Hey everyone! i tried modelling an RPG today and came up with this. is there any suggestions for improvement? (i wont post the blend file because I’m afraid someone would steal my RPG, unless i really have to.)
Please critique me on where i can improve on or fix. thanks a lot!
The grip and trigger guard just look like a flat extrusion. Do you plan to address that?
well maybe id try to fix it and pull some of the verts in.
look up some reference images. im pretty sure this was modeled after max paynes RPG. which is fine. but it is lacking a lot of detail.
main question is what are you going for with this image? realism? game model?
if realism then think about where this object has been and where it is going
for instance a factory quickly thrown together to get it out the door and sold and made by the lowest bidder. and on it’s way to a war zone.
or maybe on the floor next to a soldier/terrorist where it has been scratched up and abused.
also not sure what weapons manufacture is going to use copper. that piece is almost always wood on real RPG’s
if going for a game model then the materials don’t matter as much depending on the game you are going for. but you still need more details. this is an RPG a player is going to pull it out and think…“awesome i get to blow stuff up look at this thing!”
Ive tried really hard to find a scratched texture so i can use it as a spec mask… so where the scratches are they would be more shiny. and also the wood textures that are online are mostly generic, when i actually need a polished type wood. but thanks for the feedback!
Oh and by the way, i dont know what the max payne rpg is, but i just grabbed the first picture of an rpg off google images.
You can make your own spec maps pretty easily. just take your original texture image. throw it into your favorite image application(gimp for me). desaturate it (Colors -> Desaturate) then go into Colors -> Levels. in the Input Levels bring the left and right handles in close to each other. most images you can bring them right into the middle(leave a small gap) others you may need to play with them. in the image Black means no reflectivity white is full.
google how to make spec maps in gimp/photoshop(can’t post images yet or i would show you)
there are also free applications you can use to create spec,normal,displacement maps very easily(crazybump for one)
this does not work for all images. but for simple ones it is usually enough. just try and think of how the real work material would reflect. for things like metal it is usually going to either reflect fully or not(high contrast between black and white). woods are going to reflect very little and there is not going to be much variance(spec map will be mostly dark grey with little variations).
something else you can do to try and help with the handle is add some bevels. nothing in real life has a perfect edge.
true that micah. i know how spec maps work but i dont really have anything scratched in my house unless i deliberately do it and get messed up by my asian parents
you can start by uploading the model through sketchfab
at least then I would be able to see what’s going on
I wouldn’t really do that if I were you
it would end up looking fake
Use the opportunity and and fingerprints, scratches and dirt inside the spec map
im confused by your comment. so you wouldn’t make spec maps like i describe. but you should put fingerprints and scratches and dirt in the spec map?
its just like everything else. yes most likely if you just desaturate and adjust the image levels it will look fake…but then you tweak it and add additional details to make it better just like you would with anything else you would add to your scene.
i did also mention that it would not work for all images. which is why i explained how spec maps work.
i do agree to add the fingerprints and scratches …but add those on top of the spec map. unless the object is a mirror there is going to be variances in specularity with any base texture.
i kind of dont understand what everyone is saying here…
Oh and by the way, i dont know what the max payne rpg is, but i just grabbed the first picture of an rpg off google images.
This is the MaxPain RPG:
I wouldn’t use that image because it’s actually a painting and only as accurate as that can be. Use the other images like this:
and
Also, I think it’s really important to never model anything with just a singe view. gather lots of reference from all sorts of angles. Like this:
So, the actual critique: First of all, I wouldn’t worry about the texting at this stage. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just concentrate on the model. Post image of the model with the wireframes turned on so we might be able to help with topology. Anyway, I think the model is coming along nice. Just needs more love. 
You can see from the images I posted that there are little details that are missing. For instance, the trigger and switch thing are actually separate pieces from the metal parts of the grip it’s self. Not to mention that the wood is another separate piece as well. You can also see that there are these rings of metal that wrap around the barrel and attach the hand grip to it. You can probably get away with using a normal map for the ribbing details of the wooden handle. But you’ll need to add the screws in the model. I think you get the idea.
Another ting I’d like to add is that there are no real hard edge in real life (other than the ones that can cut) so it’s important to bevel all your hard angled edges. It will also help because those little bevels will catch the light and help the viewer make sense of the image.
This is probably not something you can bang out in a few hours. Don’t get discouraged though! your model shows promise! Just keep going. Set yourself a small portion to work on each night and take your time to get it looking right.
wow, thanks a lot dude, i kind of abandoned this project and started working on others now but your reply set me back on track. ill continue working on it and post a wireframe soon and will work on the critiques you gave me, and by the way thanks for the third picture, thats gonna be really helpful! 
Hi everyone, im back with some wireframes. i didnt really adjust much this time other than those spiky things coming out the missile, and i acknowledge that the trigger still looks like a flat box, or whatever it is. regarding the trigger, does anyone know any techniques for modelling that piece? it looks very complex to me…
