book

3ds Max Modeling for Games: Volume II

by Andrew Gahan

August 2012

Intermediate to advanced

362 pages

8h 6m

English

Routledge

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Viewport NavigationThe Quad MenuSetting Up 3ds MaxGame Art TerminologyGeometryStitched Geometry and Floating or Intersecting GeometryLODsTexturesWhat’s New in 3ds Max 2012Nitrous Accelerated Graphic CoreThe Stylistic RenderingUpdated UV EditorQuick TransformReshape ElementsExplodeWeldPeelArrange ElementsNew Graphite Modeling Tools
IntroductionWhat We Are Building and WhyReference Materials Including Mood BoardsBriefConcept ArtMaking a Plan and Estimating Your Work

Creating and Using Alpha Maps/ChannelsCreating the Diffuse Textures for VegetationModeling Vegetation
Tutorial OverviewSetupCreating the TrashcanUV Unwrapping the Low PolyHigh Resolution Object Modeling for Normal and Occlusion BakingBevels and Lid DetailsHandle PlatesIndentsTransfer Ambient Occlusion and Normal MapsxNormalTexturing in PhotoshopBasic Rendering in Maya
Modeling the Low Poly VersionUnwrapping the RobotBaking the Texture MapsTexturing the Robot
Maya ModelingUV Maps and TexturingZbrush DetailingHairFinal StageImporting and Applying the TexturesRenderingFinal
PortfolioWhat to Include in Your PortfolioWhat Not to IncludeProducing the WorkOrganizing the ContentFinal Presentation of Your PortfolioApplying for a JobRésumé or Curriculum Vitae and Cover LetterAt the Interview
LayoutComposition and the Rule of ThirdsRobotRobot Render layerThree- and Four-Point LightingRobertRobert Render LayerBackgroundRobert 2D Fixes and Final PolishRobot 2D Fixes and Final PolishForeground FXFinal Composition

Content preview from 3ds Max Modeling for Games: Volume II

CHAPTER 4 Vegetation and Alpha Maps

Creating and Using Alpha Maps/Channels

In this chapter, we are going to look at the most common methods of creating various forms of vegetation used in the games industry.

As creating foliage and leaves still relies heavily on alpha maps or a texture with an alpha channel, I’ll start off with a brief explanation.

An alpha map is a black-and-white or grayscale image, which controls the transparency of a surface when it’s applied to a mesh using a shader. In the example pictured in Fig. 4.1, the alpha map is on the left, the diffuse texture in the middle, and the final result applied to the mesh is on the ...