Merman: Texturemapping

[Ross Smith]

Hey all. I'm looking for a little input for my little, on-going merman project. I am now attempting/struggling to texturemap the head. Jim Talbot's video tuts have been really helpful in this capacity, since I needed to know how A:M allowed the magical UV process to take place. But from a more artistic standpoint, I really don't know what to do. What sort of skin tone would look best? How thick should a person lay on shading and facial features? Does he need color mapping for wrinkles, or should I leave that to bump mapping? Any input is quite welcome. Here are some pics. [img]http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rossmith/gallery/mm_tm_side.jpg[/img] [img]http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rossmith/gallery/mm_tm_front.jpg[/img] [img]http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rossmith/gallery/mm_tm_angle.jpg[/img] Thanks for lookin'. :) --Ross

[JTalbotski]

Hi Ross, Glad the tues are helpful. I think a combination of bump and color and specular will give the best results. I wouldn't advise trying to show form with the color map, but you can certainly add color wherever it would look good, since not many people have seen a real merman (at least up close). Look at some fish photos and see all the possibilities there are. Should he be scaly or porpoise-like? Multicolored or monotone like sharks? Decide on his personality, that may make the choices easier. Jim

[Zaryin]

I would add more color variation to the base green color. I would also make the wrinkle map first, then add it as a "Multiply" layer to the color map to give a little color to the wrinkles. I think this is looking excellent.

[SeanC.]

"since not many people have seen a real merman (at least up close)." ...i did...once...a long time ago... :unsure: i agree that bump maps will will work better for your wrinkles.Also important to know whether u want a cartoony level of detail or as realistic as possible or somewhere in between. It will definitely help to develop a personality as Sir Jim stated earlier. In my mind he would be sleek and slimy, but not so much scaly. I definitely like the spots u put on him. Looking forward to more progress!!! SeanC.

[Ross Smith]

Thanks for the support, all! =) It is appreciated and motivating. I think I'll go for that slimy look, Sean.... that sounds good. I'm going to figure out a good, symmetrical pattern like you might see on a salamander, for the color-mapping. I'll post with progress later. And thanks again!