Talking Heads

[Richwizard]

@ Lavo
Myron's shirt may look better, but his head looks like a parade balloon. I see what you mean about the bald head. Both Louis Salvatore and Orville Wright have the same critter too. But, Salvatore's talking head should have him holding an oxygen mask to his face and he would look much weaker and pale. Wright would look much more confused.

@ Jotisz
It's Vic!!! One thing his shirt might need is to have the collar come to points instead of being rounded. Take a look at Myron's shirt in Lavo's post and see what you think about the collar and texture. Keep in mind, someone will always find some little detail that could use tweaking (see, I'm still doing it). That probably includes yourself too. It's been said that a work of art is never truly finished. At some point it just has to be abandoned. Leonardo DaVinci didn't stop working on the Mona Lisa until he died! Maybe the shirt could use a touch up, but I'm sure I can speak for many, we want to see this talking head in the RP while you're still around to enjoy it!

Is the bald headed guy supposed to be Metzger? If so, he needs to look meaner and more intimidating; more robust with a few scars. He should look like he wants to, and could, kill you and serve you for dinner (like Pixote ), sell your children, and burn your dead ancesters for firewood. Metzger is a guy that could be more of a caricature style talking head. Give him a look that would make a player have second thoughts about taking him on!

 

[killap]

Killap the head is quite near to the finish line here are the anims I've done (gif from frm), don't know how much time is needed to put a finished head in the game if you think I can send you this one as a placeholder.

Cool, latest render looks great. I agree with the others that some tweaks to the lighting/clothing texture are needed. I'd say take a look at all the other talking heads in game as an example. We want the new heads to fit in as best as we can.

Also, do you have all the required animations for a talking head? Take a look at the others in game or the ones Continuum made. There are like 16 .frm files needed for neutral, positive, bad reactions.

 

[Lavo]

@ Lavo
Myron's shirt may look better, but his head looks like a parade balloon.

Yeah, I know Myron face looks shitty. Never liked him. But his shirt is ok to use it as an example.

I see what you mean about the bald head. Both Louis Salvatore and Orville Wright have the same critter too. But, Salvatore's talking head should have him holding an oxygen mask to his face and he would look much weaker and pale. Wright would look much more confused.

Yeah, Salvatore should look weaker. But with few changes this bald head would made good Orvill Wright TH.
I don't really see him as Metzger. For me he looks too old and weak. And I always thought about Metzger that he is tough and mean motherlover



Jotisz: Your TH's are really getting better.

And yeah, Richwizard is right: there is always something that can be better made. Or something that we bitch about
But hey: Head is finished. Just small fixes at the body and whole TH will be finished I guess.

 

[.Pixote.]

Jotisz: You need to render two versions of Vic - one is a hard non-anti-aliased version (that will make the hard outline for the character). It is best to render this head with the pure blue background...and if you want the softer look, render it again with anti-aliasing and a black background.

Take both versions (hard and soft) into Photoshop and use the hard edged version as a mask for the softer version. Otherwise you will get this shitty blue outline on the model. The 3D software might be able to do this for you...otherwise it's off to Photoshop.

 

[Ervik]

Jotisz:

Vic starts to look really good! I'm impressed.
Still, I'd like to see his head get some more tweaks. It's really rare that guys are COMPLETELY bald on top of the head. Almost looks like he polished his head. How about some stubble? Atleast a little bit in the middle up front.

 

[Richwizard]

It's really rare that guys are COMPLETELY bald on top of the head. Almost looks like he polished his head.

Tell that to Patrick Stewart/Captain Jean Luc Picard.

 

[Ghouly89]

Also, do you have all the required animations for a talking head? Take a look at the others in game or the ones Continuum made. There are like 16 .frm files needed for neutral, positive, bad reactions.

Here's a list of all required TH animations (for you, Jotisz):

[spoiler:7e9ec2d1ed]
Good fidget 1 (GF1)

Good fidget 2 (GF2)

Good fidget 3 (GF3)

Good speak (GP)

Good to Neutral transition (GN)

Bad fidget 1 (BF1)

Bad fidget 2 (BF2)

Bad fidget 3 (BF3)

Bad speak (BP)

Bad to Neutral transition (BN)

Neutral fidget 1 (NF1)

Neutral fidget 2 (NF2)

Neutral fidget 3 (NF3)

Neutral speak (NP)

Neutral to Good transition (NG)

Neutral to Bad transition (NB)

[/spoiler:7e9ec2d1ed]

 

[Jotisz]

Thanks for the advices and animation list now all is rendered (masks also) Here is a sample of the moods. Somehow I wasn't really able to grasp the lighting but well I think he looks Ok now. Tomorrow he will be done in frms.

Also I put together another model which with a some tweaking could pass as a Metzger though as I said I preferred Continuum's version. At least the armor shape looks a bit similar but the texture I made is too different.

 

[.Pixote.]

They're comming together nicely Jotisz...I think Vic still still needs to be lit better, use 3 lights - this tute will help. http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html

 

[Richwizard]

Learning to get the lighting right is just a matter of practice and a little time. The lighting technique that Pixote is recommending is the same as they use with real cameras and actors on a set or stage. There's plenty of resources out there you can review. The lighting and shirt don't need to be perfected today. Killap's next release won't be ready until at least later this month. Vic might not go into the game until the release after that. I think, overall, we're all delighted with Vic. You've still got time to touch up some small details.

