3D Photo People
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A few subscribers at FormFonts have been asking if we could do photoreal figures like those at Lowpolygon3D. It looks like they use Imodeller over there and hire in professional models. That's not really an option, given the low price we charge; also, it would drive me nuts...having to mask-out photo after photo. So I decided to try actually modelling modular figures from scratch.
This is the first attempt. The mapping has worked out reasonably well. Now all I have to do is rig it. A straight SU thumbnail pic and a VRay render to see how things look at the photoreal level.This is only 3500 faces and the maps are pretty small too, but it still weighs in at a massive 1.4 MB (The exported 3ds, including all maps, is only 256 Kb). I always suspected that SU was horrendously inefficient at storing mapping info. Do anything other than the simplest of mappings and the file size goes through the roof. It doesn't seem to affect the performance any, I'm relieved to say.
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Looks really good Alan. I would certainly use them, I downloaded the iclone people from 3DW, made even my renderings look ok, well, better than usual.
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Thanks for reminding me of those figures, Jon. I see they are even slightly heavier than mine. I'm still deciding whether or not to offer animated versions of these people. No good for SU, but useful for Max users.
Of course, anyone wanting the ultimate in 3D photo people could always buy this set....only the equivalent of 18 years subscription to FF.
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I wonder how much the models got payed?!
Yes the iclone figures are huge, I deleted loads of detail, close up there is all sorts of stuff missing off them.
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WOW Super work Alan! I'm impressed!
God that set from Rocket Box is really over priced! I purchased a massive set from AXYZ which are great and much better priced.
Might I suggest that a low res and high res map be included so they can be placed in SU and then the Map substituted when exporting for render in most higher end apps! Oh and normal maps!
Can't wait to see more of your handy work!
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The low-poly versions of those Rocketbox people are the very definition of "Uncanny Valley". Check their hands.
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It occured to me that the images of the hi-res figures could very easily be turned into 2D billboards...for private use, of course. Posting them here would have copyright implications.
Here's a sample of the kind of head I'm producing. This one is with low-res texture.
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wow....really great alan....i'm definitely interested in these..
i currently use these Dosch Design lo poly people.... great for far away...yours look way better..
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Alan
These look fantastic, and they are very light for the detail.
If I may enquire, how did you do the texture mapping? it does not look like it was done in SU or was it?
And for your photo textures do you use your own photographed people or acquired on the net and altered in PS?
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@marked001 said:
I'm definitely interested in these..
Me too - I wish form font's had differing options other than subscription!
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Pete, no way you could do that in SU. Not that I’m aware of, anyhow. I’m using a combination of Ultimate Unwrap 3D and Lightray 3D…both excellent, both cheap , both one-man operations (or at least very limited) and both put Google to shame when it comes the UV mapping . I could use Max, but it carries such a burden of features that I don’t need that I prefer to use these lighter apps that concentrate precisely on what I want to achieve.
I model the parts in SU, then export to these other apps for mapping and rigging. I'll then bring the posed figures back into SU via 3ds...which means I already have a 3ds version for substitution in external renderers. Simply exporting a 3ds from SU fails miserably...I usually end up with a duplicate human face all distorted on the back of the head, or whatever.
The texture production is a secret.
…although it can be done in Photoshop, utilising a few basic greyscale photos as adjustment layers, with various other layers on top.Richard, we have considered retail collections, but it’s just too difficult to work it in with the subscription model…which is what most of our subscribers want…it’s the only way to make a vast collection affordable.
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Looks great, Alan. Can't wait 'til they are available.
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Thanks for the explination Alan, you have been doing low poly 3D characters for a while now so you are the go to guy.
How many unique characters do you plan to make? will you be creating different L.O.D's?
I do several Max and Vue animations using rigged poser characters that I pre animate, I use low and high poly models for fore and background but it's just not an ideal solution as there is not much consistancy and using multiple high poly characters can bog down any app eventually, so having two lod's of the same character especially rigged and animated will be an awesome resource for many users. -
thats pretty cool!
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I have just had a look at the Dosch low poly people, a friend of mine bought the set last year and let me import one into SU and look at it.
The size is 2.7mb yet the quality of mesh is absolutely crappy, the UV mapping is off and they only look good from front or back.
So, Alan you are onto something here, good to know there will be a better solution available. -
Thank you so much ^^
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You're not wrong there Pete. I've actually managed to get a hold of at least a few samples of most of the current collections of such figures...Dosch, AXYZ, Got3D, Lowpolygon3D, even the Rocketbox (which are streets ahead of most of the others...just very pricey). The quality is not always what you might expect based on the price. If it's useful, I'll post largish renders of them here, so that people can compare. It's not always possible on the websites because the sample images are really too small (although a few sites do actually offer a sample figure or two.)
I collected them to see what the competition was like; I don't actually have any use for them myself, because I don't do renders of people any more..well, actually I do but they are all promos for FF so just contain FF content.
I did the same thing prior to releasing my CD of 3D people. Some people criticised them for not being good enough for photoreal renders...they were never intended to be. They were released when we were still on SU3 and the only mapping possible was straight bricks onto a wall or pavers onto a path etc. They were intended to simply be low poly face-coloured figures for use in SU and far-distant mass use in ACAD and Max. What I did then was spend weeks scouring the Net for all the other low-poly collections. The best I could find was a site called Abscissa, offering similar in dwg and 3ds (now out of business, but old image attached) so I used that as my benchmark. FF users and people who originally bought the disc may find many of the poses rather familiar...although my clothing looks about a decade more recent. (That's another thing about expensive collections of high-quality people...they have a very limited shelf-life.)
I guess it will be the same with your veggie packs. It's a bit like the old joke about the bear and the running shoes "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you."....find out what is already out there and do slightly better at a lower price.
![peopleposter[1].jpg](/uploads/imported_attachments/D5A0_peopleposter1.jpg)
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Interesting stuff Alan, I can see some familiar poses.
On the first page you mentioned the apps you use for unwrapping and mapping, I have tried Lightray before but never could get into it, I never ventured as far as finding the UV tools.
I have used Roadkill, which is probably the best free UV app I've used but it just did not do the overlaps as I wanted and it was so frigging hard to select the edges when creating the seams.
I have been using Deep Paint with the Deep UV module, it's a pricey package but for what it does it's brilliant.
I decided to give vegetation a break today and play around with some mapping (you got me interested), even though I do not plan to get into 3d people (I did about a year ago and got burned out with it) I used a stock head and mapped a photo texture to it (my head has an additional irriteration for smoothness but would need to be reduced for massing)
I used the auto relax and cut my seems a little different, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
rendered with Vray
My UV maps are more displaced which brings me to the next question... why would you keep your mapping cylindrical and connected, as anyone can reuse your textures as they are intact.
UV mapI made a quick .gif using Irender NXT of an all round view.
I then used Deep paint and edited the mesh with some stubble and color corrections, threw on a hat and a pair of sunglasses (courtesy of Clickdraw in the WH)
rendered with Irender NXT
All in all it was fun, but not my thing, I leave the people to you.
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Hmmm...
Those sunglasses look familar, where did you say you got them from? Cause they look like mine
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=14865Nice heads by the way, I'm always impressed with anything you do!
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My apologies mate, I said clickdraw, I meant Crazy eyes. You they worked great, thanks for that and the correction.
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