polycount - User contributions [en]

MediaWiki:Licenses

2015-01-16T20:15:00Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "*subst:No license from license selector|Don't know|I do not know the license *subst:No license from license selector|Somewebsite|Found the image somewhere *subst:Permission fr..."

*subst:No license from license selector|Don't know|I do not know the license
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*subst:Non-commercial from license selector|The copyright holder only allows this work to be used for non-commercial and/or educational purposes
* Your own work:
** Allow non-commercial use, commercial use, and modifications as long as others credit you and share alike:
*** self|cc-by-sa-3.0|GFDL|migration=redundant|Own work, multi-license with CC-BY-SA-3.0 and GFDL
*** self|cc-by-sa-3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0|Own work, multi-license with CC-BY-SA-3.0 and older
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** Allow non-commercial use, commercial use, and modifications as long as others credit you:
*** self|cc-by-3.0|Own work, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
** Reserve no rights:
*** self|cc-zero|Own work, release into public domain under the CC-Zero license
* Freely licensed:
** cc-by-sa-3.0|Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
** cc-by-3.0|Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
* Public domain:
** Copyright expired:
*** PD-old|Author died more than 100 years ago
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** Not covered by copyright:
*** PD-USGov|Work of a U.S. government agency
*** PD-text|Simple typefaces, individual words or geometric shapes
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* Unacceptable fair use:
**subst:autodate|AutoReplaceable fair use people|Fair use image of a living person
**subst:autodate|AutoReplaceable fair use buildings|Fair use image of an existing building
* Non-free / fair use - read WP:NONFREE before using any of the following tags:
** Non-free computer icon|Computer icon
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*** Non-free USGov-USPS stamp|- U.S. postage stamp from 1978 or later
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*** Non-free poster|Any kind of poster
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*** Non-free film screenshot|Movie screenshot
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**** wikipedia-screenshot|Wikipedia web page screenshot

Limb Topology

2014-08-30T17:55:21Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page LimbTopology to Limb Topology

== Topology Examples ==

[[Image:JKMakowka_joint_deformation.gif]]

[[Image:RobSanta_joint_modeling_for_deformation.jpg]]

[[Image:BenMathis_limb_deformations.gif]]

[[Image:JonathanRush_ex2.jpg]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_joints.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_types.gif]] [[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_compress.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_arm.gif]]

[[Image:topo_arm-hippydrome.jpg]]

[[Image:topo_foot-williamson.jpg]]

== Hand Topology ==

[[Image:BenMathis_ex_hi_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:BenMathis_ex_lo_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_BenMathis_nrmlmapped.jpg]]
[[Image:leviathan_handrig.gif]]

[[Image:Dur_hand_normalmapped.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_wire.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_zbrush.jpg]]

[[Image:hands_BryanCavett.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_NeoGod.jpg]]
----
[[Category:Topology]]

Limb Topology

2014-08-30T17:54:46Z

Cheeseplus:

Limb Topology

2014-08-30T17:54:26Z

Cheeseplus: /* Topology Pages */

= Limb Topology =

== Topology Examples ==

[[Image:JKMakowka_joint_deformation.gif]]

[[Image:RobSanta_joint_modeling_for_deformation.jpg]]

[[Image:BenMathis_limb_deformations.gif]]

[[Image:JonathanRush_ex2.jpg]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_joints.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_types.gif]] [[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_compress.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_arm.gif]]

[[Image:topo_arm-hippydrome.jpg]]

[[Image:topo_foot-williamson.jpg]]

== Hand Topology ==

[[Image:BenMathis_ex_hi_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:BenMathis_ex_lo_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_BenMathis_nrmlmapped.jpg]]
[[Image:leviathan_handrig.gif]]

[[Image:Dur_hand_normalmapped.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_wire.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_zbrush.jpg]]

[[Image:hands_BryanCavett.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_NeoGod.jpg]]
----
[[Category:Topology]]

Limb Topology

2014-08-30T17:53:48Z

Cheeseplus: /* Hand Topology */

= Limb Topology =

== Topology Pages ==
[[Category:Topology]] pages:

== Topology Examples ==

[[Image:JKMakowka_joint_deformation.gif]]

[[Image:RobSanta_joint_modeling_for_deformation.jpg]]

[[Image:BenMathis_limb_deformations.gif]]

[[Image:JonathanRush_ex2.jpg]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_joints.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_types.gif]] [[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_compress.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_arm.gif]]

[[Image:topo_arm-hippydrome.jpg]]

[[Image:topo_foot-williamson.jpg]]

== Hand Topology ==

[[Image:BenMathis_ex_hi_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:BenMathis_ex_lo_hand_wire.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_BenMathis_nrmlmapped.jpg]]
[[Image:leviathan_handrig.gif]]

[[Image:Dur_hand_normalmapped.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_wire.jpg]] [[Image:Dur_hand_zbrush.jpg]]

[[Image:hands_BryanCavett.jpg]]
[[Image:hands_NeoGod.jpg]]
----
[[Category:Topology]]

Limb Topology

2014-08-30T17:49:12Z

Cheeseplus: /* Topology Examples */

= Limb Topology =

== Topology Pages ==
[[Category:Topology]] pages:

== Topology Examples ==

[[Image:JKMakowka_joint_deformation.gif]]

[[Image:RobSanta_joint_modeling_for_deformation.jpg]]

[[Image:BenMathis_limb_deformations.gif]]

[[Image:JonathanRush_ex2.jpg]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_joints.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_types.gif]] [[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg_compress.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_leg.gif]]

[[Image:JeongSeongHwa_swordmaster_arm.gif]]

[[Image:topo_arm-hippydrome.jpg]]

[[Image:topo_foot-williamson.jpg]]

== Hand Topology ==

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|rowspan="2" |[[Image:LimbTopology$Dur_hand_normalmapped.jpg}}
|-
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

----
[[Category:Topology]]

TexturingTutorials

2014-08-15T01:41:04Z

Cheeseplus:

= Texturing Tutorials =
Tutorials for creating game textures.

== Painting Realistic Textures ==

* [[Image:EllieTut_big.jpg|600px|border]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGN7Wby2thk&feature=share&list=UUKlNB0dpR1BK0y-JRh6Ju7Q Character texturing overview and tutorial] by ''[http://www.mariempepin.com/ Marie-Michelle "Tits" Pepin]''

* [[Image:TheOutsider.PNG|Border|600px]]
[http://youtu.be/0s0XLuzQHJ0 Next-Gen character texturing Timeplapse] by ''[http://www.gavimage.com/ Gavin "Gav" Goulden]''

* [[Image:Racer445Texturing.jpg||600px|border]]
[http://oesterkilde.dk/racer445.html Texturing Metal Surfaces] by ''[http://racer445.com/ Evan 'racer445' Herbert]''

* [[Image:TrackerKnife.PNG|border|600px]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118043 Tracker Knife - NextGen asset tutorial series] by ''[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=41301 Joe Harford]'' 

* [[Image:HardSurfaceTextures.jpg|border|600px]]
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=46&t=373024 Hard Surface Texture Painting (2006)] by ''[http://stefan-morrell.cgsociety.org/gallery/ Stefan Morrell]''

* [[Image:Stonewall.jpg|border|600px]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1528364&postcount=1 Tileable Texture in 3dMax & Zbrush] by ''[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=18970 Sean Marino]'' 

== Painting Stylistic Textures ==

* [[Image:2dtut_heyman.jpg]] [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1259024#post1259024 Hand Painted Wood Tutorial] from the Polycount Forum, by [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=28047 Matthew 'skayne' Heyman]

* [[Image:2dtut_softlight.png]] [[Media:handpaint_softlight-saiainoshi.gif|Adding Highlights and Using SoftLight]] (paintover on [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=30229 'snow']s textures from [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1202503#post1202503 Stylized textures - need help]) - by ''[http://www.linkedin.com/in/terriedenman Terrie 'Saiainoshi' Denman]''

* [[Image:2dtut_more-color.png]] [[Media:handpaint_more-color-saiainoshi.jpg|Adding More Color To a Texture]] (paintover on [http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=30229 'snow']s texture from [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1201383#post1201383 Stylized textures - need help]) - by ''[http://www.linkedin.com/in/terriedenman Terrie 'Saiainoshi' Denman]''

* [[Image:2dtut_smoothblending.png]] [[Media:smooth-blending-thoughts_linda-bergkvist.jpg|Some Thoughts on Smooth Blending]] - by ''[http://www.furiae.com/ Linda 'Enayla' Bergkvist]''

* [[Image:2dtut_paintfletcher.png]] [[Media:handpaintingtut.jpg|'Hand Painted' Step by step thing of some sort]] - by ''[http://www.artpanda.co.uk/ John "JFletcher" Fletcher]''. [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71942 Polycount forum thread].

* [[Image:2dtut_texturepaintingtips.png]] [http://www.michaeldashow.com/tips_texturepainting.html Texture Painting Tips] - by ''[http://www.michaeldashow.com Michael Dashow]''

* [[Image:2dtut_singhsoilchild.png]] [http://joycg.blog.me/130079891399 SoilChild Texture Tutorial] by ''[http://www.joshsingh.net/ Josh Singh]''. [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=47912 Polycount forum thread].

* [[Image:2dtut_tmhuntwoodtute.png]] [[Media:woodtut.jpg|Wood tutorial]] by ''[http://www.tmhunt.com Tracy Marvin "Rhinokey" Hunt]''

* [[Image:2dtut_sallenbachhardlight.png]] [http://www.horribledeath.com/tut-hardlight.htm Painting in Hard Light Mode] - by ''[http://www.horribledeath.com Jason "HorribleDeath" Sallenbach]''

* [[Image:2dtut_tsugumopixelart.png]] [http://mirror.motherhamster.org/tsugumo/default.html So You Want To Be A Pixel Artist?] - by ''Tsugumo''

* [[Image:2dtut_parrott.jpg]] [http://vimeo.com/38844355 Hand painted tiling grass texture walkthrough] by [http://www.environmentartist.com/ Jeff Parrott]How to paint a custom grass texture in Photoshop that is tiled.

* [[Image:2dtut_chadwick.gif]] [http://ericchadwick.com/img/ericchadwick_wood_timelapse.gif Hand painted wood] by [http://ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]Animated gif of the painting process for a painterly wood plank texture. Finished texture [http://ericchadwick.com/img/ericchadwick_wood.jpg here].

== Vig's Collection of Bookmarked Tutorials ==
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1139754&postcount=2 Vig's Collection of Bookmarked Tutorials] Polycount Forum thread

'''Metal and Hard Surface'''
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=373024 Hard Surface Materials (metal scratches and wear)]

[http://www.neilblevins.com/cg_education/vertex_map_wear/vertex_map_wear.htm Neil Belvins Procedural Paint Chips] Check out Neils other materials too, even tho its 3D he breaks them down in a way that makes sense for 2D.

[http://cg.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3d-art/how-to-hand-paint-convincing-metal-textures/ How to Hand Paint Convincing Metal Textures]

[http://www.psionic3d.co.uk/tutorials/shiphull.html Creating metal Greeble from scratch]

'''Flesh, Faces and Fur'''

[http://www.anticz.com/heads.htm Drawing Heads, some general guides] [http://www.2dvalley.com/tutorials/painting-face.shtml Painting a realistic face tutorial by George Patsouras] [http://www.furiae.com/index.php?view=gallery Furiae's Painting tutorials, Eyes, Lips, Hair, Noses, Skin Tone] [http://forums.cgsociety.org/member.php?u=45074 Enayla Painting an eye] [http://www.creativemac.com/2003/08_aug/tutorials/pshair030825.htm Hair and Fur Photoshop Bursh] ''' Grass''' [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1461878&postcount=32 Hand painted grass tutorial] ''' Painterly''' [http://www.michaeldashow.com/tips_texturepainting.html Texture Painting - Michael Dashow] and its that easy... [[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=68799&page=6|[WIP] - Old Fishing Bait Shop - Page 6 - polycount]] '''Pixel Art''' [http://www.petesqbsite.com/sections/tutorials/tuts/tsugumo/ So You Want To Be A Pixel Artist?]Oh you think pixel art is easy? [http://www.gas13.ru/v3/tutorials/handmade_antialiasing.php Handmade anti-aliasing Pixelart Tutorials] A long forgotten tool. ''' ''' ''' Tips and Tricks''' [http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials Tutorials - GFXartist.com] Lots of tutorials and break downs of paintings. [http://www.pioroberson.com/extras.php pior oberson character artist] its Pior foo, pay attention. [http://www.leighvanderbyl.com/tutorials.html leigh van der byl] Good to know general tips and tricks. [http://www.horribledeath.com/tut-hardlight.htm Honorible Death's Hard Light Tutorial] Slime on a sphincter. [http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107217 Digital Painting In PS #2 - ConceptArt.org Forums] Read it, at least twice. [http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/tag/how-to-draw-caricatures/ How To Draw Caricatures] [http://www.tutorialman.com/abstract_airbrushing_tutorial_tutorial.html Abstract Airbrushing Tutorial On TutorialMan.com] '''Watch Them Paint''' [http://www.carloscabrera.com.ar/tutorial.html Illustration Concept Art Tutorials - Carlos Cabrera] [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=65614 Painting Tutorials polycount] A collection of videos [http://media.massiveblack.com/ Massive Black DVD] [http://sclipo.com/videos/view/transport-design-aerodeslizadores Transport Design: Aerodeslizadores - Video - Sclipo] Concepts a transport ship. [http://www.eatpoo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=176 A list of artists and their sites from the EatPoo forums]

===Normal Maps===

Normal Maps and How Not to Do Them

[[Image:Normalmapminitutrf7.jpg | 100px | normalMapMiniTut.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280x4096 pixels)]]

[http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=485335 Hand Made Normal Maps] '''Seams''' [http://www.twisted-strand.com/ut_tutorials/text_tut/index2.html Texturing Tutorial, by SweetnutZ]

== More Information ==
* [[:Category:TextureTechnique]] = Texturing techniques commonly used in game development.
* [[Concept Fundamentals]] = The basics of concept drawing and painting.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=65614 Painting Tutorials] thread on the Polycount forum = Links to more painting tutorials.
* [[CharacterSculpting]] and [[EnvironmentSculpting]] = Information and tutorials about 3D sculpting.
* [[Reference]] = Reference imagery: photos, concept art, texture sites, etc.

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]]

File:Normalmapminitutrf7.jpg

2014-08-15T01:29:15Z

Cheeseplus:

Reference

2014-08-09T04:39:41Z

Cheeseplus: /* Reference Collections */

Reference imagery on a variety of topics.

== Game Art Reference ==
* [[:Category:ReferenceGameArt|Game Art Examples List]]: game art dumps on the Polycount forum.
* [[:Category:ReferenceConcept|Game Art Concepts]]
* [http://level-design.org/referencedb/ Level Design Reference Database]: a searchable collection of game screenshots with assigned tags that describe the images’ content.
* [http://gameartportfoliowall.com/ Game Art Portfolio Wall]: game artist portfolios
* [http://deadendthrills.com/index/ Dead End Thrills]: game screenshots artfully composed, plus interviews.

== Forum Reference Threads ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34320 The Reference Thread] on the Polycount forums
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/4379-reference-thread.html Reference Thread] on the Game Artist Forums

== Search Tools ==
* [http://images.google.com Google Image Search]
* [http://www.bing.com/images Bing Image Search]
* [http://flickr.com/search/advanced/ Flickr Image Search]
* [http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/advanced?ei=UTF-8 Yahoo Image Search]
* [http://www.altavista.com/image/ AltaVista Image Search]
* [http://search.lycos.com/?tab=multi&cat=images Lycos Image Search]
* [http://commons.wikimedia.org/ Wikimedia Commons]
* [[:Category:ReferenceAnimation]] for motion reference links

== Reverse Image Search ==
Search for images similar to a source image.
* [http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html Google Similar Images]
* [http://www.revimg.net/ RevIMG] - search within specific subjects: flags, famous paintings, symbols, monuments, etc.
* [http://www.tineye.com/ TinEye] - reverse image search
* [http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/ WhatTheFont] - reverse image search for fonts

== Texture Sites ==
* [http://www.cgtextures.com cgtextures.com] Free up to a daily limit, subscription fee thereafter.
* [http://www.imageafter.com/ imageafter.com] Free.
* [http://www.mayang.com/textures/ mayang.com] Free up to a daily limit.
* [http://www.lemog.fr/lemog_textures/index.php lemog.fr] Free. Most are tiled.
* [http://free-textures.got3d.com/index.html free-textures.got3d.com] Free for a subset of the whole library, the rest available for a fee.
* [http://www.newtek.com/freestuff/ newtek.com/freestuff] Free but rights-limited. Requires registration.
* [http://www.texturewarehouse.com/gallery/index.php texturewarehouse.com] Free but rights-limited.
* [http://www.art.net/~jeremy/photo/public_texture_frameset.html /~jeremy/photo/public] Free.
* [http://www.environment-textures.com/ environment-textures.com] Subscription fee required. Part of the 3d.sk family.

== Reference Collections ==
* [[Reference Props | Props and Weapons Reference website list]]

Prop Reference

2014-08-09T04:35:44Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "Reference imagery of props, including weapons. == Misc == * [http://www.lcwprops.com/ Props from television, movies etc. Categorized and searchable.] * [http://www.piktogramm..."

Reference imagery of props, including weapons.

== Misc ==
* [http://www.lcwprops.com/ Props from television, movies etc. Categorized and searchable.]
* [http://www.piktogrammer.dk/ Piktograms for signs, labels etc. (Danish shopping site)]
* [http://gndn.wordpress.com/ Movie Prop References (Mostly)]
* [https://secure.flickr.com/photos/toolstop/sets/ Toolstop's Photo Gallery (Powertools)]

== Weapons ==
=== Firearms ===
* '''Pre-1800''' : Flintlocks, muskets, and other really old firearms.
* '''Civil War & Wild West''' : Early repeating firearms from about 1860-1900.
* '''World War One''' : Military and Civilian firearms from about 1900-1918.
* '''World War Two''' : Military and Civilian firearms from about 1918-1945.
* '''Cold War''' : Military and Civilian firearms from about 1945-1991.
* '''Modern''' : Military and Civilian firearms from about 1991-present.
==== Private Collections ====
{| class="wikitable"
! Link
! Pre-1800
! Civil War & Wild West
! World War One
! World War Two
! Cold War
! Modern
|-
| [http://deicidenbf.thanez.net/ DecideNBF's Reference Collections ]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| A collection of reference image packs sorted by category.
|-
| [http://http://candrsenal.com/ Historical Firearms Cache : C&Rsenal]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| C&Rsenal is committed to documenting Curio and Relic small arms through photos, animations, and lots of text. Also responsible for [http://imgur.com/gallery/zGV7i Countries of WWII represented by their rifles] an excellent photo essay.
|-
| [http://www.all4shooters.com/en/home/ All4Shooters]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Online Arms magazine with high resolution photos accompanying their articles.
|-
|[http://homemadeguns.wordpress.com/ Impro Guns]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Zip guns / improvised firearms.
|-
| [http://imgur.com/r/GunPorn/ r/GunPorn]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Random miscellaneous images, find something that looks cool, then learn more about it.
|-
| [http://gunpics.net Gun Pictures.Net]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Large archive of various military weapons, sorted by country of manufacture.
|-
| [http://www.firearmsworld.net/index.htm Firearmsworld]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| In Chinese but otherwise a wealth of information and images on lots of modern weaponry.
|-
| [http://www.lignod.com/alanguns.htm Alan's Gun Collection]
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Vintage and modern, military and civilian firearms.
|-
| [http://www.pbase.com/mrclark/root Mr. Clark's Photo Collection]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| World War 2 era arms manufacturing and war museums.
|-
| [http://www.sturmgewehr.com/bhinton/ bhinton's Collection]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| AK, AUG, AR-10, CETME, AR-15 / M16, Vz 52, Vz 52.57, Vz 58, ZH29, FAL, FAMAS, FN49, FNC, MAS, Galil, German WWII Rifles, Heckler & Koch, MAS-40, MAS-44, MAS-49, Misc Rifles & Pistols, SVT-40, SVD Dragunov, Valmet.
|-
| [http://www.treasuresofwar.co.uk Treasures Of War]
|
|
|
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Helmets & Headgear, Deactivated Guns, Edged Weapons, Ordnance, German Buckles, WW2 Miscellaneous, Vietnam Militaria
|-
| [http://www.panchogun.com/IndexAllGuns.html Pancho's Collection]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Various pistol from various countries.
|-
| [http://public.fotki.com/ptrthgr8/ ptrthgr8's Collection]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Various firearms organized by country.
|-
| [http://50ae.net/collection/ Mike Killebrew's Collection]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| High resolution civilian and military surplus firearms.
|-
| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/f00tography/collections/72157622358811210/ f00tography's Collection]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| FN Five-Seven, FN SCAR, FNP-40, FNP-45, SKS, Mossberg 930 SPX.
|-
| [http://www.gunscollecting.com/english/ Guns Collecting by BG]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Weapons mainly of military or historical interest.
|-
| [http://thepaulkfamily.com/gunweb/gun_index.htm Jim Paulk's Gun Collection]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Military rifles, bayonets, other rifles, shotguns, pistols.
|-
| [http://imageevent.com/willyp/ WillyP's Militaria Photo reference albums]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Collection of WW1, Finnish, Russian, Soviet/Warsaw Pact rifles and sniper rifles, also some military handguns & militaria, helmets, edged weapons etc mainly from the above categories.
|-
| [http://www.nramuseum.com/the-guns/treasure-collection.aspx/ National Firearms Musueum Treasure Collection]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Firearms of significant historical value.
|-
| [http://imageevent.com/smglee/ SMGLee's Photo Collection]
|
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Photographer of the latest in military, and law enforcement arms and equipment.
|-
| [http://demigodllc.com/photo/ Demigod LLC]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Various firearms, and shooting matches.
|-
| [http://www.mydeactivatedguns.co.uk/ My Deactivated Guns]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Various deactivated firearms from various collectors.
|-
| [http://www.angelfire.com/vt/milsurp/ Military Surplus Guns]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Various antique rifles and other weapons.
|-
| [http://foto.mail.ru/mail/photoshooter/ PhotoShooter!(KardeN)'s Photo Collection]
|
|
|Yes
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Excellent site for modern Russian firearms, and some misc pistols.
|-
| [http://77rus.smugmug.com/ Vitaly V. Kuzmin's Photo Collection]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Modern Russian firearms, vehicles, and military forces. The author also runs a [http://vitalykuzmin.net/ Russian military blog].
|-
| [http://rightwing.sakura.ne.jp/equipment/jgsdf/jgsdftop/jgsdftop.html Japan Ground Self Defense Force Equipment]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| All about JGSDF equipment, small arms, and vehicles. The website is in Japanese.
|-
| [http://uvson308.free.fr/ Le site d'Uvson]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| French military small arms, sniper rifles, and modern weapons. The website is in French.
|-
| [http://stickman.rainierarms.com/ Photos by Stickman]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| All about the AR-15 (M-16) rifle and the various aftermarket parts for it.
|-
| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/peosoldier/ PEOSoldier's photostream]
|
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| All about modern and latest weaponry and gear for US soldiers.
|-
| [http://www.primeportal.net/home.htm Prime Portal]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Various infantry small arms and vehicles.
|-
| [http://www.forgottenweapons.com/ Forgotten Weapons]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Rare, exotic, and prototype firearms.
|-
| [http://7.62x54r.net/ 7.62x54r.net A Mosin Nagant Reference]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| All about the Mosin-Nagant rifle.
|-
| [http://svsm.org/gallery/walkarounds Silicon Valley Scale Modellers]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Aircraft, Armor, Weapons and a bunch more.
|-
| [http://coolgunsite.com/ Cool Gun Site]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| A very comprehensive resource on 1911 pistols and other USGI firearms.
|-
| [http://www.poseidon.co.jp/2F/2f.html Poseidon Company]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Japanese custom guns based on anime and manga.
|-
| [http://www.gun-photos.info/ Gun-Photos]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Gun Photos & Firearms Research Powered by Rock Island Auction.
|-
| [http://www.littlegun.info/ Little gun]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Encyclopaedic website of weapons of collection.
|-
| [http://matebafan.com/index.html Mateba Fan]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| The internet's only fansite dedicated to the curious firearms of Emilio Ghisoni - The creator also has a [https://www.youtube.com/user/LifeSizePotato youtube channel full of rare and odd handguns].
|-
| [http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/ Unblinking Eye]
|
|
|Yes
|
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Early semi automatic pistols collection.
|-
| [http://openboltguns.blogspot.ca/ Open Bolt Semi Auto Firearms ]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| This blog is dedicated to information about open bolt semi-auto guns, such as the Marlin 50, Eagle Gun Co rifle, Gevarm, Voere 2005 and KG-9.
|-
| [http://www.bimbel.de/artikel/ Bimbel ]
|
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| German photo essays of recent German military equipment like the G3, G36, MG3, and P8.
|-
| [http://www.maquetland.com/phototheque/5-maquetweapon Maquetland ]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Photo collections of various military weaponry.
|-
| [http://weaponsonline.proboards.com/ Weapons Online Forums ]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Dedicated forums for machinegun collectors.
|-
| <strike>[http://www.pixagogo.com/DeicideNBF/ DecideNBF's Album ]</strike>
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Large archive of various civilian and military weapons.
|-
| <strike>[http://www.winzipification.com/References/ Winzipification Reference Collection ]</strike>
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Large archive of various civilian and military weapons.
|-
| <strike>[http://lundestudio.com/firearms.html Ken Lunde's Pistol Wallpaper Pages]</strike>
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|colspan="7"| Professionally photographed, high resolution photos of modern and assorted pistols.
|-
| <strike>[http://www.gunsofthereich.com Guns of the Reich]</strike>
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
|colspan="7"| Exploring German small arms of WWII one weapon at a time.
|-
|}
==== Business Catalogs ====
{| class="wikitable"
! Link
! Pre-1800
! Civil War & Wild West
! World War One
! World War Two
! Cold War
! Modern
|-
| [http://www.gunauction.com Gun Auction]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://www.gunbroker.com/ Gun Broker]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://www.deactivated-guns.co.uk/ Arundel Militaria Deactivated Guns]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
| [http://www.hermann-historica.de/db2_en/ Hermann Historica]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://aa-ok.com/gun-gallery AA-OK]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://www.autoweapons.com/home.html Machine Gun Dealer]
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://www.rickysinc.com/ Military Pistols and Rifles]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
| [http://www.regimentals.jp/list_gun.php?page=1/ Chicago Regimentals]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
| [http://www.thespecialistsltd.com/prop-firearms The Specialists Ltd.]
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [http://www.foxtrot-productions.co.uk/armoury/ Foxtrot Productions]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| [https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/ltc-default.asp Liberty Tree Collectors]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
| [http://www.ima-usa.com/ International Military Antiques]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|
|-
| [https://secure.flickr.com/photos/75703626@N08/ Tactical Imports Photostream]
|
|
|
|
|Yes
|Yes
|-
| <strike>[http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/ Model Guns Worldwide]</strike>
|
|Yes
|
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
|}

