Ahh, actually my artist, reverthex is using maya for the map bases, im tweaking fixing and updating the rest of the map in 3dsmax, all textures are hand made in paint shop pro using cgtextures.com and sxc.hu as a reference. then i merge and blend all the textures detalils into my already mapped out UV map. such as :
http://www.owned.co.za/progress/main_building_fail.jpg
^^^^^^^ very bad quality, but very bad UV layout too. the point is i take my colored UV map (colored in the 3d app) into a image program and texture it there, and my scene updates when i hit save. so its efficient for testing and texturing. there is still a few steps missing from my texture process : my stages so far have a * :
dirtbase
+
texture images *
+
dirtoverlay *
+
lighting overlay *
The reasons for the textures from free sites will become clearer at a later stage, but full poly modelling is cumbersome and stuff. I actually start with the base shapes (in 3ds) and i start detailing them using whatver technique i want, even if it makes it high poly, then i merge vertices all over the place to lower the count and usually it can come out with good looking shapes with say 5 polys, for a chamfered curve, when before (using auto tools in max) wud make it say 50, merging (collapse in the menu) vertices togther that are parallell is how i neaten or add to the shapes.
Also one of the downhill maps i am making next i will detail a bit on my strategy. the path iv taken gives me the ability to have goodlooking maps (like now, the map is on the lowest mESH settings, then when i have UV mapped and textured the whole map, i add detail using mesh modifiers, any advanced ultra million poly tools i need, and then i render a normal map. then i have both low and high, and the game uses low + normal map to make high and also uses the same base. with whatever detail i want tweaked into the final stages, making the high detail incredibly detailed, and the low poly really detailed but , low poly.
hope that helps? its 330am ,so i might be waffling
as a matter of interest, the poly and vert groupings and collapses i do are clearly evident on the floor here, and also, on the roof of the building im working on, i grouped a lot on the roof, removed a lot off the floor and removed all faces and verts from under the floor that were not necessary.
www.owned.co.za/progress/map_wires_old.jpg
www.owned.co.za/progress/map_wires_new.jpg
any other questions? i dont mind sharing ideas
I never figured out how to overcome not using the Ctrl key.
