Learning to make new textures with Photoshop/Gimp, Where to start?

[lollol]

I'd like to try making armor for Oblvion/Skyrim and know the basics of using Blender/CS/CK, and have Gimp and Adobe Photoshop CS 5 Extended but can't proceed because I don't know about texturing from scratch(1024*1024 or 2048*2048, full set). I have some ideas but don't know enought about texturing. I do not want to not borrow any mod assets or use content ripped from other games.

[spoiler=Images]

[spoiler= Mod Ideas ] Recreate battles from Tactics Ogre you could get Mirdyn, and Gildas as companions.

Loki and Evil heroes travel around Skyrim, and have a chance of ambushing the player when they fast travel, or you might find them attacking a town(script to make them only hostile to npcs when player is nearby or in the same cell).

[spoiler= Avengers movie and Skyrim Guild spoilers ]

What if Loki mind controlled or resurrected Guild leaders like Savos Aren, Kodlak Whitemane, Mercer Frey, etc.

 

 

 

[Kind9]

Are you having trouble with something specific? If you can already model the mesh and don't know where to go from there then you probably want to look into UVW mapping. It is the most difficult and boring part of the process. If you can make a good UVW map then Blender should allow you to save the UVW template as an image file, which you can open in an image editor to use as a guide for making a texture. Once you have a texture(and normal map) you can assign it to a mesh, along with other texturing properties, via nifskope.

[lollol]

I can possibly make 3d models for these in blender(I've done personal use mash ups, convert to HGEC EBE, etc), but I want to be sure that I can make high quality textures first; I have no experience with texture creation and don't know where to begin to produce textures like Jojjo's or like these:

Knight of Thorns Armor

Silver Dragon Armor

I'm willing to put in time to try to make good quality textures but only if I know whether it's realistically possible, and can be done from scratch without borrowing from other mods (i.e. build off of another texture/model, or retexturing someone else's work)

I have both Gimp and Photoshop CS 5. Where do I go from after creating a model and a UV map to get a realistic look?

[Kind9]

I think you just need to start practicing, then you'll see what needs to be done. Really if you have the artistic ability then it should be no problem.

 

Getting a good UVW map is extremely important. If any faces are stretched,for example, then it's going to translate to the texture and look pretty bad. That's the first step to making a realistic texture.

 

Once you load the UV template into GIMP/Photoshop it should be obvious what goes where if you already have an idea what you want the armor to look like.

 

As for making the texture actually look realistic, maybe you want to get a bunch of reference photos. You can probably simulate things like dry leather or rusted iron right inside GIMP or Photoshop, or you can use the clone tool and simply copy from a hi-res reference photo.

 

Looking at the Silver Dragon armor you can see all the little intricate details which look like they might be extremely difficult to make, but unless I'm mistaken, all it is is the normalmap causing those areas to receive more light so they appear to be extruded from the armor.

[lollol]

 

Can something like this be made by someone who doesn't have an unusual degree of artistic talent? Would this be the product of someone who is a highly qualified professional, perhaps a bachelor of arts who majors in graphic design? Not sure if I am overestimating or underestimating what is involved in creating this. I understand if it takes more time for a novice.

 

As for making the texture actually look realistic' date=' maybe you want to get a bunch of reference photos. You can probably simulate things like dry leather or rusted iron right inside GIMP or Photoshop, or you can use the clone tool and simply copy from a hi-res reference photo.

[/quote']

 

I'd expect most of the detail to be generated, doesn't seem possible to create this pixel by pixel (MS Paint style). Would I need special permission to copy from a hi-res reference photo?

[Kind9]

I'd say you're definitely overestimating the difficulty of this, and maybe you just lack experience with GIMP/Photoshop? I'm pretty much a novice myself and I wouldn't call myself a good artist but having previous experience with GIMP I am able to produce some decent looking textures because I know what tools need to be used to get a desired result.

 

I still say you need to just dive in and get your hands dirty. Then perhaps you will have more specific issues that people can help you with. The first "armor" I made was just cubes covering the arms and legs. It was good practice because cubes are super easy to unwrap and texture.

[lollol]

maybe you just lack experience with GIMP/Photoshop? I'm pretty much a novice myself and I wouldn't call myself a good artist but having previous experience with GIMP I am able to produce some decent looking textures because I know what tools need to be used to get a desired result.

This.

 

I will hopefully find time soon. I'll create a simple exemplar model to create a basic UV map. It will be more difficult to work beyond the point of a simple color palette(minecraft lol), adding more detail and realism.

[lollol]

Ok here it is! How do I get the UV map into photoshop/gimp?

[gerra6]

Ok here it is! How do I get the UV map into photoshop/gimp?

 

I have a short answer and a long answer for you.

 

The short answer is to run the "Save UV Face Layout" script.

1. Open the UV Image Editor panel

2. Click UVs

3. Select Scripts

4. Select Save UV Face Layout

5. Choose the appropriate settings and click OK. Experiment until you get what you want.

6. This will create a TGA file. Open it in GIMP/Photoshop and have fun.

 

Long Answer:

 

That unwrap will be hard to work with. Experiment with different methods to create something that will be easier to create a texture for.

 

- UV unwrapping

 

From the edit pane, hit "U". This will give you a popup menu with lots of different UV unwrapping options. Experiment, have fun. See what works under different situations.

 

It can sometimes be helpful to select only a portion of a mesh and unwrap that, instead of the whole thing at once.

 

Once you have an unwrap that you like, you can manipulate it further inside of the UV editing panel. Welds, transforms, and proportional editing in particular can be very helpful. Experiment, have fun. Remember to save the workspace before you try anything too crazy.

 

- Seams

 

Seams define edges for a UV unwrap. They are incredibly useful, and become increasingly useful as your meshes become increasingly complex.

 

To create a seam,

1. Open the edit panel

2. Select the vertices that you wish to form the seam

2.a. "w - select vertex path" can be helpful

2.b. My axis select script can be helpful (http://www.loverslab.com/showthread.php?tid=11778)

3. Hit control e and select "Mark Seam"

4. When you unwrap the mesh, the unwrap will cut along the seam

 

- Normal Map Baking

 

The backbone of any good texture is a good normal map.

 

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Manual/Textures/Influence/Material/Bump_and_Normal

 

http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php/GIMP:_Quality_Normal_Maps