Baking and Texturing

Baking and texturing the accessories is taking longer than I expected. I am having to do each section, such as the limbs, accessories, and head separately to keep the textures clean. Though I had to adjust the low poly mesh slightly, it didn't take me long to UV map the torso. However, I needed to remodel the limbs and accessories as I made them in Maya without making a low poly version. I was also having problems with the head model which I sculpted from scratch in Mudbox. 

I used this short youtube tutorial to familiarize myself better with the interface and tools : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGKsbh9vw2Q

Transferring the paint layers

As I painted on top of the Mudbox sculpt, I had to use PTex to paint as the UV's were not set up properly. Transferring the paint layers onto the low poly mesh meant that some sections were not aligned properly so I had to adjust them in Photoshop. Next time, I will paint directly onto the low poly model to avoid this.

Painting a specular map in Mudbox was also quite tedious as I was unable to see the shininess of the textures easily. Applying the specular map to the accessories on the character make the varying material of the objects on the character stand out a lot more. Details such as the buttons and buckles stand out a lot more as the light rotates around the character. Turned out much better than expected. 

Finally, I added smaller decals to the character. One of the traits of the group was that they were to be an organized bunch, which I was supposed to show through numbered and labelled clothing as well as consistent uniform colour. The whiteness of the number and labels added well needed contrast the the character so that the overall tones weren't too dark, and emphasized character role and placement within the group through the labels; The role "Linker" being No.04 of the group in particular.

The model is currently around 9000 tris so far, but it looks much higher than that, which I'm really happy with.

I have also added the hexagonal pattern onto the floor as I picture the dome environment they work in being very similar. The ground looks very advanced, and conforms the the aesthetics of the characters. The reason I modeled the feet in a very fragile way is because the environment itself is very fragile. The hexagonal floor, also being very unusual, should spark curiosity to what the environment is like for the viewer.