So this is my current personal work. Its early days and I am still in the blocking out phase, from here this will have the poly count increased and the details sculpted in, in ZBrush, before final UV Unwrap and Texturing.
The final piece will be a low poly in game model!

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Looks nice. keep updating!

---

Coming along nicely. What game is it for?

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

Hey! Thanks,
Its actually not for any game... just something to look good on the portfolio!!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

That's not an update!

---

Yeah, sadly! Life has been pretty crazy these dayz, looks like weekends are gonna be my most productive time for personal work. Hopefully though things will calm down soon!!

EDIT: Just thought I would repost these Cannon Images here, coz I have linked to this thread on my Blog

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

I had a look at your website Byder. really nice work on those game models. I love the tree animation on your college reel too. You games artists are getting me very inspired.

---

Hey thanks Tyson,
Eergh, not my greatest work coz the engine we were using back then didn't allow any bump, spec or normal maps... so that was all just diffuse maps.
Some of my newer stuff now is thankfully on a more 'next gen' engine

Hey, the 3D anim, guys inspire us game artists too hey!!! We're limited by Realtime technology where you are not!!!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Yeah, I figure the discipline of making some static meshes for unrealed will improve my ability to make optimised scenes for rendered work too. i tend to start out low and things quickly become very high poly with hundreds of scattered rocks individual blades of grass sub division displacement etc.. when you can really often get away with alot less geometry.

---

Individual blades of grass!!! *Panics & Runs away!*

Lol, joking!!! I know what you mean! Every so often I get asked to do some rendered stuff and its weird how scenes just get heavier and heavier.
Where as with gaming, we start light, then go high poly, and then optimise and go back to low poly again!

U'll actually be amazed at what you can get away with these dayz!!

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Okay, its not a big update... basically I have started refining the edge loops to allow me to get this into ZBrush (without major shape loss at subdivision)
I have also started breaking up the geometry a bit more, also for subdiv reasons, and started adding some more of the smaller details. I have quiet a few more details to model in before taking it to Zbrush to will be a little while still!!

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

I'm not sure if this applies to your situation (or if you already know it) but I often turn off the smooth modifier when I subdivide in z-brush for making hard edged objects.

---

---

Yeah it sort of applies. I like to get some smoothing from the highres mesh, because normal maps never translate hard edges well.

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Right so I decided to stay late this eve at work (gonna make it a regular thing) and did some work on the Windmill. Still working on the Highres Mesh

Crits & Comments Welcome!

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

No crits yet, it looks great.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

Lookin good!

---

It does look great.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

Thanks guys!! Hopefully will get sometime this eve to do some more work on it!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

So got sometime, finally!!! Yay!!! Basically made a few tweaks to the roof structure (you can't see it in this render) and then added the wooden plank roof!!
~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

looking good man keep it up.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

That's going to paint a nice normal map.

---

Hey, thanks!!
Yeah its gonna create a seriously nice normal map... gonna be doing the same thing for the brick work on the base...
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Keep posting!

---

Hey All,
Haven't had as much time during the holz to work on this as I would have liked... but here's what I have done so far!

CRITS WELCOME

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

this is incredible, how exactly did you create the numerous overlapping panels? it looks either really clever, or tedious, or both!

---

Its more of the really clever than the tedious, but tedious does enter the equation!!

I have a script called, 'Advanced Painter', which allows me to paint geometry exactly where I want it. So my workflow was simple, I modeled two different planks of wood, then rotated them by 5degrees and reset their xforms, that way, they would paint with the 5degree rotation. I then simply painted rows starting from the top working my way down the windmill!!!

I'll stick a link to the Script on my Blog!!

~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Please do, it looks awesome. Great work.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

i look at that pic and feel like a caveman staring at a cigarette lighter....seriously that's awesome....
i read that blog of yours labelled 'technical artist', and it's almost exactly what i want to do.....a blend of programming and art....
i'm going to be applying for an MSc in comp.animation from september this year , and the thing that appealed to me about the course was that it involved the technical side of comp.animation.....hope to work in games eventually....

---

Cogito, Ergo Sum

Awesome job on the detail of this work.

---

Rick

[Link to www.3dartconcepts.com]

Hey guys,
Yeah the link is up on my blog! Should be working, tested it yesterday!
Thanks for all the compliments... any crits though, pointers, suggestions, etc?!
I am still going to add more detailing, the door needs making, ripped cloth on the sails, some plant life around the bottom, etc!!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

thanks for the link i'll be keen to have a look, its just mindblowing.
i can't wait to see what kind of texture scheme you give it. some tattering would be fantastic! i'd love to see some ivy engulfing the structure aswell, as an idea.

