Modeling Contest #13 - POLL!

[Devine]

Mechanical man's towers > Director's cut.

 

[FlowerofSpeech]

Hi, new poster here. I've played Warcraft 3 on and off for a while, and I was intrigued by this modeling contest. The lack of custom building models has always confused me. They appear to be much easier to make than units.

I'm rating these models on 3 qualities: size, design, and usefulness.

Khorne:

Size 5/5; less than 75kb
Design: 0/5; There's no design here. The "building" lacks substance. There's no structure here, just some doodads and a strange icon.
Usefulness: 3/5; I can see some usefulness here. Although it lacks any flair or style it would be useful if you needed another altar/hero summoning building for your custom race.

Temple: Size 2/5; It's over 150kb making it a little unwieldly for custom maps that might want to use many custom models.
Design 4/5; It's a little bland but a well designed building. It looks nice.
Usefulness 4/5; Size aside, I cannot out right say this is incredibly useful for WC3, since it won't really fit the style. But it could be useful for those 'Risk-esque' maps.

Necro:
Size: 1/5; It's just too big for me personally. Yes, it's under 300 kb, but it's still unwieldy for more than single player campaigns.
Design 3/5: It's weird. Honestly. It's creative, but it's weird. Both versions. I don't really see this as belonging to any particular race, so...
Usefulness 2/5: It doesn't have much use. There may be a custom campaign use, but I cannot see this as being more useful than the other cathedral buildings that come in the mpq.

Shrine: Size 4/5; Just under 100 kb
Design: 3.5/5; Simple design but fairly effective. The thing that ruins it for me is the skull.
Usefulness: 4/5; Pretty useful. But what's up with the altar trend here?

Barracks: Size 2/5; 200kb same reasons as previous submissions
Design: 2.5/5; Simple, but I don't like the huge negative space in the middle, nor the switch from the red roofing to the castle walls. There should be some white in the back of the model to balance it out, too.
Usefulness: 4/5 Very useful, despite my criticism, I could see this as being a good alternative to the overused human Barracks, even if to me, this model just looks like a geomerge.

Papylon: I could not get this model to work and I wasn't bothered enough to find a screenshot of it. So I can't rate it, sadly. I thought you weren't allowed to have custom skins anyway?

Towers: Size 4/5
Design: 4.5/5 Aesthetically pleasing, nice color scheme.
Usefulness: 3.5/5 Kind of useful. You could use it as a unit production building or a defensive structure. It doesn't seem to really mesh with anything though, but maybe that's just me.

Slave Hut: Size: I want to give this a 0/5 since there's no reason such a simple model should be 100 kb, but I feel that's too harsh; 2/5 since it's still under 100 kb
Design: 2/5 It's simple. I think the cage could be more detailed (or less rickety looking) and perhaps it needs a custom ground texture... but it's not bad.
Usefulness: 3/5 I don't know how useful this is really, but I like the idea. It could be useful for custom campaigns and certain tower defense maps, or something.

Overall I find Towers to be the best model, with Chinese Temple for second place.

 

[ike_ike]

I PUT SO MUCH EFFORT IN MINE D:

Yeah..

Most of these buildings were awesome. Some to a slightly lesser degree though...

I went for HT. 'Cos it's green. And demonic. And a bit long. But it was just a really awesome model :x

 

[Rui]

Rui, there's a COMPACT version that I said was the actual model for the competition....

Sorry. I looked at the image and thought that was the one. I didn't read the comments on the actual contest thread.

 

[Amaruak]

Vote goes for Human Barracks. Its well made + I find most usefull, I will use it in my map if you upload this Love the concept, simple but... you know

 

[Leeroy]

I must say the idea of Skrab was rather classic. Don't know why I liked it so much, but my vote went to Skrab. My Magos is bugged so I couldn't control anims and Mechanical's model.

If I had a second vote, it would have gone to Thrikodius.

EDIT: Omg I should have voted for HT D:

 

[Wolfhelm]

My vote is for Mechanical Man, i didnt try in in-game but looks really awesome.. if it can be scaled up without stretching too bad i may want to make a terrain around that tower.

 

[D a w n]

I don't know maybe its cheating but you should vote for someone else don't even vote.

I'm not sure about Blinkboy's vote, are the judges allowed to vote and judge? Maybe now we already know who won on judgeing D:

I also voted last contest and my vote was /= the model with most judging points

 

[Kyrbi0]

Posting to subscribe.

If this thing goes on long enough, I'll actually download the models (*gasp*) and check it out before I vote. However, from what I can see, (just about) everyone did a good job and lots of quality work was put out from this thing.

