Model vs Maps Castle blocks

# 1 29-03-2011 , 11:02 AM

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Location: Australia

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Ok guys...opinions and or guidance please.

I want to start making a keep/fort in conjunction with the Marine for a scene...I have tried the landscape and Im still working on it....still cant get that to work yet.

Anyway...should I model the blocks with cracks etc in them?? I have tried the shatter option but it seems too taxing on the CPU...I was thinking of actually making several then to Sculptris to do at least 5 with different topo's...but...with a good sized keep this may mean a bloody high poly count!! So my feeble mind thought of either normal or displacement maps instead...waddya reckon eh?

Cheers bullet

P.S I want to make them look solid but OLD.....like me user added image

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 2 29-03-2011 , 11:43 AM

The Nurb Herd
Join Date: Oct 2007

Location: London

Posts: 2,381

i'd say use a displacement map. i can show you a good way to set one up in mental ray.

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# 3 29-03-2011 , 12:02 PM

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Thanks dom!!!! yeh I thought that might be the case....Im doing the blocks now....I think I made an error though...castles dont really have mortar...though a lot of people make it that way...but they dont...like the city of Armengar...just BIG f*****g blocks LOL. So I may have to do it again...more like a keep...I was going to put it at the bottom of my cliff with a laser turret or 2 etc..hers a pic of what I will have to change to delete the mortar...

Thanks again for your kindness mate

EDIT: new wall added dom...think I might go with this one...unless I need the mortar?? will put probably 2-3 tower defence on it...the little cube in the front is a 2 metre scale...so its all in metres scaled

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bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

Last edited by bullet1968; 29-03-2011 at 02:31 PM. Reason: add image DOH!

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# 4 29-03-2011 , 06:09 PM

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Hmmm,
displacement are a horribly slow in mental ray?

Buy renderman user added image

!?

Tbh it depends how close up your going to be to the object, if your litterally going to see this displacement map up close it wont be very forgiving so it would be better to use some geo.

How are you going about modelling it?

FX supervisor - double negative

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# 5 29-03-2011 , 08:01 PM

The Nurb Herd
Join Date: Oct 2007

Location: London

Posts: 2,381

yeah displacement is slow in mental ray, but if you dont have a deadline, why not?

I agree about the distance thing. depends on how close your camera is. i've noticed not many people seem to use displacement on the here, unless its from zbrush. might make a nice change. try something basic. (i was thinking a line, or some other kind of squiggle) and if it doesn't look right you can cross displacement off your list and then try normal map or model it.

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# 6 29-03-2011 , 09:33 PM

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LOL Laurie that would be nice but Im looking at having to fork out 10-12k for new Survey software...IF I can find more work...as I now need 3D for work purposes...sigh

how Im going about it?? I assume what Im using mate (sorry its 0500 and Im heading to work)...standard cube...4 sub...bevelled..deformed slightly..towers will be the same...trying to keep the 'block' geo fairly simple. I wasnt going for many 'cracks' more faceted faces..like granite...dunno how Im going to do that....

I guess the closest shots will be within 10m guys....I assume thats pretty close.. I can always do the wall again...done it twice now LOL no different than work! the desin on 400m of main road from the client at work is up to Rev 4 now...waiting for rev 5 LOL so Im used to modelling things a bit.

Thanks so far guys

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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