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Sep

How to present your model in the best way possible for feedback

People are always posting images of their models online and asking for feedback. Unfortunately at times the model is presented so poorly that it makes giving feedback nigh impossible. The main problems are tiny images with no contrast on the model but a huge contrast between the model and the background. Hopefully this will give you some points on how to present your work in a better way – because you’d rather people commented on your model than on your shoddy presentation skills.

Firstly, make the images big enough to see – a 200×200 pixel image just doesn’t cut it. The bigger the better, within reason, but remember to crop the dead space from the image as there is no point in posting an 800×800 pixel image and only using a tiny part to contain the artwork. With larger images come larger filesizes , so you’ll want to optimise it (Photoshop and ImageReady both do this well). Compression can be a problem, but if you save as JPG with 60-70% quality you’ll probably be fine.

To keep people focused on the artwork, make the background a neutral gray colour. Bright colours are distracting, and very light or dark backgrounds made it harder to pick out details, edges and contrast. Why do you think most 3d packages use a neutral gray background by default?

If you are posting on a website or a forum, try to embed the image into the discussion rather than using text links. It stops people having to click backwards are forwards.

There is always a debate over whether screengrabs or renders are better. I prefer renders, since I can drop a few lights in the scene to pop out the details, but they take time to set up.

If you do decide to render then you’ll want have at least 2 lights, one key light and one fill light so that the shape can be defined. You need lights to to pick out the shadows so that the form can be seen. Skylights are all the rage, but without at least one directional light they can make the model appear flat. There is an excellent tutorial on 3d lighting at http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html which will help you understand what the key and fill lights do.

The lighting of a model is subjective, and depends on what you want to highlight – the geometry, the colour/diffuse textures, the specular/normal maps all require different presentation to pick out various aspects. It’s often much easier to read geometry when there are no textures applied and you have one or two solid colours. Colour/diffuse textures often benefit from very flat lighting, and showing off normal/spec maps usually requires a strong directional light. Experimentation is the key here, but experimentation takes time, which is another reason screengrabs are popular.

Whether you choose to screengrab or render, you really should use a perspective view – using an orthographic view will cause the model to look distorted as you’ll have no foreshortening or depth. Ideally you’ll also render or grab your model from several angles and either post separate images or compile them onto one larger image. As well as front/back views, a 3/4 shot is very useful.

Render/screengrab with and without a wireframe. The wireframes are essential if you want people to give feedback on the flow of your mesh, and they are easy to setup. The simplest method in many 3d packages is to duplicate your model and make the duplicate every so slightly larger, then apply a wireframe material to it.

Some final thoughts
If you want critique on a specific area, ask for it and provide a closeup shot of that area – remember you can crop it to just the part you want to highlight. Similarly if youwant an area to be ignored for the purpose of feedback, state that – but don’t be upset if people comment on it anyway.

Technorati Tags: feedback, 3d artwork, presentation skills

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 21st, 2006 at 12:50 am and is filed under Art, Article, Games Industry, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

How to present your model in the best way possible for feedback

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