*sniff* no Altar contest, though *sniff*

 

[Palaslayer]

next contest. everybody post a screen instead of the model...

 

[Avator]

This contest isn't themed doodads. That means they have animations. Not just the model's stand animation counts (which you see on the screenshots), but also the birth, death and other animations.

@Kirby0: Just click Thread Tools --> Subscribe to this Thread (just above the first post of each page) and you'll subscribe without having to post.

 

[Kyrbi0]

Kirby0: Just click Thread Tools --> Subscribe to this Thread (just above the first post of each page) and you'll subscribe without having to post.

I know you can do that; it's more fun to post though.

 

[Mr. Bob]

Hahaha no freaking way mechanical man is winning this. XD

 

[frostwhisper]

You should've stuck with your initial design, Bob.

 

[Mechanical Man]

Hahaha no freaking way mechanical man is winning this. XD

There are still judges to go. As they not being random noobs but serious pr0s, skrab has still a lot of chance to win.

Although I find that BlinkBoy's vote for Thrikodius disturbing

 

[HappyCockroach]

My review about each of them:

1st. HT's Necro Thingy:

• Good things: it has a great style and these effects look great
• Bad things: does not fit warcraft very well

2nd. Mechanical Man's Spooky Towers

• Good things: fits warcraft very well and the building makes complete sense, being every tower fully reachable to its top, also it has a cutely spooky feel that is just awesome
• Bad things: I dunno! xD

3rd. Thrikodious Shrine

• Good things: birth anim is really good and its mesh is pretty and smooth, also having an attack anim.
• Bad things: someway too simple.

4th. skrabs Barracks

• Good things: BIRTH ANIM IS AWESOME!!! it has every feature the real warcraft building have, except collision shapes (what is not that needed in buildings)
• Bad things: lacks some originality, and will only be used if many training building models are needed, since we have some of these in the MPQ...

etc etc

 

[Kyrbi0]

Wait, why did this close so soon?

 

[Thrikodius]

Bad things: someway too simple.

Well I'm still developing in this modelling stuff even though some say:
"You're awesome! What more is there for you to learn?"
I had never attempted to scratch make either mesh or anims before so too simple came with the prize.

 

[Mr. Bob]

You should've stuck with your initial design, Bob.

Why? I see no problem with the new one. The old one had no foundation. And it had a giant empty gap. Which is fine by me, but people here are generally idiots and only like models that fit with WC3. (Which is why Skrab's and Mech man's models are doing well.) As if all maps made for WC3 must be WC3 themed... Plus, people here do not get how filesize works either...Therefore excluding the original. :/ No offense to any professional idiots out there... Although, I appreciate your appreciation for my unappreciated original model. Cheers. You are one of the remaining sane people on this site.

I am completely blown away by HT. Seriously, man. I am in awe. Not for the model, but for the fact that you made a model SO far away from WC3, yet people still love it. This is a feat not achieved regularly. Congrats on an epic win over the general idiot critics community here at the Hive. We should all take lessons from HT. He made what a modelers consider a good model, yet others do as well. Genius. I now wish I could change my vote. Heck, I have not even downloaded it yet. But, based off of the pic and how so freaking far away from WC3-ishness it is, and yet people LOVE it, you have achieved epicness.

And, Mech man, you know I am just kidding with you. hehe I just find it funny after you said in chat "Face it. HT will get 1st, Skrab 2nd and Pyramidhead will get 3rd." XD

 

[Pyritie]

Wait, why did this close so soon?

It's always closed after a week

 

[Mechanical Man]

Why? I see no problem with the new one. The old one had no foundation. And it had a giant empty gap. Which is fine by me, but people here are generally idiots and only like models that fit with WC3. (Which is why Skrab's and Mech man's models are doing well.) As if all maps made for WC3 must be WC3 themed... Plus, people here do not get how filesize works either...Therefore excluding the original. :/ No offense to any professional idiots out there... Although, I appreciate your appreciation for my unappreciated original model. Cheers. You are one of the remaining sane people on this site.

I am completely blown away by HT. Seriously, man. I am in awe. Not for the model, but for the fact that you made a model SO far away from WC3, yet people still love it. This is a feat not achieved regularly. Congrats on an epic win over the general idiot critics community here at the Hive. We should all take lessons from HT. He made what a modelers consider a good model, yet others do as well. Genius. I now wish I could change my vote. Heck, I have not even downloaded it yet. But, based off of the pic and how so freaking far away from WC3-ishness it is, and yet people LOVE it, you have achieved epicness.

