13-10-2016, 05:02 AM
Looks really nice, but it still has a few issues.
The blade looking like stone is a very common mistake for metal texturing. In this case, it seems to be caused by the normal and specular map. Based on the looks I assume you just generated a normal map based on the diffuse. However, if you think about how normal maps work, and how details in diffuse maps are painted, it makes very little sense. The script that turns diffuse into a "normal" map essentially just converts it into a greyscale height map, and returns a normal map based on that height maps displacement. It works for some purposes, like adding a bit of depth to cloth or leather textures. As a rule of thumb, if you are not sure about it yet, use that feature only on base textures, without detail applied. Thats where you need layers, never merge them, always create an extra one for everything. Now that we have found a way of creating "false" normal maps, here is how you should create them. The most commonly used method nowadays is to create your low poly model, and based on that low poly model you sculpt a high poly one with additional minor spacial detail, or even textures that you want normal mapped. From there you bake your normal map from the high poly to the low poly based on displacement. (Or re-topologize if your sculpt differs too much.) Ideally you then continue to merge the accurate, calculated normal map with a ~75% toned down version of the normal map generated from your base textures. That way you create a normal map accurately displaying what its supposed to show, without any of those weird artefacts you currently get.
Your specular map has a very similar problem, one way to potentially fix it is to apply a bit of blur and lower the contrast, should yield better results.
Besides that its only some design choices that I would change, like the rectangular handle, the hard edges on top and bottom of the crossguard, and most importantly, the complete lack of ambient occlusion applied to it.
But its nice to see that you are still improving, you have come quite a long way from your first models to this one. Got to ask though, what do you mean by new way of texturing?
The blade looking like stone is a very common mistake for metal texturing. In this case, it seems to be caused by the normal and specular map. Based on the looks I assume you just generated a normal map based on the diffuse. However, if you think about how normal maps work, and how details in diffuse maps are painted, it makes very little sense. The script that turns diffuse into a "normal" map essentially just converts it into a greyscale height map, and returns a normal map based on that height maps displacement. It works for some purposes, like adding a bit of depth to cloth or leather textures. As a rule of thumb, if you are not sure about it yet, use that feature only on base textures, without detail applied. Thats where you need layers, never merge them, always create an extra one for everything. Now that we have found a way of creating "false" normal maps, here is how you should create them. The most commonly used method nowadays is to create your low poly model, and based on that low poly model you sculpt a high poly one with additional minor spacial detail, or even textures that you want normal mapped. From there you bake your normal map from the high poly to the low poly based on displacement. (Or re-topologize if your sculpt differs too much.) Ideally you then continue to merge the accurate, calculated normal map with a ~75% toned down version of the normal map generated from your base textures. That way you create a normal map accurately displaying what its supposed to show, without any of those weird artefacts you currently get.
Your specular map has a very similar problem, one way to potentially fix it is to apply a bit of blur and lower the contrast, should yield better results.
Besides that its only some design choices that I would change, like the rectangular handle, the hard edges on top and bottom of the crossguard, and most importantly, the complete lack of ambient occlusion applied to it.
But its nice to see that you are still improving, you have come quite a long way from your first models to this one. Got to ask though, what do you mean by new way of texturing?