The new Metzger is a much better start. He's a guy who should be stuck with a "bad" expression and disposition, getting no better than "neutral" when he enjoys killing a slave that pissed him off. The Fallout Wiki describes him this way, "A horribly rude and gruff fellow, Metzger runs the Den Slaver's Guild with an iron fist. He commands a lot of respect, but most of it is forced, as he is little more than a crude brute, controlling Den through fear and intimidation." His armor should be in good shape, but obviously very much used (cut marks, dents, bullet dings). Left over dried blood and small pieces of gore would be a nice touch. Maybe a little blood on his face from the slave he cut up this morning. He will want to look this way to deliberately terrorize people.
Pixote the cannibal is a good one to ask about Metzger's details. Oh, if we're doing Metzger, somebody needs to come up with a final design for the tattoo that every slaver is marked with. Someone like Metzger probably designed it and he would wear it proudly. I've got a couple of ideas, but I want to see what Pixote will come up with.

 

[.Pixote.]

I'm afraid Conti has all ready built a great Metzger talking head...let's hope he hasn't deleted it. I would love to see that guy in the RP...

 

[Richwizard]

Oooooo, good Metzger. I'd like to see damage to the armor though, and don't forget the blood stains! If Conti has deleted this TH, maybe, he or Jotisz could rebuild him. There's a face that says "scum." I don't know about the design on his head. The slaver tattoo should be something simple and extremely graphic. Maybe a tattooed bullet hole in the forehead as a warning of what happens to those who cross the slavers.

EDIT: Actually, some of the stains on this guy's armor DO look like blood stains.

 

[valcik]

...let's hope he hasn't deleted it.

I'm worried, so the big bad lizard has got him.
Who knows, maybe the poor Conti is now held under the Tower of Creation, where the best modders are forced to work under the watching lizardous evil eye.
(don't take me too seriously please)

 

[Jotisz]

Well a lighting like this could be usable I guess (thanks for the link .Pixote.) Btw I tried to make the hair a bit darker but it doesn't look that good so I will change it back

About Metzger
Conti's version would be better then mine as I said previously hope he still has it somewhere.

 

[.Pixote.]

Jotisz can you upload an image of the textures you are using...or are you using procedural textures (computer generated).

The best results would require UV mapping of all the surfaces - face - vest - shirt. It's tricky to learn but the results will be great, because you can paint all sorts of marks into the surfaces and have it reproduces perfectly on the model.

The top texture makers build various textures for the color - speculation - and bump map surfaces. There could be some free face textures floating around the net, which could be of some assistance. The guy below looks like a deflated sex doll, but that's how the UV co-ordinates have unraveled.

http://www.boogotti.com/root/face/face.html

 

[McRae]

That last picture strangely reminds me of an episode of Doctor Who.

 

[Jotisz]

The head is Uv mapped it has two textures
[spoiler:7c41864b7d]
[/spoiler:7c41864b7d]The normal map was created with sculpt tools. The other have been drawn by me except the eyebrow which have been taken from random people.
On the other hand the jacket and shirt uses procedural textures.

 

[Richwizard]

Well a lighting like this could be usable I guess (thanks for the link .Pixote.) Btw I tried to make the hair a bit darker but it doesn't look that good so I will change it back

OK for a start. Don't take this the wrong way, but this is too dark. It might look realistic in some darker buildings, but what about outdoors? I read the link Pixote provided. It has good info. This looks like you used just a key light. You need to find a lighting scheme that will look like a good balance of lighting wherever Vic happens to be standing. Keylight needs to be a little brighter. It's typically a spot light. I don't see a fill light here. The fill is typically a diffused light to help fill in some shadows created by the key light. Fill light is important outdoors as well. For camera work, the sun creates extremely harsh shadows. The back light is a small spot light and should be directly behind and above him to illuminate the back of his head so it won't blend into the shadows of the background. The color of Vic's lighting should be a bit "warmer" too.

Actually, this lighting would look great and realistic indoors if Vic were a stationary character you always found at the same location, but it wouldn't match the other traveling talking heads. Within the game, different lighting schemes are used to create different effects on various characters. I think Vic should be lit similar to either of these two people from FO1. They have good lighting schemes for benign characters.
[spoiler:bffa360b5d]

[/spoiler:bffa360b5d] Like I said before, it's just a matter of practice like anything else. Vic himself looks amazing, though some people still think you should update the shirt textures. Maybe so. As for his new hair color, better lighting might make it look just fine. Play around with the lighting a bit more and get back to us. I know you can do it! You're doing great with everything else.

 

[Psihotik]

Well a lighting like this could be usable I guess (thanks for the link .Pixote.) Btw I tried to make the hair a bit darker but it doesn't look that good so I will change it back

About Metzger
Conti's version would be better then mine as I said previously hope he still has it somewhere.

This looks awesome! Don;t change anything but the shadows and the collar, which was previously mentioned. Now it looks much more fallouty.

 

[Ghouly89]

[spoiler:9a953becf7]

[/spoiler:9a953becf7]
Like I said before, it's just a matter of practice like anything else. Vic himself looks amazing, though some people still think you should update the shirt textures. Maybe so. As for his new hair color, better lighting might make it look just fine. Play around with the lighting a bit more and get back to us. I know you can do it! You're doing great with everything else.

Eh heh. About that second picture. I uploaded that to the Fallout wiki before realizing the FRM 2 BMP program I had completely fucked up the contrast for all FRMs I converted. I've since fixed it (see below). As for your point about the issue with contrast / brightness, that can all be fixed really easily in Photoshop with some post-production magic.

The only thing that needs to be changed now or never is the lighting set-up; Photoshop can't do much about that once the renders are done (well, at least I can't do much with it in Photoshop, maybe someone more experienced...)

[spoiler:9a953becf7]

[/spoiler:9a953becf7]