And, Mech man, you know I am just kidding with you. hehe I just find it funny after you said in chat "Face it. HT will get 1st, Skrab 2nd and Pyramidhead will get 3rd." XD

Uhm where you got that people vote how the model is warcraft related. Please look at skrab's and then to HT's animation for example. You will notice a big difference in quality. Actually it is that most people don't like human models, thats why you were doing so bad and skrab is not winning by his model being actually the best hands down. Yours was so bad also because of asian stuff is more praised by naruto fans, but they are too dumb to actually look whats contests are going now.

 

[Mr. Bob]

Uhm where you got that people vote how the model is warcraft related. Please look at skrab's and then to HT's animation for example. You will notice a big difference in quality. Actually it is that most people don't like human models, thats why you were doing so bad and skrab is not winning by his model being actually the best hands down. Yours was so bad also because of asian stuff is more praised by naruto fans, but they are too dumb to actually look whats contests are going now.

Good point about the naruto thing lol. I should have made something else. Like maybe some kind of tribal structure or something.

I didn't quite understand the first part of what you said. lol Skrabs anims are ok, but the only real good one is the birth anim. I haven't seen HT's. But I don't care, the point is, he made a nonWC3 model yet people loved it. Don't get me wrong, yours and Skrab's models are epic win. Better than mine. I am just saying that as for the general idiot community of the Hive, WC3ish models win.

WC3ish model = Absolute CRAP proportions (not exactly a bad thing) and EXTREMELY compact. (Not filsize, but actual space.)

 

[Mechanical Man]

Good point about the naruto thing lol. I should have made something else. Like maybe some kind of tribal structure or something.

I didn't quite understand the first part of what you said. lol Skrabs anims are ok, but the only real good one is the birth anim. I haven't seen HT's. But I don't care, the point is, he made a nonWC3 model yet people loved it. Don't get me wrong, yours and Skrab's models are epic win. Better than mine. I am just saying that as for the general idiot community of the Hive, WC3ish models win.

WC3ish model = Absolute CRAP proportions (not exactly a bad thing) and EXTREMELY compact. (Not filsize, but actual space.)

WC3ish buildings are still more useful. Sorry, but usefulness and game performance is here much more important. Thats why General Frank's models are epic win. That's right, this means compact and unproportioned models. Unless you make all things new (yes, my model is for some such project thats why it's as is). But even in that case the engine may betray you.

Blizzard did not do these kind of proportion because they are crappy artists. Compact structure is easier to note and it's easier to differentiate each type of unit in matter of miliseconds. Wc3 Engine is pretty simple, so realistic models will fail badly. In the end you see that the animations are most important.

 

[skrab]

lol Skrabs anims are ok, but the only real good one is the birth anim.

I spend a lot of time on my animations and i'm quite sure that there are no better Human building animations in the whole THW model section and more...
I made mistake on decay animation, the stone structure still sands after Death explosion. But that's not a huge problem, maybe if i decide to post my model in the section i'll fix that. The decay has some fire from the burning wood and the smoke...
Stand animation is just normal stand, there must be something that moves to make the model look better ingame so i add the two campaign flags (maybe they are not needed but whatever)
Stand work i same like on ingame barracks the door opens and the light comes out. To fill the empty space inside i add dust that raises in the middle of the barracks.
Some people have problem with the Death animation because the half of the model just disappears. That's my way of animateing death animations, and if someone has problems with it he can go and cry like an emo.
I spend almost two days animating Birth animation. Piece my piece..
Its just a moveing crane but I'm quite happy about it. Its one of my best building animations so far.

There is some wood on the side of the barracks that should not be there but maybe i'll replace it with stone if i decide to post the model.

Also about the file size of my model. I think its around 60kb of difference between my barracks and Blizzards.
Blizzard's barrack has only small flag's moveing and standing construction but mine has more flags and bigger birth construction. The poly count doesn't matter.

I haven't seen HT's.

Then why do you comment?


About my and HT's animations.
You can't really compare them, HT made and undead and i human building.

 

[Mechanical Man]

You can't really compare them, HT made and undead and i human building.

Yes, you can compare. Human animations are much better, because you see much more things and it can't be transfered to every other human model, while undead is just some effects looping constantly and it can be transfered even by MasterHaosis.