=== Bombs, Explosives, Projectile Launchers ===
* [http://www.big-ordnance.com/index.htm Big Ordnance - A web-site devoted to inert ordnance. (Ammunition, bombs, rockets, grenades, and the like.)]
* [http://www.bergflak.com/psindex.html The Panzerschreck-Directory - A detailed walkthrough of the specifications and use of the Rakettenpanzerbüchse 54.]
* [http://www.primeportal.net/home.htm Prime Portal - Heavy Weapons, Mortars, Missiles, Explosives, & Mines]
* [http://www.lexpev.nl/index.html LEXPEV - Grenades, Mines and Boobytraps]

=== Knives and Bayonets ===
* [http://www.worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Identification_Guide/bayonet_identification_guide.html/ Bayonet Identification Guide]
* [http://www.snyderstreasures.com/pages/knuckle_knives.htm Knuckle Knives, Push Daggers, Trench Warfare and Commando Edged Weapons]
* [http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/Table%20of%20Contents.htm US Military Edged Weapons]
* <strike>[http://lundestudio.com/knives.html Ken Lunde's Knife Wallpaper Pages]</strike>

=== Swords, Axes and Melee ===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Link'''
| '''Antiquity'''
| '''Medieval'''
| '''Modern'''
| '''Fantasy'''
|-
| [http://www.hermann-historica.de/db2_en/ Hermann Historica ]
|Yes
|Yes
|Yes
|
|-
| [http://www.allenantiques.com/Main-Collection.html Allen Antiques ]
|
|Yes
|
|
|-
|}

[[Category:Reference]]

File:Sculpt rocksthread.png

2014-08-07T17:59:07Z

Cheeseplus:

File:Sculpt hoz.png

2014-08-07T17:58:09Z

Cheeseplus:

EnvironmentSculpting

2014-08-07T17:55:47Z

Cheeseplus: /* Rock and Stone */

= Environment Sculpting =
Environment sculpting is the process of creating a high-resolution 3D model with a series of painting strokes, using [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D sculpting software]]. Usually the details from these models are baked into a [[NormalMap]] for a lower-resolution in-game model.

== Sculpting Tiled Maps ==
Sculpting techniques for creating tilable [[NormalMap|normal maps]] and [[DisplacementMap|displacement maps]].

=== Tiled Bricks and Stones ===

[[Image:sculpt_IFoughtABear.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126224 ZBrush Tiling Sculpts] - Zbrush methods to tile directly on a tool using brushes. One uses a double-size sculpt, the other uses [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_robsonmudboxtiling.png]]

[http://www.mudboxhub.com/s/videos Creating Tiled Textures and Displacement in Mudbox 2009] - by[http://www.dashdotslash.net/ Wayne Robson]
Painting in Mudbox on the middle of a 3x3 grid where each quad has the same overlapped UVs. (video is about halfway down the page)

[[Image:sculpt_mosesian.png]]

[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/lesson/environments-with-tate-mosesian/ Pixologic - ZBrush - ZClassroom Digital Sculpting - Environments With Tate Mosesian]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures, by the Lead Environment Artist at[http://www.naughtydog.com/ Naughty Dog].

[[Image:sculpt_pixologictileable.png]]

[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?34651-Pixologic-Release-Learning-Series-Tileable-Textures Pixologic Release - Learning Series: Tileable Textures]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures. Includes a free ZScript called Layer Shift that will enable you to shift all layers on your canvas half the width or height of your canvas (similar to the Offset [[PhotoshopTools#Actions.2C_Filters.2C_Scripts|Photoshop filter]]).

[[Image:sculpt_beyer.png]]

[[TilingRockWallBeyer|Tiling Rock Wall Tutorial]] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]

[[Image:sculpt_3dmotivetiled.png]]

[https://www.3dmotive.com/f101301/ Tileable textures with Zbrush] ($) - by[http://technical-eden.blogspot.com/ Ryan James Smith]
($) 3dmotive tutorial about creating tiled pavers with 3ds Max, Zbrush, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_decals.png]]

[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Using+Decals+for+Destroyed+Structures Using Decals for Destroyed Structures] - from the[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Home CryENGINE Art Asset Creation Guide]
Using alpha blended decals for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_nyhlen.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100867 Broken concrete for CE3 (Tutorial)] - by[http://vnyhlen.se/ Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Video tutorials using Zbrush and Maya to generate tiled maps for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_marino.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95166 (Tutorial) Tileable Textures] - by[http://www.seanmarino.com/ Sean 'Oniram' Marino]
Video tutorials using 3ds Max, Zbrush, Xnormal, and UDK to generate tiled stone textures.

[[Image:sculpt_sltrOlsson.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1288881#post1288881 Gravel Texture with Maya Dynamics] - by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/sltrolsson Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Using Maya Dynamics to drop stones into a container and create a tiling gravel texture.

[[Image:sculpt_mathiascadyck.png]]

[http://mathiascadyck.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-6.html Floor Baking Tutorial] - by[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=31456 Mathias 'MrFrags' Cadyck]
Designing, modeling, baking, and texturing a stone floor texture, using Maya, Zbrush, Xnormal, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_glynnsmithwall.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1101338#post1101338 Modular brick wall tiling] - by[http://iamglynnsmith.com/ Glynn Smith]
Tips and screenshots for sculpting modular brick walls.

[[Image:sculpt_johnstonegears2modular.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924231#post924231 Gears of War 2 modular modeling] - by[http://wiki.polycount.net/Rorshach Kevin Johnstone][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924738#post924738 + more info][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=925346#post925346 + even more info]
Tips and screenshots of using the grid for modular work.

[[Image:sculpt_eulaerswall.png]]

[http://www.brameulaers.com/tutorials/generic_wall_tutorial/generic_wall_tutorial.html Generic wall tutorial] - by[http://www.brameulaers.com Bram 'Peris' Eulaers]
Using 3ds Max and Mudbox to sculpt tilable [[Category:Environment#EW|modular sections]] for a stone wall.

=== Tiled Cliffs and Grounds ===

[[Image:sculpt_m4dcow.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84643 Solutions for sculpting tileable textures (other than bricks) in zbrush 4] - Zbrush method to tile using an imported mesh and brushes with [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_rogelio.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122359 The Last of Us Art dump / Rogelio Olguin] - by[http://rogelioolguin.wordpress.com/ Rogelio 'rogelio' Olguin], a Naughty Dog artist working on The Last of Us. See also [[TheLastOfUsTerrain]].

[[Image:sculpt_rooz3d.png]]

[http://www.youtube.com/user/rooz3d#p/u Rock sculpting videos] (silent timelapse) - by[http://www.rooz3d.com Behrooz 'rooz3d' Roozbeh], a Naughty Dog artist working on Uncharted 2.

[[Image:sculpt_khalamea.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1162492#post1162492 Temple Interior tiling texture process] - by[http://nicole-tan.com/ Nicole 'Khalamea' Tan]

[[Image:sculpt_shepherdtilingmeshes.png]]

[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/home-page/tutorial-creating-perfectly-tiling-meshes-in-zbrush-for-use-in-videogame-environments/ Creating Perfectly Tiling Meshes in Zbrush for use in Videogame Environments] - by[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/ Owen 'SHEPEIRO' Shepherd]
Using ZBrush's 2.5D canvas to tile stamped meshes, then using Maya to model tilable geometry.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsmudboxtilingstone.png]]

[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-another-tutorial-concerning.html Tileable Stone in Mudbox] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting in Mudbox, loading the displacement map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams with more sculpting in Mudbox.

[[Image:sculpt_jamesonzbrushtilingstone.png]]

[http://stephenjameson.com/tutorials/tiling-rock-tutorial/ Tiling Rock Tutorial in Zbrush] - by[http://stephenjameson.com/ Stephen Jameson]
Sculpting in Zbrush, loading the normal map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams in Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_ricezbrushtiling.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1214618&postcount=56 Tiling Rock Wall in Zbrush and Crazybump] - by[http://bobbyrice.blogspot.com/ Bobby 'crazyeyes' Rice]
Creating displacement map in Crazybump, then sculpting in Zbrush.

== Sculpting Individual Objects ==
Sculpting techniques for creating individual non-tiling meshes.

=== Bricks and Tiles ===



[[Image:sculpt_castillo.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1139967#post1139967 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_michaelvicente.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1321690#post1321690 Orb - My work on Crasher] - by[http://orbart.free.fr/ Michael 'Orb' Vicente]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_allardjulien.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88996 my work at PI] - by[http://gulienallard.free.fr Allard 'Alloa' Julien]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralwall.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/stone-placement-tools Stone Placement Tools script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating stone walls and floors in 3ds max.

[[Image:sculpt_manjuriantile.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZbjZDh6fbs Tiles for normal map in Zbrush 3.5] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/manjurian 'manjurian']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a section of distressed tiles, with grout.

=== Metal ===
[[Image:sculpt_plunqironworks.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaoAnJGyMA ZSketch Ironworks] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/plunq 'plunq']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a wrought iron screen, from reference.

[[Image:sculpt_weldseams.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62214 Weld Seams]
Thread on Polycount about modeling weld seams.

=== Rock and Stone ===
[[Image:sculpt_hoz.png]]
[http://www.michalhoz.com/#!tutorials/c1p93 Rubble Breakdown] by [http://www.michalhoz.com/ Michal '_Michal_' Hoz]

[[Image:sculpt_rocksthread.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125857 Rawk - Post any rocks you make here!] Polycount Forum thread

[[Image:sculpt_beyer2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110812 Zbrush Video Rock Formation tutorial] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]
Two video tutorials about sculpting layered rocks with ZBrush.

[[Image:sculpt_castillo2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1143296#post1143296 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Sculpting a stone figure using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_joshjay.jpg]]
[http://picasaweb.google.com/TheEnolaJay/ZBrush3PolyPaintingTutorialI ZBrush 3 Poly Painting Tutorial I] - by[http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/Templates/Secondary.aspx?id=152 Josh Jay]
Using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and Xnormal to sculpt a rock model.

[[Image:sculpt_yeramian.png]]
[http://vimeo.com/21600799 Quickly Making Large Scale Rubble] - by Timothee Yeramian
Using 3ds max procedurals to quickly sculpt a concrete chunks.

[[Image:sculpt_rockmodelingapproaches.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=50160 Rock modeling approaches] - a[http://boards.polycount.net/ Polycount] thread
A variety of approaches for sculpting individual rocks and tilable cliffs.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsproceduralstone.png]]
[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2010/03/3dsmax-environment-modeling-1.html 3dsmax Environment Modeling #1 Procedural Stone] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Using 3ds max procedural modifiers and maps to sculpt a sandstone rock, and easily create multiple variations.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralstone.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/rock-generator Rock Generator script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating rocks in 3ds max, inspired by Sascha Henrichs' tutorial.

[[Image:sculpt_amorimstone.png]]
[http://edgesize.com/stoneTUT.php Stone Tutorial] - by[http://edgesize.com Pedro 'bitmap' Amorim]
Sculpting a rock using Modo, ZBrush, Meshlab, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_christopher.png]]
[http://www.jmchristopher.com/portfolio/rockTutorial/rockTutorial.html Rock Sculpting Tutorial] - by[http://www.jmchristopher.com Jacob M. Christopher].
Sculpting unique non-tiled rock forms with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Unreal.

=== Wood ===

[[Image:sculpt_philipkwood.png]]
[http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/woodrough/woodrough.html Rough Wood Planks Tutorial] - by[http://www.philipk.net Philip 'Philipk' Klevestav]
Sculpting and painting a rough wood texture using Zbrush, 3ds Max and Photoshop. More sculpting tutorials at http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/materials.html.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsenvironment.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=67362 Sculpting for environment stuff - video tutorials] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting a wooden plank, a sandstone rock, and a tiled cliff.

== More Information ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96425 Free Custom Zbrush Brushes] by [http://www.michaeldunnam.com/ Michael Dunnam]
* [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D Sculpting Software]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[Category:Topology]]
* [[CharacterSculpting]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[SubdivisionSurfaceModeling]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]]

EnvironmentSculpting

2014-08-07T17:33:36Z

Cheeseplus:

= Environment Sculpting =
Environment sculpting is the process of creating a high-resolution 3D model with a series of painting strokes, using [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D sculpting software]]. Usually the details from these models are baked into a [[NormalMap]] for a lower-resolution in-game model.

== Sculpting Tiled Maps ==
Sculpting techniques for creating tilable [[NormalMap|normal maps]] and [[DisplacementMap|displacement maps]].

=== Tiled Bricks and Stones ===

[[Image:sculpt_IFoughtABear.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126224 ZBrush Tiling Sculpts] - Zbrush methods to tile directly on a tool using brushes. One uses a double-size sculpt, the other uses [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_robsonmudboxtiling.png]]

[http://www.mudboxhub.com/s/videos Creating Tiled Textures and Displacement in Mudbox 2009] - by[http://www.dashdotslash.net/ Wayne Robson]
Painting in Mudbox on the middle of a 3x3 grid where each quad has the same overlapped UVs. (video is about halfway down the page)

[[Image:sculpt_mosesian.png]]

[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/lesson/environments-with-tate-mosesian/ Pixologic - ZBrush - ZClassroom Digital Sculpting - Environments With Tate Mosesian]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures, by the Lead Environment Artist at[http://www.naughtydog.com/ Naughty Dog].

[[Image:sculpt_pixologictileable.png]]

[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?34651-Pixologic-Release-Learning-Series-Tileable-Textures Pixologic Release - Learning Series: Tileable Textures]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures. Includes a free ZScript called Layer Shift that will enable you to shift all layers on your canvas half the width or height of your canvas (similar to the Offset [[PhotoshopTools#Actions.2C_Filters.2C_Scripts|Photoshop filter]]).

[[Image:sculpt_beyer.png]]

[[TilingRockWallBeyer|Tiling Rock Wall Tutorial]] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]

[[Image:sculpt_3dmotivetiled.png]]

[https://www.3dmotive.com/f101301/ Tileable textures with Zbrush] ($) - by[http://technical-eden.blogspot.com/ Ryan James Smith]
($) 3dmotive tutorial about creating tiled pavers with 3ds Max, Zbrush, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_decals.png]]

[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Using+Decals+for+Destroyed+Structures Using Decals for Destroyed Structures] - from the[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Home CryENGINE Art Asset Creation Guide]
Using alpha blended decals for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_nyhlen.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100867 Broken concrete for CE3 (Tutorial)] - by[http://vnyhlen.se/ Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Video tutorials using Zbrush and Maya to generate tiled maps for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_marino.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95166 (Tutorial) Tileable Textures] - by[http://www.seanmarino.com/ Sean 'Oniram' Marino]
Video tutorials using 3ds Max, Zbrush, Xnormal, and UDK to generate tiled stone textures.

[[Image:sculpt_sltrOlsson.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1288881#post1288881 Gravel Texture with Maya Dynamics] - by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/sltrolsson Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Using Maya Dynamics to drop stones into a container and create a tiling gravel texture.

[[Image:sculpt_mathiascadyck.png]]

[http://mathiascadyck.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-6.html Floor Baking Tutorial] - by[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=31456 Mathias 'MrFrags' Cadyck]
Designing, modeling, baking, and texturing a stone floor texture, using Maya, Zbrush, Xnormal, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_glynnsmithwall.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1101338#post1101338 Modular brick wall tiling] - by[http://iamglynnsmith.com/ Glynn Smith]
Tips and screenshots for sculpting modular brick walls.

[[Image:sculpt_johnstonegears2modular.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924231#post924231 Gears of War 2 modular modeling] - by[http://wiki.polycount.net/Rorshach Kevin Johnstone][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924738#post924738 + more info][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=925346#post925346 + even more info]
Tips and screenshots of using the grid for modular work.

[[Image:sculpt_eulaerswall.png]]

[http://www.brameulaers.com/tutorials/generic_wall_tutorial/generic_wall_tutorial.html Generic wall tutorial] - by[http://www.brameulaers.com Bram 'Peris' Eulaers]
Using 3ds Max and Mudbox to sculpt tilable [[Category:Environment#EW|modular sections]] for a stone wall.

=== Tiled Cliffs and Grounds ===

[[Image:sculpt_m4dcow.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84643 Solutions for sculpting tileable textures (other than bricks) in zbrush 4] - Zbrush method to tile using an imported mesh and brushes with [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_rogelio.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122359 The Last of Us Art dump / Rogelio Olguin] - by[http://rogelioolguin.wordpress.com/ Rogelio 'rogelio' Olguin], a Naughty Dog artist working on The Last of Us. See also [[TheLastOfUsTerrain]].

[[Image:sculpt_rooz3d.png]]

[http://www.youtube.com/user/rooz3d#p/u Rock sculpting videos] (silent timelapse) - by[http://www.rooz3d.com Behrooz 'rooz3d' Roozbeh], a Naughty Dog artist working on Uncharted 2.

[[Image:sculpt_khalamea.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1162492#post1162492 Temple Interior tiling texture process] - by[http://nicole-tan.com/ Nicole 'Khalamea' Tan]

[[Image:sculpt_shepherdtilingmeshes.png]]

[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/home-page/tutorial-creating-perfectly-tiling-meshes-in-zbrush-for-use-in-videogame-environments/ Creating Perfectly Tiling Meshes in Zbrush for use in Videogame Environments] - by[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/ Owen 'SHEPEIRO' Shepherd]
Using ZBrush's 2.5D canvas to tile stamped meshes, then using Maya to model tilable geometry.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsmudboxtilingstone.png]]

[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-another-tutorial-concerning.html Tileable Stone in Mudbox] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting in Mudbox, loading the displacement map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams with more sculpting in Mudbox.

[[Image:sculpt_jamesonzbrushtilingstone.png]]

[http://stephenjameson.com/tutorials/tiling-rock-tutorial/ Tiling Rock Tutorial in Zbrush] - by[http://stephenjameson.com/ Stephen Jameson]
Sculpting in Zbrush, loading the normal map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams in Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_ricezbrushtiling.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1214618&postcount=56 Tiling Rock Wall in Zbrush and Crazybump] - by[http://bobbyrice.blogspot.com/ Bobby 'crazyeyes' Rice]
Creating displacement map in Crazybump, then sculpting in Zbrush.

== Sculpting Individual Objects ==
Sculpting techniques for creating individual non-tiling meshes.

=== Bricks and Tiles ===



[[Image:sculpt_castillo.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1139967#post1139967 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_michaelvicente.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1321690#post1321690 Orb - My work on Crasher] - by[http://orbart.free.fr/ Michael 'Orb' Vicente]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_allardjulien.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88996 my work at PI] - by[http://gulienallard.free.fr Allard 'Alloa' Julien]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralwall.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/stone-placement-tools Stone Placement Tools script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating stone walls and floors in 3ds max.

[[Image:sculpt_manjuriantile.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZbjZDh6fbs Tiles for normal map in Zbrush 3.5] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/manjurian 'manjurian']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a section of distressed tiles, with grout.

=== Metal ===
[[Image:sculpt_plunqironworks.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaoAnJGyMA ZSketch Ironworks] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/plunq 'plunq']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a wrought iron screen, from reference.

[[Image:sculpt_weldseams.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62214 Weld Seams]
Thread on Polycount about modeling weld seams.

=== Rock and Stone ===

*[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125857 Rawk - Post any rocks you make here!] Polycount Forum thread
[[Image:sculpt_beyer2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110812 Zbrush Video Rock Formation tutorial] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]
Two video tutorials about sculpting layered rocks with ZBrush.

[[Image:sculpt_castillo2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1143296#post1143296 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Sculpting a stone figure using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_joshjay.jpg]]
[http://picasaweb.google.com/TheEnolaJay/ZBrush3PolyPaintingTutorialI ZBrush 3 Poly Painting Tutorial I] - by[http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/Templates/Secondary.aspx?id=152 Josh Jay]
Using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and Xnormal to sculpt a rock model.

[[Image:sculpt_yeramian.png]]
[http://vimeo.com/21600799 Quickly Making Large Scale Rubble] - by Timothee Yeramian
Using 3ds max procedurals to quickly sculpt a concrete chunks.

[[Image:sculpt_rockmodelingapproaches.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=50160 Rock modeling approaches] - a[http://boards.polycount.net/ Polycount] thread
A variety of approaches for sculpting individual rocks and tilable cliffs.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsproceduralstone.png]]
[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2010/03/3dsmax-environment-modeling-1.html 3dsmax Environment Modeling #1 Procedural Stone] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Using 3ds max procedural modifiers and maps to sculpt a sandstone rock, and easily create multiple variations.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralstone.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/rock-generator Rock Generator script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating rocks in 3ds max, inspired by Sascha Henrichs' tutorial.

[[Image:sculpt_amorimstone.png]]
[http://edgesize.com/stoneTUT.php Stone Tutorial] - by[http://edgesize.com Pedro 'bitmap' Amorim]
Sculpting a rock using Modo, ZBrush, Meshlab, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_christopher.png]]
[http://www.jmchristopher.com/portfolio/rockTutorial/rockTutorial.html Rock Sculpting Tutorial] - by[http://www.jmchristopher.com Jacob M. Christopher].
Sculpting unique non-tiled rock forms with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Unreal.

=== Wood ===

[[Image:sculpt_philipkwood.png]]
[http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/woodrough/woodrough.html Rough Wood Planks Tutorial] - by[http://www.philipk.net Philip 'Philipk' Klevestav]
Sculpting and painting a rough wood texture using Zbrush, 3ds Max and Photoshop. More sculpting tutorials at http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/materials.html.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsenvironment.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=67362 Sculpting for environment stuff - video tutorials] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting a wooden plank, a sandstone rock, and a tiled cliff.

== More Information ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96425 Free Custom Zbrush Brushes] by [http://www.michaeldunnam.com/ Michael Dunnam]
* [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D Sculpting Software]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[Category:Topology]]
* [[CharacterSculpting]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[SubdivisionSurfaceModeling]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]]

EnvironmentSculpting

2014-08-07T17:32:26Z

Cheeseplus: /* Sculpting Individual Objects */

= Environment Sculpting =
Environment sculpting is the process of creating a high-resolution 3D model with a series of painting strokes, using [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D sculpting software]]. Usually the details from these models are baked into a [[NormalMap]] for a lower-resolution in-game model.

== Sculpting Tiled Maps ==
Sculpting techniques for creating tilable [[NormalMap|normal maps]] and [[DisplacementMap|displacement maps]].

=== Tiled Bricks and Stones ===

[[Image:sculpt_IFoughtABear.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126224 ZBrush Tiling Sculpts] - Zbrush methods to tile directly on a tool using brushes. One uses a double-size sculpt, the other uses [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_robsonmudboxtiling.png]]

[http://www.mudboxhub.com/s/videos Creating Tiled Textures and Displacement in Mudbox 2009] - by[http://www.dashdotslash.net/ Wayne Robson]
Painting in Mudbox on the middle of a 3x3 grid where each quad has the same overlapped UVs. (video is about halfway down the page)

[[Image:sculpt_mosesian.png]]

[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/lesson/environments-with-tate-mosesian/ Pixologic - ZBrush - ZClassroom Digital Sculpting - Environments With Tate Mosesian]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures, by the Lead Environment Artist at[http://www.naughtydog.com/ Naughty Dog].

