Caldera Exterior Structures

Submitted by karlschecht on

Hello! For those who don't know, my name is Karl. I'm a newbie here--this is my third day on SkyWind, and I've been assigned to do various structures for Caldera. I completed the main component building for the Mages Guild, pictured below:

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Now I've began work on some common house structures. I wasn't given a whole lot of instruction, just simply told to rebuild the models in the background in the picture below in the same aesthetic as the Mages Guild structure that I made.

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I'll be posting updates as I go. In case anyone is curious and wants to take a look, I'm gonna post my website which has some of my major work I've done in the last 10 months or so  --  http://khsdesign.wix.com/karl

 

Karma: 12 (12 votes)

We are happy to have you onboard the skywind team Karl :-) you have gotten off to a very good start , keep up the good work :-)
Karma: 2 (2 votes)

Thanks for everything eloth! I'm happy to be here of course, and I furthermore humbly thank you for the tasks you feed me, and the help you've been. :P

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Karma: 1 (1 votes)

You should give building 1# ( any building you create ) some kind of a base floor, that extents into the ground. This will make placement of the buildings into the game world easier, incase you have to deal with un flat terrain.

Karma: 0 (0 votes)

Thanks for the input Sjors! Once the base models are done, I'll get working on something like that.
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I've got a week long playtesting gig at id Software, full time 9 to 6. So I'll be occupied with that for a bit.
Karma: 3 (3 votes)

Finished another base house model. Once I get the final one finished, I'll go in and attack little details.

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Attachment Size
housemodels.png 1.09 MB
Karma: 10 (10 votes)

Finished the final basic house model I was assigned, which at this point only took about an hour to model. I used a texture I made in Photoshop for the pediment. Now it's time to make some little details here and there to really bring these to life. :)

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Karma: 11 (11 votes)

Great progress Karl. Keep it up! :)

Karma: 1 (1 votes)

Basically done now, no pictures this time, since they don't look a whole lot different. Just uploading them on here as a backup in case anyone else needs them or wants to make modifications to them. Hope these make it into the newest build coming up! :)

Attachment Size
khs_commonhouses.zip 628.41 KB
Karma: 7 (7 votes)

Thank you for this, really. It's very rare that someone sticks around and finishes up an ENTIRE 3D model set, let alone in a timely manner. It'll make all the difference for our level designers. Amazing work sir. [External image]

Karma: 1 (1 votes)

Thx, indeed a great work!

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Wow guys thank you! :). I'm very happy you like them. I've made a few things on the buildings separate objects (like certain wood struts) for a little customization, in case they aren't wanted there and what not. I can't wait to start on the next thing whatever it is. Just gimme the concept art and I'll hammer away!!! :D

Karma: 4 (4 votes)

Thanks, this is awesome news! I'm excited to return to Caldera now that the rest of the buildings are ready, no more textureless purple buildings!

Karma: 1 (1 votes)

Did you do vertex AO for these? I downloaded the models and didn't see any, even though the screens seem like they have it.

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they're easily added at the very end before u nif-ify them. some extra loops here and there and a quick radiosity bake. BAM

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So yeah eloth informed me how to do that because I've never set a mesh up for vertex ao before...he showed me a picture of where some loops should be, and I added them where necessary based off the picture. I'm still rather unclear how to do all of it, so feel free to send a tutorial or youtube video my way explaining vertex ao lol.
Karma: 0 (0 votes)

what i liked about caldera in morrowind, was that it felt like a normal imperial town, but as you're walking throughout the settlement, and leading to, you see giant mushrooms, giving off this colonial, new world kind of feel. emphasized even more by the shopkeeper, openly displaying bonemold. it felt like the imperials were cannibalizing dunmer cultures and traditions, and simply living life oblivious to their alien surroundings...

an almost uncertain peace about it. 

Karma: 1 (1 votes)

So I was now tasked with making a shed wall look more detailed, and one way I thought I could go about it was by subdividing the shit out of the mesh, then adding a displacement texture. After that, I unsubdivide the mesh to just under 10k tris. The result is below. Ignore the corners of the wall, I know they're screwed up. I'll actually remake this mesh if this idea goes over well. Thoughts?

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Karma: 0 (0 votes)

having a larger over cropping as in "lip" over the wall in terms of the roof, having a slightly lighter complexion, if possible, adding bumps and dents in the wall, rather than having a perfectly straight wall, signs of age... 

this is currently imho a 9/10. but adding the more extreme details; that would help create the setting, and help with immersion, to create a vibrant ageing world.

Karma: 0 (0 votes)

9/10? Wow, you make that sound like a bad thing! :D. Anyways, I re-did the whole wall mesh anyway, because the above mesh would be too high poly count, and I was simply asked to. Here's some updated pictures!

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Karma: 7 (7 votes)

hey hi. i like the newest updated detail for the wall with just a few sticking out stones. good work, looks good :)

Karma: 0 (0 votes)

oh my gods... you didn't need to... that was just a suggestion... it's so beautiful my eyes! my eyes! they can't take such majestic perfection!

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You're welcome :)
Karma: 1 (1 votes)

Looks almost perfect (straw top could use some details, stone is perfect).
I wonder if Caldera would use some additional wood buildings.
There were only 2 slaves shacks, maybe it would worth to expand.

EDIT: sadly i dont see great example of straw roof (maybe bcoz screenshots made by tiny player). Maybe that's not worthwhile item.
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But, yes, you can increase it's quality by small alpha-texture elements which rises above the main mass of straw
and share this element for other buildings. Maybe you can take transplant from one of relevant Ravanna's or Twentyengineer's building models.

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I think the straw top details will be added in the engine (2d planes with transparent straw texture). I'm not entirely sure though. What would you do to add detail?
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I dont think you should worry about it, most people dont walk on rooftops and check the quality of the straw beneath their feet. Most people.

 

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Hahah, I hate to say I'm one of those people, but I agree. The most important details are in the wall and wood.

Karma: 0 (0 votes)

I shall be walking over all rooftops gauging the quality of the workmanship and giving you points out of 10.

Bloody cowboy elf builders!

Karma: 2 (2 votes)

Lol Ravanna, you sound like a WWII German inspection officer. "If I see anysing out of ohder, you vill all be punished accohdingly."

Karma: 2 (2 votes)

what ever you choose to do, I'm sure it will be wonderful. with people like you working on this project, the vision of morrowind is safe. 

Karma: 1 (1 votes)