Texturing to Importing - A tutorial guide

[Galacticat42]

First off, I'm doing this guide for 3ukalipto, but thought that others would like to see it. I will be constantly updating this thread according to his development.

 

 

Texturing Programs needed: (google them if necessary)

Gimp or Photoshop

Crazybump

3DsMax (Student Edition is free)

3D paint tool (Zbrush, Sculptris, Mudbox)

 

 

1. Alright first thing - if you don't have photoshop, get GIMP. It's similar yet free - I prefer GIMP as I've used it for ~ 5 years now and am familiar with it.

 

2. After opening it up, create a basic sized image - 640x400 works fine.

 

3. Choose the bucket tool and pick the main color theme of your texture - spill the paint onto the background.

 

4. I like to go back to the model and stare at it for roughly 5 minutes to figure out what sort of basic skin color and layout I want it to have.

 

5. Create a new layer in Gimp/Photoshop for every little thing you want. When you're finished, re-organize them to make them look more natural. i.e. Dirt goes on top of scars on top of scale texture on top of scale color on top of scales outline on top of theme color (was background).

 

6. Next pick a randomized pattern - any randomized image from the filters list and play around with them.

 

7. When you have a nice pattern down, use the erase tool at 50% opacity with the faded circle brush and continue erasing the entire image until you have a nice diffuse shader overlay to give the image a nice un-patterned yet realistic looking imperfection.

 

 

8. Create an extra layer for the blueprint of any objects you will have. Using the Elipse and rectangle select tools, you can make a blueprint object by adding onto the selection using shift or removing from the selection using control (command on Mac).

 

9. When satisfied, begin using the paint tool with the faded circle brush at 25% opacity to texture the individual object. Note: Use the shift key to make perfectly straight lines for an embossed look.

 

10. Deselect the object and duplicate the layer. Use the move tool to orient the second object near to the first one. When done, merge the layers and repeat this step. Note: Use the directional keys when the move tool is selected to move the object in the four cardinal directions while using shift to move more at a time and control to move less at a time.

 

 

11. When you've reached a fair amount of objects horizontally, duplicate the layer, move it down accordingly. Next you want to go back to the original layer that hasn't moved, turn off your sight of the duplicated layer (the eyeball icon) and use the magic wand tool to select everything BUT the objects. You'll then want to go to select -> invert and then turn your sight for the duplicated layer on and change the layer you're editing to the duplicated one. Press delete and merge the layers. Repeat this step until the object pattern covers the image.

 

 

Note: I prefer to keep the blueprint layer and the outline layer separate until I know I'm finished; this way if I make a mistake I can go back to the blueprint layer and start again. (Not shown here)

 

12. Now that we're here, we must think about the model and how this texture will fit on it. So as an easy test and sneak-peek, save what you have as a png and open up crazybump, load the image and play around.

 

 

13. This looks great, except we want it to look more like organic scales instead of scalemail. So we need a shader on the scales to make them pop out more at the bottom.

 

14. Save your WIP file as a XCF or PSD for Gimp and Photoshop respectively and drop and drag the png version from your file to the workspace to automatically add a new working layer.

 

15. On the new working layer, use the burn tool on the shadows option over the entire image. Next use the dodge tool on the highlights option over just the tips of each scale, going in an upward direction. Save the png and look again.

 

 

16. This looks much better and much less predictable. Since my scaly skin texture is suppose to have a fiery golden look, I put the layer through brightness/contrast.

 

 

17. Next we'll make the swirly colors to add life to the final product. On the colors layer, add a new randomized cloud image. Go to colorize and pick a color you like.

 

18. Go to Color Balance and mess around with the 3 color sliders on the 3 shader types until you have something that looks awesome. Next, go to difference clouds and put down a few renders of that on the same layer (I did 6) and use Color Balance again to get the original color scheme. Note: Make sure to press the button 'New Seed' each time or the picture will just be toggled.

 

 

19. Now that you have a nice color scheme, bring the object outline layer just above the color layer. Next add a white mask to the color layer, go to the outline layer, select all, copy, go to the mask layer and paste.

 

20. To get the colors just right, I inverted the mask color and messed with the brightness/contrast filter.

 

21. Lastly use Color to Alpha on the color black on the color layer.

Edited June 29, 2012 by Budz42

[Galacticat42]

 

22. Make sure to save what you have as a png.

 

 

 

Thanks to 3ukalipto for the Matriarch mesh which I'll be featuring in my mod.

 

 

1. Set up the texture that you will be using. I prefer using sculptris to paint textures. Click on the textures box in the upper left and look for the texture you just made from the previous section of this tutorial.

 

 

When you have both the brush and the texture set to your art. (Should be saved as a PNG by the way :whistling:) you can get to work.

 

Note: The best way of painting is to dab and try and match up the ghost brush (what surrounds your mouse when you hover over the mesh) with what you've already painted on and make sure to dab enough times for a solid color.

