Nextgen models

Hi, this is the first of a serie of low price nextgen props i’ll post on A.S.

First one : fuel pomp
480 triangles, textures diffuse specular and normal map 1024x1024.

Only 5$

Looks good!

I think it would look better with some more scratches on it… it looks to clean and perfect…

I see a model, but where’s next gen?

People throw the term ‘nextgen’ around way too much without really understanding it. I blame the consoles for the term.

It’s a nice model, but it’s not what I would consider ‘next generation’ quality at all.

Ok, considering your point of view, I just worked back on this model trying make it better. I just wondering, I’m still not used to do nextgen models and I think too many coffe affected my vision XD . Anyway one day after I admit this model doesn’t even match the quality I try to get, so this is a new result after some more hours work. Let me know what you think about :slight_smile:

Well for me, nextgen just mean a model using new generation of map (normal map for exemple) and dynamics lights. I more used in old school models using only diffuse and vertex paint :p. But I’m ready to learn, tell me what you define as nextgen models Frank Oz :slight_smile:

Just because you slap a normal doesn’t make it next gen.
Also it’s current gen, not next gen anymore.

Well to me, next generation is just that, the next generation. To put that in perspective, Crygengine2 isn’t next generation. Xbox 360 isn’t either, or PS3. DX11 with it’s tessellation “kinda” could be considered next gen, even though the idea of tessellation is old hat and ATI were doing it years ago, and it’s been done in pre-rendered work for decades (displacement+subdivision) though the realtime market seems to have matured now to make it a viable solution rather than a real time gimmick. So next generation, to me, would be something we’ve not seen yet, and only remain next gen until it’s current gen.

Normal maps, parallax maps, current/last gen.

The fancy relief mapping system that guy came up with, which records so much in a few images and obliterates what deep parallax mapping etc. can do. I’d consider that next gen because it’s too much to be used successfully right now, but I see it as having a place even in a highly tessellated world (tessellation can do wonders, but even then you’d not want to use it on some guys chain mail armor, while this relief thingy would work perfectly for it and work beautifully with tessellation).

I’d never use the term for models though, they’re either done amazingly well, or look great, or don’t look very good at all. But to complicate matters further, the quality of a model also depends greatly on where it’s being used. A good model though simply needs to look like what it’s supposed to, within the context of where it’s being used. It’s use of polygons, textures, UV mapping. If it has normal maps or parallax or other effects, and if it even needs them.

Yes thats correct. I dont know why everywhere normal mapped assets with 500 triangles are considered “next gen”. Its been here for a years used strongly in games and now technology is pushing forward. Games that are made with fresh engines like Unigine, NeutronE or Cry3 are considered as next gen. Anything else is just current gen.

I should add, that nobody is saying you’re models are bad. Just not ‘next gen’. They’re not bad models at all and could certainly see their way into a lot of indie stuff that happen to fit the style, the updated textures look nicer too.

Hehehe thanks Frank Oz :stuck_out_tongue:

I understand you point of view about next gen, but I think it’s just a nominative thing to understand what we are talking about. Current gen is not realy existing for me as far as many differents technologies are used actualy, and for exemple a normal mapped model can’t be used in a flat game. And if we follow your idea, next gen will never be an used technologie, as soon as it’s used, it become a current gen.

Well for me here is 2 ways can be used:
old school : diffuse texture usable as flat, can be with specular map/alpha/vertex paint.
nextgen (what you call current gen) : using normal maps/ displacement map

For most people next gen mean loads of polygons, my way is to say video game must be optimized. This is about janpec thinking, I don’t think poly count mean something about the “gen” classification. Artsit must go for the most optimized way, why add superficial pollygons just because you can use more ressources, if you can make a model with 500 triangle in order using 5000, so you can put many more models in your game, well that’s my point of view.

Most of your posts I’ve seen so far are moaning and groaning about others work… It would be more helpful to give some constructive criticism instead just posting some cynical comments.

Next gen usually refers to something which isn’t commonly used, or something new. like tessellation mentioned above. While the technique itself is quite old, it’s use in games is not. So there is a hand full of games at best which are either in development or recently released which implement it at all. This is next-gen. But bump-mapping is old, very old (dunno, 7 or 8 years) at least and is actually a standard in games (that’s it if the game should look decently realistic or 3d and not cartoony or 2d/2.5d look)