Looking for a mentor to aid in organic modeling/texturing

[XenoFei]

I have been modeling for a while on my own. A lot of my modeling experience comes from watching tutorials but I still have issues creating certain parts of an organic model. I want to be able to create some amazingly beautiful models such as those found in games these days. But I falter in creating good looking models.

My biggest problem is my lack of texturing abilities. I could model all day but when it comes down to it, my textures just look horrendous. I just can't figure out how to make details that look crisp. Even while using large texture maps, the texturing still looks very blurry. I do admit that I do not have the greatest photoshop skills though.

I would appreciate the help of a mentor in trying to create a realistic humanoid model with great textures that could be used in the future for animating purposes.

Thank you to whomever may decide to help me.

[Xadeko]

sounds like you need to practice your PS skills.

get a wacom, get photo references, and start repainting those.
work with hard brushes, its not the size of the texture that gives you detail, but the sharpness.
if you work with brushes that are soft you automaticly loose alot of detail.

i never did any ps tuts, because there is basicly nothing about it.
you need to learn how to apply the tools, and that just comes with practice.

learn how to apply the;
-burn and dodge tool
-spunge
-brush
-smudge

thats basicly all you need to master.
look at photos, and recreate them by the pixel

to give you an idea of how to apply them, or how to build up the drawing

YouTube - LOST - John Locke - Speed Painting by...

its all about practicing.

[spludge]

When you say your textures don't look crisp do you mean in your viewport or are they still blurry when rendered out? Are you unwrapping your model properly?

I don't think there are many people on this site that are into character modeling and texturing. I do a bit but use XSI and ZBrush. I don't mind helping you till you find someone more suitable.

[XenoFei]

Thank you for the help Xadeko. I do need to improve on my PS skills and although those speed painting videos have an amazing end result, I do have a more difficult time trying to comprehend exactly how each aspect was dealt with. I have tried to do some more PS work so that I can improve my skills.

Spludge- They are still blurry in my renderings too. I believe I am unwrapping the models well but I could be wrong. I have even tried using pictures for the texturing but it often comes out like garbage. Maybe it is because I am not using high resolution pictures.

I use 3dsmax for the most part and zbrush to add details but the normal/displacement map never work with my settings so I end up with only the 3dsmax poly model. Which is never that great because I am trying for low poly models for the most part. Only maps that have worked for me are the ones that were on the ZBrush tutorial website for testing purposes. But those maps were already exported so I must be doing something wrong when exporting them.

But I would appreciate any help that you could give me.

Thanks

[BiroBoy]

I am a complete Organic modeling noob so I won't even pretend to be able to help on that front, but I might have a bit of a solution regarding your textures.

Now I had what I thought were great textures for a model I made and yet like you when I rendered them they were blurry and horrible after trying all sorts of things a mate of mine pointed out that the fault was actually with my lighting. So I would check that as well as after he sorted that out for me my textures nice and crisp.

[Xadeko]

also a big help:

go to render settings > change the anti aliasing filter from area, to catmull.
with a basic setup, your texture will be a bit blurry, even if its a great photograph. changing this filter is like a sharpening filter in PS. but now it will show the texture like it should.

[spludge]

Does this model work for you?. It's just a simple model provided with XSI for training purposes.
click here for test model


If you import this model (with its UVs of course) and load the texture .jpg and it looks nice the problem is likely to be your model or texture work. This texture image is only 512x1024 but still looks very sharp in my apps.

[XenoFei]

Spludge- I tried out that model and it looks quite crisp. It most likely is my texture work. I definitely have a difficult time with the crispness when I texture. Often I have a difficult time making crisp straight lines on the texture and then putting it on the model. Usually my unwrapping makes perfect squares, using checkerboard pattern, but the unwrap is difficult to texture on because it has so many curves.

I must be doing something wrong because I see how you have those crisp black lines as a border to just about the entire model. I can't seem to be able to make those crisp black(or any other color) lines. Everytime I use PS even with hardness maxxed out, it seems blurry to me.

If it isn't too much to ask, how did you make such crisp lines on your texture without them bleeding onto another part of your texture or appear smudged? I am probably going to look at the model you put here just to see how your unwrap was done as well as hopefully to see the texturework when I get the time later tonight.

Thanks again

[spludge]

If your texture is clear in PS then it's got to be clear in MAX.

Can you post a render of your model focusing on the bad bits? Also maybe try loading your own texture onto that model I sent. OK it will come out nonsense but if it's clear sharp nonsense then it's probably your UV layout that's causing stretching.

[Xadeko]

just post a render and your flat texture, then lets have a look