Arkadiusz Woźniak shared his approach to the creation of realistic 3d models of guns. He talked about modeling, texturing and best
Arkadiusz Woźniak shared his approach to the creation of realistic 3d models of guns. He talked about modeling, texturing and best ways to render your creations.
Introduction
Hello! My name is Arkadiusz Woźniak I’m 27 and come from Warsaw in Poland. I’m developing 3D graphics for games, while in the profession I started to work more than three years ago as a freelancer on several smaller projects and on Farming Simulator 15, currently working on the position of a 3D Artist in Techland which is really great, where I worked on several titles, including Dying Light: The Following, Dead Island: Definitive Edition and FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15.
I’m interested in art it can be said from an early age, so the issues of art are not strange to me, but it never crossed my mind that I can become a 3D Artist because I never had contact with 3D graphic! It all started in the first year of studies where I really liked it and I started to search for yourself in this so I thought that’s what I want to do in life, over the years I honed my skills until I graduated and I could just start working in the profession.
I specialize in modeling environment but due to the small amount of time, unfortunately I am not able to keep up portfolio so there are quite small things such as weapons, but I always try to work a little on the model at home! Currently, outside of work, I modeling the quite large set for building modular warehouse with equipment. And from the new year, I want to focus on the larger environment of various types and hone my level art.
Colt
I’m a fan of military so maybe that’s why I privately model weapons for myself. Colt 1911 is a very popular model of gun, often used in movies and games, I wanted to give him a little more exotic nature and emphasize shapes, after a short consideration could be the style cartel drug or just what I chose the oriental mob and decided that it will be kept in a clean style. While the second version of the model I wanted to keep the effect of high realism.
Modeling
First of all, always selecting the topic I start from doing research and gather the necessary references to both the detail of weapons and the culture under which to which we adjust our model (this applies to any object, not only of weapons – References, References, References), the weapons is so much easier because cross sections and side views are easily available online, on the basis of a relatively simple way arrange the geometry mainly along the lines and details the geometry until it is satisfactory. However, when creating high poly model it is invaluable myself binding the two shortcuts on the swift loop and delete loop! In addition, after the creation of swift loop we can move it along the polygons, using the shortcut alt + LMB, while the shortcut ctrl + alt + LMB allows us to move it, taking into account the ratio between the distance from edges which allows to set us a loop at an equal distance from the edge along its entire length. Really amazing speeds up the work!
I think that for every artist the biggest challenge turns out to be just texturing, because not as great art is the only modeling, but rather of ensuring that the model is eye-catcher for longer, and to put in the rapture (for the latter still a little was missing for me) especially if you want to reach a very specific procedure to give the character to an ordinary common object.
Of course, for modeling I used 3ds Max, but I think that any other software designed for modeling will be as good, and in some cases even better while texturing accompanied me Substance Painter, which is my favorite software on work and an indispensable tool of great opportunities.
Materials
When texturing in Substance Painter always start from the basic materials, then we are adding our magic powder by adjusting all the maps and additional textures. I like to group them into folders and mask the entire folder with all the effects inside, it gives me the greatest sense of control over them.
Forming a metal parading around in, it is about the color and variety of roughness, and the more closely you stick to the reference, the better will come out, most references guns are painted with a special coating, thus creating a realistic model, sometimes you also add another layer of “paint” so that the scratches allow for gentle disclose your wonderful metal from underneath!
Always when it comes to micro-detail, just like engravings, numbers or even deeper scratches, I use the same method. I make black and white mask in Photoshop, for example subtitles – white background – black, then I import it to Painter, create a new fill layer, I add the mask with black filling, and when you select a mask, using a tool Projection projects the previously prepared texture, the right points on the model, thereby forming a mask material in which have complete control over the color, height, roughness, metallics and normals, then I can be limited to simple sliders or hook in the inputs additional textures to more diversify the element.
Render
For rendering, in addition to engines like Unreal 4 or Unity, I use mostly Marmoset Toolbag which is really a great tool to preview the finished model, but if you manually adjust lighting and switched on a couple of options makes the models look awesome!
The most important this is the light.
It is very important to set lights brightening, using the left mouse button and drag the corresponding us a place on the sky lighting image. In this way, we light the place we intend to expose. It should treat this as 360, so that when you rotate the model image was still satisfactory.
To the final render should set the resolution to double, anti-aliasing to the max, and select all four tabs of the Render Lighting under the card and if necessary adjust the power of occlusion.
As for the presentation, I like how the background of the actual ambient in the back is blurred, I think that thanks to this the object is better “sitting” as a whole. And of course, you always need to take into account the basic principles of composition, such as the golden ratio.