Ironmania MarkIII/IV WIP

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

Just in case I had any worries about making it a product. :roll:

http://market.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=63673&vendor=powerage

I know I haven't updated in a while. It's coming.
The problem is that making a good retail package requires a ton of drudgery. Custom CR2 hacking to make everything work because Poser 6 doesn't save relative paths. PNG's for every Pose. Just developing the textures is hard. Morphs that look great with a flat base color, warp the mapping horribly turning simple displacements into twisted messes.

Trying to make things 1 click simple for the users is incredibly hard.

I think at this point I'm going to close the morph list.

DITKOS

Should they stay or should they go?
The detail they add could easily be done with Displace Maps, and I'm finding them rather hard to do anything else with. I'm thinking of removing them from the mesh all together and making them part of the Displacement texture work.

What do you think?

invader · Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2002 Posts: 40 Location: USA

You put alot of time and effort into this fantastic piece and it should be up to you. I like them, but if it's easier on you, then leave them out.

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

Grrrr.... It is up to me, but I'm asking your opinions. :lol:

Why do you like them? Originally I was hoping to warp them into different plate arrangements, but it turns out that the inherit bends from where they started, so some of the cool stuff I wanted to do just doesn't work.

They use a good bit of geometry. 816 polygons, and they don't really do what I had intended them for.

Removing them means I have to yank out and redo all the chest morphs, but will give a smaller more manageable model and CR2. About the only thing I CAN'T do via Displace Map is morph them.

Of course, with Mat Poses, I could get close to any look you want.

Now. Stop being so nice everyone. Beta testing means abuse Ratteler and the mesh to the limits.

and thanks. ;-)

Mircea · Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2002 Posts: 37

If you can get more out of it using the displacement maps then I say dump the ditkos. Though I do like the movie morph you did with them but that can be duplicated with displacement maps and in the end you get a figure that can be used along side one of the high poly figures even with the many slow pc's. In the end you give yourself a wider possible sales demographic and we get more stuff to play with.

Ok here's the abuse Ratteler part. "DO IT NOW RAT BOY!"

_________________
Regere Sanguine Regere In Veritatem Est.

Bman666 · Forum Member Joined: Feb 23, 2006 Posts: 42 Location: Lost

I second Mircea, You have worked very hard on this for some time, and if dumping the Ditkos increases the overall product then do it. You best bet for .png's is make a render of the pose/texture/props? Then scale them down using Photoshop etc... this way it looks more professional in the long run. Then just rename the .png to match the files name.

So what are you waiting for? Dump 'EM! lol
_________________
"The Earth is the cradle of the mind but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
- - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, The Father of Rocketry

MatrixWorkz · Forum Member Joined: Jul 03, 2007 Posts: 12

LOL! Ok, I don't know what the Ditkos are so go ahead and ditch em'! Oh, as for merchandising this project. If that wasn't enough incentive for you seeing the Luk. There's always this product which actually has a copyrighted logo on the armour! OCP (Omni Consumer Products) anyone? :roll:

http://market.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=61269

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

The Ditkos are the reenforcing strips down the fron and the back of Amazing Armor.

As for "Future Cop", I mentioned him a few pages back in this thread when I first raised the subject of commercializing AA.

I even challeneged it as a (C) infringment in the thread over at R'osity. R'osity says it's ok, so they should have no problem with AA.

Bman666 · Forum Member Joined: Feb 23, 2006 Posts: 42 Location: Lost

The overall design is not per say (C) but more rather the name than anything else.
_________________
"The Earth is the cradle of the mind but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
- - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, The Father of Rocketry

alf · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject:

Concerning the diktos, I agree with Bman666: you should remove them if you thing that it is simpler to do the same thing with displacement map.

I think that it will increase the quality of your model.

itisitex · Forum Member Joined: Sep 01, 2002 Posts: 177 Location: Tx

remove them from the mesh but keep them as smart props that away if you want to morph them then you can just morph those instead of all the geometry it means more work for you but it also gives the customer more bang for their buck.

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

The problem with Smart propping them is that they don't bend with the figure geometry anymore.

I'd have to make them a separate conforming figure.

itisitex · Forum Member Joined: Sep 01, 2002 Posts: 177 Location: Tx

what about enheriting the bends of the parent

Christian22179 · Forum Member Joined: May 03, 2006 Posts: 44

Personally, I'd say keep the morphs. It's easier for me to use that than a displacement map. But hey, if you know it'd be easier to just dump the morphs (or ditkos, whatever you wanna call it), then do it! A nice D/S and Poser tutorial explaining how to use a displacement map to achieve a desired look is HIGHLY recommended for nay beginner artist who have no idea what a displacement map is. In my experience, I have often become frustrated with vendors who sell a product and expect their buyers to know how to use it and take no thought of beginner artists who are just getting into Poser and/or D/S and don't know a whole lot. I say keep the morphs (or ditkos, whatever), which means more work for you (sorry, I just don't want to have to mess with a displacement map). But the majority rules, almost everybody is saying dump them. So, go ahead and dump them.

Maybe in the future you can make an update or whatever and have the things you dumped, who knows.

Vile · Forum Newbie Joined: Jun 01, 2002 Posts: 6

Could they be added as props? Just adding my two cents here.

I hope you liked my image let me know if I can help with the new armor you are working on Ratteler!

AB

Bman666 · Forum Member Joined: Feb 23, 2006 Posts: 42 Location: Lost

So Ratteler, any more updates to Amazing Armour?
_________________
"The Earth is the cradle of the mind but one cannot remain in the cradle forever."
- - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, The Father of Rocketry