Hey, I do art too!(New, nice stuff on page 2)

Raslin

Well then. I've recently been learning Modo(as there's a nice job for me if I can get a good grasp on it), and been trying to push out some work. I have four and a half years experience in 3ds max, though nothing professional, so it sounds like I should be better than I am. That said, this is pretty much the first model I've made in modo that wasn't extremely basic, or from a tutorial. Its obviously still a Work in progress, but seeing as I started it last night, and just did a few more things today, its coming together pretty well, pretty fast.

Edit: I should mention that this is going to be an AKs-47. Probably help to know what you're looking at

Brolo

Not much to say. It's still really basic, and while it looks like a gun shape, there's not yet a similiarty to any particular model.

Do you have anything from your work in Max to compare it to?

Raslin

Why sure

galen

Nice, but do you do anything but guns/weapons? They are nicely done, near as I can see, but guys like you (with the "guns only" skill set) are a dime a dozen these days. You'll be better off if you start modeling other things especially organic models/people.

NakedElf

Not to mention that unless you're being hired to model guns, the subject matter could be off-putting to potential employers.

Angel_of_Bacon

NakedElf wrote: »

Not to mention that unless you're being hired to model guns, the subject matter could be off-putting to potential employers.

O_o

Apparently you have never played a video game before.


But Galen's right, do you have anything else? Doesn't have to characters, but other props or environmental stuff maybe?

Raslin

I threw those pictures up to compare to other guns I've done, because I'm showing off a gun :P

Most of the stuff below is unfinished, and low poly. I tend to do guns because they are pretty applicable to the modding I do. I can usually find a mod that needs an AK-47, etc. I haven't really done any portfolio work, just because I'm still working on my personal skill level. That said...

Creambun 007

Nice guns. You must work out.

sketchy62

4.5 years of 3dmax experience you say...

personally, ive never used 3dmax before. so i wouldnt really know the difficulty level.

HOWEVER 4.5 years is a GRIP load of time.
and i believe that you can do so much more in 4.5 years than what you have shown us.

id like to see more complete finished renderings that you have done.
cuz the ones shown so far are pretty basic lookin.

Raslin

sketchy62 wrote: »

4.5 years of 3dmax experience you say...

personally, ive never used 3dmax before. so i wouldnt really know the difficulty level.

HOWEVER 4.5 years is a GRIP load of time.
and i believe that you can do so much more in 4.5 years than what you have shown us.

id like to see more complete finished renderings that you have done.
cuz the ones shown so far are pretty basic lookin.

A. 4.5 years of being really lazy. AKA, I'll make a model every couple months, and fuck around with something random every month. I also taught myself, and that first year was horrid.

B. I've shown you most of my good stuff already. Yeah, a lot are basic, mainly because they're low poly, and most unfinished.

sketchy62

then u cant really say 4.5 years then can u.

and like u said ureself... these are definately BASIC, LOW POLY, and UNFINSIHED.

if these really are the good ones.
you need to get to work buddy!

or show us some of your great ones. :"]

cmon stop being lazy and show us what you cna do!
prove us wrong!

Raslin

Hey, I'm working on doing better things. Besides, I still can say 4.5 years, because thats when I started :P

My models have mainly been low poly because I do video game work. Unfinished, because a combination of laziness and joining lots of projects that die out. I wouldn't say basic; My work turns out very detailed, when finished, at a low poly count.

This AK I'm working on is one of the first things I'm making that I'm not worried about polygon counts for. Mainly using it to learn the program. I'll be able to do more work on it soon, need to get my real license for the program(using trial atm).

The Arisaka(rifle) is probably my best work to date. Very good looking, very detailed, just around 2k tri's. My work should start being a lot better, as modo is really helping out my workflow.

sketchy62

jw ... whats modo?
is that part of 3dmax?

Raslin

Modo is a 3d art program, just like 3dsmax and maya. Its the successor to Lightwave, and its gaining prominence(I'm learning it for a job in san francisco, and they used it for World in Conflict).

Anyways, sorry its been so long since my last post. Had trouble getting my license, but now that I'm up and running again, I've been able to do a little work. I really wanted the sights to look good, so I spent a nice bit of time on them.

