4 replies to this topic

[TimmyZDesign]

Hello Everyone!
This is the first game character I created using 3D Coat. I used voxels to build and detail the base form, then used the retopo room to create the polygonal mesh and UVs. The model has diffuse, specular, and normal maps (all generated from 3D Coat). I then imported all of it to Maya, lit it with a couple of spotlights, and rendered out these images with mental ray (no indirect lighting). If you would like to see more, there is a turnaround video of this model on my website: timmyzdesign.com
I look forward to any comments or suggestions you might have!
-Tim Z.

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[kay_Eva]

I like it, it's explosive

Lately I've been noticing how 2d illustrations look more like voxels than polygons. So I'm digging the voxel look.

[TimmyZDesign]

I like it, it's explosive

Lately I've been noticing how 2d illustrations look more like voxels than polygons. So I'm digging the voxel look.

Thanks! But I don't quite understand what you mean about "the voxel look". Could you explain?

[kay_Eva]

Sure, well to my eyes voxel models look more like clay than polygons which look like sharp lines. Which when you look at 2d illustrations by some of the most skilled artists at least to me their renderings appear more claylike than they do a bunch of sharp lines coming together.

[TimmyZDesign]

Sure, well to my eyes voxel models look more like clay than polygons which look like sharp lines. Which when you look at 2d illustrations by some of the most skilled artists at least to me their renderings appear more claylike than they do a bunch of sharp lines coming together.

Yeah I totally agree! Voxels generally have a kind of smoother, softer look to them. It's like natural anti-aliasing. To get that same kind of look with polygons, you would have to bevel the mesh constantly, which would cause all kinds of edgeloop problems. In Maya you can use the "smooth" function on your polygon mesh, but that looks different than the smoothed look that voxels naturally have. The cool thing about starting your modeling with voxels is that you automatically get that smoothed look, and it carries over to your retopo polygonal mesh when you create normal maps from the voxels. Then your final polygon mesh keeps that voxel look without it actually being voxels! It's a subtle trick that you can only take advantage of with voxel sculpting software...yet another reason why I love 3D-Coat!