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Old 15th February 2008, 06:04 PM   #1
JumpDog
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Default Hello & Questions

First off, I'm new here, so hey what's up! Decided I'd like to teach myself how to create 3D models, so been trying out a few different programs doin' like just the first tutorial, seeing which interface/control scheme I like the most. AC3D seems to be fairly powerful and simple, and seems to have a nice community here on the boards, so I think I'll stick with this one for now.

I know AC3D doesn't have edge selection & manipulation (aside from selecting vertices that make an edge), nor animation and that stuff, but I just want to learn modeling for now, so I got a few basic questions.

Right now I pretty much understand all the basic concepts of making a model and applying textures, I made two yesterday, with some basic textures I made and plopped on there (pics below), mostly just to get used to the controls and how to do things. These are pretty much my first two models ever, so they're simple. Anyway, the questions:

1) So I understand how to create and blend textures together to make like custom surfaces and stuff, but how do I create/apply a map that alters the way light interacts with a model (is that UV map? specular? bump?). And is that map blended with the regular texture or applied seperately? Any link to a tutorial would suffice probably. And if this also applies to this question, how would I go about making a blade on a sword, or any metal for that matter, appear like metal and shine (see my sword pic below, which is most definitely lacking there).

2) I figure AC3D doesn't have a function to crease edges, so should I just divide/add more surfaces if I want a hard edge after subdivision? And for future reference, if I make anything I'd want to import into a game, should I stay away from subdivision?

Here's the sword. Overkill amount of surfaces on the hilt, I know...
Second quick model Yes, yes, need a primer on the bottom...

Oh right, and is there a way to save the way you have a texture applied to a model? Because when I close and reload a model, it doesn't have any texture and reapplying causes the default wrap-around.
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Old 15th February 2008, 06:39 PM   #2
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Oh and I use Jasc Paint Shop Pro, if anyone else does, and has a more specific way of making those maps.
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Old 16th February 2008, 10:21 AM   #3
luuckyy
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Hi,

Quote:
Originally Posted by JumpDog View Post
how do I create/apply a map that alters the way light interacts with a model (is that UV map? specular? bump?). And is that map blended with the regular texture or applied seperately?
You have to create a specular map indeed (an UV map is basically the 3D model projected on a 2D plan, a bump map is for creating ... bump effects).I've never done one myself, but I suppose you have to apply it seperately yes. You also have to find a rendering software / 3D engine that supports this kind of map.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JumpDog View Post
how would I go about making a blade on a sword, or any metal for that matter, appear like metal and shine
Choose a good seamless metallic texture, but if you really want your blade to shine, then apply a metallic material in a rendering software ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by JumpDog View Post
so should I just divide/add more surfaces if I want a hard edge after subdivision?
Enclose your edge between 2 other edges, the more you enclose it that way, the more hard that edge will stay.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JumpDog View Post
if I make anything I'd want to import into a game, should I stay away from subdivision?
It depends of your game specifications, but I would say "usually yes".

Quote:
Originally Posted by JumpDog View Post
when I close and reload a model, it doesn't have any texture and reapplying causes the default wrap-around.
That sould not happen. Maybe see if you have special characters in your textures path name. AFAIR AC3D is a bit touchy with that. Also check the console for infos if any.
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Old 16th February 2008, 11:30 AM   #4
Greasetattoo
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Download Bryce 5.5 (FREE).
http://www.download.com/Bryce/3000-6677_4-10696716.html


Export your models into Bryce and render away!
Very easy to use and excellent results.
You will have a shine on your knife so bright, you will need sunglasses to look at it!

Good luck!
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Old 16th February 2008, 06:23 PM   #5
JumpDog
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Hey thanks for the replies. Now I know which kind of map it is at least so I'm not entirely lost anymore haha, I'll see if I can find something on how to create/apply a specular map then.

And I'm downloading that Bryce right now too I suppose I'll give that a try, seems like it's mostly a landscaping program over a general rendering program.
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Old 17th February 2008, 08:33 AM   #6
lisa
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

A specular map doesn't make things shiny per-se. A specular map controls the intensity of highlights (hotspots) on a per-pixel level.

While hot spots are important to a metal look, the type of map that most people associate with "shiny metal" is an environment map. An environment map causes the object to reflect the environment around it.

All of the map types you mentioned influence the shading of the object in different ways. You can use all, some, or any combination of maps depending on what kind of effect you want to achieve.

Here's a quick run-down of some of the most common types of maps:

(I'm breaking this into multiple posts as there is a limit on number of images per post, which apparently counts smilies. )
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Old 17th February 2008, 08:39 AM   #7
lisa
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

This is my demonstration cube. The demonstration cube is a perfectly flat, six-sided cube with all of the major map types applied. This is rendered in real-time with a custom shader written in GLSL.

Here are some reference image of the cube with all of the maps applied:
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Old 17th February 2008, 08:41 AM   #8
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Here is what the cube looks like with no maps at all:
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Old 17th February 2008, 08:49 AM   #9
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Diffuse Map

When most people refer to the "texture map" for an model, they are actually referring to the diffuse map. The diffuse map controls the color of diffuse lighting reflecting by the object. In layman's terms, the diffuse map is simply the color of the object.

Many models, especially in older games, will have *only* a diffuse map.

Here is the diffuse map for the cube:

(These have been scaled down a bit to keep the file size reasonable; they were 2048x2048 originally.)
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Old 17th February 2008, 08:51 AM   #10
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Default Re: Hello & Questions

Here is the diffuse map applied. The second image shows the cube with lighting disabled so you can see the colors a bit more clearly:
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