.)







Or: http://imageshack.us/g/195/highresscreenshot00053.png/