Coldworks 3D renders

[Coldworks]

I'll use this topic to post some of my renders.
These are mostly practice and conceptual bits I'm doing to properly explore blenders functionality.







Next on my list to explore...
- Lighting options
- Animation and rigging.

[Bering]

I would look into textures and the shading before you begin on the Animation and Rigging.

What render are you using, and what materials are you using?
You really need to play around more with the materials and textures, and have an idea what you want out of them. Right now, it all looks very messy and plastic like the early 90s 3d models.

The textures you've put on your pieces seem very strecthed, and I think that might be because the UVs could be a lot better. You should prefer getting as little stretching as possible on your pieces.

There is no point heading into other subjects, until you know the fundementals of what you've done already. So continue working on your renders, textures and shading, before you move on.

Your software cannot do the magic for you - you need to head into the materials, their functions and make the shading better.

[Coldworks]

I would look into textures and the shading before you begin on the Animation and Rigging.

What render are you using, and what materials are you using?
You really need to play around more with the materials and textures, and have an idea what you want out of them. Right now, it all looks very messy and plastic like the early 90s 3d models.

The textures you've put on your pieces seem very strecthed, and I think that might be because the UVs could be a lot better. You should prefer getting as little stretching as possible on your pieces.

There is no point heading into other subjects, until you know the fundementals of what you've done already. So continue working on your renders, textures and shading, before you move on.

Your software cannot do the magic for you - you need to head into the materials, their functions and make the shading better.

Good point in general, but let's change the circumstances a bit.
I'm working on a small flash based RTS project.
We will be using pre-rendered graphics as an alternative to pixelart at unit sizes of max 100 pixels, making the use of perfect materials and textures pretty much obsolete and irrelevant.
What I'm doing here is for future work, animation and rigging are pretty much for "right the hell now".

I am definitely thankful for your comment, and I had not even considered the fact that there are multiple rendering systems for blender in place yet...

Working on one thing at a time has in fact NEVER worked for me, as a matter of fact it tends to fail miserably.
I find that I'm progressing more with every individual task when I'm focusing on multiple items at a time.
- Working on something else for a moment allows me to distance myself from the previous task, giving me a clear head to evaluate my progress and implement the necessary corrections.
- Being able to switch between tasks regularly tends to create variety in your workflow, and could actually be a rather good deterrent for a nasty thing called "artists block".

For 3D modeling in particular, I question your advice on holding off animation and rigging.
- Absolutely nothing prevents me from working on both topics at the same time. Materials and textures can still be altered on a rigged model.
- Being able to evaluate the materials on a mesh in motion is a plus and makes it easier to make proper adjustments.

Other than that, materials are mostly set up from scratch in blender, textures are either procedurally generated or made in alchemy.

[Coldworks]

Alright, gaining a bit more insight in blender materials