Browsing the blog archives for September, 2005
I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a character for UT2004 for some time now. Having tried for a while I couldn’t quite get to grips with what I wanted from a character. However I started doodling today ( I say doodle yet it took a couple of hours) and came up with the sketch below.
Now I just need to produce a colour version and sort out an orthograhpic sheet to model from. :)
These three (more like 2.5 really) characters where created for use in the mod I produced, as part of my major project at uni. Two of the models make use of my face and one goes so far as to make me look like Tom Selleck in a sombrero.
I got a pretty good grade from these guys, though there are a few glaring errors in the models. Most notable is the poncho worn on two of the models. Close inspection shows that the pattern runs across the back (of the poncho) in a rigid horizontal line, completely ignoring the flow and hang of the fabric. How I missed this one is beyond me. :)
The guy with the spiky shoulder pad, was originally destined for the UT2004 mod “Shattered Oasis.” However I decided that he’d fit nicely into my personal mod instead. He might still make it, but considering how awkward the weighting was (around the shoulder pad) a complete rebuild would be in order.
As part of my third year at university, we had frequent visits from a couple of Codemasters 3D artists. They taught us a lot about modelling and texturing, as well as setting us a project to model ourselves.
After all if you’re going to model yourself, most people are vain enough to do a good job. :)
The brief was simple, produce a model with no more than 2000 polygons (triangles) & a 512×512 texture in *.tga format. The model realised all of the requirements, coming in at 1990 polygons. If we had time, we where also to produce a fantasy model of ourselves. Which should go some way to explaining why my head is on a dogs body…
For the purpose of these shots, the texture quality has been increased to 1024×1024 if memory serves me.
With everyone having drifted away from the project, it seemed as if Shattered Oasis was deader than a dodo. In reality it’s been more of an extended holiday of sorts as we recover from the burnout. With so few people working on the project, the Make Something Unreal Contest took its toll. :)
The good news is that development will be continuing, with releases for UT2004. Development for Half Life 2 has been shelved, which in some respects makes me quite happy. Now at least we can focus our efforts in a single direction.
So there I was, poking around my harddrive, when I stumbled upon a rendered version of the Raider model. The Raider as he became known was one of the “bad guys,” for the Sunset mod I worked on. Quite gimpy and rather over muscled, you wouldn’t want to meet him in a darkened alley…
If I where to build him again, i’d take a completely different approach to the shoulder pad area (probably make it an individual mesh). It looks quite good as it is, but it became a royal pain when it came down to weighting the model. In the end the in game model was a trade off between several wierd movements & deformations. :)
I’ll post a few more images shortly.
What is Sunset? Well other than being that period where day becomes night, it’s also the name of a UT2004 modification that I created for my major project at (Demonfort) university. The project had somewhat simple goals, which ballooned out of control as things began to move along.
Before I go any further, I should probably explain what exactly Sunset was supposed to be. In very simple terms it was a first person shooter, with a Wild West / Mad Max theme. Post apocalyptic in a retro sense if you will.
Originally I had only intended to construct one player character and two vehicles for use in UT2004.
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