[[Image:sculpt_pixologictileable.png]]

[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?34651-Pixologic-Release-Learning-Series-Tileable-Textures Pixologic Release - Learning Series: Tileable Textures]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures. Includes a free ZScript called Layer Shift that will enable you to shift all layers on your canvas half the width or height of your canvas (similar to the Offset [[PhotoshopTools#Actions.2C_Filters.2C_Scripts|Photoshop filter]]).

[[Image:sculpt_beyer.png]]

[[TilingRockWallBeyer|Tiling Rock Wall Tutorial]] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]

[[Image:sculpt_3dmotivetiled.png]]

[https://www.3dmotive.com/f101301/ Tileable textures with Zbrush] ($) - by[http://technical-eden.blogspot.com/ Ryan James Smith]
($) 3dmotive tutorial about creating tiled pavers with 3ds Max, Zbrush, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_decals.png]]

[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Using+Decals+for+Destroyed+Structures Using Decals for Destroyed Structures] - from the[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Home CryENGINE Art Asset Creation Guide]
Using alpha blended decals for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_nyhlen.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100867 Broken concrete for CE3 (Tutorial)] - by[http://vnyhlen.se/ Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Video tutorials using Zbrush and Maya to generate tiled maps for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_marino.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95166 (Tutorial) Tileable Textures] - by[http://www.seanmarino.com/ Sean 'Oniram' Marino]
Video tutorials using 3ds Max, Zbrush, Xnormal, and UDK to generate tiled stone textures.

[[Image:sculpt_sltrOlsson.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1288881#post1288881 Gravel Texture with Maya Dynamics] - by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/sltrolsson Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Using Maya Dynamics to drop stones into a container and create a tiling gravel texture.

[[Image:sculpt_mathiascadyck.png]]

[http://mathiascadyck.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-6.html Floor Baking Tutorial] - by[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=31456 Mathias 'MrFrags' Cadyck]
Designing, modeling, baking, and texturing a stone floor texture, using Maya, Zbrush, Xnormal, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_glynnsmithwall.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1101338#post1101338 Modular brick wall tiling] - by[http://iamglynnsmith.com/ Glynn Smith]
Tips and screenshots for sculpting modular brick walls.

[[Image:sculpt_johnstonegears2modular.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924231#post924231 Gears of War 2 modular modeling] - by[http://wiki.polycount.net/Rorshach Kevin Johnstone][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924738#post924738 + more info][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=925346#post925346 + even more info]
Tips and screenshots of using the grid for modular work.

[[Image:sculpt_eulaerswall.png]]

[http://www.brameulaers.com/tutorials/generic_wall_tutorial/generic_wall_tutorial.html Generic wall tutorial] - by[http://www.brameulaers.com Bram 'Peris' Eulaers]
Using 3ds Max and Mudbox to sculpt tilable [[Category:Environment#EW|modular sections]] for a stone wall.

=== Tiled Cliffs and Grounds ===

[[Image:sculpt_m4dcow.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84643 Solutions for sculpting tileable textures (other than bricks) in zbrush 4] - Zbrush method to tile using an imported mesh and brushes with [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_rogelio.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122359 The Last of Us Art dump / Rogelio Olguin] - by[http://rogelioolguin.wordpress.com/ Rogelio 'rogelio' Olguin], a Naughty Dog artist working on The Last of Us. See also [[TheLastOfUsTerrain]].

[[Image:sculpt_rooz3d.png]]

[http://www.youtube.com/user/rooz3d#p/u Rock sculpting videos] (silent timelapse) - by[http://www.rooz3d.com Behrooz 'rooz3d' Roozbeh], a Naughty Dog artist working on Uncharted 2.

[[Image:sculpt_khalamea.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1162492#post1162492 Temple Interior tiling texture process] - by[http://nicole-tan.com/ Nicole 'Khalamea' Tan]

[[Image:sculpt_shepherdtilingmeshes.png]]

[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/home-page/tutorial-creating-perfectly-tiling-meshes-in-zbrush-for-use-in-videogame-environments/ Creating Perfectly Tiling Meshes in Zbrush for use in Videogame Environments] - by[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/ Owen 'SHEPEIRO' Shepherd]
Using ZBrush's 2.5D canvas to tile stamped meshes, then using Maya to model tilable geometry.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsmudboxtilingstone.png]]

[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-another-tutorial-concerning.html Tileable Stone in Mudbox] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting in Mudbox, loading the displacement map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams with more sculpting in Mudbox.

[[Image:sculpt_jamesonzbrushtilingstone.png]]

[http://stephenjameson.com/tutorials/tiling-rock-tutorial/ Tiling Rock Tutorial in Zbrush] - by[http://stephenjameson.com/ Stephen Jameson]
Sculpting in Zbrush, loading the normal map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams in Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_ricezbrushtiling.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1214618&postcount=56 Tiling Rock Wall in Zbrush and Crazybump] - by[http://bobbyrice.blogspot.com/ Bobby 'crazyeyes' Rice]
Creating displacement map in Crazybump, then sculpting in Zbrush.

== Sculpting Individual Objects ==
Sculpting techniques for creating individual non-tiling meshes.

=== Bricks and Tiles ===



[[Image:sculpt_castillo.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1139967#post1139967 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_michaelvicente.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1321690#post1321690 Orb - My work on Crasher] - by[http://orbart.free.fr/ Michael 'Orb' Vicente]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_allardjulien.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88996 my work at PI] - by[http://gulienallard.free.fr Allard 'Alloa' Julien]
Painterly style sculpting and texturing.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralwall.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/stone-placement-tools Stone Placement Tools script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating stone walls and floors in 3ds max.

[[Image:sculpt_manjuriantile.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZbjZDh6fbs Tiles for normal map in Zbrush 3.5] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/manjurian 'manjurian']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a section of distressed tiles, with grout.

=== Metal ===
[[Image:sculpt_plunqironworks.png]]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaoAnJGyMA ZSketch Ironworks] - by[http://www.youtube.com/user/plunq 'plunq']
Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a wrought iron screen, from reference.

[[Image:sculpt_weldseams.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62214 Weld Seams]
Thread on Polycount about modeling weld seams.

=== Rock and Stone ===

*[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125857 Rawk - Post any rocks you make here!] Polycount Forum thread
[[Image:sculpt_beyer2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110812 Zbrush Video Rock Formation tutorial] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]
Two video tutorials about sculpting layered rocks with ZBrush.

[[Image:sculpt_castillo2.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1143296#post1143296 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by[http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]
Sculpting a stone figure using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.

[[Image:sculpt_joshjay.jpg]]
[http://picasaweb.google.com/TheEnolaJay/ZBrush3PolyPaintingTutorialI ZBrush 3 Poly Painting Tutorial I] - by[http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/Templates/Secondary.aspx?id=152 Josh Jay]
Using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and Xnormal to sculpt a rock model.

[[Image:sculpt_yeramian.png]]
[http://vimeo.com/21600799 Quickly Making Large Scale Rubble] - by Timothee Yeramian
Using 3ds max procedurals to quickly sculpt a concrete chunks.

[[Image:sculpt_rockmodelingapproaches.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=50160 Rock modeling approaches] - a[http://boards.polycount.net/ Polycount] thread
A variety of approaches for sculpting individual rocks and tilable cliffs.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsproceduralstone.png]]
[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2010/03/3dsmax-environment-modeling-1.html 3dsmax Environment Modeling #1 Procedural Stone] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Using 3ds max procedural modifiers and maps to sculpt a sandstone rock, and easily create multiple variations.

[[Image:sculpt_ardolinoproceduralstone.png]]
[http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/rock-generator Rock Generator script for 3dsmax] - by[http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]
A scripted tool for creating rocks in 3ds max, inspired by Sascha Henrichs' tutorial.

[[Image:sculpt_amorimstone.png]]
[http://edgesize.com/stoneTUT.php Stone Tutorial] - by[http://edgesize.com Pedro 'bitmap' Amorim]
Sculpting a rock using Modo, ZBrush, Meshlab, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_christopher.png]]
[http://www.jmchristopher.com/portfolio/rockTutorial/rockTutorial.html Rock Sculpting Tutorial] - by[http://www.jmchristopher.com Jacob M. Christopher].
Sculpting unique non-tiled rock forms with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Unreal.

=== Wood ===

[[Image:sculpt_philipkwood.png]]
[http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/woodrough/woodrough.html Rough Wood Planks Tutorial] - by[http://www.philipk.net Philip 'Philipk' Klevestav]
Sculpting and painting a rough wood texture using Zbrush, 3ds Max and Photoshop. More sculpting tutorials at http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/materials.html.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsenvironment.png]]
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=67362 Sculpting for environment stuff - video tutorials] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting a wooden plank, a sandstone rock, and a tiled cliff.

<<Anchor(Re-Topology_Apps)>><<Anchor(Hard-Surface_Sculpting)>><<Anchor(Optimization_And_Re-Topology)>>

== More Information ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96425 Free Custom Zbrush Brushes] by [http://www.michaeldunnam.com/ Michael Dunnam]
* [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D Sculpting Software]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[Category:Topology]]
* [[CharacterSculpting]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[SubdivisionSurfaceModeling]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]]

EnvironmentSculpting

2014-08-07T17:20:50Z

Cheeseplus: /* Sculpting Tiled Maps */

= Environment Sculpting =
Environment sculpting is the process of creating a high-resolution 3D model with a series of painting strokes, using [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D sculpting software]]. Usually the details from these models are baked into a [[NormalMap]] for a lower-resolution in-game model.

== Sculpting Tiled Maps ==
Sculpting techniques for creating tilable [[NormalMap|normal maps]] and [[DisplacementMap|displacement maps]].

=== Tiled Bricks and Stones ===

[[Image:sculpt_IFoughtABear.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126224 ZBrush Tiling Sculpts] - Zbrush methods to tile directly on a tool using brushes. One uses a double-size sculpt, the other uses [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_robsonmudboxtiling.png]]

[http://www.mudboxhub.com/s/videos Creating Tiled Textures and Displacement in Mudbox 2009] - by[http://www.dashdotslash.net/ Wayne Robson]
Painting in Mudbox on the middle of a 3x3 grid where each quad has the same overlapped UVs. (video is about halfway down the page)

[[Image:sculpt_mosesian.png]]

[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/lesson/environments-with-tate-mosesian/ Pixologic - ZBrush - ZClassroom Digital Sculpting - Environments With Tate Mosesian]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures, by the Lead Environment Artist at[http://www.naughtydog.com/ Naughty Dog].

[[Image:sculpt_pixologictileable.png]]

[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?34651-Pixologic-Release-Learning-Series-Tileable-Textures Pixologic Release - Learning Series: Tileable Textures]
Video tutorial from Pixologic about using Zbrush to create tiled textures. Includes a free ZScript called Layer Shift that will enable you to shift all layers on your canvas half the width or height of your canvas (similar to the Offset [[PhotoshopTools#Actions.2C_Filters.2C_Scripts|Photoshop filter]]).

[[Image:sculpt_beyer.png]]

[[TilingRockWallBeyer|Tiling Rock Wall Tutorial]] - by[http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]

[[Image:sculpt_3dmotivetiled.png]]

[https://www.3dmotive.com/f101301/ Tileable textures with Zbrush] ($) - by[http://technical-eden.blogspot.com/ Ryan James Smith]
($) 3dmotive tutorial about creating tiled pavers with 3ds Max, Zbrush, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_decals.png]]

[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Using+Decals+for+Destroyed+Structures Using Decals for Destroyed Structures] - from the[http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Home CryENGINE Art Asset Creation Guide]
Using alpha blended decals for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_nyhlen.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100867 Broken concrete for CE3 (Tutorial)] - by[http://vnyhlen.se/ Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Video tutorials using Zbrush and Maya to generate tiled maps for broken concrete edges.

[[Image:sculpt_marino.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95166 (Tutorial) Tileable Textures] - by[http://www.seanmarino.com/ Sean 'Oniram' Marino]
Video tutorials using 3ds Max, Zbrush, Xnormal, and UDK to generate tiled stone textures.

[[Image:sculpt_sltrOlsson.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1288881#post1288881 Gravel Texture with Maya Dynamics] - by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/sltrolsson Valdemar 'sltrOlsson' Nyhlén]
Using Maya Dynamics to drop stones into a container and create a tiling gravel texture.

[[Image:sculpt_mathiascadyck.png]]

[http://mathiascadyck.blogspot.com/2011/01/test-6.html Floor Baking Tutorial] - by[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=31456 Mathias 'MrFrags' Cadyck]
Designing, modeling, baking, and texturing a stone floor texture, using Maya, Zbrush, Xnormal, and Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_glynnsmithwall.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1101338#post1101338 Modular brick wall tiling] - by[http://iamglynnsmith.com/ Glynn Smith]
Tips and screenshots for sculpting modular brick walls.

[[Image:sculpt_johnstonegears2modular.png]]

[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924231#post924231 Gears of War 2 modular modeling] - by[http://wiki.polycount.net/Rorshach Kevin Johnstone][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=924738#post924738 + more info][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=925346#post925346 + even more info]
Tips and screenshots of using the grid for modular work.

[[Image:sculpt_eulaerswall.png]]

[http://www.brameulaers.com/tutorials/generic_wall_tutorial/generic_wall_tutorial.html Generic wall tutorial] - by[http://www.brameulaers.com Bram 'Peris' Eulaers]
Using 3ds Max and Mudbox to sculpt tilable [[Category:Environment#EW|modular sections]] for a stone wall.

=== Tiled Cliffs and Grounds ===

[[Image:sculpt_m4dcow.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84643 Solutions for sculpting tileable textures (other than bricks) in zbrush 4] - Zbrush method to tile using an imported mesh and brushes with [[WrapMode]].

[[Image:sculpt_rogelio.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122359 The Last of Us Art dump / Rogelio Olguin] - by[http://rogelioolguin.wordpress.com/ Rogelio 'rogelio' Olguin], a Naughty Dog artist working on The Last of Us. See also [[TheLastOfUsTerrain]].

[[Image:sculpt_rooz3d.png]]

[http://www.youtube.com/user/rooz3d#p/u Rock sculpting videos] (silent timelapse) - by[http://www.rooz3d.com Behrooz 'rooz3d' Roozbeh], a Naughty Dog artist working on Uncharted 2.

[[Image:sculpt_khalamea.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1162492#post1162492 Temple Interior tiling texture process] - by[http://nicole-tan.com/ Nicole 'Khalamea' Tan]

[[Image:sculpt_shepherdtilingmeshes.png]]

[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/home-page/tutorial-creating-perfectly-tiling-meshes-in-zbrush-for-use-in-videogame-environments/ Creating Perfectly Tiling Meshes in Zbrush for use in Videogame Environments] - by[http://osart3d.wordpress.com/ Owen 'SHEPEIRO' Shepherd]
Using ZBrush's 2.5D canvas to tile stamped meshes, then using Maya to model tilable geometry.

[[Image:sculpt_henrichsmudboxtilingstone.png]]

[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2009/11/here-another-tutorial-concerning.html Tileable Stone in Mudbox] - by[http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]
Sculpting in Mudbox, loading the displacement map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams with more sculpting in Mudbox.

[[Image:sculpt_jamesonzbrushtilingstone.png]]

[http://stephenjameson.com/tutorials/tiling-rock-tutorial/ Tiling Rock Tutorial in Zbrush] - by[http://stephenjameson.com/ Stephen Jameson]
Sculpting in Zbrush, loading the normal map in Photoshop for the offset filter, then fixing the seams in Photoshop.

[[Image:sculpt_ricezbrushtiling.png]]

[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1214618&postcount=56 Tiling Rock Wall in Zbrush and Crazybump] - by[http://bobbyrice.blogspot.com/ Bobby 'crazyeyes' Rice]
Creating displacement map in Crazybump, then sculpting in Zbrush.

== Sculpting Individual Objects ==
Sculpting techniques for creating individual non-tiling meshes.

=== Bricks and Tiles ===



* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_castillo.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1139967#post1139967 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by [http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]< >Painterly style sculpting and texturing using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_michaelvicente.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1321690#post1321690 Orb - My work on Crasher] - by [http://orbart.free.fr/ Michael 'Orb' Vicente]< >Painterly style sculpting and texturing.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_allardjulien.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88996 my work at PI] - by [http://gulienallard.free.fr Allard 'Alloa' Julien]< >Painterly style sculpting and texturing.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_ardolinoproceduralwall.png]] < > [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/stone-placement-tools Stone Placement Tools script for 3dsmax] - by [http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]< >A scripted tool for creating stone walls and floors in 3ds max.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_manjuriantile.png]] < > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZbjZDh6fbs Tiles for normal map in Zbrush 3.5] - by [http://www.youtube.com/user/manjurian 'manjurian']< >Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a section of distressed tiles, with grout.< >< >

=== Metal ===
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_plunqironworks.png]] < > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaoAnJGyMA ZSketch Ironworks] - by [http://www.youtube.com/user/plunq 'plunq']< >Silent timelapse showing the sculpting of a wrought iron screen, from reference.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_weldseams.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62214 Weld Seams] < >Thread on Polycount about modeling weld seams.< >< >

=== Rock and Stone ===

* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125857 Rawk - Post any rocks you make here!] Polycount Forum thread
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_beyer2.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110812 Zbrush Video Rock Formation tutorial] - by [http://raveal.net/p/25976 Hugo 'bugo' Beyer]< >Two video tutorials about sculpting layered rocks with ZBrush.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_castillo2.png]] < > [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1143296#post1143296 UDK - Tristram Tunnels Test] - by [http://darkrusaderdesigns.com/ Travis 'Darkrusader' Castillo]< >Sculpting a stone figure using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and UDK.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_joshjay.jpg]] < > [http://picasaweb.google.com/TheEnolaJay/ZBrush3PolyPaintingTutorialI ZBrush 3 Poly Painting Tutorial I] - by [http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/Templates/Secondary.aspx?id=152 Josh Jay]< >Using ZBrush, 3ds Max, and Xnormal to sculpt a rock model.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_yeramian.png]] < > [http://vimeo.com/21600799 Quickly Making Large Scale Rubble] - by Timothee Yeramian< >Using 3ds max procedurals to quickly sculpt a concrete chunks.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_rockmodelingapproaches.png]] < > [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=50160 Rock modeling approaches] - a [http://boards.polycount.net/ Polycount] thread < >A variety of approaches for sculpting individual rocks and tilable cliffs.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_henrichsproceduralstone.png]] < > [http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/2010/03/3dsmax-environment-modeling-1.html 3dsmax Environment Modeling #1 Procedural Stone] - by [http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]< >Using 3ds max procedural modifiers and maps to sculpt a sandstone rock, and easily create multiple variations.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_ardolinoproceduralstone.png]] < > [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/rock-generator Rock Generator script for 3dsmax] - by [http://www.aardolino.com/ Alessandro Ardolino]< >A scripted tool for creating rocks in 3ds max, inspired by Sascha Henrichs' tutorial.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_amorimstone.png]] < > [http://edgesize.com/stoneTUT.php Stone Tutorial] - by [http://edgesize.com Pedro 'bitmap' Amorim]< >Sculpting a rock using Modo, ZBrush, Meshlab, and Photoshop.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_christopher.png]] < > [http://www.jmchristopher.com/portfolio/rockTutorial/rockTutorial.html Rock Sculpting Tutorial] - by [http://www.jmchristopher.com Jacob M. Christopher].< >Sculpting unique non-tiled rock forms with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Unreal.< >< >

=== Wood ===

* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_philipkwood.png]] < > [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/woodrough/woodrough.html Rough Wood Planks Tutorial] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'Philipk' Klevestav]< >Sculpting and painting a rough wood texture using Zbrush, 3ds Max and Photoshop. More sculpting tutorials at http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/materials/materials.html.< >< >
* [[Image:EnvironmentSculpting$sculpt_henrichsenvironment.png]] < > [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=67362 Sculpting for environment stuff - video tutorials] - by [http://saschahenrichs.blogspot.com/ Sascha Henrichs]< >Sculpting a wooden plank, a sandstone rock, and a tiled cliff.< >< >

<<Anchor(Re-Topology_Apps)>><<Anchor(Hard-Surface_Sculpting)>><<Anchor(Optimization_And_Re-Topology)>>
== More Information ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96425 Free Custom Zbrush Brushes] by [http://www.michaeldunnam.com/ Michael Dunnam]
* [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|3D Sculpting Software]]
* [[BaseMesh]]
* [[Category:Topology]]
* [[CharacterSculpting]]
* [[ReTopologyModeling]]
* [[SubdivisionSurfaceModeling]]

----
[[Category:Environment]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]]

User Interface

2014-08-05T05:37:44Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "Topics about creating user interfaces for games. == User Interface Forum Threads == * [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97507 UI Designer] - Polycount forum th..."

Topics about creating user interfaces for games.

== User Interface Forum Threads ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97507 UI Designer] - Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93630 UI and Graphic Design] - Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74809 Interface design] - Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1662123 UI Artist Portfolio] - Polycount forum thread
** [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1662123&postcount=13 UI Artist Portfolio - Tips] - Polycount forum thread

== User Interface Resources ==
* [http://publications.dice.se/attachments/beyond.the.hud.091025.pdf Beyond the HUD] (.PDF) - A research paper on User Interfaces for Increased Player Immersion in FPS Games
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4286/game_ui_discoveries_what_players_.php?print=1 Game UI Discoveries : What Players Want] - Touches upon things mentioned in the paper above.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSbr7uc-JyM Scaleform UDK Tutorial] - An 11-part tutorial which covers the basics of creating UI elements in Scaleform using UDK.
* [http://psd.tutsplus.com/?s=interface PSDTuts+ Interface Tutorials] - Interface-related online tutorials to get you started.
* [http://www.digital-web.com/articles/user_interface_design_taking_the_good_with_the_bad/ UI Design, Taking The Good With The Bad] - An interesting article on the need for compromise when designing UIs.
* [http://asgamer.com/ ASGamer] - Flash Game Development Tutorials.
* [http://www.slideshare.net/unthank Game UI] - Informative slides on game UI by David Farrell (Glasgow Caledonian University).
* [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/fog0000000249.html Joel on Software: User Interface Design For Programmers] - In a fun and entertaining way, Spolky makes user interface design easy for programmers to grasp. Simple logical rules to improve any user interface, how to design interfaces with the user in mind, and the important principles that underlie all good UI design.
* [http://gim.acanaday.com/?p=162 Games Industry Mentor - VFX & UI] - Games Industry Podcast, with a feature on VFX & UI.
* [http://carynvainio.com/?p=1028 The Path to Game UI Design] - Caryn Vainio's five-part feature on how to become a UI Designer.

== User Interface Inspiration ==
* [http://gameui.tumblr.com/ Game UI Tumblr] - A Tumblr filledwith HUDs / UIs from games.
* [http://www.giantbomb.com/no-hud/92-569/ 'No HUD' concept] - A list of games which have a minimal/no HUD approach.
* [http://www.giantbomb.com/huddie/92-4798/ 'HUDdie' concept] - HUD elements, such as health or ammunition, which appear physically on the player characters outfit, objects, equipment and weapons
* [http://hudsandguis.com/ HUDs and GUIs] - A collection of the most beautiful and innovative examples of HUD (Heads-Up Display) and GUI (Graphical User Interface) design across different mediums.
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DiegeticInterface Diegetic Interface] - A list of games with interface elements that are a part of the game universe.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdPo8oY-f4 Scaleform Game Reel (2011)] - Showcases games which use Scaleform. A good point of reference when looking into games which have more interesting HUD/UI.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wkUu5dN0LU Dead Space 2 Dev Diary] - A video covering Visceral Games approach towards their HUD.
* [http://platinumgames.com/2010/09/24/interface-design-in-vanquish/ Interface Design in Vanquish] - Development Diary for Platinum Games which covers their approach towards the HUD for Vanquish.
* [http://www.ravensoft.com/blog/developer-diaries/15/read-article/ UI Design in Singularity] - Development Diary from Raven Software which covers their approach towards creating the UI for Singularity.
* [http://pleasepressstart.tumblr.com/ The Art of Video Game Title Screens] - A Tumblr with 'Start Screen' menus for various games.
* [http://gdcvault.com/play/1012653/The-Art-of-Interface-Design The Art Of Interface Design at Harmoix Music Systems] - GDC presentation by Harmonix on their approach to UI.
* [http://lucas.hardi.org/designing-the-warhammer-online-ui/ Designing the Warhammer Online UI] - A detailed description of the approach on the UI for Warhammer Online.
* [http://www.swtor.com/info/news/blog/20110429/ Designing the Star Wars : The Old Republic UI] - A detailed description of the approach on the UI for SW:TOR.
* [http://www.prettyloaded.com/ PrettyLoaded] - Loading screen inspiration.

