Messages

126

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-07-07 12:01:35 »

Yes Tyler Durden  Although I never got around to the hair. Duplicating Edward Norton and Brad Pitt circa 1999 and building their clothes, rigging and carving blends shapes based on their expressions is allot of work! It never came close to completion and I'll sit on it until I get the nerve to tackle them again... At least now I'm a matchmoving genius! And I've even discovered a way to use Autodesks Matchmover and two camera's to make a very VERY cheap motion capture. Particularly I'm interested in using this for rapidly fast facial motion capture, Cause having a face rig is just easier than blend shaping it all... But blendshapes can be more accurate, it all depends on who built the rig and who's animating them on which is easier.

Okay champs. He's THIS close to being ready to port into zbrush to do it's impossible magic. It's a thousand time easier to paint the detail on after laying out the uv's on it's simpler mesh. And the ability to just... PAINT on the model its self!? (Okay 3DS Max 2011 had a baddass feature that does this too, like photoshop in your modeler, but zbrush can do it even if you don't have your uv's laid yet!) And well... You guys want normal maps, I'll give ya normals maps, Freakin badd@$$ ones! Even so, I'll bake some Ambient Occlusion and some simple shadows cause it'll add a layer of believability and style. A normal map alone doesn't replicate dynamic shadows, or reflective properties.

Yes guys I know what I'm doing, it just takes... time to do!  And I'm so stretched!

127

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-07-07 00:33:40 »

No just that feeling that I broke a promise   But I haven't forgot. I want this done as much as you do I swear! But I'm in the last year of art school and it's intense, plus having a less-than-1 year old doesn't help my productivity much! I have less time than ever for personal projects

128

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-07-06 23:40:27 »

Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 30 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.

Well it's my thread darnit! and I suppose this is kinda news...

Since the last time I even open my project files I've learned dynamic clothing and hair simulation and I've also 70% mastered zbrush and it's handy (Do what used to take me days and now it takes me minutes) techniques that zbrush allows me to do. This I believe will create a better more accurate product for your fanboy delight!

Here's just one of the things I've done with this new knowledge:




I'll try to work on this TONIGHT!!!! Let's see how much I get done.


Plus my inbox is full of messages like these:

Hi, plix video youtube cloud: dirge of cerberus battle mod?

I don't know what to say about most of these, sorry that I don't reply guys!

129

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-04-01 07:10:02 »

Nice video. Glad to see you are still planning to work on the cloud model, especially since the driver handles normal maps now.

Do we have any screen shots of the normals working in-game on Aali's driver? I'm more than used to working with and generating them, but I'm curious as to how and where they work in the game. Battle mode I would assume. Wouldn't be worth it too much in the field. Well... I'm sure the dramatically lit scenes would be interesting...

Also... I forget  Are spec maps implemented as well?

130

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-03-27 19:39:41 »

Thanks bud  Also be sure that once Cloud is done I'll have more to show than just the model in game, I plan on all kinds of animations for youtube, and high quality renders.

Plus that's my song I wrote and recorded in the video in my last post, I do that too 

131

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-03-27 19:17:09 »

In between being a dad and a full-time student with a full-time job, I tend not to have very much free time lately  Well.. when I get it I tend to sleep! That is... when he's not slappin me in the face and pulling on my mustache while I'm laying there 

<Off topc>

But, if you want to see what I look like as a low poly and badly rigged model, that's just one of the projects I've been working on for school: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-t9_kmQi-Y

Rigged and animated in less than an hour! (I know I can do better) The better version will follow eventually, but I'm gonna shelf this particular project for now. And yes... That's exactly what I look like

</Off topic>

I plan on tackling Cloud real soon, and now that I know Zbrush real good, I can sculpt some pretty sweet normal maps, it'll add a new flavor overall to Cloud, and hopefully for the better. We'll see.

132

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-02-24 22:49:28 »

Mouth seems a tad off, but maybe it's just me.
Wouldn't it be better to finish the head/hair, all to the end with textures and whatsoever and then go for the body? One step at a time.

Of course since these are works in progress, it's not even close to finalized in my eyes yet. The mouth only needs to come in a bit in the corners. Lot's of fine detail type work, I'm mostly just getting it made first.

