How about them trees!? 2

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               Well since I shut my server down for a while I figured its best to create another thread as the links I posted
in the other thread lead to nowhere, so here ith is...

New tree design, 1549 Faces


Model In MAX

Model In-Game

So what say you? :innocent:
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Looking good. I like the overall form.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Estelindis]

               Very nice in general!  The leafy areas are a little more spherical or like broccoli florets than I would prefer, but that's just me.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               @Henesua
Glad you like it

@Estelindis

The reason I used this method is to give the tree a more "Lush" like visual look, I'm curious as to what you prefer? I'm always open to ideas '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Lord Sullivan, 05 février 2011 - 05:34 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy__six]

               Those look pretty cool. I think stylistically they wouldn't fit in very well with the more recent trends in NWN artwork that CODI and DLA set in motion (not complainin', just observin'), as the rounded look and trunk shape aren't as gnarled as we've come to expect. The overall shape, though, is far more realistic than most of what's around already - good work.

Have you tried adding "blending punchthrough" to the leaf texture's .txi? It'd probably make the leaf texture look more fleshed up and lush in NWN, as they seem to be falling victim to NWN's transparency issues quite badly in the shot.

Interesting foliage technique, too. I've been working on some new tree shapes myself, and am finding the (apparently industry standard) overlapping pyramid type technique lights really horribly in NWN.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par _six, 05 février 2011 - 06:09 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Good work, Lord Sullivan.  I prefer your gnarled trees more but that has nothing to do with your model, just my taste in trees.  In Max the foliage looks about right but in game it seems to be more transparent or something and so it looks a little "sparse".  It could just be the angle the shot was taken at or something.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Estelindis]

               

Lord Sullivan wrote...

The reason I used this method is to give the tree a more "Lush" like visual look, I'm curious as to what you prefer? I'm always open to ideas '>

Weeeell, I think this method has a lot going for it - I believe it would just look better if the shapes of the leafy parts were a more irregular.   I think the picture below is not a million miles away from what you're going for, but it looks a bit less manicured.


               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               

_six wrote...

Those look pretty cool. I think stylistically they wouldn't fit in very well with the more recent trends in NWN artwork that CODI and DLA set in motion (not complainin', just observin'), as the rounded look and trunk shape aren't as gnarled as we've come to expect. The overall shape, though, is far more realistic than most of what's around already - good work.

Have you tried adding "blending punchthrough" to the leaf texture's .txi? It'd probably make the leaf texture look more fleshed up and lush in NWN, as they seem to be falling victim to NWN's transparency issues quite badly in the shot.

Interesting foliage technique, too. I've been working on some new tree shapes myself, and am finding the (apparently industry standard) overlapping pyramid type technique lights really horribly in NWN.

Hey after all this time I wasn't aware of the .TXI for alpha blending correction... man, what a difference!
Well it helps alot with the distance transparency issues along with the overlaping textures with alpha channels and light colors behind like the "SKY". Now I think I can stop fighting with how I create my textures in the attempt to have them look as best as possible while geting them to look the way I want them to look, however I was never able to prevent the "icing" effect of the textures.

Thanks for that Six! 

Estelindis wrote...

Lord Sullivan wrote...

The reason I used this method is to give the tree a more "Lush" like visual look, I'm curious as to what you prefer? I'm always open to ideas '>

Weeeell, I think this method has a lot going for it - I believe it would just look better if the shapes of the leafy parts were a more irregular.   I think the picture below is not a million miles away from what you're going for, but it looks a bit less manicured.

Hmmm, looking at that example seems quite chalenging to achieve... will see what I can com up with.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Sullivan. getting the effect that Estelindis is talking about might not be so difficult. Rather than make changes to the mesh, you can adjust the texture. Basically all you need is to break up the spheres so that in profile they don't look completely round. A transparent "bite" on the outer portion of the curve (when seen in silhoutte) in a few key spots would give the tree a more ragged appearance.