== Graphic Design Resources ==
* [http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials Computer Arts Tutorials] - A useful selection of tutorials to help you get to grips with a variety of programs.
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symbol-Angus-Hyland/dp/1856697274 Symbol] - A massive book detailing symbols used in logotypes.
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Los-Logos-Logo-Collection-Buro-Destruct/dp/3931126927 Los Logos] - Part of a series of books; filled with hundreds of pages containing logos.
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dos-Logos-Logo-Collection-R-Klanten/dp/3899550552/ Dos Logos] - Part of a series of books; filled with hundreds of pages containing logos.
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tres-Logos-R-Klanten/dp/3899551583/ Tres Logos] - Part of a series of books; filled with hundreds of pages containing logos.
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Information-Beautiful-David-McCandless/dp/0007294662 Information is Beautiful] - A book which shows how all kinds of information can be presented visually in different ways.
* [http://www.videocopilot.net/ VideoCopilot Tutorials] - A huge list of useful After-Effects tutorials.

== Graphic Design Inspiration ==
* [http://www.99designs.com 99Designs] - A site with competitions covering all areas of graphic design. A good starting point if you want to build up a portfolio whilst working on live briefs.
* [http://www.abduzeedo.com Abduzeedo] - A good site which often has tutorials as well as daily inspiration.
* [http://www.aisleone.net/ AisleOne] - Daily inspiration related to graphic design.
* [http://www.artofthetitle.com/ Art of the Title] - A compendium and leading web resource of film and television title design from around the world.
* [http://www.formfiftyfive.com/ FormFiftyFive] - Design inspiration from around the world.
* [http://logopond.com/ Logopond] - A hub for logos being created by Designers across the world. Good to follow when keeping up with the trends.
* [http://www.motionographer.com Motionographer] - Daily inspiration related to motion graphics / graphic design.
* [http://www.dribbble.com Dribbble] - Daily inspiration related to graphic design.

[[Category:Discipline]]

Category:UserInterface

2014-08-05T05:37:17Z

Cheeseplus: Blanked the page

Normal map

2014-08-05T03:07:44Z

Cheeseplus: 37 revisions

= Normal Map =


== What is a Normal Map? ==
A Normal Map is usually used to fake high-res geometry detail when it's mapped onto a low-res mesh. The pixels of the normal map each store a ''normal'', a vector that describes the surface slope of the original high-res mesh at that point. The red, green, and blue channels of the normal map are used to control the direction of each pixel's normal.

When a normal map is applied to a low-poly mesh, the texture pixels control the direction each of the pixels on the low-poly mesh will be facing in 3D space, creating the illusion of more surface detail or better curvature. However, the silhouette of the model doesn't change.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:NormalMap$Whatif_normalmap_mapped2.jpg]]
| [[Image:NormalMap$Whatif_normalmap_low.jpg]]
|-
| A model with a normal map.< >image by [http://www.3dartisan.net/~kuman/ James Ku]
| The low-resolution wireframe.< >image by [http://www.3dartisan.net/~kuman/ James Ku]
|}

<<Anchor([[TangentSpaceVsObjectSpace]])>>
== Tangent-Space vs. Object-Space ==
Normal maps can be made in either of two basic flavors: tangent-space or object-space. Object-space is also called local-space or model-space, same thing. World-space is basically the same as object-space, except it requires the model to remain in its original orientation, neither rotating nor deforming, so it's almost never used.


=== Tangent-space normal map ===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}
Predominantly-blue colors. Object can rotate and deform. Good for deforming meshes, like characters, animals, flags, etc.
< >
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Maps can be reused easily, like on differently-shaped meshes.
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Maps can be tiled and mirrored easily, though some games might not support [[#M|mirroring]] very well.
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Easier to [[#BlendingNormalMapsTogether|overlay painted details]].
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Easier to use [[#NormalMapCompression|image compression]].
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] More difficult to avoid smoothing problems from the low-poly vertex normals (see [[#SmoothingGroupsAndHardEdges|Smoothing Groups and Hard Edges]]).
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] Slightly slower performance than an object-space map (but not by much).


=== Object-space normal map ===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}
Rainbow colors. Objects can rotate, but usually shouldn't be deformed, unless the shader has been modified to support deformation.
< >
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Easier to generate high-quality curvature because it completely ignores the crude smoothing of the low-poly vertex normals.
< > [[Image:NormalMap$green_plus.png]] Slightly better performance than a tangent-space map (but not by much).
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] Can't easily reuse maps, different mesh shapes require unique maps.
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] Difficult to tile properly, and mirroring requires [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=53986 specific shader support].
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] Harder to [[#BlendingNormalMapsTogether|overlay painted details]] because the base colors vary across the surface of the mesh. Painted details must be converted into Object Space to be combined properly with the OS map.
< > [[Image:NormalMap$red_x.png]] They don't [[#NormalMapCompression|compress]] very well, since the blue channel can't be recreated in the shader like with tangent-space maps. Also the three color channels contain very different data which doesn't compress well, creating many artifacts. Using a half-resolution object-space map is one option.

<<Anchor([[ConvertingBetweenSpaces]])>>
=== Converting Between Spaces ===
Normal maps can be converted between tangent space and object space, in order to use them with different blending tools and shaders, which require one type or the other.

[http://diogo.codingcorner.net Diogo "fozi" Teixeira] created a tool called [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1072599#post1072599 NSpace] that converts an object-space normal map into a tangent-space map, which then works seamlessly in the Max viewport. He converts the map by using the same tangent basis that 3ds Max uses for its hardware shader. To see the results, load the converted map via the ''Normal Bump'' map and enable "Show Hardware Map in Viewport". [http://gameartist.nl/ Osman "osman" Tsjardiwal] created a GUI for NSpace, you can [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1075143#post1075143 download it here], just put it in the same folder as the NSpace exe and run it. Diogo has further [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1074160#post1074160 plans for the tool] as well.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

[http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe "EarthQuake" Wilson] said: "[8Monkey Labs has] a tool that lets you load up your reference mesh and object space map. Then load up your tangent normals, and adjust some sliders for things like tile and amount. We need to load up a mesh to know how to correctly orient the tangent normals or else things will come out upside down or reverse etc. It mostly works, but it tends to "bend" the resulting normals, so you gotta split the mesh up into some smoothing groups before you run it, and then I usually will just composite this "combo" texture over my orig map in Photoshop."


== RGB Channels ==
Shaders can use different techniques to render tangent-space normal maps, but the normal map directions are usually consistent within a game. Usually the red channel of a tangent-space normal map stores the X axis (pointing the normals predominantly leftwards or rightwards), the green channel stores the Y axis (pointing the normals predominantly upwards or downwards), and the blue channel stores the Z axis (pointing the normals outwards away from the surface).
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If you see lighting coming from the wrong angle when you're looking at your normal-mapped model, and the model is using a tangent-space normal map, the normal map shader might be expecting the red or green channel (or both) to point in the opposite direction. To fix this either change the shader, or simply invert the appropriate color channels in an image editor, so that the black pixels become white and the white pixels become black.

Some shaders expect the color channels to be swapped or re-arranged to work with a particular [[#NormalMapCompression|compression format]]. For example the DXT5_nm format usually expects the X axis to be in the alpha channel, the Y axis to be in the green channel, and the red and blue channels to be empty.

<<Anchor([[TangentBasis]])>>
== Tangent Basis ==
[[#TangentSpaceVsObjectSpace|Tangent-space]] normal maps use a special kind of vertex data called the ''tangent basis''. This is similar to UV coordinates except it provides directionality across the surface, it forms a surface-relative coordinate system for the per-pixel normals stored in the normal map.

Light rays are in world space, but the normals stored in the normal map are in tangent space. When a normal-mapped model is being rendered, the light rays must be converted from world space into tangent space, using the tangent basis to get there. At that point the incoming light rays are compared against the directions of the normals in the normal map, and this determines how much each pixel of the mesh is going to be lit. Alternatively, instead of converting the light rays some shaders will convert the normals in the normal map from tangent space into world space. Then those world-space normals are compared against the light rays, and the model is lit appropriately. The method depends on who wrote the shader, but the end result is the same.

Unfortunately for artists, there are many different ways to calculate the tangent basis: [http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/chris/how_the_3ds_max_scanline_renderer_computes_tangent_and_binormal_vectors_for_normal_mapping 3ds Max], [http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/index.html?url=./files/Appendix_A_Tangent_and_binormal_vectors.htm,topicNumber=d0e227193 Maya], [http://www.codesampler.com/dx9src/dx9src_4.htm#dx9_dot3_bump_mapping DirectX 9], [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/NVMeshMender.html NVMeshMender], [http://www.terathon.com/code/tangent.html Eric Lengyel], a custom solution, etc. This means a normal map baked in one application probably won't shade correctly in another. Artists must do some testing with different [[#T|baking tools]] to find which works best with their output. When the renderer (or game engine) renders your game model, [[#ShadersAndSeams|the shader]] must use the same tangent basis as the normal map baker, otherwise you'll get incorrect lighting, especially across the seams between UV shells.

The [http://www.xnormal.net/ xNormal] SDK supports custom tangent basis methods. When a programmer uses it to implement their renderer's own tangent basis, artists can then use Xnormal to bake normal maps that will match their renderer perfectly.

The [[#UVC|UVs]] and the [[#SGAHE|vertex normals]] on the low-res mesh directly influence the coloring of a [[#TSNM|tangent-space]] normal map when it is baked. Each tangent basis vertex is a combination of three things: the mesh vertex's normal (influenced by smoothing), the vertex's tangent (usually derived from the V texture coordinate), and the vertex's bitangent (derived in code, also called the binormal). These three vectors create an axis for each vertex, giving it a specific orientation in the tangent space. These axes are used to properly transform the incoming lighting from world space into tangent space, so your normal-mapped model will be lit correctly.

When a triangle's vertex normals are pointing straight out, and a pixel in the normal map is neutral blue (128,128,255) this means that pixel's normal will be pointing straight out from the surface of the low-poly mesh. When that pixel normal is tilted towards the left or the right in the tangent coordinate space, it will get either more or less red color, depending on whether the normal map is set to store the X axis as either a positive or a negative value. Same goes for when the normal is tilted up or down in tangent space, it will either get more or less green color. If the vertex normals aren't exactly perpendicular to the triangle, the normal map pixels will be tinted away from neutral blue as well. The vertex normals and the pixel normals in the normal map are combined together to create the final per-pixel surface normals.

[[#SAS|Shaders]] are written to use a particular direction or "handedness" for the X and Y axes in a normal map. Most apps tend to prefer +X (red facing right) and +Y (green facing up), while others like 3ds Max prefer +X and -Y. This is why you often need to invert the green channel of a normal map to get it to render correctly in this or that app... the shader is expecting a particular handedness.

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When you look at a tangent-space normal map for a character, you typically see different colors along the UV seams. This is because the UV shells are often oriented at different angles on the mesh, a necessary evil when translating the 3D mesh into 2D textures. The body might be mapped with a vertical shell, and the arm mapped with a horizontal one. This requires the normals in the normal map to be twisted for the different orientations of those UV shells. The UVs are twisted, so the normals must be twisted in order to compensate. The tangent basis helps reorient (twist) the lighting as it comes into the surface's local space, so the lighting will then look uniform across the normal mapped mesh.

When an artist tiles a tangent-space normal map across an arbitrary mesh, like a landscape, this tends to shade correctly because the mesh has a uniform direction in tangent space. If the mesh has discontinuous UV coordinates (UV seams), or the normal map has large directional gradients across it, the tangent space won't be uniform anymore so the surface will probably have shading seams.

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== Modeling the Low-Poly Mesh ==
The in-game mesh usually needs to be carefully optimized to create a good silhouette, define edge-loops for better deformation, and minimize extreme changes between the vertex normals for better shading (see [[#SmoothingGroupsAndHardEdges|Smoothing Groups & Hard Edges]]).

In order to create an optimized in-game mesh including a good silhouette and loops for deforming in animation, you can start with the 2nd subdivision level of your [[DigitalSculpting|digital sculpt]], or in some cases with the base mesh itself. Then you can just collapse edge loops or cut in new edges to add/remove detail as necessary. Or you can [[DigitalSculpting#OART|re-toplogize]] from scratch if that works better for you.

See [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107196 You're making me hard. Making sense of hard edges, uvs, normal maps and vertex counts] on the Polycount forum.


=== UV Coordinates ===
Normal map baking tools only capture normals within the 0-1 UV square, any UV bits outside this area are ignored.

Only one copy of the forward-facing UVs should remain in the 0-1 UV square at baking time. If the mesh uses overlapping UVs, this will likely cause artifacts to appear in the baked map, since the baker will try render each UV shell into the map. Before baking, it's best to move all the overlaps and mirrored bits outside the 0-1 sqaure.

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If you move all the overlaps and mirrored bits exactly 1 UV unit (any whole number will do), then you can leave them there after the bake and they will still be mapped correctly. You can move them back if you want, it doesn't matter to most game engines. Be aware that ZBrush does use UV offsets to manage mesh visibility, however this usually doesn't matter because the ZBrush cage mesh is often a different mesh than the in-game mesh used for baking.

You should avoid changing the UVs after baking the normal map, because rotating or mirroring UVs after baking will cause the normal map not to match the [[#TB|tangent basis]] anymore, which will likely cause lighting problems.

In 3ds Max, W is a third texture coordinate. It's used for 3D procedural textures and for storing vertex color in UV channels (you need 3 axes for RGB, so UVW can store vertex color). Bake problems can be avoided by moving any overlapping UVs to -1 on the W axis, with the same results as moving them 1 unit on the U or V axes. The tool Render To Texture will always bake whatever UVs are the highest along the W axis. However using W can be messy... it's generally hidden unless you purposefully look for it (bad for team work), doesn't get preserved on export to other apps, and high W values can prevent selecting and/or welding UVs.


=== Mirroring ===
Normal maps can be mirrored across a model to create symmetrical details, and save UV space, which allows more detail in the normal map since the texture pixels are smaller on the model.

With [[#OSNM|object-space]] maps, mirroring requires [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=53986 specific shader support]. For [[#TSNM|tangent-space]] maps, mirroring typically creates a shading seam, but this can be reduced or hidden altogether, depending on the method used.


==== Typical Mirroring Workflow ====
# Delete the mesh half that will be mirrored.
# Arrange the UVs for the remaining model, filling the UV square.
# Mirror the model to create a "whole" mesh, welding the mesh vertices along the seam.
# Move the mirrored UVs exactly 1 unit (or any whole number) out of the 0-1 UV square.
# Bake the normal map.

Sometimes an artist will decide to delete half of a symmetrical model before baking.

This is a mistake however because often the vertex normals along the hole will bend towards the hole a bit; there are no faces on the other side to average the normals with. This will create a strong lighting seam in the normal map.

It's typically best to use the complete mirrored model to bake the normal map, not just the unique half.

To prevent the mirrored UVs from causing overlaps or baking errors, move the mirrored [[#UVC|UVs]] out of the 0-1 UV space, so only one copy of the non-mirrored UVs is left within the 0-1 square.

To avoid texel "leaks" between the UV shells, make sure there's enough [[Edge Padding]] around each shell, including along the edges of the normal map. None of the UV shells should be touching the edge of the 0-1 UV square, unless they're meant to tile with the other side of the map.


==== Center Mirroring ====
If the mirror seam runs along the surface of a continuous mesh, like down the center of a human face for example, then it will probably create a lighting seam.

In Epic Games' [http://www.unrealtechnology.com/technology.php Unreal Engine 3] (UE3) their symmetrical models commonly use centered mirroring. Epic uses materials that mix a [[DetailMap]] with the normal maps; these seem to scatter the diffuse/specular lighting and help minimize the obviousness of the mirror seams. For their [[Light Map]]ped models they use [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/LightMapUnwrapping.html a technique] that can almost completely hide the mirror seam.

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'''''[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showpost.php?p=573108&postcount=28 GOW2 normal map seams], [http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?p=27166791#post27166791 UDK normal map seams]'''''


==== Offset Mirroring ====
Offset mirroring is a method where you move the mirror seam off to one side of the model, so the seam doesn't run exactly down the center. For example with a character's head, the UV seam can go down along the side of the head in front of the ear. The UV shell for the nearest ear can then be mirrored to use the area on the other side of the head.

This avoids the "Rorschach" effect and allows non-symmetrical details, but it still saves texture space because the two sides of the head can be mirrored (they're never seen at the same time anyhow).

Offset mirroring doesn't get rid of the seam, but it does move it off to a place where it can either be less obvious, or where it can be hidden in a natural seam on the model.


==== Flat Color Mirroring ====
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=51088 Tutorial for painting out seams on mirrored tangent-space normal maps] by [http://www.warbeast.de/ warby] solves seams by painting a flat set of normals along the seam, using neutral blue (128,128,255). However it only works along horizontal or vertical UV seams, not across any angled UVs. It also removes any details along the mirror seam, creating blank areas.


==== Element Mirroring ====
The mirror seam can be avoided completely when it doesn't run directly through any mesh. For example if there's a detached mesh element that runs down the center of the model, this can be uniquely mapped, while the meshes on either side can be mirrors of each other. Whenever the mirrored parts don't share any vertex normals with the non-mirrored parts, there won't be any seams.

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<<Anchor([[SmoothingGroupsAndHardEdges]])>>
=== Smoothing Groups & Hard Edges ===
Each vertex in a mesh has at least one vertex normal. Vertex normals are used to control the direction a triangle will be lit from; if the normal is facing the light the triangle will be fully lit, if facing away from the light the triangle won't be lit.

Each vertex however can have more than one vertex normal. When two triangles have different vertex normals along their shared edge, this creates a shading seam, called a ''hard edge'' in most modeling tools. 3ds Max uses ''Smoothing Groups'' to create hard/soft edges, Maya uses ''Harden Edge'' and ''Soften Edge''. These tools create hard and soft edges by splitting and combining the vertex normals.

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When a mesh uses all soft normals (a single smoothing group) the lighting has to be interpolated across the extreme differences between the vertex normals. If your renderer doesn't support the same [[#TangentBasis|tangent basis]] that the baker uses, this can produce extreme shading differences across the model, which creates shading artifacts. It is generally best to reduce these extremes when you can because a mismatched renderer can only do so much to counteract it.

Hard edges are usually best where the model already has a natural seam. For example, you can add a hard edge along the rim of a car's wheel well, to prevent the inside of the wheel well from distorting the shading for the outside of the car body. Mechanical models usually need hard edges where ever the surface bends more than about 45 degrees.

For most meshes, the best results usually come from adding hard edges where ever there are UV seams. There are no hard rules however, you must experiment with different approaches to find what works best in your game.

When you use object-space normal maps the vertex normal problem goes away since you're no longer relying on the crude vertex normals of the mesh. An object-space normal map completely ignores vertex normals. Object-space mapping allows you to use all soft edges and no bevels on the low-res mesh, without showing lighting errors.


==== Hard Edge Discussions & Tutorials ====
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107196 You're making me hard. Making sense of hard edges, uvs, normal maps and vertex counts]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73593 Normal Maps: Can Somone Explain This "Black Edge" issue]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73566 Normal Maps: Can someone explain normals, tangents and split UVs?]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72861 3Point Shader Lite - Shader material editor and Quality Mode normalmaps for 3ds Max]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=68173 Why you should NOT trust 3ds Max's viewport normal-map display!]
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/10503-xsi-normal-mapped-cube-looks-bad.html XSI - normal mapped cube looks bad]
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/11924-weird-maya-normal-map-seam-artifact-problem-am-i-making-simple-mistake.html Weird Maya normal map seam/artifact problem]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1080600 Seams in Normals when Creating Tiling Environment Trims and other Tiles]
* The tutorial [http://www.svartberg.com/tutorials/article_normalmaps/normalmaps.html Normalmaps for the Technical Game Modeler] by [http://www.svartberg.com Ariel Chai] shows how low-poly smoothing can affect the normal map.
* The tutorial: [http://wiki.polycount.net/3D_Tutorials/Modeling_High-Low_Poly_Models_for_Next_Gen_Games Modeling High/Low Poly Models for Next Gen Games] by [http://www.acetylenegames.com/artbymasa/ João "Masakari" Costa] shows how smoothing affects raycasting.
* The [http://tech-artists.org/wiki/Beveling Beveling section on the Tech-Artists.Org Wiki] discusses the breaking of normals and smoothing groups in general terms.
* The two-part article [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html#wts Beautiful, Yet Friendly] by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/gprovost Guillaume Provost] explains how smoothing groups and other mesh attributes cause vertices to be duplicated in the game. The vertex count is actually what matters in the game, not the triangle count.
* The Crysis documentation [http://doc.crymod.com/AssetCreation/PolyBumpReference.html PolyBump Reference] has a section towards the bottom that shows how smoothing affects their baked normal maps.
* The polycount thread [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=60694 Toying around with normal map approaches] has a great discussion of how best to use smoothing groups and bevels for better shading.


==== Using Bevels ====
Bevels/chamfers generally improve the silhouette of the model, and can also help reflect specular highlights better.

However bevels tend to produce long thin triangles, which slow down the in-game rendering of your model. Real-time renderers have trouble rendering long thin triangles because they create a lot of sub-pixel areas to render.

Bevels also balloon the vertex count, which can increase the transform cost and memory usage. Hard edges increase the vertex count too, but not when the edge also shares a seam in UV space. For a good explanation of the vertex count issue, see [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html#wts Beautiful, Yet Friendly].

Using hard edges with matching UV shells tends to give better performance and better cosmetic results than using bevels. However there are differing opinions on this, see the Polycount thread "[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71760 Maya transfer maps help]".


==== Edited Vertex Normals ====
If you use bevels the shading will be improved by editing the vertex normals so the larger flat surfaces have perpendicular normals. The vertex normals are then forced to blend across the smaller bevel faces, instead of across the larger faces. See the Polycount thread [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=66139 Superspecular soft edges tutorial chapter 1].

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== Level of Detail Models ==
See [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1216945#post1216945 Problem if you're using 3point-style normals with an LOD].

<<Anchor([[ModelingTheHighPolyMesh]])>>
== Modeling The High-Poly Mesh ==
[[Subdivision Surface Modeling]] and [[DigitalSculpting]] are the techniques most often used for modeling a normal map.

Some artists prefer to model the in-game mesh first, other artists prefer to model the high-res mesh first, and others start somewhere in the middle. The modeling order is ultimately a personal choice though, all three methods can produce excellent results:
* Build the in-game model, then up-res it and sculpt it.
* Build and sculpt a high resolution model, then build a new in-game model around that.
* Build a basemesh model, up-res and sculpt it, then step down a few levels of detail and use that as a base for building a better in-game mesh.
If the in-game mesh is started from one of the subdivision levels of the basemesh sculpt, various edge loops can be collapsed or new edges can be cut to add/remove detail as necessary.


=== Sloped Extrusions ===
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=== Floating Geometry ===
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See also [[3DTutorials/Modeling High-Low Poly Models for Next Gen Games|Modeling High/Low Poly Models for Next Gen Games]] by [http://www.acetylenegames.com/artbymasa/ João "Masakari" Costa]


=== Edge Thickness ===
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=== mental ray Round Corners Bump ===
The mental ray renderer offers an automatic bevel rendering effect called Round Corners Bump that can be baked into a normal map. This is available in 3ds Max, Maya, and XSI. See [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71995 Zero Effort Beveling for normal maps] - by [http://boards.polycount.net/member.php?u=31662 Robert "r_fletch_r" Fletcher].

[http://jeffpatton.net/ Jeff Patton] posted about [http://jeffpatton.cgsociety.org/blog/archive/2007/10/ how to expose Round Corners Bump] in 3ds Max so you can use it in other materials.

[http://cryrid.com/art/ Michael "cryrid" Taylor] posted a tutorial about how to use [http://cryrid.com/images/temp/XSI/zeroeffort_bevels.jpg Round Corners in XSI].

XSI is able to bake a good normal map with it, but 3ds Max seems to bake it incorrectly, and Maya isn't able to bake the effect at all. Maybe Max might be able to bake it correctly, if the .mi shader is edited to use the correct coordinate space?


== Baking ==
The process of transferring normals from the high-res model to the in-game model is often called baking. The baking tool usually starts projecting a certain numerical distance out from the low-poly mesh, and sends rays inwards towards the high-poly mesh. When a ray intersects the high-poly mesh, it records the mesh's surface normal and saves it in the normal map.

To get an understanding of how all the options affect your normal map, do some test bakes on simple meshes like boxes. They generate quickly so you can experiment with [[#UVCoordinates|UV mirroring]], [[#SGAHE|smoothing groups]], etc. This helps you learn the settings that really matter.
* The tutorial [http://wiki.polycount.net/3D_Tutorials/Modeling_High-Low_Poly_Models_for_Next_Gen_Games Modeling High/Low Poly Models for Next Gen Games] by [http://www.acetylenegames.com/artbymasa/ João "Masakari" Costa] has more examples of ray-casting, plus how to get better results from the bake.