 

 

Note: Although you may try and cover up all the artifacts you make, keep in mind that 80% of the people who see your work will not see the imperfections. In this last pic you can see two different conflicting scales from different dab strokes which I'll cover up later, but the artifacts from the brush that will be covering that up should be less noticeable. Point is to not drive yourself crazy over these imperfections as they're inevitable (Even AAA games have UV imperfections, you just gotta look hard enough!). Your best bet is to make the best looking mistake and make it look like it was deliberately imperfect for realism's sake.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Budz42

[Galacticat42]

-Reserved-

[Galacticat42]

-Reserved-

[Deleted4240918User]

I'm having issues with the first steps.... I'm dyslexic so if you could upload some video aid to YT that would make so much faster to learn for me :(

 

Also, I'm not sure if the following case should happen or is normal but I'm not happy with the results:

 

 

 

 

 

This is the final pattern image with the blending issue (I think it's an issue, don't you? :D )

 

 

Edited June 29, 2012 by Guest

[Galacticat42]

Sure I can do a YT vid tomorrow...

 

That doesn't look like GIMP v2 :huh:

 

Your problem lies with step 11.

 

11. When you've reached a fair amount of objects horizontally, duplicate the layer, move it down accordingly. Next you want to go back to the original layer that hasn't moved, turn off your sight of the duplicated layer (the eyeball icon) and use the magic wand tool to select everything BUT the objects. You'll then want to go to select -> invert and then turn your sight for the duplicated layer on and change the layer you're editing to the duplicated one. Press delete and merge the layers. Repeat this step until the object pattern covers the image.

 

To break it down:

 

A. Duplicate original layer A.

B. Move duplicated layer B into position

C. Remove vision from layer B

D. Select 'Wand Tool'

E. Make layer A your focus

F. Click anywhere but where the objects are in layer A to select background

G. Go to Select -> Inverse

H. Turn on layer B visibility

I. Make layer B your focus

J. Press 'Delete' key

K. Merge layers

L. Repeat from stage A until the workspace is filled.

Edited June 29, 2012 by Budz42

[Deleted4240918User]

Sure I can do a YT vid tomorrow...

 

That doesn't look like GIMP v2 :huh:

 

 

Sorry for taking long on the retopo of the Matriarch, but her wings gave such an stressful and hard time I felt desperate at times :wallbash:. But her wings are retopo'ed now thanks to Talos :). The rest of her body/head will go smoothly and won't take as much time.

 

I'm using Gimp 2.8.... :turned:

 

Did you get around doing the YT vid sire? I'm trying it again but I can't get it right. I still get the ghost shadow of the other layers and can't seem to understand step 11 :ohdear:.

 

And......I tried opening the .obj of the Matriarch after tweaking zbrush a bit and I ended up with a biiiig lump of dots that resembled the figure of the model...but I don't know how to modify it or tweak it in order to make it usable. :confused:

 

No triangles :D; I'm a boring guy so I prefer squares (silly unfunny joke :down: )

 

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/7620/dfdfi.jpg

[Galacticat42]

Well the mesh needs to be triangulated to be used by Skyrim so it's easiest just to do that as early as possible - hell Sculptris sculpts in triangles (I don't think it even recognizes squares).

 

As for the YT vid, I've been pretty busy today so I couldn't get to it. I'll see what I can do for it tomorrow.

[Deleted4240918User]

Well the mesh needs to be triangulated to be used by Skyrim so it's easiest just to do that as early as possible - hell Sculptris sculpts in triangles (I don't think it even recognizes squares).

 

As for the YT vid, I've been pretty busy today so I couldn't get to it. I'll see what I can do for it tomorrow.

 

 

I think Skyrim converts the polygons into triangles doesn't it? :unsure: I'm not sure, but I remember my mentor saying that using only quads was the best way to go when aiming for good quality since the game converts quads into triangles and if the model is made out of or has triangles in it, they are converted into n-gons and n-gons into little stars :confused:

 

I'm still a rookie :turned:

[Matth85]

I think Skyrim converts the polygons into triangles doesn't it?

Every game engine turns to triangles. However, by triangluating yourself you get nefit.

a better flow of how it will look. Of course, nobody spend their time triangulating their mesh. It simply takes too much time for little be

 

I'm not sure, but I remember my mentor saying that using only quads was the best way to go

Not quite. Quads are best when modelling. For one it makes it easier to controll the mesh via tools like "ring" and "loop". Secondly most sculpting softwares sculpt in quads. Take Zbrush and Mudbox, the industry standard. If they find a tri, they will try to turn it to a quad.

However, when you are making your low poly tris and quads doesn't matter any more. It is better to remove 4k polygons out of a 10k polygon mesh, but have tris at certain areas, than to have a full quad mesh.

 

Tris are not good when modelling, but can save you thousand upon thousand of polygons in the end -- when the model will be triangulated anyways.