Screenshots

[BJA]

@Method: The door upstairs with the light was inspired basically by a picture of the website you've posted, so thanks again for the link
Here's the reference: http://www.opacity.us/image4061_watchful_eyes.htm

@wattro: Good idea with that cobwebs, will try to make a texture and see how it fits to the scene.

[Method]

BJA: Oh, very cool. You know that there are more sites like Opacity out there. Check out the links section on that site.

-Method

[seremtan]

that ZERO thing reminds me of bioshock somehow

[phantazm11]

BJA: STILL awesome

Speaking of spiderwebs, here is a WIP shot of one of the rooms from the hotel I've been tinkering with. I still need to model a ton of props, but this should give you an idea of what I'm going for.

[BJA]

Nice phantazm11, love the spiderwebs! One strange thing, why is one of those two papers on the floor so bright? they both seem to have the same texture. The mirror is a nice touch, but I think it would be better if the glass would be more dirty or broken, since you are aiming for an old haunted mansion. It just looks too perfect clean in such an environment.

[phantazm11]

BJA: Ugh! You are right about the mirror. Now that you mention it the thing sticks out like a sore thumb. I'll knock it over and drag it through the dust for the next version

The papers are actually two different textures. I did both to see which one looked better and forgot to change the one I didn't like. On a side note...I tried to take chunks out of the sides of the papers using an alpha channel. It worked except for approximately a 1 pixel edge around the outside of the texture. Any idea why this would happen?

[Method]

phantazm11: You can make better alpha transitions by changing the background of the texture to the decal color. Say if you wanted to "alpha out" green leaves, you would change background to green, so the edge on the decals would match their color.

The room is shaping up nicely btw.

-Method

[phantazm11]

Method: I understand what you mean, but this wasn't a transition problem. There was a line showing up on the edge of the image itself (not the edge of the visible texture) which was supposed to be completely blank.

I believe I found the problem though...I used the lasso tool to "cut out" the chunks in the alpha channel but forgot to uncheck feathering on the tool which was set to 1 pixel, so of course there was a line left. It was just very hard to see on the alpha channel.

Now I know for next time

[g0th-]

Looks good Phantazm11 nice job on the webs

[phantazm11]

Thanks a lot guys.

[BJA]

First try of an outdoor environment. Still need to change the ground from a flat plane to a model with a bit more height variation, I also think I should make a new skybox that's looking a bit more interesting...maybe a different color? Anything else that could need improvement?

[rgoer]

ok bja I have to admit I'm impressed

nice work!

[phantazm11]

The mood in those shots is terrific. GJ, BJA.

[dichtfux]

Impressive!

[wattro]

yes really good indeed

why does the door have a light on it and the rest of the building is dark? seems a bit odd??

[pjw]

That does look really nice. The detailing and textures are fantastic.

Nitpicks: Yeah, what wattro said--the door window light looks odd when the inside of the building through the windows has either much dimmer or no light.

Also, the lighting in general is a bit odd--there's no real darkness anywhere...is it nighttime? Even the shadows and distant buildings are still lit, but the shadow lengths and light color don't suggest early morning or late evening...

I'm assuming you have some sort of ambient in place? I'd suggest experimenting with turning it down, or losing it altogether, and bringing a bit more contrast to the lighting if it's really supposed to be night.

[g0th-]

Wow nice job BJA. I think the rubber looks a bit strange. Lower the specular and add soft edges on the borders will probably make it look better.

[BJA]

Thanks, glad you guys like it

@wattro: Yeah right, looks a bit unrealistic/odd seeing light coming from the door but not from the window above. Btw. the two windows left of the door can't cast any light since there are wood planks behind it...just in case anybody wondered.

@pjw: It's supposed to be nighttime...I guess I know, it's not really clear to tell by the skybox since you wouldn't see such a sky in the realworld.
Yes, I'm using a ambient light and a subtle fog light. I thought because of the fog it would be better to avoid having too sharp shadows. Will try different light settings, thanks for pointing out.

@g0th-: The tire leaning next to the others is so shiny because there's a light right above of it that I forgot to delete. But agreed with the sharp edges, could spend some more polys to make it a bit rounder.

[Raven]

I agree with PJW. The overall ambient gives the look that you would expect from nightime with sort of light fog that reflects the little light that is available, and gives the impression of an overall brightness. This can really happen on full moon nights when there is more light available for the suspended water to scatter. If you had the same type of ambient look created with a set of foglights it would fit more methinks. The textures and ideas you have in there are really cool. You have a wicked-cool thing going in those shots.

[seremtan]

that's nice work

is any of that junk lying around physics stuff? because that would be even cooler

[d3mol!t!on]

is any of that junk lying around physics stuff? because that would be even cooler

Yeah, if you could shoot the tyres around like in Call of Duty 4 that would be class!

Anyhow it does look very good, BJA. I can almost imagine it as Gears of War material, and I think it shows when you push more detail into an older engine it can still look pretty good, even when people are raving the technology of newer games. Same goes for some of Method's Quake 4 work I've seen in here.

[BJA]

@Raven: Maybe if I add a moon to the sky it'll look more believable, will try that.
@seremtan: Sorry, no physical stuff in there, main focus was texturing and lighting.
@d3mol!t!on: Hmm, is D3 really already considered as an "older" engine?

[obsidian]

I agree with John Carmack when he said something along the lines of (and I paraphrase from memory) how graphics fidelity is reaching a point where they are reaching smaller increments of improvement. D3 may be an older engine, but I don't really see the leap in graphics between it and newer engines.

[corsair]

I bet you'll rethink that by the time there'll be games using real time ray tracing engines, thats gonna be awesome. I personaly can't wait till that'll start to run smooth. Now you need something like an octopussy system, and you still don't get 10 fps on a decent scene.

[urgrund777]

BJA - I've got a feeling your Y channel is the 'wrong' way on that grey brick normalmap? In the first pick, there's shadows on the drainpipe indicating a light is up above, yet the bricks are shaded as though the light is underneath... unless the texture was meant to have the mortar sticking out? Invert the G channel?

looking pretty nice though! good work!