Death of Rats

You need to make a finished piece at a high polygon count. Not guns, but something like a room, car, or something equally complex.

It will really help you with learning the program. Put in at least 10 hours a week on it. Model everything, texture everything. Make it as complete of a piece as possible. If you don't know how to do something look for tutorials. I can guarantee that within a month of doing this you will look back on your current work and be amazed at how much you've improved.

Raslin

I don't see why a gun can't be complex. Yes, I plan on modeling other things(I won't be making any guns if I get this job), but this is really just a staple for me. I've made a lot of AK's before, and making something like this helps me learn how to do things in the program, when I know what needs to be done, and how, I just have to figure out the tools.

But yes, thats the next step.

Death of Rats

Well the point of it is not only to help you learn the program but also help you learn spacial relationship between objects and how to get a nice average of detail across a whole piece.

Really it's the first step in moving from "I take real world guns and model them" to "I'm awesome at making real world objects of all types, not just mechanical, but also more organic shapes". (the next step after that is "I can make great real world objects, but I can also model more alien and imaginative things")

Really modeling is a lot like drawing, the more varied and complex your models, the better you are at it in general.

Raslin

Death of Rats wrote: »

Well the point of it is not only to help you learn the program but also help you learn spacial relationship between objects and how to get a nice average of detail across a whole piece.

Really it's the first step in moving from "I take real world guns and model them" to "I'm awesome at making real world objects of all types, not just mechanical, but also more organic shapes". (the next step after that is "I can make great real world objects, but I can also model more alien and imaginative things")

Really modeling is a lot like drawing, the more varied and complex your models, the better you are at it in general.

Look, no offense, but I know about spacial relationships and getting good averages of detail. Most of my work has been low polygon video game work. When you have 2.5k poly's for a tank, you figure out these things pretty well.

Yes, I do need to work on organic shapes, but doing a car or a room isn't going to be any more helpful than what I'm doing now. Again, no offense, its just when people say things like this, it makes me feel like the work I'm doing isn't only bad, but worthless.

Death of Rats

Raslin wrote: »

Look, no offense, but I know about spacial relationships and getting good averages of detail. Most of my work has been low polygon video game work. When you have 2.5k poly's for a tank, you figure out these things pretty well.

Yes, I do need to work on organic shapes, but doing a car or a room isn't going to be any more helpful than what I'm doing now. Again, no offense, its just when people say things like this, it makes me feel like the work I'm doing isn't only bad, but worthless.

Sorry if you think I was saying your work is bad. It's not. But it's very amateurish, especially if this is the best of the best of your 4.5 years of max experience. And it seems to me that that stems from you modeling only in low polygon models, and mostly mechanical objects. Yes, it's good for games, but learning high polygon modeling as well will give you a range that you can work with and also teach you much more about the programs than if you stick to your current methods.

A car or a room has all different types of more organic shapes than what you're currently modeling. A bed? Organic shapes, Seats in a car? Organic shapes. A house plant? Organic shapes.

My advice isn't to model a low polygon room with only the bare minimum of objects. I'm talking about building up a library of lots of different objects. Cell phones, jars, pens, pencils, cans, DVDs, guitars, game controllers. There's all different types of objects that would give you a good middle ground between completely mechanical and completely organic.

Again, I'm not bashing what you're currently capable of. But at 4.5 years of experience, your models should really be much better than they are, even considering that you're self taught.

Raslin

Death of Rats wrote: »

Raslin wrote: »

Look, no offense, but I know about spacial relationships and getting good averages of detail. Most of my work has been low polygon video game work. When you have 2.5k poly's for a tank, you figure out these things pretty well.

Yes, I do need to work on organic shapes, but doing a car or a room isn't going to be any more helpful than what I'm doing now. Again, no offense, its just when people say things like this, it makes me feel like the work I'm doing isn't only bad, but worthless.

Sorry if you think I was saying your work is bad. It's not. But it's very amateurish, especially if this is the best of the best of your 4.5 years of max experience. And it seems to me that that stems from you modeling only in low polygon models, and mostly mechanical objects. Yes, it's good for games, but learning high polygon modeling as well will give you a range that you can work with and also teach you much more about the programs than if you stick to your current methods.

