To ensure the highest quality and best respondability of your model thread, there are certain rules you must follow. These rules are universal to model threads, and will help keep the quality of posts in this forum strong.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND NOW, ALL OF THESE RULES ARE REQUIRED. REALLY. YOU MUST DO THIS FOR EVERY MODEL THREAD YOU MAKE.
1. The golden rule: Do not upload bitmap files
No one wants to hit the "Download" button and save your image to view it (which is what happens in most browsers for bitmap files). JPEG is the ideal image format for the web. PNG also works but should only be used for smaller images, because it doesn't compress and will take longer for me to view. The longer I wait the angrier I get, increasing the likleyhood that I will murder you.
2. Turn on perspective in your editor before showing images
If you aren't sure what perspective view is, or field of view (FOV), then look it up. Why is this important? Because 100% of everything we see is in perspective. Posting a model without perspective (aka no vanishing point) makes it look unnatural and out of place. Note that is most applications it is on by default, so you shouldn't have to do anything.
3. Should I bother posting my model?
It depends. Frankly, looking at a low poly
untextured object is boring. "Look at my 3 untextured cubes" should never be made into a thread. This is an especially unforgivable offense if you don't include the wireframe (see below) because there's nothing to talk about. If your model is super simple and untextured, think twice before making a thread. What's the real purpose of showing us your 5 polygon untextured gun? Try SELF CRITIQUING before posting a thread. Take a step back from your model. A great technique is pretending that someone else made it. How do you view it now? Is your cylinder and torus gun really something you want to show off? Do you REALLY want critique on it?
4. Do NOT post mutltiple angles when one will do
One trend with noob model threads is they post between three and a million screenshots of the same object, when none of the screenshots actually show anything new. This is ESPECIALLY bad if your model is symmetrical or mirrored. Do you really think we want to see the back of your untextured cube? Why would you post that? And if you're using the forum upload feature, AKA one post per image, then it's even worse.
Here is a good example of a bad offender of this rule:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=147478&b=3
5. Do not post too few images or angles
If you are posting a model for critique, make sure that it is well lit, and shows important geometry. Take this recent image for example:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/xt/xt_apollo_pic.php?i=1724644. Notice how the harsh shading obscures more than half of the model, and you can't see any of the geometry of the grip, which is an important area to review in a gun model because it is often the most dense.
6. How to post a wireframe
A wireframe should show how the faces of your model are organized. The best way to do this is to show a picture with shaded faces AND face outlines. AND. DO NOT POST WIREFRAMES WHERE YOU CAN SEE BACKFACES. To demonstrate from recent threads...
This is bad:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/xt/xt_apollo_pic.php?i=1723957
This is bad:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/xt/xt_apollo_pic.php?i=1724471
Notice how it's impossible to tell the mesh geometry with those images. They are literally useless.
This is OK:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5268/wireframem.jpg
Notice how it's still hard to see mesh topology without shading.
This is good:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4746/fsddf.jpg
This is good:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=148162&b=3
With shading AND wireframes, it's very easy to see the toplogy flow. Posting a wireframe for critique or show means that people get to analyze the
density of certain areas of the mesh and the
organization and flow of the mesh.
7. Clay rendering: The absolute best way to post an untextured model
This is something that's great to include in model threads. It's known as "
clay render." Basically it's a technique for making your model look like it's made of clay, and realistically lit, so it's super easy to see model geometry. Try googling for "clay render" + your modelling application.
Here is one example tutorial with fantastic results:
http://www.republicofcode.com/tutorials/3ds/clayrender_stealth/index.php
That's it. With these seven rules you can create an excellent model thread that will be easy to reply to and give feedback. Basically, if the first reply to your thread is requesting you to post a better image, then you have failed at everything and will promptly be put into an industrial shredder, along with your PC. Seriously, a forum button is being made to do that.
THANKS GUYS. HAPPY MODELLING!