---

Hey toe_fungi!
Yup.... Ivy is definitely on my list of things to come!!! It was something I considered early on... but realised early on too that it would be one of the last things I add!!!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Been managing to spend sometime working on my windmill again! Yay! I have begun detailing the door. I have gone with a nice rustic wooden look with a few covers over old key holes, as if they windmill has been owned by a few people who kept changing the lock. The door frame is still to come, and all the hinges! Also the step is just a place holder for now, its gonna need a few cracks and chips modeled into it.

This is the first render of the windmill with the cloth added to the sails. Its a first pass for major cloth forms, coz eventually when I get to texturing they will be slightly more ragged on the edges and have some finer wrinkles visible too.

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Great! I'm not sure if I like the bricks. I can see obvious tiling. The cloth is looking good so far, as you say will be better with more raggedness.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

Hey V!
Yeah I am also seeing the tiling now... definitely gonna rework the bricks a bit! Just deciding if I wanna do that now, in mesh... or later in textures?! Could go both ways really!
Shot for the input!!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Hey, this looks like some great solid and nice tidy work. This should look just fine on your portfolio indeed. nicely recreated! they do look like that here in holland

Johnbeyer

---

Is this still going to end up as a low poly game model? Might look good in the Fallout 3 universe...

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

@johnbeyer - Thanks... I am still hard at work at getting it as accurate to the originals as possible! Long way to go!! Heh, if you ever drive past one and feel in the mood to snap a few pics of details for me I would be greatly appreciative!!

@Steve - Yup, definately still gonna end up low poly and in an engine. Its heading for UT3 or CryEngine, haven't decided which engine yet! Heh, good point, it would suit the Fallout universe...

~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

If your keen to do some fallout stuff...
[Link to www.digitalartsfront.com]

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

Hey all,
A quick update... started detailing the back! Adding ropes etc to the sails too!!

@Steve - Would love to do some stuff, but life just seems so busy at the mo, with loads of little odd projects going... can I take a raincheck, lol

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Well we're not going ahead straight away so keep checking back and if you're free when we do start we'd love to have someone of your talents on board.

And fantastic detail on the latest image. Did you just use splines for the ropes? They seem to be hanging very naturally and weighted perfectly.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

Hey Steve,
Cool, well let see how things go... coz I have been thinking about it and I would be pretty keen to do some stuff...

Yup totally splines, just back and forth making sure they look right, then set to show in viewport & renderable!

~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

So its coming along nicely now, added the windows on the lower floor, some more rope rigging on the sails, the small intricate detail under the eves on the front, and also the tie down poles on the ground around the windmill.
Just for fun I added the rickety old fence!

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

really nice man. you get a great sense of scale with all that detail, you should work it into a high res still aswell as your game model. Everyone should be using advanced painter. what an awesome free script, that functionality should be built into max I think.

---

Hey Tyson,
Agreed, its a great script and it should be a part of max.
All I am wanting now (actually I should go look quick) is a script that lets you drag (or click) out a mesh of your choice and it automatically aligns to the surface you are clicking on. Sorta like the 'AutoGrid' feature on creation of new objects, but with your own modeled meshes.

EDIT: Nailed!! Here we go... it aligns a selected object to a normal, so if you want to make more than one copy you will have to keep duplicating as you go!! [Link to www.scriptspot.com]

EDIT #2: On revisiting Advanced Painter, it actually does exactly what I need... well without the ability to scale the mesh on creation!

~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Hey all,
I recently began retopologising the Windmill for the Low Resolution Game Version, currently the Blades & Sails have been completed and I have moved onto the body of the mill itself!

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

Dude that is great.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

Yeh, great work.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

Thanks guys! Work on the mill has taken a back seat for the last 2weeks.. but I will be getting back to it soon!
~C

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

I have sended you some more pictures, Byder Hope they help.

---

So in between learning Modo, which is totally awesome from my dabblings so far!!
I have finally gotten around to Retopo'ing the rest of the windmill! Its come out at 5,127 polys which is pretty good in my opinion!

So far I have baked all my occlusion, normal, etc passes and will now be moving onto texturing! I am aware of the weird dark edging around the windows etc, that I will be fixing shortly!!
I'm really excited to see this guy textured.

~C

---

---

a 3d artist's journal
[Link to blog.cunnington.co.za]

So am I! It's looking great.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]

It's a great model indeed. Spending so much time on a model is something i still need to learn. I want to see it lightened out in vray sun and lights to soon and i am to bored to get back to modelling. That's what i need to learn

I love the detail, from what's visible, it's totally correct to the ones here. Some mills like that come with a platform above the door aswell. I'm also very curious how you do with texturing but i believe it'll look just awesome.

---