Speaking metaphorically: Right now your foliage looks like several tiers of umbrellas. Cut some holes in the fabric of the umbrella.

You can move the holes around with creative UV Mapping to randomize the appearance.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 05 février 2011 - 08:38 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Estelindis]

               Hey, Sully, I wasn't saying that you need to totally change what you're already doing!  I just meant to make the shape a bit less manicured and slightly more natural.  The pic is just the first one I could quickly find to give a small sense of the image of "natural" in my head, not what I'm saying your trees should necessarily be.  They really do look very good already.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jedijax]

               Nice, but I have to agree with Estelindis. This may be seen as the opposite of Helvene's trees, which actually have the leaf model-textures joined at the center of the branches, creating a sort of... "asterisk" effect, which is very noticeable from up close. It looks as if the canopies are 2-dimensional.



Yours, on the other hand, use a rounded exterior, which looks great from up-close, as there are no jagged or linear ends. However, they look VERY round. Perhaps a mix of both approaches could just hit the mark?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               

Estelindis wrote...

Hey, Sully, I wasn't saying that you
need to totally change what you're already doing!  I just meant to make
the shape a bit less manicured and slightly more natural.  The pic is
just the first one I could quickly find to give a small sense of the
image of "natural" in my head, not what I'm saying your trees should
necessarily be.  They really do look very good already.

I get what you're sayin and I've been doing some intensive thinking about different approach technics and
will start working them, testing them and reviewing them. So many things to take into account in what works and
what doesn't , also poly count and texture design.

Jedijax wrote...

Nice, but I have to agree with Estelindis. This may be seen as the opposite of Helvene's trees, which actually have the leaf model-textures joined at the center of the branches, creating a sort of... "asterisk" effect, which is very noticeable from up close. It looks as if the canopies are 2-dimensional.

Yours, on the other hand, use a rounded exterior, which looks great from up-close, as there are no jagged or linear ends. However, they look VERY round. Perhaps a mix of both approaches could just hit the mark?

If you're talking about the trees I'm thinking you're talking about where Helvene uses flat planes mixed and matched in different angles, not gonna work for me. You have to understand where I'm coming from, the regular
flat plane Bioware original models are what I'm avoiding like the plague and I'm working with both the optical illusion(Textures) and Low Poly count as much as possible but allow miself to create according to today hardware
performance capability. You think it's too round? ever seen a tree with flat beds of leaves? the picture above shows
just that... some "roundness" but the difference here with my model and that picture is hardly any leaves stick out
of the roundness and lack of variety in shape makes my model look like a multi ball pistachio ice cream cone OR
a little to much like Brocoli like Este mentioned before.

@Six
What is it exactly that DLA and CODI set in motion? wait don't answer that, you mean the work you've expended
upon?... Six, there must be artwork for everyone, now I don't dislike the Tirnaog stuff but I'm in no way incllined at
comforming to that design, foliage/grass,wood and some rocky texture quality to be exact. Not complaining, but I
can remember a heavily noised grass texture that is yellowish in color that reminds me of vomit and some
extremly noised wood textures taking away wood grain detail and alot of models saturated with it without any or very
little different wood color themes. I'm more of a "Cartoon Vivid Color" vs "Photorealistic" detailed matte painting kind
of guy. That is how I like my 3D Environment , Props and Charactors/Creatures to look, but when I say "Vivid colors" I don't mean "BRIGHT NEON lights, quick! put you're sunglasses on!"  vivid colors. I simply mean "Alive"
colors as opposed to dead looking or sick loking colors.

One of the good reasons I can't like DAO with it's "Acid Wash" colors.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Lord Sullivan, 06 février 2011 - 02:34 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy__six]

               Heh, I think that comment was meant to be my sneaky way of getting you to make more stuff in this looking brighter style, as NWN is lacking quality stuff in that vein.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lord Sullivan]

               @Six
Well you've succeeded then '>
BTW I like how that new interior of yours is coming along, good stuff!
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Lord Sullivan, 07 février 2011 - 12:12 .