Samurai armor mod WIP

[cain9580]

So I did a retexure mod of the Reiko armor a while back and it sparked a bug in me that I have not been able to squash. I could do all the texture work but the modeling portion I was completely lost on. I have spent the last few months playing around with Blender and I am nearing the finish line for the model. I will post an image after work but I used the Genji armor mod from Oblivion and the Reiko armor as a base to sculpt.

 

With all the research I did for my first texture I know what needs to be on the different styles and evolutions of the armor. The finished model will be similar to the Genji armor but more accurate period wise. Sort of a Do Maru in hon kozane.

 

I have no issues with the textures once I get the model finished and ready to be put in the game for testing. What I am posting here for is to see if anyone wants to jump on board with this. I have quite a few ideas for different period armors and after scouring the game mesh files most of them can be done easily by borrowing elements from game models. The best part is that they are already UV mapped and just need to be added to the base model. Samurai armor is surprisingly simple shapes mesh wise but the textures are what bring it to life.

 

If anyone wants to participate then I can send them the mesh files. Ideally I would like to get someone who can do a better job Blender wise so I can get cracking with the texture work. I have a massive amount of reference material so the textures should go fast. If you look at my mods on the Nexus I am a decent texture artist and have been thinking about this project for a while now.

[cain9580]

A little update for anyone who is vaguely interested. My ambition often outways my current skill level but I was able to finally get the armor to the shape I wanted. The Reiko armor is nice but it is missing a few details that the Genji armor had. Now that I have conquered that I can finally get the weight slider versions complete and then get it all rigged, weighted, and exported into a Nif. I was worried about the vertex count but after checking out a few of the custom armors on the Nexus that people seem to love I am still way under that amount.

 

The goal in the beginning was to make a base model that could be easily textured and given minor mesh alterations to change the dynamics of the armor. This will eventually give me the ability to make sets for different smithing levels and beyond. The first released armor will be my own personal artistic adaptation and all of them will fit within the lore of the overall game.

[thumbincubation]

It's all way above my head, but since I saw this, I wanted to note that I just recently installed the Reiko armor with your retexture and it's awesome. I can't wait to see what you do next.

[cain9580]

Thank you. For the most part I have been limited to sticking to the UV maps that tells the game how to wrap the textures. Take the Reiko armor for example. The chest portion has a seam right in the middle so there ends up being a bubble when the light shines on it. More room was allocated for the stupid belt than the chest and back which are core sections.

 

The Genji armor UV is a nightmare. When I first wanted to do a texture for that I worked myself into a stupor trying to reorganize the shoulder armor so the textures would come out better.

 

All of this plus trying some new stuff with my weapon retexture mods led me to wanting to learn how to make the UV maps and models for myself. It has been a rough road but I honestly think the end product will be something really special. Check out my last weapon mod I did on the Nightingale sword. I was reading the most recent Drizzt book and the idea came to me to make the sword Vidrinath and it turned out beautiful in my opinion.

 

Now I get to put all that experience together. I will most likely be making a replacement armor for the Blades set and the Dragonbane sword. It will be very tied into the lore of the Dragonguard and the Prophecy of Anduin.

[thumbincubation]

That sounds like a headache. The only (singular) experience I've had with that is moving the studded armor skirt on the Imperial trooper armor, so the studs are on the correct skirt. I can't even imagine figuring out an entire armor set like that.

 

The future plans sound amazing. I can't wait to check it out.

[cain9580]

I definitely do my best. I have autism so I can get a little obsessive about certain aspects of my work at times. I did a straight katana texture a while back that I ended up scrapping because it dawned on me that a straight blade would not have the trademark differential heat treatment a regular katana would. That changes a lot of the dynamics of the metal and overall look.

 

Sort of the reason why there is always a little time between mods and usually a marked increase in quality. I spent quite a while learning the physics of how metals like gold donât reflect light they emit photons when the outer layer of valance electrons in the lattice are excited by light. When Elder Scrolls 6 comes out I hope they use a PBR rendering engine because I will be able to make mods much easier

 

Unfortunately I have pretty severe OCD and when you are trying to teach yourself 3D modeling it can get frustrating. I chose to do samurai armor because I know the basic elements are simple geometric shapes. At this point I am mainly doing lore research and working through designs that I feel would be worthy of the Last Dragonborn. There is some disparity between Akatosh and Talos and what the overall goal was for creating the Dragonborn.

 

I am trying to find an acceptable compromise in my mind between those elements and releasing something that players can be proud to wear no matter their character backstory.