 

[HappyCockroach]

Yeah, human models are under-estimated because the greatest they may look will look 'normal' to us (humans, mostly, lol). Fantasy things, nevertheless, can impress us with much more ease. You got a point on saying that you can't compare one to another.
This green effect wouldn't be suitable to a human building.
Constantly moving parts would look weird.
Purple smoke, bright glows, moving ribbons, or anything not 'physical', neither 'natural' would cause a conflict in any human building. They are ten times harder to be made and ten times less valued.

 

[Kyrbi0]

Some people have problem with the Death animation because the half of the model just disappears. That's my way of animateing death animations, and if someone has problems with it he can go and cry like an emo.

Actually, quite a lot of buildings do this same thing (and mechanical units), so it's totally cool.

 

[BlinkBoy]

Mec: My vote was kinda random, I was like "hmm, for whom should I vote?" so I voted for thrikodius since he's the only one who made a good model with mdlVis and that's priceless.

I'm currently looking at how good you pricks optimized your models before sending the results of your works. So be patient, I have exams next week, so I may delay a lil bit.

 

[Mr. Bob]

WC3ish buildings are still more useful. Sorry, but usefulness and game performance is here much more important. Thats why General Frank's models are epic win. That's right, this means compact and unproportioned models. Unless you make all things new (yes, my model is for some such project thats why it's as is). But even in that case the engine may betray you.

Blizzard did not do these kind of proportion because they are crappy artists. Compact structure is easier to note and it's easier to differentiate each type of unit in matter of miliseconds. Wc3 Engine is pretty simple, so realistic models will fail badly. In the end you see that the animations are most important.

I never said WC3 style is bad, I am just saying that even though the lighting and general atmosphere of WC3 is as it is, that doesn't mean you can't manipulate it.

I spend a lot of time on my animations and i'm quite sure that there are no better Human building animations in the whole THW model section and more...
I made mistake on decay animation, the stone structure still sands after Death explosion. But that's not a huge problem, maybe if i decide to post my model in the section i'll fix that. The decay has some fire from the burning wood and the smoke...
Stand animation is just normal stand, there must be something that moves to make the model look better ingame so i add the two campaign flags (maybe they are not needed but whatever)
Stand work i same like on ingame barracks the door opens and the light comes out. To fill the empty space inside i add dust that raises in the middle of the barracks.
Some people have problem with the Death animation because the half of the model just disappears. That's my way of animateing death animations, and if someone has problems with it he can go and cry like an emo.
I spend almost two days animating Birth animation. Piece my piece..
Its just a moveing crane but I'm quite happy about it. Its one of my best building animations so far.

There is some wood on the side of the barracks that should not be there but maybe i'll replace it with stone if i decide to post the model.

Also about the file size of my model. I think its around 60kb of difference between my barracks and Blizzards.
Blizzard's barrack has only small flag's moveing and standing construction but mine has more flags and bigger birth construction. The poly count doesn't matter.

Then why do you comment?


About my and HT's animations.
You can't really compare them, HT made and undead and i human building.

About the anims: Your right, the anims are all fine. (Hense the word "ok") but I am just saying that there is room for improvement. Mine are not any better.

About Filesize: I really do not care about filesize. if it is under 700kb it is all the same to me. lol

About comparisons: You can compare any anims as long as they are both the same type of unit. (Buildings)

Why do I comment on HT's? Omg please read what I said again. I do not care about the actual model. I am just saying that he made a non-WC3 related model that people still liked.

Don't get me wrong, the model is great. I just see room for improvement. You will win the contest for sure.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE! Models that are WC3ish are not bad. I am just saying that a WC3ish game can be manipulated, so do not assume all unWC3ish models are terrible.

 

[Thrikodius]

Mec: My vote was kinda random, I was like "hmm, for whom should I vote?" so I voted for thrikodius since he's the only one who made a good model with mdlVis and that's priceless.

What the heck is wrong with MdlVis anyway? After having used magos for like 1.5 years it's the best tool I have ever used.

 

[Mr. Bob]

What the heck is wrong with MdlVis anyway? After having used magos for like 1.5 years it's the best tool I have ever used.

Get a 30 day trial of 3ds max. With rendering, lighting and cameras, physics, advanced poly modeling, a massive particle layout, and the best material editor on the market, it is very nice. : )

 

[Thrikodius]

I asked "what's wrong with MdlVis?" Not what's good with 3dsMax.

 

[HappyTauren]

Nothing is wrong with MDLvis, just that it tends to be hard to use at times, and it's an awesome tool for animation and rigging. Actually, MDLvis and magos make an amazing combo if you use them right (like, khm, myself).