Baking sub-sections:
# [[#Anti-Aliasing|Anti-Aliasing]]
# [[#Baking_Transparency|Baking Transparency]]
# [[#Edge_Padding|Edge Padding]]
# [[#High_Poly_Materials|High Poly Materials]]
# [[#Reset_Transforms|Reset Transforms]]
# [[#Solving_Intersections|Solving Intersections]]
# [[#Solving_Pixel_Artifacts|Solving Pixel Artifacts]]
# [[#Solving_Wavy_Lines|Solving Wavy Lines]]
# [[#Triangulating|Triangulating]]
# [[#Working_with_Cages|Working with Cages]]

<<Anchor([[AntiAliasing]])>>
=== Anti-Aliasing ===
Turning on super-sampling or anti-aliasing (or whatever multi-ray casting is called in your normal map baking tool) will help to fix any jagged edges where the high-res model overlaps itself within the UV borders of the low-poly mesh, or wherever the background shows through holes in the mesh. Unfortunately this tends to render much much slower, and takes more memory.

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One trick to speed this up is to render 2x the intended image size then scale the normal map down 1/2 in a paint program like Photoshop. The reduction's pixel resampling will add anti-aliasing for you in a very quick process. After scaling, make sure to re-normalize the map if your game doesn't do that already, because the un-normalized pixels in your normalmap may cause pixelly artifacts in your specular highlights. Re-normalizing can be done with [http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop NVIDIA's normal map filter] for Photoshop.

3ds Max's supersampling doesn't work nicely with edge padding, it produces dark streaks in the padded pixels. If so then turn off padding and re-do the padding later, either by re-baking without supersampling or by using a Photoshop filter like the one that comes with [[#3DTools|Xnormal]].

<<Anchor([[BakingTransparency]])>>
=== Baking Transparency ===
Sometimes you need to bake a normal map from an object that uses opacity maps, like a branch with opacity-mapped leaves. Unfortunately baking apps often completely ignore any transparency mapping on your high-poly mesh.
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To solve this, render a Top view of the mesh. This only works if you're using a planar UV projection for your low-poly mesh and you're baking a tangent-space normal map.

* Make sure the Top view matches the dimensions of the planar UV projection used by the low-poly mesh. It helps to use an orthographic camera for precise placement.
* On the high-poly mesh either use a specific lighting setup or a use special material shader:
* 1) The lighting setup is described in these tutorials:
* * [http://www.bencloward.com/tutorials_normal_maps11.shtml Creating A Normal Map Right In Your 3D App] by [http://www.bencloward.com/ Ben Cloward]
* *[http://www.pinwire.com/articles/26/1/Generating-High-Fidelity-Normal-Maps-with-3-D-Software.html Generating High Fidelity Normal Maps with 3-D Software] by [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/277/4AB Dave McCoy], Graphics Techniques Consultant, Xbox Content and Design Team
* 2) The material shader does the same thing, but doesn't require lights.
* * [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/normaltexmap NormalTexMap] scripted map for 3ds Max by [http://www.scriptspot.com/users/dave-locke Dave Locke].
* * [http://www.footools.com/3dsmax_plugins.html InfoTexture] map plugin for 3ds Max by [http://www.footools.com John Burnett]
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<<Anchor([[EdgePadding]])>>
=== Edge Padding ===
If a normal map doesn't have enough [[Edge Padding]], this will create shading seams on the UV borders.

=== High Poly Materials ===
3ds Max will not bake a normal map properly if the high-res model has a mental ray Arch & Design material applied. If your normal map comes out mostly blank, either use a Standard material or none at all. For an example see the Polycount thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74792 Render to Texture >:O].


=== Reset Transforms ===
Before baking, make sure your low-poly model's transforms have been reset. '''''This is very important!''''' Often during the modeling process a model will be rotated and scaled, but these compounded transforms can create a messy local "space" for the model, which in turn often creates rendering errors for normal maps.

In 3ds Max, use the Reset Xforms utility then Collapse the Modifier Stack. In Maya use Freeze Transformation. In XSI use the Freeze button.

<<Anchor([[SolvingIntersections]])>>
=== Solving Intersections ===
The projection process often causes problems like misses, or overlaps, or intersections. It can be difficult generating a clean normal map in areas where the high-poly mesh intersects or nearly intersects itself, like in between the fingers of a hand. Setting the ray distance too large will make the baker pick the other finger as the source normal, while setting the ray distance too small will lead to problems at other places on the mesh where the distances between in-game mesh and high-poly mesh are greater.

Fortunately there are several methods for solving these problems.

# Change the shape of the cage. Manually edit points on the projection cage to help solve tight bits like the gaps between fingers.
# Limit the projection to matching materials, or matching UVs.
# Explode the meshes. See the polycount thread [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=62921 Explode script needed (for baking purposes)].
# Bake two or more times using different cage sizes, and combine them in Photoshop.

<<Anchor([[SolvingPixelArtifacts]])>>
=== Solving Pixel Artifacts ===
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If you are using 3ds Max's ''Render To Texture'' to bake from one UV layout to another, you may see stray pixels scattered across the bake. This only happens if you are using a copy of the original mesh in the Projection, and that mesh is using a different UV channel than the original mesh.

There are two solutions for this:

* Add a Push modifier to the copied mesh, and set it to a low value like 0.01.
- or -

* Turn off ''Filter Maps'' in the render settings (Rendering menu > Render Setup > Renderer tab > uncheck Filter Maps). To prevent aliasing you may want to enable the Global Supersampler in Render Setup.

See also [[#Anti-Aliasing]].

<<Anchor([[SolvingWavyLines]])>>
=== Solving Wavy Lines ===
When capturing from a cylindrical shape, often the differences between the low-poly mesh and the high-poly mesh will create a wavy edge in the normal map. There are a couple ways to avoid this:

# The best way... create your lowpoly model with better supporting edges. See the Polycount threads [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81154 Understanding averaged normals and ray projection/Who put waviness in my normal map?], [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=55754 approach to techy stuff], [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72713 Any tips for normal mapping curved surface?].
# Adjust the shape of the cage to influence the directions the rays will be cast. Beware... this work will have to be re-done every time you edit the lowpoly mesh, as the cage will be invalidated. At the bottom of [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/normal_workflow_2.htm this page of his normal map tutorial], [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] shows how to do this in 3ds Max. Same method can be seen in the image below.
# Subdivide the low-res mesh so it more closely matches the high-res mesh. Beware... this will cause the normal map not to match your lowpoly vertex normals, probably causing shading errors. [http://www.custom-airbrush.com/ Jeff "airbrush" Ross] has a [http://dodownload.filefront.com/9086954//72f71c0147df53765045a22253c18361a29a6d532425842007ead644d39cbb85d0794ab560365cfa video tutorial] that shows how to do this in Maya.
# Paint out the wavy line. Beware... this work will have to be re-done every time you re-bake the normal map. The [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/normal_workflow_3.htm normal map process tutorial] by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] includes an example of painting out wavy lines in a baked normal map.
# Use a separate planar-projected mesh for the details that wrap around the barrel area, so the ray-casting is more even. Beware... this will cause the normal map not to match your lowpoly vertex normals, probably causing shading errors. For example to add tread around a tire, the tread can be baked from a tread model that is laid out flat, then that bake can layered onto the bake from the cylindrical tire mesh in a paint program.

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=== Triangulating ===
Before baking, it is usually best to triangulate the low-poly model, converting it from polygons into pure triangles. This prevents the vertex normals from being changed later on, which can create specular artifacts.

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Sometimes a baking tool or a mesh exporter/importer will re-triangulate the polygons. A quad polygon is actually treated as two triangles, and the internal edge between them is often switched diagonally during modeling operations. When the vertices of the quad are moved around in certain shapes, the software's algorithm for polygon models tries to keep the quad surface in a "rational" non-overlapping shape. It does this by switching the internal edge between its triangles.

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<<Anchor([[WorkingWithCages]])>>
=== Working with Cages ===
''Cage'' has two meanings in the normal-mapping process: a low-poly base for [[subdivision surface modeling]] (usually called the [[DigitalSculpting#BM|basemesh]]), or a ray-casting mesh used for normal map baking. This section covers the ray-casting cage.

Most normal map baking tools allow you to use a distance-based raycast. A ray is sent outwards along each vertex normal, then at the distance you set a ray is cast back inwards. Where ever that ray intersects the high poly mesh, it will sample the normals from it.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:NormalMap$Normalmap_raycasting_1.jpg]]
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| Hard edges and a distance-based raycast (gray areas) cause ray misses (yellow) and ray overlaps (cyan).< >image by[http://www.mankua.com/ Diego Castaño]
|}

Unfortunately with a distance-based raycast, [[#SGAHE|split vertex normals]] will cause the bake to miss parts of the high-res mesh, causing errors and seams.

Some software allows you to use ''cage mesh'' option instead, which basically inflates a copy of the low-poly mesh, then raycasts inwards from each vertex. This ballooned-out mesh is the cage.

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In 3ds Max the cage controls both the distance and the direction of the raycasting.

In Maya the cage only controls the distance; the ray direction matches the vertex normals (inverted).

 This may have been fixed in the latest release...< >
In Xnormal the cage is split everywhere the model has [[#SGAHE|hard edges]], causing ray misses in the bake. You can fix the hard edge split problem but it involves an overly complex workflow. You must also repeat the whole process any time you change your mesh:
# <s> Load the 3d viewer.</s>
# <s> Turn on the cage editing tools.</s>
# <s> Select all of the vertices.</s>
# <s> Weld all vertices.</s>
# <s> Expand the cage as you normally would.</s>
# <s> Save out your mesh using the Xnormal format.</s>
# <s> Make sure Xnormal is loading the correct mesh.</s>


== Painting ==
Don't be afraid to edit normal maps in Photoshop. After all it is just a texture, so you can clone, blur, copy, blend all you want... as long as it looks good of course. Some understanding of [[#RGBChannels|the way colors work]] in normal maps will go a long way in helping you paint effectively.

A normal map sampled from a high-poly mesh will nearly always be better than one sampled from a texture, since you're actually grabbing "proper" normals from an accurate, highly detailed surface. That means your normal map's pixels will basically be recreating the surface angles of your high-poly mesh, resulting in a very believable look.

If you only convert an image into a normal-map, it can look very flat, and in some cases it can be completely wrong unless you're very careful about your value ranges. Most image conversion tools assume the input is a heightmap, where black is low and white is high. If you try to convert a diffuse texture that you've painted, the results are often very poor. Often the best results are obtained by baking the large and mid-level details from a high-poly mesh, and then combined with photo-sourced "fine detail" normals for surface details such as fabric weave, scratches and grain.

Sometimes creating a high poly surface takes more time than your budget allows. For character or significant environment assets then that is the best route, but for less significant environment surfaces working from a heightmap-based texture will provide a good enough result for a much less commitment in time.

* [http://crazybump.com/ CrazyBump] is a commercial normal map converter.
* [http://www.renderingsystems.com/support/showthread.php?tid=3 ShaderMap] is a commercial normal map converter.
* [http://www.pixplant.com/ PixPlant] is a commercial normal map converter.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=68860 NJob] is a free normal map converter.
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop NVIDIA normalmap filter for Photoshop] is a free normal map converter.
* [http://xnormal.net Xnormal height-to-normals filter for Photoshop] is a free normal map converter.
* [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/normal_workflow_3.htm Normal map process tutorial] by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] includes an example of painting out wavy lines in a baked normal map.

=== Flat Color ===
The color (128,128,255) creates normals that are completely perpendicular to the polygon, as long as the vertex normals are also perpendicular. Remember a normal map's per-pixel normals create ''offsets'' from the vertex normals. If you want an area in the normal map to be flat, so it creates no offsets from the vertex normals, then use the color (128,128,255).

This becomes especially obvious when [[#Mirroring|mirroring a normal map]] and using a shader with a reflection ingredient. Reflection tends to accentuate the angles between the normals, so any errors become much more apparent.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:normalmap_127seam.jpg|Media:NormalMap/attachments/normalmap_127seam.jpg
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In a purely logical way, 127 seems like it would be the halfway point between 0 and 255. However 128 is the color that actually works in practice. When a test is done comparing (127,127,255) versus (128,128,255) it becomes obvious that 127 creates a slightly bent normal, and 128 creates a flat one.

This is because most game pipelines use ''unsigned'' normal maps. For details see the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=771360&postcount=22 tutorial: fixing mirrored normal map seams].

<<Anchor([[BlendingNormalMapsTogether]])>>
=== Blending Normal Maps Together ===
Blending normal maps together is a quick way to add high-frequency detail like wrinkles, cracks, and the like. Fine details can be painted as a height map, then it can be converted into a normal map using one of the normal map tools. Then this "details" normal map can be blended with a geometry-derived normal map using one of the methods below.

Here is a comparison of four of the blending methods. Note that in these examples the default values were used for CrazyBump (Intensity 50, Strength 33, Strength 33), but the tool allows each layer's strength to be adjusted individually for stronger or milder results. Each of the normal maps below were [[#Renormalizing|re-normalized]] after blending.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:NormalMap$nrmlmap_blending_methods_Maps.png}}
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| The blended normal maps.< >image by[http://www.ericchadwick.com Eric Chadwick]
|}

The four blending methods used above:
# [http://www.crazybump.com CrazyBump] by Ryan Clark blends normal maps together using calculations in 3D space rather than just in 2D. This does probably the best job at preserving details, and each layer's strength settings can be tweaked individually.
# [http://www.rodgreen.com/?p=4 Combining Normal Maps in Photoshop] by Rod Green blends normal maps together using Linear Dodge mode for the positive values and Difference mode for the negative values, along with a Photoshop Action to simplify the process. It's free, but the results may be less accurate than CrazyBump.
# [http://www.paultosca.com/makingofvarga.html Making of Varga] by [http://www.paultosca.com/ Paul "paultosca" Tosca] blends normal maps together using Overlay mode for the red and green channels and Multiply mode for the blue channel. This gives a slightly stronger bump than the Overlay-only method. [http://www.leocov.com/ Leo "chronic" Covarrubias] has a step-by-step tutorial for this method in [http://www.cgbootcamp.com/tutorials/2009/12/9/photoshop-combine-normal-maps.html CG Bootcamp Combine Normal Maps].
# [[3DTutorials/Normal Map Deepening|Normal Map Deepening]] by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] shows how to blend normal maps together using Overlay mode. [http://cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=normalmap CGTextures tutorial for the NVIDIA Photoshop filter] by [http://hirezstudios.com/ Scott Warren] also shows how to create normalmaps using multiple layers (Note: to work with the Overlay blend mode each layer's Output Level should be 128 instead of 255, you can use the Levels tool for this).

The [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69615 Getting good height from Nvidia-filter normalizing grayscale height] thread on the Polycount forum has a discussion of different painting/blending options. Also see the [[#2DT|2D Tools]] section for painting and conversion tools.


=== Pre-Created Templates ===
A library of shapes can be developed and stored for later use, to save creation time for future normal maps. Things like screws, ports, pipes, and other doo-dads. These shapes can be stored as bitmaps with transparency so they can be layered into baked normal maps.

* [http://www.beautifulrobot.com/?p=69 Creating & Using NormalMap "Widgets"] - by ''[http://www.beautifulrobot.com Steev "kobra" Kelly]''< > How to set up and render template objects.
* [http://www.akramparvez.com/portfolio/scripts/normalmap-widget-for-3ds-max/ NormalMap Widget for 3ds Max] - by ''[http://www.akramparvez.com Akram Parvez]''< >A script to automate the setup and rendering process.
* See the section [[#BT|Baking Transparency]] for more template-rendering tools and tutorials.


=== Re-normalizing ===
Re-normalizing means resetting the length of each normal in the map to 1.

A normal mapping shader takes the three color channels of a normal map and combines them to create the direction and length of each pixel's normal. These normals are then used to apply the scene lighting to the mesh. However if you edit normal maps by hand or if you blend multiple normal maps together this can cause those lengths to change. Most shaders expect the length of the normals to always be 1 (normalized), but some are written to re-normalize the normal map dynamically (for example, 3ds Max's Hardware Shaders do re-normalize).

If the normals in your normal map are not normalized, and your shader doesn't re-normalize them either, then you may see artifacts on the shaded surface... the specular highlight may speckle like crazy, the surface may get patches of odd shadowing, etc. To help you avoid this NVIDIA's normal map filter for Photoshop provides an easy way to re-normalize a map after editing; just use the '''Normalize Only''' option. [http://xnormal.net Xnormal] also comes with a Normalize filter for Photoshop.
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Some shaders use [[#NormalMapCompression|compressed normal maps]]. Usually this means the blue channel is thrown away completely, so it's recalculated on-the-fly in the shader. However the shader has to re-normalize in order to recreate that data, so any custom normal lengths that were edited into the map will be ignored completely.


=== Ambient Occlusion into a Normal Map ===
If the shader doesn't re-normalize the normal map, an [[Ambient Occlusion Map]] can actually be baked into the normal map. This will shorten the normals in the crevices of the surface, causing the surface to receive less light there. This works with both diffuse and specular, or any other pass that uses the normal map, like reflection.

However it's usually best to keep the AO as a separate map (or in an alpha channel) and multiply it against the ambient lighting only. This is usually done with a custom [[Category:Shaders|shader]]. If you multiply it against the diffuse map or normal map then it also occludes diffuse lighting which can make the model look dirty. Ambient occlusion is best when it occludes ambient lighting only, for example a [[DiffuselyConvolvedCubeMap|diffusely convolved cubemap]].

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To bake the AO into a normal map, adjust the levels of the AO layer first so the darks only go as low as 128 gray, then set the AO layer to Darken mode. This will shorten the normals in the normalmap, causing the surface to receive less light in the darker areas.

This trick doesn't work with any shaders that re-normalize, like 3ds Max's Hardware Shaders. The shader must be altered to actually use the lengths of your custom normals; most shaders just assume all normals are 1 in length because this makes the shader code simpler. Also this trick will not work with most of the common [[#NormalMapCompression|normal map compression formats]], which often discard the blue channel and recalculate it in the shader, which requires re-normalization.

<<Anchor([[BacklightingExample]])>>
=== Back Lighting Example ===
You can customize normal maps for some interesting effects. If you invert the blue channel of a tangent-space map, the normals will be pointing to the opposite side of the surface, which can simulate backlighting.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:NormalMap$tree_front.jpg]]
|-
| Tree simulating subsurface scattering (front view).< >image by[http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericchadwick Eric Chadwick]
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|-
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The tree leaves use a shader than adds together two diffuse maps, one using a regular tangent-space normal map, the other using the same normal map but with the blue channel inverted. This causes the diffuse map using the regular normal map to only get lit on the side facing the light (front view), while the diffuse map using the inverted normal map only gets lit on the opposite side of the leaves (back view). The leaf geometry is 2-sided but uses the same shader on both sides, so the effect works no matter the lighting angle. As an added bonus, because the tree is self-shadowing the leaves in shadow do not receive direct lighting, which means their backsides do not show the inverted normal map, so the fake subsurface scatter effect only appears where the light directly hits the leaves. This wouldn't work for a whole forest because of the computational cost of self-shadowing and double normal maps, but could be useful for a single "star" asset, or if LODs switched the distant trees to a model that uses a cheaper shader.

<<Anchor([[ShadersAndSeams]])>>
== Shaders and Seams ==
You need to use the right kind of shader to avoid seeing seams where UV breaks occur. It must be written to use the same [[#TangentBasis|tangent basis]] that was used during baking. If the shader doesn't, the lighting will either be inconsistent across UV borders or it will show smoothing errors from the low-poly vertex normals.

Xnormal generates accurate normals when displayed in Xnormal, and the SDK includes a method to write your own custom tangent space generator for the tool.


=== 3ds Max Shaders ===
The "Render To Texture" tool in 3ds Max 2011 and older generates [[#TSNM|tangent-space]] normal maps that render correctly in the offline renderer (scanline) but do not render correctly in the realtime viewport with the 3ds Max shaders. Max is using a different [[#TangentBasis|tangent basis]] for each. This is readily apparent when creating non-organic hard surface normalmaps; smoothing errors appear in the viewport that do not appear when rendered.

The errors can be fixed by using "Render To Texture" to bake a [[#TSNM|tangent-space]] or [[#OSNM|object-space]] map, and using the free [http://www.3pointstudios.com/3pointshader_about.shtml "3Point Shader"] by Christoph '[[CrazyButcher]]' Kubisch and Per 'perna' Abrahamsen. The shader uses the same tangent basis as the baking tool, so it produces nearly flawless results. It also works with old bakes.

You can get OK results in the Max viewport using a tangent-space map baked in Maya, loading it in a Standard material, and enabling "Show Hardware Map in Viewport". Another method is to use Render To Texture to bake an [[#OSNM|object-space]] map then use [[#CBS|Nspace]] to convert it into a tangent-space map then load that in a DirectX material and use the RTTNormalMap.fx shader.

Autodesk is aware of these issues, and plans to address them in an upcoming release. See these links for more information:
* Christoph "[[CrazyButcher]]" Kubisch and Per "perna" Abrahamsen designed a shader/modifier combination approach that fixes the viewport problem, see the Polycount forum post [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72861 3Point Shader Lite - Shader material editor and Quality Mode normalmaps for 3ds Max].
* Jean-Francois "jfyelle" Yelle, Autodesk Media & Entertainment Technical Product Manager, has [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1115812#post1115812 this post].
* Ben Cloward posted [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=1100270#post1100270 workarounds and FX code].
* Christopher "cdiggins" Diggins, SDK writer for 3ds Max, shares some of the SDK code in his blog posts "[http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/chris/how_the_3ds_max_scanline_renderer_computes_tangent_and_binormal_vectors_for_normal_mapping How the 3ds Max Scanline Renderer Computes Tangent and Binormal Vectors for Normal Mapping]" and "[http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/chris/3ds_max_normal_map_baking_and_face_angle_weighting_the_plot_thickens 3ds Max Normal Map Baking and Face Angle Weighting: The Plot Thickens]".

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{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Image:NormalMap$max2010_normalmap_workarounds_thumb.png]]
|-
| Viewport methods in 3ds Max 2010.< >[[attachment:max2010_normalmap_workarounds.png|Actual size]]< >image by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericchadwick Eric Chadwick]
|}


=== 3ds Max Edit Normals Trick ===
After baking, if you add an Edit Normals modifier to your low-poly normalmapped model, this seems to "relax" the vertex normals for more accurate viewport shading. The modifier can be collapsed if desired.


=== Maya Shaders ===
Maya seems to correctly generate normals to view in realtime, with the correct [[#TangentBasis|tangent basis]], with much less smoothing errors than 3ds Max.
* [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/shader.php BRDF shader] by [http://www.mentalwarp.com/~brice/ Brice Vandemoortele] and [http://www.kjapi.com/ Cedric Caillaud] (more info in [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=49920 this Polycount thread]) '''Update:''' [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=821862#post821862 New version here] with many updates, including object-space normal maps, relief mapping, self-shadowing, etc. Make sure you enable cgFX shaders in the Maya plugin manager, then you can create them in the same way you create a Lambert, Phong etc. Switch OFF high quality rendering in the viewports to see them correctly too.
* If you want to use the software renderer, use mental ray instead of Maya's software renderer because mental ray correctly interprets tangent space normals. The Maya renderer treats the normal map as a grayscale bump map, giving nasty results. Mental ray supports Maya's Phong shader just fine (amongst others), although it won't recognise a gloss map plugged into the "cosine power" slot. The slider still works though, if you don't mind having a uniform value for gloss. Spec maps work fine though. Just use the same set up as you would for viewport rendering. You'll need to have your textures saved as TGAs or similar for mental ray to work though. - from [http://boards.polycount.net/member.php?u=14235 CheeseOnToast]
<<Anchor([[NormalMapCompression]])>>


== Normal Map Compression ==
Normal maps can take up a lot of memory. Compression can reduce the size of a map to 1/4 of what it was uncompressed, which means you can either increase the resolution or you can use more maps.

Usually the compression method is to throw away the Blue channel, because this can be re-computing at minimal cost in the shader code. Then the bitmap only has to store two color channels, instead of four (red, green, blue, and alpha).

* The article [http://developer.download.nvidia.com/whitepapers/2008/real-time-normal-map-dxt-compression.pdf Real-Time Normal Map DXT Compression] (PDF) from [http://www.idsoftware.com/ id software] and [http://developer.nvidia.com NVIDIA] is an excellent introduction to compression.


=== DXT5nm Compression ===
DXT5nm is the same file format as DXT5 except before compression the red channel is moved into the alpha channel, the green channel is left as-is, and the red and blue channels are blanked with the same solid color. This re-arranging of the normal map axes is called ''swizzling''.

The Green and Alpha channels are used because in the DXT format they are compressed using somewhat higher bit depths than the Red and Blue channels. Red and Blue have to be filled with the same solid color because DXT uses a compression system that compares differences between the three color channels. If you try to store some kind of texture in Red and/or Blue (specular power, height map, etc.) then the compressor will create more compression artifacts because it has to compare all three channels.

There are some options in the NVIDIA DXT compressor that help reduce the artifacts if you want to add texture to the Red or Blue channels. The artifacts will be greater than if you keep Red and Blue empty, but it might be a tradeoff worth making. Some notes about this on the [http://developer.nvidia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1366 NVIDIA Developer Forums].


=== DXT1 Compression ===
DXT1 is also used sometimes for tangent-space normal maps, because it is half the size of a DXT5. The downside though is that it causes many more compression artifacts, so much so that most people end up not using it.

