Strazari ( Guards )

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Model wireframe pix:
http://i84.servimg.com/u/f84/11/34/97/23/straza12.jpg
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Hello,

Since we decided to take a different approach for our game characters I'm left with some models to spare. Models I am contributing first are the early versions of my guard characters (Blade of Power: Arta / Level 3). Unfortunately the early versions have been animated without mocap files so the animations are not so realistic but I think they are still o.k.

They are completely texture-unfriendly (they have 6-7 textures) and they don't have any walking, attacking or dying frames but if you need a friendly guard that is standing, checking his sword and giving you salute then this is just a model for you

No credits are needed but I would like to see them(altered or not) somewhere, so if you ever find some use for them it would be nice to send me mail.

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Here is the link:

FileFront:
http://www.filefront.com/14536977/Strazari-Guards.zip

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Once I finish replacing the existing models from my level 3, I will probably be contributing all replaced models to you for free. They are not-so-much-professional-looking (as you can see from contributed figures) but some of them have mocap(bvh) based animations and they are all game-ready.


Have fun

wow thx man.I cant wait for the other models!

No problem I'm glad to be of help.

That's great, thanks!!!

I'm happy to be able to contribute something

awesome models, thank you for the great contribution.

thats a sweet model good job there

Thanx I hope these models will be of use.

they looking pretty good
thanks

Very good model
It can be a solid base for anyone, and avoid starting from nothing.

Could you post a wrireframe picture of it ?

Thanx I added wireframe photo to the post. It's not much to look at- I use Blender Poly Reducer to cut-down facecount.

...and I just realized that I didn't upload guard model with bones I use points in my game and I just picked models up from old, published game-versions. If someone needs this model with bones let me know and I will try to find the files somewhere on my pc.

Just a tip :

The day your game need frame rate increase , you can use a 3D sculpting program to import your hight resolution model and use retopology tools :
You'll be able to place polygon quads very well and at final have lot more less polygons,and perfect geometry for rigging with at fianl same visual quality

Yeah your right- I'm very impressed with what people can achieve with retopology tools I think they can be great also for level geometry.

Yeah and the better is so easy to use , even a beginner wit some knowledge about low poly character polygons flow, can create easily the low poly version.

You have just tu draw polygon on surface.
Try Coat3D for example and it's retopology tool to see whaat can be done and how easy.

For levels, yeah you can create rocks, or walls textures with normal maps and specular, you have just to create a square to bake normal map.

For Coat 3D (i bought it recently) , at atsrting , you have some choice, like semaless textures : you can paint on diff,spec and normal map seamllesly.
You have tool to draw ellipsoid, linear forms , or to increase /decrease,soften normal map volume on the texture:
so you see directly when painting how will it look at final.

I just seen the retopology tutorial on 3D Coat: It's incredible This is a must-have tool !

Unfortunately I will have to wait until next year because at the moment I am saving for Poser Pro.
Have you already done some good retopology work with 3D Coat?

Look at this thread , it has wrireframe view of tow models i made (scroll down to see second retopology) !

http://www.opserver.de/ubb7/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=285354&page=2

With retopo tools , you can make a clean mesh for animation and as optimised as you need

That first character looks so, sooo cool I'm really impressed- especially because it's built from scratch up, with no base mash.

I have just one question: in Blender, after polygon reduction process, all existing vertex still preserve their connections with bones so animation remains unchanged. In 3D Coat: Do you have to re-rigg already rigged model after retopology?

yes you do but the animation after poly reduction will look like crap so it is better to retopo and then rig.

Now that I read your reply again it seems I misunderstood it

So: After retopology in 3D Coat models preserve their connections with bones?
But why does it looks bad? What does retopology do? Blender's poly reduction script only cut's down vertex number trying to preserve model shape, nothing else.

I guess retopology process (in 3D Coat) finds nearest vertex to the place you draw squares and cut off all other vertex?

Guard looking pretty cool. Thanks for great contributions!

Bravo majstore samo napred, model izgleda fenomenalno.

@Ganderoleg :

So: After retopology in 3D Coat models preserve their connections with bones?
But why does it looks bad? What does retopology do? Blender's poly reduction script only cut's down vertex number trying to preserve model shape, nothing else.
I guess retopology process (in 3D Coat) finds nearest vertex to the place you draw squares and cut off all other vertex?

In fact polygon reduction and retopology are two different tools.

- Polygon reduction tool :
Reduces polygons automatically for yourself.
The problem it deletes vertices that would be better to keep to have a good disposition of polygons (fro animation for example).
It's only delete nearest vertices, so results are not as good as if you modeled the low mesh yourself by hand.


- Retopology tools :
You create the low poly model, not an automatic tool, but retopo tools allow to you to work on the base high res mesh.
So that's very easy like in the video.
Just draw lines over the high res mesh or draw quads !
This way , you produce lot more better result than an automatic tool in terms of polygons reduction and the way they are disposed !


3D Coat don't know anything about rigging in fact.
You can just export the low model with normal,diff and spec , maps.

An example :
Reduction tools , won't make such good low poly model edges and faces flow :

With retopo that's to you that' decide what faces to create, and retopo bring very fast way to create low poly mesh !

So after retopology process rigged model have to be re-rigged. Thats not so good but it's not so bad also. If you get nicely optimized geometry after retopology it will be easy to rig it again. Thanx Ratchet.

@Iglarion
Znaci ima nas jos iz Srbije na forumu Svaki put se iznenadim kad vidim nekog a ti si izgleda tu & duze od mene. Jel si iz Bga ili neki drugi grad?
P.S. Overi ako imas vremena moj projekt u Showcase-u: Blade Of Power. Jel ti radis na necemu trenutno da moze da se vidi? Pozz

yes rigging is much easier on a model that has a decent edgeflow not to mention how many polys you'll save.