3D Modeling?

[LHammonds]

1. http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/How_To_Create_New_Re-Textured_Items

Awesome article...has to be one of the best in the world. :laugh:

 

4. http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/Blender/Split_Oblivion_Meshes

Dang, that article is a bit dated. I feel a strong desire to create an updated version of this one using today's programs.

 

EDIT: Updated version of that tutorial is just about complete. Blender Tutorial - Split Oblivion Meshes

 

The basic steps are there, I just need to flesh it out a bit with greater detail.

 

LHammonds

[shane24]

I've got one curious question. When I start creating armour and weapons and all that good stuff. The tool "Mesh Tools" subdivide does this actually make the item in a much more higher quality? My goal is to make items like Jojo did creator of Silverlight etc.

 

But to my understand it looks like subdivide increases the resolution using more polys or something.

[LHammonds]

Sub-Divide simply divides the line(s) by the amount you divide it by. Example, if you have a single line (one vertex at each end) and you sub-divide it one time, that line will then have 3 verticies, (one at each end and one in the middle).

 

You can control the dividing very well with the right tools...however, make sure you do not add polys for the sake of having a high poly count. A good rule-of-thumb is that if you have polys that do not contribute to the "shadow" of the object, you are likely wasting polys. Imagine that the object is pure black and the background is white...as you rotate the object around in every possible way, the shape should be controlled by the polys. If rounded edges seem too blocky, add more polys and smooth it out and test it again. It is much easier to have a low-poly model and go higher if need be but it can be quite difficult to reduce the polys.

 

Another way to increase your poly count is to design your model in a rough cube fashion and then add the "Subsurf" modifier to smooth it out. However, I typically recommend against using subsurf to new modelers because it can become a crutch and if you depend on it too much, your model designs might suffer for it.

 

Here is a video that illustrates a few key methods for creating models. (Box modeling using quads, mirror modifier, extruding, loop dividing (CTRL+R) and subsurf). Watch it a few times to get the idea of what he is doing...then follow along doing the same thing yourself while pausing the movie and do what he is doing.

 

 

LHammonds