A car or a room has all different types of more organic shapes than what you're currently modeling. A bed? Organic shapes, Seats in a car? Organic shapes. A house plant? Organic shapes.

My advice isn't to model a low polygon room with only the bare minimum of objects. I'm talking about building up a library of lots of different objects. Cell phones, jars, pens, pencils, cans, DVDs, guitars, game controllers. There's all different types of objects that would give you a good middle ground between completely mechanical and completely organic.

Again, I'm not bashing what you're currently capable of. But at 4.5 years of experience, your models should really be much better than they are, even considering that you're self taught.

I do see what you mean, don't get me wrong. As I mentioned before, 4.5 years is a bit of a misnomer, because its been a very casual hobby. Its not like I have a hundred low polygon, decent models sitting around. I usually notice decent improvement in every model I make.

But honestly, I am getting a bit burned out on guns anyways. I had so much fun making those sights that when I went back to make the front grip, I just... didn't want to do it. I really love making the small details.

One big problem for me, though, is fear. I honestly get psyched out when I try to make something particularly complex, because I'll look at a part of it, and I can't think of how to do it, and so half the time I just don't try. Part of the reason a lot of my work is unfinished.

Death of Rats

Raslin wrote: »

Death of Rats wrote: »

Raslin wrote: »

Look, no offense, but I know about spacial relationships and getting good averages of detail. Most of my work has been low polygon video game work. When you have 2.5k poly's for a tank, you figure out these things pretty well.

Yes, I do need to work on organic shapes, but doing a car or a room isn't going to be any more helpful than what I'm doing now. Again, no offense, its just when people say things like this, it makes me feel like the work I'm doing isn't only bad, but worthless.

Sorry if you think I was saying your work is bad. It's not. But it's very amateurish, especially if this is the best of the best of your 4.5 years of max experience. And it seems to me that that stems from you modeling only in low polygon models, and mostly mechanical objects. Yes, it's good for games, but learning high polygon modeling as well will give you a range that you can work with and also teach you much more about the programs than if you stick to your current methods.

A car or a room has all different types of more organic shapes than what you're currently modeling. A bed? Organic shapes, Seats in a car? Organic shapes. A house plant? Organic shapes.

My advice isn't to model a low polygon room with only the bare minimum of objects. I'm talking about building up a library of lots of different objects. Cell phones, jars, pens, pencils, cans, DVDs, guitars, game controllers. There's all different types of objects that would give you a good middle ground between completely mechanical and completely organic.

Again, I'm not bashing what you're currently capable of. But at 4.5 years of experience, your models should really be much better than they are, even considering that you're self taught.

I do see what you mean, don't get me wrong. As I mentioned before, 4.5 years is a bit of a misnomer, because its been a very casual hobby. Its not like I have a hundred low polygon, decent models sitting around. I usually notice decent improvement in every model I make.

But honestly, I am getting a bit burned out on guns anyways. I had so much fun making those sights that when I went back to make the front grip, I just... didn't want to do it. I really love making the small details.

One big problem for me, though, is fear. I honestly get psyched out when I try to make something particularly complex, because I'll look at a part of it, and I can't think of how to do it, and so half the time I just don't try. Part of the reason a lot of my work is unfinished.

Well, the best way to push through that is to just do it. Go after the things you don't know how to do with a fury. If you're looking to start a career doing this, you're going to have to push through it anyway. It's much better to start pushing towards the more complex models now so that later on when you're on a deadline and you're boss is breathing down your neck to get that very complex model done you're not completely lost.

I completely understand how you feel, though. I've been going through the same thing myself. I only have around 2 years experience with max myself (well, one year considering the last year I haven't really done anything with it). But the fewer more complex models I've done seem so simple now that I've experimented enough to know how to do them. It'll be the same way for you once you break through it.

Raslin

Alright, well, I guess I'll take your suggestion and see if I can't expand my horizon's.

I had a lesser image up, but nobody replied yet, so I guess I get to throw some better ones up before anyone notices

Its just a table and a light so far. I'm pretty much just deciding what to do when I finish one piece, so there isn't much direction here :P

Death of Rats

On the whole that looks rather good. I'm betting that desk would look awesome with a nice polished wood texture.