* The blog post [http://realtimecollisiondetection.net/blog/?p=28#more-28 I like spilled beans!] by [http://realtimecollisiondetection.net/blog/?page_id=2 Christer Ericson] has a section about Capcom's clever use of DXT1 and DXT5.


=== 3Dc Compression ===
3Dc compression is also known as BC5 in DirectX 10. It works similar to DXT5nm, because it only stores the X and Y channels. The difference is it stores both the same way as the DXT5 Alpha channel, which is a slightly higher bit depth than DXT5nm's Green channel. 3Dc yields the best results of any listed algorithm for tangent space normal map compression, and requires no extra processing time or unique hardware. See [[3Dc]] for more information.


=== [[A8L8]] Compression ===
The DDS format !A8L8 isn't actually compressed, it's just two 8bit grayscale channels (256 grays each). It does save you from having to store all three color channels. Your shader has to recompute the blue channel for it to work. However, !A8L8 does not actually save any space in texture memory, it is typically converted to a four-channel 32bit texture when it's sent to the card. This format really only helps save disk space.


== Links ==

=== Related Pages ===
* [[CurvatureMap]]
* [[DuDvMap]]
* [[FlowMap]]
* [[NormalMap]]
* [[RadiosityNormalMap]]
* [[VectorDisplacementMap]]

 
=== 3D Tools ===
See [[Category:Tools#A3D_Normal_Map_Software|Category:Tools#3D_Normal_Map_Software]]


=== 2D Tools ===
See [[Category:Tools#A2D_Normal_Map_Software|Category:Tools#2D_Normal_Map_Software]]


=== Tutorials ===
* [http://area.autodesk.com/userdata/fckdata/239955/The%20Generation%20and%20Display%20of%20Normal%20Maps%20in%203ds%20Max.pdf The Generation and Display of Normal Maps in 3ds Max] (500kb PDF) < > Excellent whitepaper from Autodesk about normal mapping in 3ds Max and other apps.
* [http://www.katsbits.com/htm/tutorials/blender-baking-normal-maps-from-models.htm Renderbump and baking normal maps from high poly models using Blender 3D] by ''[http://www.katsbits.com/htm/about.htm "katsbits"]''< >Baking normal maps in Blender.
* [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/CreatingNormalMaps.html Techniques for Creating Normal Maps] in the Unreal Developer Network's [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/WebHome.html Unreal Engine 3 section] contains advice from [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] artists on creating normal maps for UE3. The [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DesignWorkflow.html#Creating%20normal%20maps%20from%20meshes Design Workflow page] has a summary.
* [http://www.iddevnet.com/quake4/ArtReference_CreatingModels#head-3400c230e92ff7d57424b2a68f6e0ea75dee4afa Creating Models in Quake 4] by [http://www.ravensoft.com/ Raven Software] is a comprehensive guide to creating Quake 4 characters.
* [http://www.svartberg.com/tutorials/article_normalmaps/normalmaps.html Normalmaps for the Technical Game Modeler] by [http://www.svartberg.com Ariel Chai] shows how low-poly smoothing and UVs can affect normal maps in Doom 3.
* [http://wiki.polycount.net/3D_Tutorials/Modeling_High-Low_Poly_Models_for_Next_Gen_Games Modeling High/Low Poly Models for Next Gen Games] by [http://www.acetylenegames.com/artbymasa/ João "Masakari" Costa] is an overview of modeling for normal maps.
* The [http://tech-artists.org/wiki/Beveling Beveling section on the Tech-Artists.Org Wiki] discusses how smoothing groups and bevels affect the topology of the low-poly model.
* The two-part article [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html#wts Beautiful, Yet Friendly] by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/gprovost Guillaume Provost] explains how smoothing groups and other mesh attributes cause vertices to be duplicated in the game. The vertex count is actually what matters in-game, not the triangle or poly count.
* [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/normal_workflow_2.htm Normal map workflow] by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] demonstrates his normal mapping workflow in 3ds Max and Photoshop.
* [http://dodownload.filefront.com/9086954//72f71c0147df53765045a22253c18361a29a6d532425842007ead644d39cbb85d0794ab560365cfa This video tutorial] by [http://www.custom-airbrush.com/ Jeff "airbrush" Ross] shows in Maya how to subdivide the low-poly mesh so it more closely matches the high-poly mesh, to help solve wavy lines in the bake.
* [http://www.bencloward.com/tutorials_normal_maps1.shtml Normal Mapping Tutorial] by [http://www.bencloward.com/ Ben Cloward] is a comprehensive tutorial about the entire normal map creation process.
* [http://www.pinwire.com/articles/26/1/Generating-High-Fidelity-Normal-Maps-with-3-D-Software.html Generating High Fidelity Normal Maps with 3-D Software] by [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/277/4AB Dave McCoy] shows how to use a special lighting setup to render normal maps (instead of baking them).
* [http://cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=normalmap Tutorial for the NVIDIA Photoshop filter] by [http://hirezstudios.com/ Scott Warren] shows how to create deep normal maps using multiple layers. Note: to use Overlay blend mode properly, make sure to change each layer's Levels ''Output Level'' to 128 instead of 255.
* [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/normalmap_deepening.jpg Normalmap Deepening] by [http://www.poopinmymouth.com/ Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis] shows how to adjust normal maps, and how to layer together painted and baked normal maps.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=51088 Tutorial for painting out seams on mirrored tangent-space normal maps] by [http://www.warbeast.de/ warby] helps to solve seams along horizontal or vertical UV edges, but not across angled UVs.
* [http://planetpixelemporium.com/tutorialpages/normal.html Cinema 4D and Normal Maps For Games] by [http://planetpixelemporium.com/index.php James Hastings-Trew] describes normal maps in plain language, with tips on creating them in Cinema 4D.
* [http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=39&t=359082 3ds Max normal mapping overview] by [http://www.alan-noon.com/ Alan Noon] is a great thread on CGTalk about the normal mapping process.
* [http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=46&t=373024 Hard Surface Texture Painting] by [http://stefan-morrell.cgsociety.org/gallery/ Stefan Morrell] is a good introduction to painting textures for metal surfaces.


=== Discussion ===
[http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?p=820218 Discuss this page on the Polycount forums]. Suggestions welcome.

Even though only one person has been editing this page so far, the information here was gathered from many different sources. We wish to thank all the contributors for their hard-earned knowledge. It is much appreciated! [http://wiki.polycount.net {{http://boards.polycount.net/images/smilies/pcount/icons/smokin.gif}}]

----
[[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:TextureTypes]] [[Category:BumpMap]]

Category:Lighting

2014-08-04T07:36:56Z

Cheeseplus:

Topics about lighting in games.

== Lighting Theory ==
* [[Image:lighting_marmoset.png]]
[http://www.marmoset.co/toolbag/learn/character-lighting Character Lighting Tutorial - Marmoset] by ''[http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson]''

* [[Image:lighting_vickery.png]]
[http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/185/Practical-Light-and-Color Practical Light and Color] ($) by ''Jeremy Vickery'' - video by a lighting artist at Pixar

* [[Image:lighting_yotbook.png]]
[http://www.amazon.com/Light-Visual-Artists-Understanding-Design/dp/185669660X/ Light for Visual Artists: Understanding & Using Light in Art & Design] ($) by ''Richard Yot''

* [[Image:lighting_gurney.png]]
[http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter] ($) by ''James Gurney'' - lighting from a painter's perspective, lavishly illustrated.

* [[Image:lighting_alton.png]]
[http://www.amazon.com/Painting-With-Light-John-Alton/dp/0520275845/ Painting With Light] ($) by ''John Alton'' - cinematographer's guide to lighting.

* [[Image:lighting_birn.png]]
[http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Lighting-Rendering-2nd-Edition/dp/0321316312 Digital Lighting and Rendering] ($) by ''Jeremy Birn'' - digital artist's guide to lighting.

* [[Image:lighting_dejong.png]]
[http://www.scribd.com/doc/4063526/Pages-From-TheHowsAndWhysOfLevelDesignSE-Lighting The Hows and Whys of Level Design - Lighting] ($) by ''[http://www.hourences.com Sjoerd 'hourences' De Jong]''

* [[Image:lighting_price.png]]
[http://youtu.be/Qj1FK8n7WgY Understanding Color] by ''Andrew Price'' - video by a Blender artist, see also [http://www.blenderguru.com/videos/understanding-colors/ the web page version].

* [[Image:lighting_richardyot.png]]
[http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm LIGHT - a detailed tutorial] by ''[http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk Richard Yot]''

* [[Image:lighting_advlightakram.png]]
[http://warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm Advanced Lighting Techniques] by ''[http://warpedspace.org Amaan Akram]''

* [[Image:lighting_dygert.png]]
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51209 Lighting Basics and You...] thread on the Polycount Forum.

* [[Image:lighting_3pointbirn.png]]
[http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html Three-Point Lighting for 3D Renderings] by ''[http://www.3drender.com Jeremy Birn]''

* [[Image:lighting_lightbeam.png]]
[http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VolumetricLightbeamTutorial.html UDK Volumetric Light Beam Tutorial] by ''Epic Games''

* [[Image:lighting_psgarttutorial.png]]
[http://androidarts.com/art_tut.htm#light_stuff PSG Art tutorial] by ''Arne Niklas Jansson''

== Wiki Pages ==
* [[:Category:Rendering]]
* [[:Category:Shaders]]
* [[Concept_Fundamentals#Painting_Fundamentals| Painting Fundamentals]]
* [[AmbientOcclusionVertexColor]]
* [[SmoothingGroups]]
* [[VertexNormal]]

[[Category:Discipline]]

Concept Fundamentals

2014-08-04T07:27:38Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "Links and pages about the basics of concept drawing and painting. == Painting Fundamentals == Image:ctrlpaint.png[http://www.ctrlpaint.com/digital-painting-101/ ctrl+Pai..."

Links and pages about the basics of concept drawing and painting.

== Painting Fundamentals ==

[[Image:ctrlpaint.png]][http://www.ctrlpaint.com/digital-painting-101/ ctrl+Paint - Digital Painting Simplified - Digital Painting 101] - by ''[http://www.mattkohr.com Matt Kohr]''
"Working in the game industry under tight deadlines forced me to come up with a dependable photoshop workflow. Ctrl+Paint is my attempt to organize these findings into clear, concise videos to share with the community."

[[Image:2dtut_thumbwar.png]][http://www.autodestruct.com/thumbwar.htm THUMB WAR : Design Iteration Combat Simulation] - by ''[http://www.autodestruct.com/about.htm Paul Richards]''
Concept art fundamentals.

[[Image:2dtut_psgarttutorial.png]][http://androidarts.com/art_tut.htm PSG Art Tutorial] - by ''[http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/ Arne Niklas Jansson]''
Painting fundamentals.

[[Image:2dtut_paintingwithlightanddark.png]][http://www.anticz.com/drawing1.htm Understanding 3D Form on Paper] by ''[http://ronlemen.blogspot.com/ Ron Lemen]''
Understanding form via light and dark.

[[Image:2dtut_elementsofperspective.png]][http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/tech10.html Elements of Perspective] - by ''[http://www.handprint.com Bruce MacEvoy]''
Perspective in depth.

[[Image:2dtut_composition101.png]][http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72082 Composition-101] thread from the Polycount forums Links to tutorials about Composition.

[[Image:2dtut_solarski.jpg]][http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/185676/the_aesthetics_of_game_art_and_.php The Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design] - by ''[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/authors/419599/Chris_Solarski.php Chris Solarski]''
An examination of the psychology of shapes and dynamic composition, applying techniques of the Old Masters to create more varied and emotionally meaningful gaming experiences.

[[Image:2dtut_tulp.jpg]][http://tulptorials.blogspot.com/2012/02/using-gamut-mask.html Using the Gamut mask] - by ''[https://plus.google.com/110492088926818707357/about Wouter Tulp]''
How to create and use a gamut mask, which help you define a range of harmonious colors for your concept palette.

[[Image:2dtut_babelab.png]][http://babelab.blogspot.com/ Babe Lab : Pinup Research & Development] by ''[http://autodestructdigital.blogspot.com/ Paul Richards]'' and others
Female caricature painting tips.

[[Image:2dtut_FengZhu.png]][http://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL Feng Zhu's Youtube Channel] teaches the fundamentals of concept design, and professional practices for a working concept artist.

[[Image:2dtut_charchar.jpg]][http://retinart.net/graphic-design/secret-law-of-page-harmony/ The Secret Law of Page Harmony] by Alexander Ross Charchar
Explanation of harmonious composition.

== Painting Books ==
* [http://www.amazon.com/Don-Seegmiller/e/B001JSJNZK/ Digital painting books by Don Seegmiller]
* [http://www.focalpress.com/digitalartmasters/books.html Digital Art Masters] How to achieve certain effects in photoshop, general skin rendering, etc.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Mechanika-Creating-Science-Fiction-Chiang/dp/1600610234 Mechanika Creating Science Fiction] Good techniques, covers composition and perspective as well.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Bold-Visions-Digital-Painting-Bible/dp/160061020X/ Bold Visions Digital Painting Bible]
* [http://www.2dartistmag.com/ 2DArtist Magazine] Painting tutorials, artist galleries. Available printed or PDF.
* [http://www.imaginefx.com/ ImagineFX Magazine] Painting tutorials, artist galleries, monthly DVD.

== Art Bibles ==
An Art Bible, or Style Guide is a document created by the Art Director or Lead Artist to communicate to the art team exactly what style the assets should all match.

* [http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/workshop/Dota2CharacterArtGuide.pdf Dota 2 Character Art Guide] (6MB PDF) by Valve Software, from [http://www.dota2.com/workshop/ Dota 2 Workshop]
* [http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/workshop/Dota2CharacterTextureGuide.pdf Dota 2 Character Texture Guide] (3MB PDF) by Valve Software, from [http://www.dota2.com/workshop/ Dota 2 Workshop]
* [http://diary.ru/~V-S/p109250213.htm?oam#more1 ЦЕЛЫЙ МИР - Напровляя арт Аллодов] (Russian) [[attachment:AllodsOnline-ArtDirection.pdf]] (1MB PDF English translation)
* [http://shurick.livejournal.com/195876.html Создание мира за 7 дней] (Russian) [[attachment:AllodsOnline-CreatingaWorldin7Days.pdf]] (1MB PDF English translation)
* [http://www.robotentertainment.com/blog/detail/Vision-behind-Age-Empires-Online The Vision behind Age of Empires Online] by Robot Entertainment
* [http://www.gameartoutsourcing.com/ Game Art Style Guides]

== More Information ==
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=65614 Painting Tutorials] Polycount Forum thread with links to more painting tutorials
* [[TexturingTutorials]] tutorials for game textures
* [[Category:Tools#A2D_Tools|Category:Tools#2D_Tools]] software for painting
* [[Category:Reference]] reference images

[[Category:Concept]]

Tutorials

2014-08-04T07:19:32Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "A list of tutorials and training websites for game artists. == Polycount Wiki Tutorials == This wiki has a large number of free tutorials, and we tend to carefully review new..."

A list of tutorials and training websites for game artists.

== Polycount Wiki Tutorials ==
This wiki has a large number of free tutorials, and we tend to carefully review new additions to make sure they're relevant and accurate.

A few popular wiki sections:
* [[Concept Fundamentals]]
* [[TexturingTutorials|Texturing Tutorials]]
* [[Topology]]
* [[Environment Foliage]]
* [[Environment Modularity]]
* [[Subdivision Surface Modeling]]
* [[User Interface]]

== Free Tutorial Websites ==
Free sites often have more content than pay sites, but the authors tend to be inexperienced, and the content tends to be unedited for clarity and accuracy. Here are a few of the better free sites:
* [http://www.3dtotal.com/ 3dtotal]
* [http://cg.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/ CGtuts+]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/tutorials creative crash]
* [http://area.autodesk.com/tutorials-tips Autodesk AREA] - Tutorials for Autodesk products (free registration required)
* [http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=6837309&linkID=9241175 Autodesk 3ds Max learning path] - 3ds Max official tutorials
* [http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=9571510&linkID=9242256 Autodesk Maya learning path] - Maya official tutorials
* [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=game+artist+tutorials LetMeGoogleThatForYou]

== Pay Tutorial Websites ==
Pay sites generally offer better tutorials than free sites, because there tends to be more editorial oversight, and the authors are usually professionals with experience.
* [http://www.3dmotive.com/ 3dmotive] ($)
* [http://www.digitaltutors.com/ Digital Tutors] ($)
* [http://eat3d.com/ Eat 3D] ($)
* [http://www.gnomonschool.com/ Gnomon School of Visual Arts] ($)
* [http://www.imbuefx.com/ imbueFX : VFX Training] ($)

[[Category:Tutorials]]

Category:Tutorials

2014-08-04T07:17:13Z

Cheeseplus: Blanked the page

Level Design

2014-08-04T07:14:50Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "All about the design of gameplay spaces. These are usually called levels, sometimes stages. == Level Design Tutorials == * [http://www.curiousconstructs.com/projects/level-de..."

All about the design of gameplay spaces. These are usually called levels, sometimes stages.

== Level Design Tutorials ==
* [http://www.curiousconstructs.com/projects/level-design-concepts/ Designing Action: Defining the Encounter in Games] by ''[http://www.curiousconstructs.com/about/ Nathan Cheever]'', an excellent dissection of how successful game levels are designed and made. Recommended!
* [http://www.bendarling.net/index.php?page=levels Level design process] by ''Benjamin Darling''
* [http://blog.joelburgess.com/2011/03/gdc-2011-transcript-motivating-players.html#more GDC 2011 Transcript: Motivating Players in Open World Games] by ''Joel Burgess''
* [http://www.crytek.com/cryengine/presentations/Level-Design-Challenges-in-Crysis-The-Long-Journey-to-Open-Worlds GDC 2008: Level Design Challenges in Crysis: The Long Journey to Open Worlds] by ''Sten Huebler'', Lead Designer, Crytek
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JeremyPrice/20110318/7258/Applying_the_Elements_of_Design_and_Principles_of_Design_in_Level_Art.php Applying the Elements of Design and Principles of Design in Level Art] by ''Jeremy Price''
* [http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=583689 Gears Of War Multiplayer Map Theory] by ''Lee Perry''
* [http://www.worch.com/2010/03/11/gdc-2010/ GDC 2010: “What Happened Here?” – Environmental Storytelling] by ''Harvey Smith'' and ''Matthias Worch''
* [http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Space-Francis-D-K-Ching/dp/0471286168 Architecture: Form, Space, and Order] ($) by ''Francis D.K. Ching''
* [http://forums.mapcore.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=3913 Level Design Help Files], a collection of help sites for level design themed files - from the ''[http://forums.mapcore.net MapCore]'' forums
* [http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/How_To_Develop_A_Map_That_Works How To Develop A Map That Works] - from ''The Valve Developer Community''
* [http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/Legacy:Map_Planning Map Planning] - from the ''Unreal Wiki''
* [http://www.thewall.de/content/media/allgemeines_gamedesign/artikel/bens_small_bible_of_realistic_multiplayer_level_design.pdf Ben's Small Bible of Realistic Multiplayer Level Design] (PDF) by ''Benjamin Bauer''
* [http://www.interlopers.net/articles/what-is-level-design What Is Level Design?] - by ''Sérgio Duarte''
* [http://www.amazon.com/Level-Design-Concept-Theory-Practice/dp/1568813384 Level Design: Concept, Theory, and Practice] ($) - by ''Rudolf Kremers'' (free preview: [http://www.rudolfkremers.com/Blog/?p=69 Chapter 7 - Reward Systems])
* [http://www.hourences.com/book/bookgameplay.htm The Hows and Whys of Level Design] ($) - by ''Sjoerd 'hourences' De Jong'' ([http://www.interlopers.net/articles/level-design-book-review reviewed here])
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=51254 Maintaining the suspension of disbelief...] Polycount forum thread. Discussion about the importance of using imperfection to create believable worlds.
* [http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/sv_videonav.php?fid=836eb5e382b5d9f430df48883fca918e Level Design Video Tutorials] - from ''[http://www.3dbuzz.com 3DBuzz]''. A ton of useful tutorials and design tips about creating levels.

== Level Design Resources ==
* [http://level-design.org/referencedb/ Level Design Reference Database], a searchable collection of game screenshots with assigned tags that describe the images’ content.
* [http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/about.php World of Level Design.com], a website/blog about game environment art and game level design for first person shooters.
* [http://davesmapper.com Dave's Mapper], an automatic mapping tool by ''[http://www.thegriddle.net/ David Millar]''
* [http://www.hourences.com/book/tutorialsindex.htm Unreal Engine 3 tutorials, game industry articles, level design/art/technical tutorials] - by ''[http://www.hourences.com Sjoerd 'hourences' De Jong]''. A ton of tutorials and articles about designing levels with the Unreal Technology.
* [http://level-design.org LEVEL-DESIGN.org] - by ''[http://www.polycount.com/forum/member.php?u=30493 'seir']''. Information related to level art and design; for mappers, level designers, environment artists, and any kind of world designer.

== Units and Scale ==
The units and scale you use is very important. [[Category:EnvironmentModularity|Modular]] meshes should be built to snap to a unit-based grid, and physics calculations depend on certain scales. Fortunately, game editors usually have a scale setting you can use on import to convert from 3d modeler scale into proper game engine scale.

* [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/UnrealUnits.html UDN: Unreal Units] - what units and scale to use for scenes in Unreal Engine. (Gears of War: 2 units = 1 inch, Unreal Tournament: 1 unit = 2 cm)
* [http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Measurement+Reference CryENGINE SDK: Measurement Reference] - what units and scale to use for scenes in [[CryEngine]]. (Crysis: 1 unit = 1 meter)
* [http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Components/FBXImporter-Model.html Unity: Import Settings for Meshes] - what units and scale to use for scenes in Unity. (Unity physics: 1 unit = 1 meter)

== More Information ==
* [[Category:GameDesign]]: creating the overall player experience in the game.
* [[Category:EnvironmentModularity]]: techniques for creating reusable environment meshes.

[[Category:Discipline]]

Engine

2014-08-04T06:59:23Z

Cheeseplus:

__NOTOC__

The heart of the [[RT3D]] program, the engine is what converts all the game assets into a display on your computer screen. It is a software program written by one or more programmers, and has several components that need to work in harmony to display the game at a nice [[FrameRate|frame rate]]. [what are the components?]
----
[[Category:Glossary]]

Texture filtering

2014-08-04T06:59:00Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureFiltering to Texture Filtering without leaving a redirect

__NOTOC__
This term is used whenever a texture is altered by the [[Engine|engine]]: to eliminate jagged edges and shimmering [[Pixel|pixels]] whenever [[Texel|texels]] are larger or smaller than screen pixels (see [[Aliasing|aliasing]]), or to perform [[textureBlending|texture blending]] to blend two textures together.

See also [[AnisotropicFiltering|anisotropic filtering]], [[MipMap|MIP mapping]].

[[Category:Glossary]]

Texture filtering

2014-08-04T06:58:46Z

Cheeseplus:

Texture Coordinates

2014-08-04T06:57:22Z

Cheeseplus:

Texture coordinates, also called UVs, are pairs of numbers stored in the vertices of a mesh, often used to stretch a 2D texture onto a 3D mesh.

== UV Tutorials ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1367536 UV Unwrapping Best Practice Factors & Priorities] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134749 3DS Max - UVing complex objects] Polycount Forum thread, UVs for complex cylindrical-shaped meshes.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133646 Best techniques for packing UV’s] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://cg.tutsplus.com/sessions/an-introduction-to-uvmapping-in-3d-studio-max/ An Introduction To UVMapping In 3d Studio Max] by Ben Tate.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=70378 UV Theory] Polycount forum thread, how to plan good UVs.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80947 As it turns out, we all suck at unwrapping?] Polycount forum thread.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Step-by-Step Techniques for Tiling Textures in 3ds Max] - by Chris Holden, how to make [[TextureAtlas|texture atlases]].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82546 Organic rock UV seams] Polycount forum thread, how to create good UVs for spheroids.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69961 Unwrapping a sphere] Polycount forum thread, good methods for UVing spheres. For sphere modeling tips see [[Sphere Topology]].
* [[FirstPersonWeaponUV|First-Person Weapon UVs]] by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], good weapon UVs.
* [http://www.cgsharpe.com/?p=55 Maya / Mudbox: Street Cop Workflow] by [http://www.fx81.com/ Mashru Mishu], good character UVs.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69286 uv + turbosmooth= big problem] Polycount forum thread, how to prevent 3ds Max subdivision from distorting UVs. A similar thread: [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72686 Best way to approach unwrapping UVWs with Meshsmooth?].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80898 What's an 8-sided tiled texture ?] Polycount forum thread, how to edit textures so you can rotate and mirror them on adjacent polygons without seams.
* [[LightMap]]#Light_Map_Texture_Coordinates
* [[TextureAtlas]]

{|
| [[File:uvtut_3dprojectionnetwork.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:CarlosMontero_UVChannel2_3dsmax.jpg|thumb]]
|-
| An automated UV projection network in Maya.
| How to edit multiple UV channels in 3ds Max.
|-
|}

== UV Tools ==
=== 3ds Max ===
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools]
* [http://www.polytools3d.com/polyunwrapper/index.html PolyUnwrapper]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71073 turboTools]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscipt]
* [http://www.luxinia.de/index.php/ArtTools/3dsmax LCSM Unwrap]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72045 3ds Max Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71230 3ds Max Bridge to Roadkill]
* [http://users.skynet.be/arketip/arketip_morphMapENG.htm morphMap]

=== Maya ===
* [http://www.headus.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=394 Maya Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://www.castorlee.com/maya-tools/auto-uv-mapper Castor Lee's Auto UV Mapper]

=== Softimage / XSI ===
* [http://www.sshadows2005.narod.ru/main/programming/softimage/headusuvlayout.htm Softimage Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/xsi/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://sculptwork.com/rr/bak/kim/roadkill.zip Softimage Bridge to Roadkill]

== UV Map Grids ==
This is a texture to use while unwrapping a mesh. Sometimes called a custom uv map template, a uv checker, or a test grid.