On finishing the head first...

I would, but with my hit and miss schedule it'd never get done! I have the "I run into something that doesn't work, try again, nope, don't like it... So I work on something else for now, and when i come back to it i have fresh eyes and better ideas" kinda thing going on. When i focus on one specific portion i have less productivity. Need to keep moving forward.

and Timu  As always you are right, and as always it's something i agree with. But trust me, even though I'm still playing with the verts on the pelvis, it will look less weird when i model the belts.

133

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-02-24 07:20:10 »

Progress! However little of it there is... it's still something!



The boots will be simple, the belts will be modeled out next. Luckily for you guys, I'm really really fast and good at texture painting! (And I've only gotten better since the last Cloud by the way)

134

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-02-23 15:23:38 »

Nothing worth getting excited about  I've been worked to the bone... This is the first quarter in school that's truly challenged me to the max. I also have an official paid advertisement that I'm working on that'll be on TV and at the venue for SXSW at the Austin Music Festival (Though nothing really all that exciting) I'm at the frayed ends of my productivity and the assignments have been sucking up all my time. I apologize, and truly feel bad about it.

If you guys are interested, I've done some pretty neat things, and once I have some spare time I can show it.

Ah... Cloud, how I regret not touching you for a while... Well I suppose for curiosity's sake, I can post my face poly's submitted for your approval  That YES... I used the Crisis Core Cloud head model as a guide. But NO it's neither the exact geometry or edge loops, and I definitely did NOT copy and paste anything. Given the accusations in the past, I feel like I owe it to you guys to make sure there's no way to say I copied anything.



There it is folks! I DIDN'T RIP OFF ANYTHING!!!! Plus I discovered the Crisis core model is slightly more rounded and 'younger' than the Advent Children one, I can't believe they actually took that into subtle consideration! But there you go. I'm studying edgeflow with vengeance. I think my model has a nice facial flow, and it deforms with expressions quite better than I thought! Although I can't see myself using these face polys as a template for anything else... Maybe other anime-type characters, but that's it really.

and thanks just the same obesebear  You obviously know I won't let this die

135

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-01-28 18:20:26 »

hard to tell but i think yer pauldron needs more of a lip against the edge near the neck. I think this was an issue with the old one too . I could be wrong, its hard to tell from those shots.

You're right

(Oh and I got your pm, sorry I haven't gotten around to answering it yet, of course I'll help you  )

136

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-01-28 08:14:22 »

Well I keep waiting until I get more work done, but something always comes up, or I get too tired by the time I have freetime... But this is where he's at right now. I'm going with the motto, as simple as can get away with. So even this model (Which will be the higher rez one) will render light, and function and animate cleanly. I'm not going full-out Advent Children with cloth deformation detail because I'm trying to stay light and smart, and as an exercise in various video game techniques. Even though this version won't be put into the game, I will make an even lighter version using this one to bake normals. (More for my portfolio than anything practical)

I'm actually rather proud at how elegant the edgeflow works. It's simple, effective, and very like following the contours of cross hatching of great artists like Da Vinci. Taking that mind set and applying it to modeling (Don't forget people... I'm an ARTIST first and a modeler second)

p.s. or edit:

I added some base colors for you guys benefit and to quickly get a rough idea of how the colors appear on my geometry. I'm not actually modeling with those materials applied, I took them right off after making these screenshots  Also, for these screenshots I'm subdividing my model with the display set to only show the wireframe from the unsubdivided base. (Otherwise known as isoline display)

137

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-01-20 16:30:11 »

Actually I built a loop for the arm holes, more for reference to myself than actually building it out. Wouldn't be a problem for rigging, trust me  Rigging is all about vertex weights. This screenshot shows the mistake of the fact that it isn't really a loop, I accidentally made it an incomplete spiral  Oops! Geometry can confuse me sometimes. But it works out, it'll clean up those 3 or 4 polys better.

138

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-01-20 07:10:05 »

Well here's a micro-update that shows that I'm actually doing something! Edgeflow accounted for and everything. Nice and clean and will rig nicely.