 

[Thrikodius]

Those two tools are the only ones I use. When one fails the other one can fix it.
I belive I use them somewhat right aswell but I haven't really evolved the feeling for modelling that you appear to have. I still need WIP to improve and add stuff.

 

[Mr. Bob]

I asked "what's wrong with MdlVis?" Not what's good with 3dsMax.

You know what I meant.

 

[Kyrbi0]

I need to learn how to use MDLvis, but there are no tutorials for it. Apparently it's amazing at animating/rigging (just what I need), but... see above.

What am I saying; I've got ~4 weeks left.

 

[Thrikodius]

I'm your tutorial.

 

[Mechanical Man]

Mec: My vote was kinda random, I was like "hmm, for whom should I vote?" so I voted for thrikodius since he's the only one who made a good model with mdlVis and that's priceless.

Then almost all (original) models on xgm are priceless. Mdlvis is so much better than vertex modifier, even I can use it .

 

[BlinkBoy]

yeah but nothing compared to max, so he's undisventage.

 

[HappyTauren]

What I do when modeling: Max > ms3d > notepad > magos > MDLVis > magos > notepad
You guess what I do in each of the steps

 

[BlinkBoy]

What I do when modeling: Max > ms3d > notepad > magos > MDLVis > magos > notepad
You guess what I do in each of the steps

erase ms3d and you'll be unstopable.

 

[HappyTauren]

Actually, all I do in MS3D is map the mesh to ingame textures, polish some things that are easier to do in ms3d than in max, and so on. Then, if I am up to animate the model in max (happens rarely), I turn it back into max and do the shit, export to mdx and work on it in notepad, mdlvis, and magos, and that's it. If I transfer animations, or animate in MDLVis, the post above applies.

 

[Mr. Bob]

Of course, a lot of these other programs are built for WC3, so it would make sense that some of the small things would be easier with them. But, for general modeling Max wins. Although, no one here seems to care about general modeling except Kim and SuPa. (There are others, I just have not seen them lol.)

 

[Pyritie]

I just hope blizz makes another art tools program for newer 3ds max versions.

 

[xXMephistoXx]

Ok, I have a problem. The post you link to is the second post I posted and there's no skin nor picture there :S I can't edit the post, either..? How can I fix that? There's no skin nor picture!

 

[Mr. Bob]

I just hope blizz makes another art tools program for newer 3ds max versions.

That would be awesome. Especially with the TCB rotation bug and all.

 

[BlinkBoy]

the TCB bug isn't really a bug.

I just can't figure out how to convert TCB rotations into Hermite. I've tried millions of ways and everytime I get worse results than before. I once had something near to the answer, but it got lost.

The only way in which I could fix it, is if I hire or get help of a mathematician who be an ace in quaternion algebra.

(Another EVIL way is reverse enginering Art Tools, but that's something out of my reach and is illigal)

Currently NeoDex uses Dexporter's formula for TCB and Bezier. The TCB forumla for position and Scale is perfect, but rotations aren't. The Bezier formula is also wrong and needs to be replaced, I'm more forward on finding the answer for Bezier.

 

[Mr. Bob]

the TCB bug isn't really a bug.

I just can't figure out how to convert TCB rotations into Hermite. I've tried millions of ways and everytime I get worse results than before. I once had something near to the answer, but it got lost.

The only way in which I could fix it, is if I hire or get help of a mathematician who be an ace in quaternion algebra.

(Another EVIL way is reverse enginering Art Tools, but that's something out of my reach and is illigal)

Currently NeoDex uses Dexporter's formula for TCB and Bezier. The TCB forumla for position and Scale is perfect, but rotations aren't. The Bezier formula is also wrong and needs to be replaced, I'm more forward on finding the answer for Bezier.

Linear works? Any other types? I have had problems with linear before...

 

[xXMephistoXx]

Well, as I haven't recieved any solution, I'm just gonna re-post my model here, could you link to this instead in the first post, Pyritie? (I have not edited the model in any way at all (obviously, as I link to former posts ))

The model: Papylon
The texture (BLP): PapylonSkin
The texture (TGA): PApylonSkin
The texture path: "Textures\PapylonTexture.blp"

 

[Thrikodius]

Well, as I haven't recieved any solution, I'm just gonna re-post my model here, could you link to this instead in the first post, Pyritie? (I have not edited the model in any way at all (obviously, as I link to former posts ))

The model: Papylon
The texture (BLP): PapylonSkin
The texture (TGA): PApylonSkin
The texture path: "Textures\PapylonTexture.blp"

I'd like to point something out... the poll is closed.