Reply To: PolyBook 2020 – blanchsb

October 21, 2019 – Day 10: Game Asset Creation – Raraku Character from Team UnMask’d

It’s been quite a few weeks since I have posted. I had to take a break from posting but am back now. Been busy working on my next couple of characters. I submitted on to the modeling challenges live stream. His name is Raraku (a.k.a. Scratch in the Maori tongue). He is one of the indigenous tribal full-body-mask wearers of UnEyeland. 

While modeling I was using subdivision surface modifiers because I am still learning modeling and am not overly confident in my lo poly modeling style yet. So I made Raraku in his high poly version first, as seen below:

Raraku – High Poly

After receiving feedback and modeling advice I was reminded that the model was too high poly for a mobile app. but he looks pretty decent. Thankfully all my modifiers were still active so it is super easy to go back to lo-poly haha.

However it can still be optimized because it makes 19k triangles at the end of the day. I got some tips and tricks to make the leaves a single plane with a texture on it (which cuts down on faces a lot since it is duplicated 8 times, cutting down 1 faces cuts down 8 in total). Half of that 19k is the leaves haha. And I can cut down on the faces for the arms and legs. There really is no need for that many faces on the slender sections.

I still have to learn about baking better to get high poly detail on a lo poly model and perhaps it may even not be needed.

This character will be zoomed out on a battle-field in chess-style combat so I did an overview of what he looks like in his low poly mode below:

Lo Poly Zoomed Out with a free-style effect.

Man all that work and I hardly notice all of the sharp and jagged edges. But some of my more fine detail headaches in high poly mode also went away (time not-well spent haha). But I have a high poly model for advertising and showing him off now.

I learned a lot and Raraku is my first character after some intense training on live streams and on my own. My journal content took a dip but my skills took a boost. At the end of the day I learned some valuable lessons. 

Onward to working on Raraku’s Rock Friend: Whakato (Stomping masked friend).