Best way of modeling a column capital ...

leedeetee

That'd be cheating though

Hehe, it sure would.

andybot

I've yet to find a halfway decent corinthian capital in any 3D repository. If you find one let me know. I like the suggestion to do a photo-textured low-poly version.

Alan Fraser

Rich is right; use a texture. I have modelled a corinthian column in geometry, but even the low poly version was nearly 4000 faces. If you've got a lot of them, that's not good news.

The capital below, however, is image based and only has 423 faces...just enough to provide decent looking corners.
Obviously it requires a column, but that's not going to amount to much.
Sorry I can't share, as it's commercial...but it at least shows what can be done with ultra low poly and a map.

pilou

Just for info because it's make with ZBrush
But the construction can maybe be help you on your project!

By Nicolas

andybot

of course! I should have checked formfonts!
The columns there look pretty nice Alan!

for example:
http://www.formfonts.com/viewModel.php?id=4699&config=3&action=&sub_action=&type=&active=

leedeetee

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the input. I definitely think a texture is the way forward, will post up the finished article in the WIP thread when it's done.

Thanks again.

Lee

leedeetee

Came up with this. Get's found out with a close up but doesn't look too bad from further away.

Thanks again for all your help.

Gaieus

That's more than sufficient IMO. Pilou's solution is obviously an overkill unless you are examining it from a couple of centimetres (but still an overkill as far as invested time is concerned - ZBrush or not, you only spend days on a capital like that if you want to show of with that detail only).

Can you show a real close-up so we can see where the "cheat" with textures begin?

leedeetee

Here it is. Think the geometry could be reduced a bit more but going to run with this at the moment anyway.

Gaieus

Thanks.

Indeed, as you are there to represent geometry much with textures, there could be some place of further reduction but still better than modelling every part.