Keep it up. Just that desk alone looks more impressive that all of the other pictures you've shown. Much more creative as well.

sketchy62

i agree, that desk alone, totally disrupts the whole montone vibe u had. in a good way.

also that desk is the only one i see with fillets. eveyrthign feels more comfortable to look at.

also u make like to model guns, but the people who hire you, generally dont like to see weapons, and other negatively viewed objects.
so yea, try taking up "death of rats" advice
and do some other objects, organic and mechanical.

and like he and i also said... 4.5 years, is a long time for the type of work you produce. i think it would be better if u said 1 or 2 years. i think in turn it will acutally be a positive for you.
like gather up all the time u spent modeling, and juss rough it down to exactly how many years it comes out to.

ah and low poly models are good, for gettin a basic idea. kinda like a sketch before a final render.
but that doesnt meant u should never get to the rendering stage, you know?
i think you should start workin on high poly models, maybe only once a month even.

anyways i love the change up that you brought to the table. would like to see more variations and more details.

Raslin

Thanks for the compliments, I still have a lot to do(Both with the desk, and adding more objects).

The thing is, I don't make guns and low poly objects for portfolio's. I make low poly models and gun models for games. If I were trying to get a job with say, dice, I would be showing them fairly low polygon models, though what I showed would depend on what position I was going for(environmental, character, etc).

Actually, at the GDC, I was talking to some guys from blizzard, and they told me that they get way too many people who want to do character art. I told them I do a lot of weapon art, and they thought that was pretty cool, and that if I were to apply to work with them(we were talking about WoW, btw), that I should create a portfolio of some environments and weapons. Just something to throw out there.

Anyways, thanks again, and I hope to have more renders up today or tomorrow.

Scumdogg

Just looked through this thread for the first time, and to be honest, after a few posts it didn't really look like it was gonna go anywhere.

But that desk is my absolute favorite thing in here. It just looks extremely....desky. Which is good. I love the design on the lamp, and the legs of the desk. I agree with Death of Rats, throw down a nice wood texture on that and it'd be great.

Death of Rats

Raslin wrote: »

Anyways, thanks again, and I hope to have more renders up today or tomorrow.

I hope to see more from you. I really really like that desk.

Raslin

Well, again, nobody commented before I did more work, and I am much happier with these images. Still lots to do, but its getting better.

Death of Rats

Just posting to keep encouragement up. It is really starting to look snazzy. Keep adding clutter to it and it's going to look nice and natural.

Raslin

Alright, I think its about finished. I'll probably switch up a few things, maybe add one or two more things, but its pretty close. I really like how it came out, for the most part. I plan on texturing it, but I'm not sure when; I've never textured anything before. I'll probably throw placeholders on, and then start adding original textures as I learn. Anyways, comments?

Raslin

I guess its so perfect that nobody has any comments :P

Sairus

Damn, for a second I thought that was a plastic model. Btw nicely done.

The One Dark Knight

Hm, my only gripe is that everything lines up, the ipod is layed out parallel to the cigarettes, which are parallel to the base of the hourglass, which is parallel to the paper/drawing board, which are ALL parallel to the edge of the desk. Maybe it'd look more natural if you skewed them a bit.

Raslin

The One Dark Knight wrote: »

Hm, my only gripe is that everything lines up, the ipod is layed out parallel to the cigarettes, which are parallel to the base of the hourglass, which is parallel to the paper/drawing board, which are ALL parallel to the edge of the desk. Maybe it'd look more natural if you skewed them a bit.

Yeah, I see what you mean. Modo just makes most things parallel by default, so I hadn't really thought about it. I'll probably switch things up next time I get a chance, thanks for pointing that out.

73hWIZ

I usually just skulk around the artist's corner, but this stuff really caught my eye. That desk looks bad ass, so good job there. I think it would be cool if there were some more organic shapes though, like a potted plant on the top or something. Then again I don't know the program and I'm no artists so my criticizm should be taken with a grain of salt.

PowerLlama

I really dig the softness of the render.