Shmitz's Polypack thread

[Shmitz]

Well I decided to have a go at making some Heavy items. I figure it's time I learn how to get models rigged and whatnot to be usable in game.

First item: Tesla Cannon, replacing the shotgun.
Progress so far:

Oh, and here's my actual contest thread.

 

[DjD]

looks sweet, I love to see some variation to shotgunz and especially to bullet-weapons.

Good job!

Edit: I'd smoothen those cables on top, the look a bit angular, especially in pic 1

 

[grazr]

Heavy item? Looks like an engi weapon IMO!

 

[YM]

Heavy item? Looks like an engi weapon IMO!

Same opinion here. I'm having extreme trouble imagining this in TF2 even for the engineer. A lot could hinge on the texture but I currently think it's just too far from any kind of reality that it's just passed into those silly cartoon worlds where anything can shoot anything.

 

[Michie4life]

This would be really really great for the engie Really

 

[Shmitz]

Same opinion here. I'm having extreme trouble imagining this in TF2 even for the engineer. A lot could hinge on the texture but I currently think it's just too far from any kind of reality that it's just passed into those silly cartoon worlds where anything can shoot anything.

I'll tell you what. I'll scrap this gun that shoots electricity if you scrap your gun that shoots magical healing rays.

 

[Bermuda Cake]

heehee

 

[Ida]

I don't have a problem with the realism, but it doesn't fit the Heavy! It may be a small reference to his nationality, but the Heavy is known for brute force and simple weapons. It's a good model but it's totally in the wrong character's hands. I'd give this to the Engineer if I were you.

 

[Flame]

make it a scout lightning gun. i swear it looks like a pimped scattergun

 

[Shmitz]

Maybe I'll just make the weapon and let Valve figure out who gets it....

Edit:
UV unwrapped and AO/normals baked. 7k polies less than the image above:

Now to make an actual skin.

 

[YM]

I'll tell you what. I'll scrap this gun that shoots electricity if you scrap your gun that shoots magical healing rays.

Touché. you have me there. I can't counter that point.

That doesn't however stop me holding that opinion, something about it doesn't look right.

 

[PL-7764]

I think it looks too futuristic for TF2. The cartoony aspect is there and working, but the "theme" of it doesn't suit the game's time period or the character it's for at all.

IMHO, something similar might work, but only if it looked more cobbled-together like several other weapons. As if it was made by duct-taping and bolting a few household objects together, perhaps. Like, say ... make it powered by a car battery on the handle, make the handle look like it was very roughly ripped from the standard shotgun and shoved together with this other stuff, put that gauge on the handle as a separate piece taped to the side, etc. Giving it that homebrew look might help it fit in without having to totally rethink the design (you could keep this basic silhouette, but replace the parts with household objects such as pipes and the things mentioned before).

As it is right now, I honestly feel like it might be more at home on The Jetsons.

 

[MangyCarface]

I think it will fit perfectly at home among the other guns... hurry up and texture that bitch so you can show people that it does

 

[Trotim]

Anybody saying Tesla Coils don't fit the time period are silly - Tesla first used them in experiments in 1891.

 

[lana]

IMO it needs a lot of electricity particles around it.

 

[Mick-a-nator]

Personally, I think it is too complex geometricly. The idea is good (i've been waiting for someone to come up with a good tesla coil, just becasue I love 'em and i think they could fit in TF2) but I think something like what you have now may be more suited to a world prop (without the shotgun handle, I mean like a large feature of a map, like a the rockets). Maybe make it look more like a 1930's idea of a ray-gun.

P.S. it's hard to convey my opinion with words.

P.P.S. boy, there are a lot of opinions flying around this thread

 

[HellJumper]

How do you go about texturing that! Do you use something automatic to UV it? (Like textporter) or do you UV map it manually?

 

[Shmitz]

@Frogger: well, I do it manually, but that generally involves choosing good sections to unwrap, making seams, and then using a variety of autounwrap commands. Then I puzzle it all together. Blender does have a full auto-unwrapping feature, but it doesn't work so well with mipmapping. Seams become pretty blatant.

Anyway, here's an update:

 

[lana]

I still don't like the tip. It looks like some electric harpoon gun. Add something that seems like it would conduct electricity instead of stab things.

 

[Penguin]

I'm sorry, Shmitz, but this has to be for the engineer.

No ifs ands or buts.