Incase you're wondering if I'm making him naked or something, no. I just haven't modeled his metal arm things yet. Better to start with the mirrored elements first before breaking the symmetry. And the hands I bolted on something I previously modeled. It isn't cheating!  Especially if I made it, and it works! (I have a stock eye, a stock hand, and a stock ear, sort of stock feet... but low poly)

139

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2011-01-19 07:32:39 »

Sorry guys, fell off the horse and started and completed Kingdom Hearts 2 and got everything for the secret ending since the last time I worked on Cloud. But now that I've got some playing done, I'm ready to go back to work! The body won't take too long. But i redid the face geometry AGAIN because the edge loops were too close to the Crisis Core Cloud model (which I'm using as my main reference besides AC screen captures) I'd rather not have another wave of people thinking I copied things worse than I actually did, so I purposely changed the geometry again, keeping the exact same proportions.

It's funny, you analyze where the edge loops run, and maybe exactly follow the eye folds, (only making then loops instead of a spiral) and once it was done the verts of the rest of the face lined up too close to the game model, almost as if you just copied and pasted... disappointing, and I really honestly DON'T want that! This time it's unique beyond all analyzation.

Progress pending in a few days, i didn't forget about it!

140

Completely Unrelated / Anyone here like Days of the New and Michael Jackson?

« on: 2010-12-31 21:45:35 »

Has anyone here heard of this little American band (Really though it's just a one man project) called Days of the New? It's my favorite rock band (Although really all the music's written by one guy)

Anywho, most people forgot who Days of the New or never heard it to begin with. I won't blame anyone for not liking it.  They never got that big before the main guy went on a 5 year crystal meth binge and ruined his career. If he died maybe people would start caring about his music...? But he went into rehab and then into obscurity.

You all know who Michael Jackson is don't you? Besides the creepy questionable walking mannequin he became, you know... the musician and performer he was.

But here's a young  Korean boy who plays an arrangement of Billie Jean that sounds like Days of the New!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgVqX0a49HM

Don't know how many of you guys will get a kick outta this, but i did!

141

Completely Unrelated / Re: Happy new year!!!

« on: 2010-12-31 21:32:32 »

I have work tomorrow at 8 am Central time in America! Yay for not being about to get drunk!!!  Well... too drunk 

142

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-29 20:58:58 »

I've found his hair not that bad to unwrap - just isolate the "cones", cut at the base, and one line up to the point, and you get a triangle to texture, not too bad.

Same here honestly, remember... I've unwrapped Cloud's hair twice already. But it's tedious and time consuming. Plus, Old original Cloud has less spikes to unwrap 

Upcoming: I'll compare and contrast this face with all the obtainable Cloud's to prove that I didn't "Swipe UV's" (Whatever that means...) Save you guys a year of curiosity and analyzation.

143

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-29 17:55:55 »

I realize that these micro updates aren't quite as exciting. But for only getting to work on this maybe 10-15 minutes at a time it's kinda hard to get any real progress.

I figure I got Cloud's face maybe 95% nailed, so I guess I'll call it a win for now and continue with the rest of him. The rest of him will come along much MUCH faster than just the face.

Uhm... I think heads and faces are hard, but Cloud's hair looks like need a lot of work... (not faster).

Well yes.. and than no. I think the modeling of it will be really fast. I've already analyzed his hair to get it right, Plus I got the Crisis Core model to help as reference. It's the texture UV unwrapping that's not gonna be quick.

144

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-29 08:42:18 »

Well... Like music can be, what was frustrating about Cloud is how exceedingly simple, yet specific, his face is. Funny in that my face is the same kind of face, the 'V' from the cheek bones to the chin, we both share the same profile, almost the same eyes, except mine are less almond. And yet, I just couldn't warp the model of my own face onto Cloud's, I'm sure I probably could have if I had enough patience... but that really isn't all that fun. I look at 3D modeling like sculpting, shape form and volume. Cloud is obviously a slightly heightened anime-ish reality, without the protrusions and creases in his face that like... EVERY real person has on their face. The best solution was to iron out as many edge loops as I could to get his face smooth.

I came to the conclusion that Square models their faces purposefully so that the lines that run through those certain anatomical areas (Like the nasal labial sneer crease) remain smooth

edit: I've been editing the face since my last post, I just updated the image.

