Cargo Hover Truck [WIP]

Click the image to enlarge it
















Posting a "Work In Progress" so I don´t forget the lessons learned:

1. I have truly learned the value of good concept art, or decent blueprints.
My first doodle was on a napkin, but even if the one I drew in photoshop were better, it really lacks detail on many places. This led to lots of trial and error on places where the original sketch was undetailed. I finally print-screened the model as far as I had come, then painted a new sketch on top of that. That really helped. (the main problem was the truck, the cargo was much more easy)

2. The "hover" thingies were really tough, they still aren't very impressive, but I need to move on. I'm hoping that details in the texture and normalmap will help them look more interesting.

3. Doing my own splits, since you cannot always count on triangulate to make the tris lay themselves out in a decent way

This is probably the most serious model I have done, but I already have tons of ideas for the next model! Something with guns! :-P

Cargo Hovercar - Concept

Photoshop














Concept for a vehicle I intend to build in 3D, with next-gen realtime engine limitations.
As I drew, some extra functions for the truck came to mind, so I squeezed them in as well.
Would be cool if it could unload the cargo somehow, and this cargo could also be a prop lying around.

Perhaps I will make a smashed up version as well, games today seldom have working vehicles on the level, (if they are not GTA, or perhaps Battlefield) as it creates incentives for the player to be able to use them.

Ammo Crate

Ammo crate, Maya, Photoshop


















Lessons Learned:
1. Don't take too long between sessions of making the model, or you will forget what you were doing :-P.
2. Tried to make this crate a bit more interesting with stripes, lettering and stickers. Made too much of these details at first, making the prop nice when it is standing by itself, but placing several of these crates next to each other revealed the copy/paste-ness.

These kind of props are not supposed to steal the players attention, players should be aware of what the prop is supposed to be, perhaps use the prop, throw it, break it or similar. If the prop has a distinctive pattern, chances are that the player will find this strange or annoying. If this happens, you have taken the players attention away from the game, and thus, have made a bad prop.

3. Make an effort to ignore MSN while working. Disrupts the workflow.

4. I find no need to make a highpoly-version of these more simple props, the Nvidia Filter for normalmaps in photoshop works just fine. Next model will be more detailed!