Brushing up on my modelling skills.
Blender & Unreal Engine 5
After last post- where we discussed the aesthetics we were looking for! Today we're taking a look at some of the models I've made in the meantime- as well as pointing out some interesting anecdotes and experiences I came across during the process.
I am by-no-means a complete beginner with Blender, I've used the software on and off through the years but never fully committed to it. This time around I intend to upgrade my skills in the program.
I've read that UE5 and Blender don't always play nice together but also that there's third party addons which make this process less painful. Nevertheless I don't intend to learn a new software for creating meshes and rigging as it is too daunting.
Indexed Color Palettes
With the low-poly/old-school style I would like to emulate I quickly came upon the term:"Indexed Color Palettes. This is essentially the limitation of colors on display. I highly suggest checking out Indexed Color Palettes to read more as I found this article incredibly informative and helpful!
Balancing a limited color palette across all objects is a difficult task- and while I could read up on color theory and really go into depth with this, I found the best solution form me, is to limit the color palette of each individual mesh, creating a less detailed than modern color palettes but still visually limited. I found this to look really pleasing, although I am not sure how many colors I'll end up with in total across all models...
("maybe around 300 colors?")
Exporting from Blender
Exporting animated rigs proved way more complicated than I initially anticipated- but with a lot of trail and error I've found settings that work for me.
While I am still learning about this- here's how my export settings look at the moment.
The Walther MPL Submachine Gun
One of my all-time favorites is the Walther MPL. A sleek and elegant design the really speaks to me. So I saw it fitting for this to be the one to start with.
Reading up on the methods artists use to create gun models, it is apparent that most start off with a plane and the progressively enhancing the detail as you go along.
The Hunting Crossbow
I probably want to do some projectile weapons- as well as give the arsenal a bit more character, I've thrust myself into creating a crossbow model. For inspiration I've looked at different sport-and-hunting crossbows and tried to take aspects from each image I liked into consideration when creating the mesh.
Keeping the Tri-count low on this one was difficult, so I opted to leave it a bit higher than the rest of the models which I don't find visually noticeable when viewing the crossbow.
Kevlar
Since I still haven't found what type of armor I want in the game- I quickly threw together a body armor mesh as a placeholder- but I actually like how it turned out.
I do want more pick-types like armor plates and perhaps something a little quirky?
I've neglected sleep lately and worked almost around the clock- so next week I'll attempt to take things a bit more slow.
That's it for now, stay tuned for next update! Sean.