145

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-29 07:22:40 »

I realize that these micro updates aren't quite as exciting. But for only getting to work on this maybe 10-15 minutes at a time it's kinda hard to get any real progress.

I figure I got Cloud's face maybe 95% nailed, so I guess I'll call it a win for now and continue with the rest of him. The rest of him will come along much MUCH faster than just the face.

146

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-26 05:57:52 »

Well I started over again (a technique I employ over and over again, and each time I do, I do it faster!) and sometimes not better... In my haste to match his face exactly, I kind of modeled fast and loose and ignored any planning. The edge loop system fell apart kind of around the eyes. (But a polygon guideline for eyebrows is something I like to do) I have a few tris that look alright after a subdivide, but I still wanna iron them out. The eyes may change (I might just tear the polys from the last work in progress and bolt them on)

The most important thing here was to get the exact shape and volume of Cloud correct. Now that I have that, I can fix the geometry to make more sense

But Hey! That's definitely Cloud!

Like always, there's still some more pushmepullyou vert pulling to get it exact, and most definitely some heavy line fixing. But over all I think it's basically nailed, just need to be fine tuned and fixed.

147

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-23 04:57:27 »

kool stuff - thers never a bad part of production to get critique imo, and the notes on characterization come from when i was attempting to do it, so just puttin em out there for ya.

You've succeeded - I'm excited!

My imo is that critiques are great at every junction too! Just caught me off guard I did take into consideration what you said though, some of it I had already thought about but you know... whatever!

I've been trying to work on it as much as I can, but family, holidays and being a daddy (My squeaker is wiggling in my lap as I type!!!) I WON'T ABANDON THIS UNTIL I'M DONE!

So don't worry, APZ will see this though!

edit:

Can't stay awake any longer... I got at least a half an hour of work in! Mountain Dew has failed me tonight...



This is shown subdivided to prove that my 5gon on the zygomatic ridge and tri under the nostril subdivided into an all quad mesh. He doesn't look entirely like Cloud yet, but I'll get there 

148

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-22 18:10:43 »

Wow Timu! Not that I don't appreciate your critical analyzation skills, but wait until I've actually finished the face before you critique it!  (Or maybe I'm just being defensive, although I guess I shot myself in the foot for posting something that's not concrete yet) Just wanna get people excited

At this point I'm designing his face's edge flow rather than getting to the pushmepullyou of making it look really recognizable yet. (Although i can't help but notice that everytime I post a progress I'll look at it and fix a few things immediately after looking at it in the thread. Like the stronger cheek bone  )

Trust me though, a well placed 5gon and tri here and there will subdivide into quads just fine if you know where to place them (Plus I model a thousand times faster when I'm not trying to fix everything into quads, it's like a weight that's been lifted off my shoulders) It's an ongoing debate among the pro's in the industry. Steven Stahlberg has been modeling professionally since I was playing pokemon in middle school, and he's okay with it: http://www.androidblues.com/  That's good enough for me!

All that said... I really do appreciate your ability to analyze and always have  I'll ask you when I want you to unload and let me have it!

149

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-22 08:47:06 »

Okay, I started over twice. That's the problem when you set up certain loops and somehow just get yourself worked into a "I'd rather start all over again!!!" kinda thing.

So this is all I got, and already I can recognize Cloud in the perspective viewport!


I've recently become more accepting of 5 and 3 sided polys in my organic modeling, as I've found out where to place them to get a clean all-quad mesh after it's been subdivided. Once you do it a couple of times it eventually becomes natural and avoids a thousand headaches when you're trying to get a perfect all quad edgeflow... Part of the reason for my starting over again... The other reason is that the base face mesh I made isn't suited for Cloud. It could have been made to work, but what I'm doing now is so much easier than trying to bend my face into Cloud's! 

It's not much but I hope it gets someone excited, and I hope it influences some people to learn more about face modeling!

150

Graphical / Re: [WIP] APZ's New Canon Cloud

« on: 2010-12-19 23:20:32 »

The problem would be how the texture is named. But once Aali's driver supported png's I stopped coming and never learned how that all works.

The actual answer is "Of course you can!" but it won't work with just dropping the files in. I'll get back to you once I relearn all of this

And Timu... I'll probably have something to show by tomorrow, hate to keep you guys waiting