Low Poly 3d model ???

01. Is making low poly 3D model such as this is too hard?



02. we are team of three people, all programmers. as much as we like to we do not have any artist support. we are currently working on a side-scroller game. we started using models with more realistic touch but as we are not artists we are struggling to match the overall graphics theme of the game.

Should we stick to realism theme? or should we switch to low-poly theme? what is your opinion on this?

 

I dig the low poly theme, personally. It seems like it's caught on among indies, and for good reason. You don't have to worry about textures or UV maps nearly as much, and with flat shading it's not hard to make anything look good and clean. It's fast to make, and bright colors are in style. It's like the new pixel art. So I would say yeah, for non-artists especially low poly is a good direction.

 

Nope!
It's not as hard as you think.
But some 3d modellers do it better than others.

My advice would be, to spend some time learning a bit of low poly modelling.
In your favourite 3d software program of choice.
There are many tuts, all over the internet teaching low poly modelling techniques.
You can find alot on Youtube and Vimeo.

Now go get cracking!!
And show us some of your low poly skills!!

Wow!
That "Low Poly Strategy Prototyper looks cool!!"
Thanks for the link!

 

Don't rule out hiring an artist though. A good artist can help you in ways you would never expect and it may not be as expensive as you think so long as you plan things out.

 

i always thought 3d modelling was hard...
when i learned it.. i was then LAUGHING at how easy it was, and how hard i thought it was.

 

@sami1592 - No, low poly modelling isn't hard but modelling in general just have a minor learning curve until you figure out where all of the tools are and what they do. On the other hand, static models like that only need a fraction of the tools and I personally find that the hardest part is to not add more details

Realistic models have the problem that you need to learn more modelling stuff, high-low poly modeling, baking normal maps, how to UV unwrap complicated meshes and so on...

You shouldn't ask a community what to do, only you and your team knows what your situation is like and what you can do. It is true that an artist can add a lot, there is more to graphics then slapping together a mesh with some colors... a good artist can concept stuff, balance details, organize colors and much much more... a poor artist might just cause headaches... can you even afford to pay an artist?

 

The polyworld assets are good (http://u3d.as/content/quantum-theory/poly-world-woodland-low-poly-toolkit/80W), its $50 and looks beautiful, very helpful if you don't want to spend too much time doing any 3d modelling. Pigart makes really good low poly art and a few tutorials (

)

Like it or not, you are going to have to learn how to use a 3d modelling program in both the indie game scene and the AAA scene.

 

Polyflow is somewhat more important when you work with flat shaded models.
Its definitely easier though because you don't necessarily have to bother with textures and/or UVWs.

On the other hand, some fine details are harder to create - stuff that would usually be done through texturing.
Its always a compromise.

 

Something to remember: The more realistic you go, the closer you approach the point where players stop just accepting the object as-is and start noticing the details that aren't "right". It's human nature to look at a cartoon (or low poly) differently than more realistic art (or high poly).

As a simple example: If you have a cartoon wolf whose movements aren't quite right, it is going to bother the observer less than if the wolf is made to look more realistic. Just grabbing two wolves from the Asset Store's first page of search for "wolf", I mean cartoon textures versus more realistically textured. The first wolf can get away with less real-world accurate animations or whose texturing doesn't quite match up in level to other objects in the scene than the second wolf. (I have no idea what the animations actually are on those wolves. I picked them for visual representation.)

If you cannot keep up the quality of the art at higher detail, but you can keep up a consistent quality at lower detail, stick with lower detail. It will give the project a better overall look.

 

Lo poly is now officially fashionable Sir. Some find it harder than high poly but I think that would be a small minority.

It's a problem that erm, 3 people, all programmers, are trying to make artwork. At least tell us that you have a little interest in art, otherwise I wouldn't even suggest using stock (even stock needs to be combined artistically, beautifully shaded etc...)

If it's an opportunity to develop a latent inclination, then it's something else and I'm totally backing this up. Otherwise consider finding an artist? or 3? It's not so hard...

 

yes i thought of this too

 

we tried man, but as students it's hard for us to find artist who can match with our unorthodox schedule

 

that's what i wanted to avoid

 

sorry, didn't understand that

 

ahaa! i thought of that too! feeling genius

 

valuable advice (Y)

 

i don't but my other two members take interest in art

 

what do you mean my stock?

 

Is there no 3D art interest people at your school? It would be a huge advantage to find someone in your surroundings because that would make it possible to meet face to face, or in your case, during brakes to discuss project related stuff.

 

Stock art is art that someone creates and then sells for others to use. An example would be any game model on the Asset Store. "Stock art" as in the opposite of "custom art".

Generally, people who do not have a feel for art cannot combine different stock art packages well together. Using the Asset Store as an example, it's quite possible to find enough fantasy monsters sold by various vendors to create a full game with. But if you are using all of those models exactly as they are sold, the styles and such will not match up and the game will look odd and badly done.

 

Polyworld on the asset store. It turns any model into this style, even animated ones and terrain.

 

I always find it fascinating that members engaged in a visual medium ask "do we really need an artist"? Does a filmmaker really need a photographer? Does a music studio really need a band? Sorry, it just caught my funny side.

 

That is encouraging.

Stock == stock art, for example models available on 3D resource websites such as Blendswap or TurboSquid.

 

Why don't you just take a week and all of you could give it a go?

Then you can judge each others work.