Good things to have in a uv map grid:
* A large checker grid to see large distortions.
* A fine per-pixel grid to see small distortions.
* Circles help with solving distortion, as it's easier for the human eye to see when a circle is distorted than a square.
* Unique colors across the map, to see where the UV is tiling.
* Letters and/or numbers to see when the UV is reversed.
* Letters and/or numbers to see where a mesh feature is located in UV space.

{|
| [[File:uvrefmap_blackwhite.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_blender.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_checker_green.gif|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_checker_util-mark.jpg|thumb]]
|-
| [[File:uvrefmap_checkeredmap.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_circles.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_circles_letters.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_circles_noise.jpg|thumb]]
|-
| [[File:uvrefmap_circlesgreen_noise.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_circlessquares.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_grid_large.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_grid_small.jpg|thumb]]
|-
| [[File:uvrefmap_HarlequiN_grid.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_nvidia_greengrid.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:uvrefmap_util-mark1.jpg|thumb]]
|
|}

----
[[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:CharacterTexturing]] [[Category:PropsTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texture Coordinates

2014-08-04T06:39:14Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureCoordinates to Texture Coordinates

Texture coordinates, also called UVs, are pairs of numbers stored in the vertices of a mesh, often used to stretch a 2D texture onto a 3D mesh.

== UV Tutorials ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1367536 UV Unwrapping Best Practice Factors & Priorities] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134749 3DS Max - UVing complex objects] Polycount Forum thread, UVs for complex cylindrical-shaped meshes.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133646 Best techniques for packing UV’s] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://cg.tutsplus.com/sessions/an-introduction-to-uvmapping-in-3d-studio-max/ An Introduction To UVMapping In 3d Studio Max] by Ben Tate.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=70378 UV Theory] Polycount forum thread, how to plan good UVs.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80947 As it turns out, we all suck at unwrapping?] Polycount forum thread.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Step-by-Step Techniques for Tiling Textures in 3ds Max] - by Chris Holden, how to make [[TextureAtlas|texture atlases]].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82546 Organic rock UV seams] Polycount forum thread, how to create good UVs for spheroids.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69961 Unwrapping a sphere] Polycount forum thread, good methods for UVing spheres. For sphere modeling tips see [[Sphere Topology]].
* [[FirstPersonWeaponUV|First-Person Weapon UVs]] by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], good weapon UVs.
* [http://www.cgsharpe.com/?p=55 Maya / Mudbox: Street Cop Workflow] by [http://www.fx81.com/ Mashru Mishu], good character UVs.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69286 uv + turbosmooth= big problem] Polycount forum thread, how to prevent 3ds Max subdivision from distorting UVs. A similar thread: [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72686 Best way to approach unwrapping UVWs with Meshsmooth?].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80898 What's an 8-sided tiled texture ?] Polycount forum thread, how to edit textures so you can rotate and mirror them on adjacent polygons without seams.
* [[LightMap]]#Light_Map_Texture_Coordinates
* [[TextureAtlas]]

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:uvtut_3dprojectionnetwork.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvtut_3dprojectionnetwork.jpg
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

== UV Tools ==
=== 3ds Max ===
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools]
* [http://www.polytools3d.com/polyunwrapper/index.html PolyUnwrapper]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71073 turboTools]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscipt]
* [http://www.luxinia.de/index.php/ArtTools/3dsmax LCSM Unwrap]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72045 3ds Max Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71230 3ds Max Bridge to Roadkill]
* [http://users.skynet.be/arketip/arketip_morphMapENG.htm morphMap]

=== Maya ===
* [http://www.headus.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=394 Maya Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://www.castorlee.com/maya-tools/auto-uv-mapper Castor Lee's Auto UV Mapper]

=== Softimage / XSI ===
* [http://www.sshadows2005.narod.ru/main/programming/softimage/headusuvlayout.htm Softimage Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/xsi/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://sculptwork.com/rr/bak/kim/roadkill.zip Softimage Bridge to Roadkill]

== UV Map Grids ==
This is a texture to use while unwrapping a mesh. Sometimes called a custom uv map template, a uv checker, or a test grid.

Good things to have in a uv map grid:
* A large checker grid to see large distortions.
* A fine per-pixel grid to see small distortions.
* Circles help with solving distortion, as it's easier for the human eye to see when a circle is distorted than a square.
* Unique colors across the map, to see where the UV is tiling.
* Letters and/or numbers to see when the UV is reversed.
* Letters and/or numbers to see where a mesh feature is located in UV space.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_blackwhite.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_blackwhite.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_blender.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_blender.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checker_green.gif|{{attachment:uvrefmap_checker_green.gif
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checker_util-mark.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_checker_util-mark.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checkeredmap.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_checkeredmap.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_circles.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_letters.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_circles_letters.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_noise.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_circles_noise.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_R_numbers.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_circles_R_numbers.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circlesgreen_noise.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_circlesgreen_noise.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circlessquares.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_circlessquares.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_grid_large.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_grid_large.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_grid_small.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_grid_small.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_HarlequiN_grid.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_HarlequiN_grid.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_nvidia_greengrid.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_nvidia_greengrid.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_util-mark1.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_util-mark1.jpg
| width=128]]
|
|}

----
[[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:CharacterTexturing]] [[Category:PropsTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

TextureCoordinates

2014-08-04T06:39:14Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureCoordinates to Texture Coordinates

#REDIRECT [[Texture Coordinates]]

Texture Coordinates

2014-08-04T06:39:07Z

Cheeseplus:

Texture coordinates, also called UVs, are pairs of numbers stored in the vertices of a mesh, often used to stretch a 2D texture onto a 3D mesh.

== UV Tutorials ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1367536 UV Unwrapping Best Practice Factors & Priorities] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134749 3DS Max - UVing complex objects] Polycount Forum thread, UVs for complex cylindrical-shaped meshes.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133646 Best techniques for packing UV’s] Polycount Forum thread.
* [http://cg.tutsplus.com/sessions/an-introduction-to-uvmapping-in-3d-studio-max/ An Introduction To UVMapping In 3d Studio Max] by Ben Tate.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=70378 UV Theory] Polycount forum thread, how to plan good UVs.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80947 As it turns out, we all suck at unwrapping?] Polycount forum thread.
* [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/support-tech-discussion/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Step-by-Step Techniques for Tiling Textures in 3ds Max] - by Chris Holden, how to make [[TextureAtlas|texture atlases]].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82546 Organic rock UV seams] Polycount forum thread, how to create good UVs for spheroids.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69961 Unwrapping a sphere] Polycount forum thread, good methods for UVing spheres. For sphere modeling tips see [[Sphere Topology]].
* [[FirstPersonWeaponUV|First-Person Weapon UVs]] by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], good weapon UVs.
* [http://www.cgsharpe.com/?p=55 Maya / Mudbox: Street Cop Workflow] by [http://www.fx81.com/ Mashru Mishu], good character UVs.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69286 uv + turbosmooth= big problem] Polycount forum thread, how to prevent 3ds Max subdivision from distorting UVs. A similar thread: [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72686 Best way to approach unwrapping UVWs with Meshsmooth?].
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80898 What's an 8-sided tiled texture ?] Polycount forum thread, how to edit textures so you can rotate and mirror them on adjacent polygons without seams.
* [[LightMap]]#Light_Map_Texture_Coordinates
* [[TextureAtlas]]

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:uvtut_3dprojectionnetwork.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvtut_3dprojectionnetwork.jpg
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
|}

== UV Tools ==
=== 3ds Max ===
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools]
* [http://www.polytools3d.com/polyunwrapper/index.html PolyUnwrapper]
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71073 turboTools]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscipt]
* [http://www.luxinia.de/index.php/ArtTools/3dsmax LCSM Unwrap]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=72045 3ds Max Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71230 3ds Max Bridge to Roadkill]
* [http://users.skynet.be/arketip/arketip_morphMapENG.htm morphMap]

=== Maya ===
* [http://www.headus.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=394 Maya Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://www.castorlee.com/maya-tools/auto-uv-mapper Castor Lee's Auto UV Mapper]

=== Softimage / XSI ===
* [http://www.sshadows2005.narod.ru/main/programming/softimage/headusuvlayout.htm Softimage Bridge to Headus UV Layout]
* [http://www.creativecrash.com/xsi/downloads/scripts-plugins/texturing/c/ Texturing Scripts on CreativeCrash.com]
* [http://sculptwork.com/rr/bak/kim/roadkill.zip Softimage Bridge to Roadkill]

== UV Map Grids ==
This is a texture to use while unwrapping a mesh. Sometimes called a custom uv map template, a uv checker, or a test grid.

Good things to have in a uv map grid:
* A large checker grid to see large distortions.
* A fine per-pixel grid to see small distortions.
* Circles help with solving distortion, as it's easier for the human eye to see when a circle is distorted than a square.
* Unique colors across the map, to see where the UV is tiling.
* Letters and/or numbers to see when the UV is reversed.
* Letters and/or numbers to see where a mesh feature is located in UV space.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_blackwhite.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_blackwhite.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_blender.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_blender.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checker_green.gif|{{attachment:uvrefmap_checker_green.gif
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checker_util-mark.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_checker_util-mark.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_checkeredmap.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_checkeredmap.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_circles.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_letters.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_circles_letters.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_noise.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_circles_noise.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circles_R_numbers.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_circles_R_numbers.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circlesgreen_noise.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_circlesgreen_noise.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_circlessquares.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_circlessquares.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_grid_large.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_grid_large.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_grid_small.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_grid_small.jpg
| width=128}}
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_HarlequiN_grid.jpg|[[Media:uvrefmap_HarlequiN_grid.jpg
| width=128]]]]
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_nvidia_greengrid.jpg|{{attachment:uvrefmap_nvidia_greengrid.jpg
|-
| [[attachment:uvrefmap_util-mark1.jpg|Media:TextureCoordinates/attachments/uvrefmap_util-mark1.jpg
| width=128]]
|
|}

----
[[Category:EnvironmentTexturing]] [[Category:CharacterTexturing]] [[Category:PropsTexturing]] [[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texture Compression

2014-08-04T06:38:19Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureCompression to Texture Compression

__NOTOC__
The technique used by new and upcoming 3d accelerator cards to use larger [[Texture|textures]] in the same amount of texture [[Memory|memory]] and graphics bus bandwidth. With texture compression, you can often use textures as big as 2048x2048 in your real-time scenes. Two examples of texture compression methods are S3TC and VQTC.

[[Category:Glossary]]

TextureCompression

2014-08-04T06:38:19Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureCompression to Texture Compression

#REDIRECT [[Texture Compression]]

Texture Compression

2014-08-04T06:38:03Z

Cheeseplus: /* Texture Compression */

Texture Compression

2014-08-04T06:37:52Z

Cheeseplus:

__NOTOC__
= Texture Compression =

The technique used by new and upcoming 3d accelerator cards to use larger [[Texture|textures]] in the same amount of texture [[Memory|memory]] and graphics bus bandwidth. With texture compression, you can often use textures as big as 2048x2048 in your real-time scenes. Two examples of texture compression methods are S3TC and VQTC.

[[Category:Glossary]]

Texture atlas

2014-08-04T06:14:24Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureAtlas to Texture Atlas

__NOTOC__
When many separate textures are packed together into a single texture, this is called a ''texture atlas''. Other common names for this are decal sheet, packed texture.

== Atlas Methods ==
There are two common atlas methods, one divides a single bitmap into multiple sub-maps (usually called Atlas), another packs different grayscale maps into each color channel (sometimes called [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]]). The two methods can be used together as well.

{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[File:Stefan-Morrell_modular-texture.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:SneferTileExplain.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|}

== Tutorials ==
* 2013-04-08 [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-create-ue3udk-texture-atlases.html How to create UE3/UDK Texture Atlases (tileable)] - by [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/ 'mAlkAv!An'], using a custom HLSL node to apply separate UVs for texturing vs. mipmapping.
* 2012-06-07 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100388 The Desert(What can you do with no diffuse maps?)] Polycount forum thread. Vertex blending using multiple [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] modulation textures, in UDK. See also [http://artisaverb.info/DitchingDiffuse.html Ditching Diffuse Maps: A foray into artistic reasoning and technical details behind "procedural" texturing, with practical examples on today's tech] by [http://artisaverb.info/ Andrew 'd1ver' Maximov].
* 2012-05-28 [[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1595258#post1595258|[UDK] The Dunes]] Polycount Forum thread. Using two 256x256 textures to texture an entire scene, one as a normal map and the other [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] to store four textures.
* 2012-05-01 [http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/688-Multi-Tile-Texture-Workflows Digital-Tutors: Multi-Tile Texture Workflows Tutorial] ($) - by Justin Marshall / Digital Tutors, using UV organization to assign multiple textures to a single character, and how it works in various 3D apps.
* 2011-10-09 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] - by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick], an exercise in extreme texture [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]], packing multiple maps into the four channels of a texture file.
* 2010-12-20 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79374 UV tiling tricks within 0 to 1 space] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-12-17 [https://www.3dmotive.com/f101001 Modular Building Workflow] - ($) a 3dmotive tutorial by [http://www.tylerwanlass.com/ Tyler Wanlass], covers planning and workflow for modular buildings using Photoshop, 3ds Max, and UDK.
* 2010-11-08 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78192 Work-flow for large texture atlases] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-06-27 [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/modular_sets/modular_sets.html Working with Modular Sets] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'PhilipK' Klevestav], how to design and texture modular sci-fi wall panels.
* 2010-03-25 [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/Building_Layout_Guideline_Tutorial.html Visually Appealing Building Guide] - by [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com Christopher Albeluhn], an excellent breakdown of how to create visual interest with game buildings. [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/3D_Tutorials.html Additional tutorials here].
* 2008-06-26 [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=54178 Mod Facade Challenge] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], breaking up a building into modular pieces and designing the texture sheet.
* 2006-11-08 [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/tutorials/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Creating tiling textures in 3dsmax] - by [http://chrisholden.net/ Chris 'cholden' Holden]
* 2006-01-26 [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2530/practical_texture_atlases.php Practical Texture Atlases] on Gamasutra by [http://www.haemimontgames.com/company/keypeople.html Ivan-Assen Ivanov]
* 2005-12-20 [http://poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg Thirding - Utilizing your texture space for environment work] - by [http://poopinmymouth.com/ Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis]

== More Info ==
* [[Multitexture]]
* [[Category:EnvironmentModularity]] has info about designing modular textures and assets.
* [[TextureCoordinates]] talks about planning your UV layout.
* [[LightMap]] has information about packing UVs.

== Gutters ==
When a game model is textured using a single texture sheet, the texture will have typically have UV'd areas ([[UVShell|UV shells]]) and blank areas between them (gutters).

The width of the gutter needs to be wide enough to accommodate how much [[EdgePadding]] you need. This varies depending on how large the texture is and the [[TextureFiltering|texture filtering]] type used by the game renderer.

== Packing Tools ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80723 Decent UV Packing Script/Tool?] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.uvlayout.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=98 Headus UVLayout] ($)
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/features/UV-Master/ UV Master] script for ZBrush
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools] script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.raylightgames.com/xrayunwrap/index.html Xrayunwrap] ($) script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator] script for 3ds Max (creates an atlas by slicing up the mesh)
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscript] for 3ds Max
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/texture_atlas_tools.html Texture Atlas Tools] by Nvidia

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

TextureAtlas

2014-08-04T06:14:24Z

Cheeseplus: Cheeseplus moved page TextureAtlas to Texture Atlas

#REDIRECT [[Texture Atlas]]

Texture atlas

2014-08-04T06:13:50Z

Cheeseplus:

Texture atlas

2014-08-04T06:13:27Z

Cheeseplus: /* Atlas Methods */

__NOTOC__
= Texture Atlas =
When many separate textures are packed together into a single texture, this is called a ''texture atlas''. Other common names for this are decal sheet, packed texture.

== Atlas Methods ==
There are two common atlas methods, one divides a single bitmap into multiple sub-maps (usually called Atlas), another packs different grayscale maps into each color channel (sometimes called [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]]). The two methods can be used together as well.

{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[File:Stefan-Morrell_modular-texture.jpg|thumb]]
| [[File:SneferTileExplain.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|}

== Tutorials ==
* 2013-04-08 [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-create-ue3udk-texture-atlases.html How to create UE3/UDK Texture Atlases (tileable)] - by [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/ 'mAlkAv!An'], using a custom HLSL node to apply separate UVs for texturing vs. mipmapping.
* 2012-06-07 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100388 The Desert(What can you do with no diffuse maps?)] Polycount forum thread. Vertex blending using multiple [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] modulation textures, in UDK. See also [http://artisaverb.info/DitchingDiffuse.html Ditching Diffuse Maps: A foray into artistic reasoning and technical details behind "procedural" texturing, with practical examples on today's tech] by [http://artisaverb.info/ Andrew 'd1ver' Maximov].
* 2012-05-28 [[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1595258#post1595258|[UDK] The Dunes]] Polycount Forum thread. Using two 256x256 textures to texture an entire scene, one as a normal map and the other [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] to store four textures.
* 2012-05-01 [http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/688-Multi-Tile-Texture-Workflows Digital-Tutors: Multi-Tile Texture Workflows Tutorial] ($) - by Justin Marshall / Digital Tutors, using UV organization to assign multiple textures to a single character, and how it works in various 3D apps.
* 2011-10-09 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] - by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick], an exercise in extreme texture [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]], packing multiple maps into the four channels of a texture file.
* 2010-12-20 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79374 UV tiling tricks within 0 to 1 space] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-12-17 [https://www.3dmotive.com/f101001 Modular Building Workflow] - ($) a 3dmotive tutorial by [http://www.tylerwanlass.com/ Tyler Wanlass], covers planning and workflow for modular buildings using Photoshop, 3ds Max, and UDK.
* 2010-11-08 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78192 Work-flow for large texture atlases] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-06-27 [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/modular_sets/modular_sets.html Working with Modular Sets] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'PhilipK' Klevestav], how to design and texture modular sci-fi wall panels.
* 2010-03-25 [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/Building_Layout_Guideline_Tutorial.html Visually Appealing Building Guide] - by [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com Christopher Albeluhn], an excellent breakdown of how to create visual interest with game buildings. [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/3D_Tutorials.html Additional tutorials here].
* 2008-06-26 [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=54178 Mod Facade Challenge] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], breaking up a building into modular pieces and designing the texture sheet.
* 2006-11-08 [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/tutorials/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Creating tiling textures in 3dsmax] - by [http://chrisholden.net/ Chris 'cholden' Holden]
* 2006-01-26 [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2530/practical_texture_atlases.php Practical Texture Atlases] on Gamasutra by [http://www.haemimontgames.com/company/keypeople.html Ivan-Assen Ivanov]
* 2005-12-20 [http://poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg Thirding - Utilizing your texture space for environment work] - by [http://poopinmymouth.com/ Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis]

== More Info ==
* [[Multitexture]]
* [[Category:EnvironmentModularity]] has info about designing modular textures and assets.
* [[TextureCoordinates]] talks about planning your UV layout.
* [[LightMap]] has information about packing UVs.

== Gutters ==
When a game model is textured using a single texture sheet, the texture will have typically have UV'd areas ([[UVShell|UV shells]]) and blank areas between them (gutters).

The width of the gutter needs to be wide enough to accommodate how much [[EdgePadding]] you need. This varies depending on how large the texture is and the [[TextureFiltering|texture filtering]] type used by the game renderer.

== Packing Tools ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80723 Decent UV Packing Script/Tool?] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.uvlayout.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=98 Headus UVLayout] ($)
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/features/UV-Master/ UV Master] script for ZBrush
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools] script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.raylightgames.com/xrayunwrap/index.html Xrayunwrap] ($) script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator] script for 3ds Max (creates an atlas by slicing up the mesh)
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscript] for 3ds Max
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/texture_atlas_tools.html Texture Atlas Tools] by Nvidia

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texture atlas

2014-08-04T06:12:31Z

Cheeseplus:

__NOTOC__
= Texture Atlas =
When many separate textures are packed together into a single texture, this is called a ''texture atlas''. Other common names for this are decal sheet, packed texture.

== Atlas Methods ==
There are two common atlas methods, one divides a single bitmap into multiple sub-maps (usually called Atlas), another packs different grayscale maps into each color channel (sometimes called [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]]). The two methods can be used together as well.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[File:Stefan-Morrell_modular-texture.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[File:SneferTileExplain.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|}

== Tutorials ==
* 2013-04-08 [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-create-ue3udk-texture-atlases.html How to create UE3/UDK Texture Atlases (tileable)] - by [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/ 'mAlkAv!An'], using a custom HLSL node to apply separate UVs for texturing vs. mipmapping.
* 2012-06-07 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100388 The Desert(What can you do with no diffuse maps?)] Polycount forum thread. Vertex blending using multiple [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] modulation textures, in UDK. See also [http://artisaverb.info/DitchingDiffuse.html Ditching Diffuse Maps: A foray into artistic reasoning and technical details behind "procedural" texturing, with practical examples on today's tech] by [http://artisaverb.info/ Andrew 'd1ver' Maximov].
* 2012-05-28 [[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1595258#post1595258|[UDK] The Dunes]] Polycount Forum thread. Using two 256x256 textures to texture an entire scene, one as a normal map and the other [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] to store four textures.
* 2012-05-01 [http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/688-Multi-Tile-Texture-Workflows Digital-Tutors: Multi-Tile Texture Workflows Tutorial] ($) - by Justin Marshall / Digital Tutors, using UV organization to assign multiple textures to a single character, and how it works in various 3D apps.
* 2011-10-09 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] - by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick], an exercise in extreme texture [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]], packing multiple maps into the four channels of a texture file.
* 2010-12-20 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79374 UV tiling tricks within 0 to 1 space] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-12-17 [https://www.3dmotive.com/f101001 Modular Building Workflow] - ($) a 3dmotive tutorial by [http://www.tylerwanlass.com/ Tyler Wanlass], covers planning and workflow for modular buildings using Photoshop, 3ds Max, and UDK.
* 2010-11-08 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78192 Work-flow for large texture atlases] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-06-27 [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/modular_sets/modular_sets.html Working with Modular Sets] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'PhilipK' Klevestav], how to design and texture modular sci-fi wall panels.
* 2010-03-25 [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/Building_Layout_Guideline_Tutorial.html Visually Appealing Building Guide] - by [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com Christopher Albeluhn], an excellent breakdown of how to create visual interest with game buildings. [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/3D_Tutorials.html Additional tutorials here].
* 2008-06-26 [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=54178 Mod Facade Challenge] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], breaking up a building into modular pieces and designing the texture sheet.
* 2006-11-08 [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/tutorials/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Creating tiling textures in 3dsmax] - by [http://chrisholden.net/ Chris 'cholden' Holden]
* 2006-01-26 [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2530/practical_texture_atlases.php Practical Texture Atlases] on Gamasutra by [http://www.haemimontgames.com/company/keypeople.html Ivan-Assen Ivanov]
* 2005-12-20 [http://poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg Thirding - Utilizing your texture space for environment work] - by [http://poopinmymouth.com/ Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis]

== More Info ==
* [[Multitexture]]
* [[Category:EnvironmentModularity]] has info about designing modular textures and assets.
* [[TextureCoordinates]] talks about planning your UV layout.
* [[LightMap]] has information about packing UVs.

== Gutters ==
When a game model is textured using a single texture sheet, the texture will have typically have UV'd areas ([[UVShell|UV shells]]) and blank areas between them (gutters).

The width of the gutter needs to be wide enough to accommodate how much [[EdgePadding]] you need. This varies depending on how large the texture is and the [[TextureFiltering|texture filtering]] type used by the game renderer.

== Packing Tools ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80723 Decent UV Packing Script/Tool?] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.uvlayout.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=98 Headus UVLayout] ($)
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/features/UV-Master/ UV Master] script for ZBrush
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools] script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.raylightgames.com/xrayunwrap/index.html Xrayunwrap] ($) script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator] script for 3ds Max (creates an atlas by slicing up the mesh)
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscript] for 3ds Max
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/texture_atlas_tools.html Texture Atlas Tools] by Nvidia

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texture atlas

2014-08-04T06:08:10Z

Cheeseplus:

__NOTOC__
= Texture Atlas =
When many separate textures are packed together into a single texture, this is called a ''texture atlas''. Other common names for this are decal sheet, packed texture.

== Atlas Methods ==
There are two common atlas methods, one divides a single bitmap into multiple sub-maps (usually called Atlas), another packs different grayscale maps into each color channel (sometimes called [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]]). The two methods can be used together as well.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[attachment:Stefan-Morrell_modular-texture.jpg|Media:TextureAtlas/attachments/Stefan-Morrell_modular-texture.jpg
|-
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [[Media:SneferTileExplain.jpg|SneferTileExplain.jpg]]
|-
|}

== Tutorials ==
* 2013-04-08 [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-create-ue3udk-texture-atlases.html How to create UE3/UDK Texture Atlases (tileable)] - by [http://oliverm-h.blogspot.com/ 'mAlkAv!An'], using a custom HLSL node to apply separate UVs for texturing vs. mipmapping.
* 2012-06-07 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100388 The Desert(What can you do with no diffuse maps?)] Polycount forum thread. Vertex blending using multiple [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] modulation textures, in UDK. See also [http://artisaverb.info/DitchingDiffuse.html Ditching Diffuse Maps: A foray into artistic reasoning and technical details behind "procedural" texturing, with practical examples on today's tech] by [http://artisaverb.info/ Andrew 'd1ver' Maximov].
* 2012-05-28 [[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1595258#post1595258|[UDK] The Dunes]] Polycount Forum thread. Using two 256x256 textures to texture an entire scene, one as a normal map and the other [[ChannelPacking|channel packed]] to store four textures.
* 2012-05-01 [http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/688-Multi-Tile-Texture-Workflows Digital-Tutors: Multi-Tile Texture Workflows Tutorial] ($) - by Justin Marshall / Digital Tutors, using UV organization to assign multiple textures to a single character, and how it works in various 3D apps.
* 2011-10-09 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89682 An exercise in modular textures - Scifi lab UDK] - by [http://www.torfrick.com/ Tor 'Snefer' Frick], an exercise in extreme texture [[ChannelPacking|channel packing]], packing multiple maps into the four channels of a texture file.
* 2010-12-20 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79374 UV tiling tricks within 0 to 1 space] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-12-17 [https://www.3dmotive.com/f101001 Modular Building Workflow] - ($) a 3dmotive tutorial by [http://www.tylerwanlass.com/ Tyler Wanlass], covers planning and workflow for modular buildings using Photoshop, 3ds Max, and UDK.
* 2010-11-08 [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78192 Work-flow for large texture atlases] from the Polycount forum
* 2010-06-27 [http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/modular_sets/modular_sets.html Working with Modular Sets] - by [http://www.philipk.net Philip 'PhilipK' Klevestav], how to design and texture modular sci-fi wall panels.
* 2010-03-25 [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/Building_Layout_Guideline_Tutorial.html Visually Appealing Building Guide] - by [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com Christopher Albeluhn], an excellent breakdown of how to create visual interest with game buildings. [http://www.chrisalbeluhn.com/3D_Tutorials.html Additional tutorials here].
* 2008-06-26 [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=54178 Mod Facade Challenge] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/earthquake Joe 'EarthQuake' Wilson], breaking up a building into modular pieces and designing the texture sheet.
* 2006-11-08 [http://www.game-artist.net/forums/tutorials/182-step-step-techniques-tiling-textures-3ds-max.html Creating tiling textures in 3dsmax] - by [http://chrisholden.net/ Chris 'cholden' Holden]
* 2006-01-26 [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2530/practical_texture_atlases.php Practical Texture Atlases] on Gamasutra by [http://www.haemimontgames.com/company/keypeople.html Ivan-Assen Ivanov]
* 2005-12-20 [http://poopinmymouth.com/process/tips/thirding.jpg Thirding - Utilizing your texture space for environment work] - by [http://poopinmymouth.com/ Ben 'poopinmymouth' Mathis]

== More Info ==
* [[Multitexture]]
* [[Category:EnvironmentModularity]] has info about designing modular textures and assets.
* [[TextureCoordinates]] talks about planning your UV layout.
* [[LightMap]] has information about packing UVs.

== Gutters ==
When a game model is textured using a single texture sheet, the texture will have typically have UV'd areas ([[UVShell|UV shells]]) and blank areas between them (gutters).

The width of the gutter needs to be wide enough to accommodate how much [[EdgePadding]] you need. This varies depending on how large the texture is and the [[TextureFiltering|texture filtering]] type used by the game renderer.

== Packing Tools ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80723 Decent UV Packing Script/Tool?] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.uvlayout.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=98 Headus UVLayout] ($)
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/features/UV-Master/ UV Master] script for ZBrush
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69736 TexTools] script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.raylightgames.com/xrayunwrap/index.html Xrayunwrap] ($) script for 3ds Max
* [http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/texture-atlas-generator Texture Atlas Generator] script for 3ds Max (creates an atlas by slicing up the mesh)
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52415 Normalize UVs Maxscript] for 3ds Max
* [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/texture_atlas_tools.html Texture Atlas Tools] by Nvidia

----
[[Category:TextureTechnique]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texture types

2014-08-04T06:05:05Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "These are some of the map types used when texturing game models. The textures are stored in bitmaps, and how they are used in a game is determined b..."

These are some of the map types used when texturing game models. The textures are stored in [[Category:TextureFormat|bitmaps]], and how they are used in a game is determined by a [[Category:Shaders|shader]].

The most common types are [[DiffuseMap|Diffuse]], [[EmissiveMap|Emissive]], [[NormalMap|Normal]], [[TransparencyMap|Opacity]], [[SpecularColorMap|Specular]], and [[SpecularGlossMap|Gloss]]. Which types you use will be dictated by the asset itself, and the Art Direction for the project.

* [http://www.manufato.com/?p=902 Brief Considerations About Materials] by [http://www.manufato.com/?page_id=2 Pedro Toldeo] is an explanation of various map types, especially specular maps.
* [http://www.leighvanderbyl.com/pdf/texturing.pdf Texturing for Dummies] by [http://www.leighvanderbyl.com/about-me/ Leigh van der Byl] is a PDF overview of texturing and texture types. ([http://www.3dlinks.com/downloads/texturing.pdf alternative download site])

== Bump Maps ==
Bump maps are often used to create the appearance of a more highly-detailed surface, instead of using complex geometry with a ton of vertices.

[[Category:BumpMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:BumpMap]])>>

== Color Maps ==
Color maps are used to create the albedo, the diffuse reflection of light from a surface. Emissive maps mimic surfaces that emit light, like a computer monitor or a vehicle dashboard at night.

[[Category:ColorMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:ColorMap]])>>

== Environment Maps ==
Environment maps are typically used for reflective surfaces, showing the scene around the model, what is being reflected. This is a cheap hack to avoid rendering an accurate view of the actual scene, which is typically too slow to render in real time.

[[Category:EnvironmentMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:EnvironmentMap]])>>

== Light Maps ==
Light maps are often used to store complex pre-computed lighting for a surface.

[[Category:LightMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:LightMap]])>>

== Specular Maps ==
Specular maps control how reflective the surface is, and can adjust the shape of the reflection. Specular usually simulates only the reflections of the brightest light sources in a scene. Specular maps can also be used to control how much [[Category:EnvironmentMap|environment maps]] will appear on a surface.

[[Category:SpecularMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:SpecularMap]])>>

== Transparency Maps ==
Transparency maps are used to cut out parts of a surface, usually for alpha blending. For example: fire, grass, hair, smoke, water, windows, etc.

[[Category:TransparencyMap]] pages:
<<[[FullSearchCached]](category:[[Category:TransparencyMap]])>>

[[Category:Texturing]] [[Category:Glossary]]

Texturing

2014-08-04T06:03:10Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with " Topics about texturing for games: texture map types, texture file formats, texturing techniques, etc. <span id="Texture_File_Formats..."

Topics about texturing for games: texture map types, texture file formats, texturing techniques, etc.


== Related Pages ==
* [[TextureTypes]] lists the map types used for texturing game models, like [[NormalMap]].
* [[TextureFormat]] is for general-use texture file formats, like [[TGA]].
* [[TextureFormatRuntime]] is for texture file formats used in-game, like [[DDS]].
* [[TextureTechnique]] is for texturing techniques commonly used in game development, like [[HairTechnique]].
* [[CharacterSculpting]] and [[EnvironmentSculpting]] have information on 3D sculpting.
* [[ConceptFundamentals]] has drawing and painting fundamentals.
* [[TexturingTutorials]] has tutorials for creating game textures.

== Texture Sizes ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134911 How often are 4096 textures used in next-gen gaming] on the Polycount Forum

== Texture Photography ==
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
| [http://renderhjs.net/shoebox/ ShoeBox: Mask Image] - by ''[http://renderhjs.net Hendrik-Jan "renderhjs" Schoenmaker]''
|-
| [http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TakingBetterPhotosForTextures.html Taking Better Photos for Textures] - by ''[http://www.mutantspoon.com/ Jordan Walker]''
|-
| [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=65262 Better Sharpening in Photoshop] - by ''[http://poopinmymouth.com Ben "poopinmymouth" Mathis]''
|-
| [http://cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorials Texture Photography & Processing Tutorials]
|}

[[Category:Discipline]]

Category:Texturing

2014-08-04T06:01:43Z

Cheeseplus: Blanked the page

Technical Art

2014-08-04T03:07:56Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "== What Is Technical Art? == Technical Artists help Artists and Designers get their content into the game with the least pain possible, and help Engineers and Artists communic..."

== What Is Technical Art? ==
Technical Artists help Artists and Designers get their content into the game with the least pain possible, and help Engineers and Artists communicate fluidly.

Technical Artists must know what a healthy art pipeline "looks like" and must help make sure that content creators have the tools & support necessary to do their jobs.

* [http://tech-artists.org/forum/showthread.php?41-Technical-Artist-job-description-at-your-company Technical Artist job description at your company] Tech-Artists.Org forum thread
* [http://ericchadwick.com/img/techart_guidelines.html Technical Artist Guidelines] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericchadwick Eric Chadwick] and [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ryan-mcclure/13/761/a51 Ryan McClure]

== Technical Art Skills ==
There are many roles in Technical Art. The skills of Technical Artists vary widely from studio to studio; they often specialize in a particular subset. The most common task is writing tools for the artists in their teams.

=== Rigging ===
[[Category:Animation]]#Rigging

=== Shaders ===
[[Category:Shaders]]

=== Tools ===
[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68788 Tech Artist - What are you working on: FOREVER Edition!]

=== Visual Effects ===
[[Category:SpecialEffects]]

== Tech-Artists.Org Wiki Conversion ==
The [http://tech-artists.org/index.php Tech-Artists.Org] administrators [http://tech-artists.org/forum/showthread.php?2687-How-to-grow-the-forum&p=16323&viewfull=1#post16323 are interested] in moving [http://tech-artists.org/wiki/Main_Page their wiki content] into the Polycount wiki. Their wiki has suffered from a lack of updated content, and has frequently been attacked by spam.

Unfortunately the two wikis use different markup syntax. Theirs uses [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing MediaWiki syntax], ours uses [http://wiki.polycount.com/HelpOnMoinWikiSyntax MoinMoin syntax]. There is [http://moinmo.in/MediaWikiConverter one converter] from [[MediaWiki]] into [[MoinMoin]], and there are [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MoinMoin a few conversion scripts] that go in the opposite direction.

We would be very appreciative if someone could help with this!

== Resources ==
* [http://tech-artists.org/index.php Tech-Artists.Org]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68788 Tech Artist - What are you working on] Polycount forum thread

== Pages in This Category ==

[[Category:Discipline]]

Category:Environment

2014-08-04T03:02:54Z

Cheeseplus:

__NOTOC__
Topics about the design and creation of levels and environment artwork in games. See also [[Category:GameDesign#Level_Design|Level Design]].

[[Category:Discipline]]

Reference

2014-08-04T03:01:55Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with "Reference imagery on a variety of topics. == Game Art Reference == * Game Art Examples List: game art dumps on the Polycount forum. * :Categ..."

Category:Reference

2014-08-04T03:01:18Z

Cheeseplus: Blanked the page

Game Industry

2014-08-04T03:00:23Z

Cheeseplus: Created page with " Links and articles about the game industry: how to get game jobs, how to manage your role, etc. == How to Get In == * [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134547..."

Links and articles about the game industry: how to get game jobs, how to manage your role, etc.

== How to Get In ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134547 Getting that first job] Polycount Forum thread< >Good advice for an artist trying to enter a game studio.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89972 Getting into the Game Industry (Inspiration of a different kind)] - Polycount Forum thread.< >Amazing thread full of information from working game artists about how they got into the industry.
* [http://www.ineedtomakegames.com How to Break Into the Industry] - by [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/destin-bales/1/2aa/95b Destin Bales]< >A treasure trove of great advice by a veteran game developer. Multiple topics covered: understanding the industry, education, resumes and portfolios, finding jobs, interview prep, career development, etc.
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=16967104&gid=59205 Why is it hard to find a job in game industry?]< >Discussion on LinkedIn about what it takes to get that first game industry job.
* [http://athey.deviantart.com/art/Game-Industry-Advice-to-studen-145619882 Game Industry Advice to students] - by [http://athey.deviantart.com/ Athey Moravetz] < >A great article by a 5-year veteran game artist about what it takes to get into a game artist job. Very straightforward and accurate.

== Being a Developer ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137206 What has the games industry been like for you?] Polycount Forum thread< >Game art veterans share what it's really like to be working in game development.
* [http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/na Is the games industry really dying?] by Dan Teasdale < >Analysis of game industry layoff data.
* [http://www.valvetime.net/threads/valve-employee-hand-book-released.189828/ Valve Employee Hand Book] < >Greg Coomer says "We wrote this book to make it as easy as we could for new people to join the company. It was fun to capture these thoughts and put them all in one place. Let us know what you think." Cached: [[attachment:Valve_Employee_Handbook.pdf]]
* [http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012343/The-Belly-of-the-Whale The Belly of the Whale: Living a Creative Life in the Game Industry] - by [http://www.bobbates.com/ Bob Bates]< >GDC 2010 lecture about how creative types can survive and thrive in the game industry. Highly recommended [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74876 by many Polycounters].
* [http://www.thejonjones.com/2010/08/09/how-not-to-hire-an-artist/ How NOT to hire an artist] - by [http://www.thejonjones.com Jon Jones]< >Response to the inflammatory article [http://kaitol.com/how-to-hire-an-artist/ How to hire an artist] by [http://kaitol.com/about/ Christopher 'xdragonx10' Gregorio].
* [http://www.polycount.com/2010/08/11/the-co-worker/ The Co-worker] - by [http://www.adambromell.com/ Adam Bromell]< >Polycount News article about what makes a good team co-worker.

== Art Disciplines ==
* [[Category:Discipline]] lists the various artist roles in game development:

* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134325 Leadership in the Games Industry] Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81832 What Game artist career is more difficult?] Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45470 Lack of Environment Artists] Polycount forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82424 Difference between Environment and Prop Artists?] Polycount forum thread
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52862 Percentage of environment artists .vs. character artists at most studios] Polycount forum thread
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52412 What's the difference between a level designer and environment artist?] Polycount forum thread
* [[NateWhitePortfolioAdvice|Portfolio Advice by Nate White]] has succinct summaries for what the various game disciplines should show in their portfolios, also all-around good advice for entry-level people.

== Education ==
The basic argument in the Polycount community is between going the self-taught route or going the formal education route. The best path seems to depend on what kind of person you are: self-motivated or team-motivated.

Artists on Polycount generally agree it is rare to find schools that teach current high-quality game art techniques. The web and forums are often the best places to learn these, maybe even [[Category:Tutorials|our wiki]] |-) . We see it time and again... the students who succeed at entering the work force after graduation are almost exclusively those that work on their own side projects, beyond the course material. Would they have been better served without using a school?

Beware of education scams and debt! Schools can cost a lot of money and some promise easy employment afterwards, but unfortunately the reality is not so forgiving. Student loan debt can also be a crushing burden for many years, especially with the relatively low wages most game artists make. See the blog post [https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/138c5efd45e9 Don’t go to art school], the Polycount forum thread [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75796 Profit Schools - Can we condemn them publicly?], and the Penny Arcade episode [http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/on-game-schools "On Game Schools"].

There are many Polycount forum threads about game art education, for a great list see [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108342 Education In The Games Industry: Yes or No?], or you can do a [http://www.polycount.com/forum/search.php forum search] for ''education''.

* [http://k0k0k0.wordpress.com/51-things-every-game-student-should-know/ 100 Things Every Game Student Should Know] - by [http://k0k0k0.wordpress.com/ Kaye Elling]< >100 fugly slides of things that every budding game developer (who is studying at university) should know. Read it!

== Portfolios ==
* [[Category:Portfolio]] has links to tutorials and advice about creating an artist portfolio for a career in game development.

== Resumes ==
* [http://windmillnetworking.com/2009/08/11/linkedin-profile-tips-the-10-mistakes-you-want-to-avoid-and-why/ LinkedIn Profile Tips: The 10 Mistakes You Want to Avoid and Why] - by ''[http://windmillnetworking.com/about/ Neal Schaffer]''
* [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/ResumeRead.html Getting Your Résumé Read] - by ''[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky]''
* [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/SortingResumes.html Sorting Resumes] - by ''[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky]''

== Cover Letters ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41014 Writing that all important cover letter?] Polycount Forum thread
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85192 Cover Letter] Polycount Forum thread
* [[http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118092|[Resume / Cover Letter Critique request] Riot Games]] Polycount Forum thread

== Job Searching ==
Most game developers get their jobs by word of mouth, this industry puts personal contacts first and foremost. Networking is key; keep in contact with your friends and former co-workers.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=39 Work Opportunities] Polycount Forum section has job postings.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134982 Another website to find a video game industry job] Polycount Forum thread has several links.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=38472 Game and Mod Development Article] and [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=42157 Some mod guidelines] Polycount Forum threads have advice about joining a mod team.
* [http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=195778565716 Industry tips: How to find a job in the game industry] - by ''[http://www.boomzap.com/ Christopher Natsuume]'' has some frank advice about job searching.
* [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/ThePhoneScreen.html The Phone Screen] - by ''[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky]'' has info about how companies weed out applicants.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99400 It seems to be impossible to find a job as a Modeler in this industry] - this Polycount forum thread has good advice about how to actually get hired as an artist in game development.
* [http://www.cgstepinside.com/cg-studio/ cgStepInside Studio Map] - map of animation and game development companies.
* [http://gamedevmap.com gamedevmap] - map of game development companies.

== Going Indie ==
Indie means developing, marketing, and publishing a game independently.
* [http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=18.msg147#msg147 How to Start an Indie Game Business (WIP)] TIGSource Forum thread with links to resources

== Freelancing ==
Freelancing means creating assets for pay, working alone as an individual. See [[Freelance]].

== Interviews ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106081 Job Interview in a hour or so, what questions should I expect?] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105266 When eyeballing a studio...] thread on the Polycount forum (what questions should you ask during your interview).
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69142 Interview Advice] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80507 In need of interview advice] thread on the Polycount forum.
* [http://www.boston.com/bostonworks/galleries/job_interview_tips?pg=2 10 Tips for Your First Interview] - by ''Dave Sanford''< > Time-tested interview strategies:
*# Research
*# Practice
*# Clothing
*# Get there early
*# Observe
*# Know thyself
*# Handshake
*# Listen
*# Finishing
*# Follow up
* [http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-four_steps_to_a_better_job_interview-51 Four Steps to a Better Job Interview] - by ''Brad Karsh''< > Four simple things to improve your interviews.
*# Relax, not a battle of wits.
*# Job description = questions that you'll be asked.
*# Have answers about why you did certain things.
*# Have questions about them.
* [http://www.jobbankusa.com/interviews/articles_tips/10_follow_up_rules.html Ten Tips for the Interview Follow Up] - by ''Carole Martin''< >How to avoid a non-response after your interview.
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=57317 job interview, 2-3 hours, why so long?] Polycount forum thread< >Game developers talking about the interview process they do, or have been through.

== Art Tests ==
Game companies often ask their art applicants to complete an art test, to gauge their talent relative to that company's particular needs, and to make sure you can actually do the work (portfolios can be faked or stolen).
* [http://forum.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5970 Art Test Master List] GameArtisans forum thread has some example art tests.
* [http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=16136725&gid=1842071 "Large art tests as the first stage of candidate selection. Acceptable?"] LinkedIn discussion (registration required) with seasoned artists weighing in on their art test experiences: unpaid vs. paid tests, how long is too long for a company to ask you to spend on it, plagiarism horror stories, non-response after submission, etc.

Art test threads and links:
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87657 Jagex Art Test]
* [http://jcricreate.tumblr.com/post/5461504341/the-art-test Naughty Dog texture artist test]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84418 Environment Art Test advice?]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81681 Art test and no response, normal?]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81015 Is it bad to ask for tips on an art test? There isn't an NDA]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80861 Art tests]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77279 Art Tests : How much time to spend?]
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76208 Art Test Help/Suggestions]

== Salary Research ==
Do the research to figure out what a fair offer is for your skill level and geographic area.
* [http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/1108/game_developer_salary_survey_2012.php 2012 Game Industry Salary Survey] - from ''[http://www.gdmag.com/ Game Developer magazine]'' (mostly USA). See also [http://gamedeveloper.texterity.com/gamedeveloper/201104#pg9 2010], [http://gamedeveloper.texterity.com/gamedeveloper/2009fall/#pg33 2009], [http://gamedeveloper.texterity.com/gamedeveloper/2008careerguide/#pg13 2008], [http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/416/the_game_industry_salary_survey_.php?page=1 2007], [http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/266/are_you_in_demand_2006_game_.php?page=1 2006].
* [http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-computer-software-senior-artist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_II1121.3,20_KO21,34_SDAS.htm# Senior Artist Salaries at Computer Software companies in United States] - from ''[http://www.glassdoor.com Glassdoor.com]'' (USA) Customize your search, and enter your salary data for full access.
* [http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=3d_Artist/Salary 3D Artist Salaries in the United States] - from ''[http://www.payscale.com Payscale.com]'' (other countries available)
* [http://www.flcdatacenter.com/CaseH1B.aspx The Foreign Labor Certification Data Center - Online Wage Library] (H1B Visa Applications) - from the ''[http://www.doleta.gov/ US Department of Labor]'' (USA)
* [http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/wages-in-the-vfx-animation-and-games-industry/ Wages In The VFX, Animation, And Games Industry] - by [http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com 'VFX Soldier'] features a spreadsheet of wage data mined from the H1B Visa database.
* [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/uk-games-industry-salary-survey-what-are-you-worth/0110018 2012 UK Games Industry Salary Survey]. See also [http://www.develop-online.net/features/429/The-2009-UK-Games-Development-Salary-Survey 2009] (UK)
* [http://www.vfxwages.com/ VFXWages] - a global database of hourly monetary rates of people in the film and television visual effects, animation, motion graphics, and gaming industry.
* Freelance#Freelance_Rates

== Negotiation ==
Salary negotiation is an essential skill that will be put to the test after a successful interview.
* [http://realtimecollisiondetection.net/blog/?p=70 Salary of a game programmer (artist, designer, or producer)] - by ''[http://realtimecollisiondetection.net Christer Ericcson]'', Sony Computer Entertainment
* [https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=191791235716 Industry tips: How to not ask for money] - by ''[http://www.boomzap.com/ Christopher Natsuume]''
* [http://www.kclabor.org/kyrmpp.htm Know Your Rights - The Myth of Pay Privacy] - by ''[http://www.kclabor.org KC Labor]'' (USA)
* [http://www.amazon.com/Bargaining-Advantage-Negotiation-Strategies-Reasonable/dp/0143036971 Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People] ($) - by ''[http://www.amazon.com/G.-Richard-Shell/e/B001H6KG6E G. Richard Shell]''

== Relocation ==
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99113 The game industry and relocation, how bad is it?] - Polycount Forum thread.< >Insight into the relocation process.

== Employee Rights ==
* [http://www.graphicartistsguild.org/handbook/ Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines] is an excellent resource on a great range of employment issues. Pricing guidelines, legal info, copyright law, sample contracts, how to negotiate, and more. Highly recommended!
* [http://www.nlrb.gov/about_us/overview/national_labor_relations_act.aspx National Labor Relations Board] (USA)
* [http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1390 ACAS: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service] (UK)
* [http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/index.htm Directgov Employment Terms and Conditions] (UK)
* [http://www.kclabor.org/know_your_rights1.htm Know Your Rights] - by [http://www.kclabor.org KC Labor] (USA)
* [http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=71929 Discussing issues at work, grounds for firing?] Polycount forum thread has information about workers discussing their compensation with one another.
* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97910 EA rumored to layoff 500+] Polycount forum thread with cautionary tales about what happens when people get laid off or fired, or when companies close. Back up your work regularly, for portfolio use!

== Pages in This Category ==

[[Category:WikiInformation]]

Category:GameIndustry

2014-08-04T03:00:00Z

Cheeseplus: Blanked the page