United3dArtists Archive

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 11 Mar 2012, 16:12

I shouldn't do a challenge entry or anything but work but ... all work and no play ... probably won't finish in time and I have no ideas for an origin story.

Here is the beginning of the The Sword of Tyrants. The gems on this magical sword each have a power related to a vice or weakness. When activated a power effects or influences everyone in a large area around the sword except the tyrant who wields it and his chosen henchmen. Smart tyrants use more than one gem at a time which greatly increases the effect.

Here the Emerald of Envy is on the hilt ornament as the main active gem. The guard (used to know the names of sword parts) ominously resembles a bone.

I'll change the blade shape some.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 13 Mar 2012, 05:12

The Sword of Tyrants now has several gems and an pearl. The Ruby of Rebellion is permanently on one side of the pommel and is always active. When the tyrant uses more gem power the Ruby's power grows. If the tyrant uses too much power then the Ruby's effect may cause a rebellion among the subjects.

Why is that? I don't have a origin story idea. Maybe it is like yin-yang: to make the sword it had to have something from both sides or an limiting factor. Maybe the gods made it so that if people were too wicked and weak tyrants would rise as punishment but if they were virtuous and strong enough then the tyrants would fail.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 16 Mar 2012, 05:13

Now with magic glyphs.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Mar 2012, 16:44

Have to wrap this up soon since I have too much work to do.

These are the glyphs for the blade. They are alchemical symbols. Needs some work. This is all TS 7.6 model side so far. I'll explore Hexagon's UV mapper to fit this on the sword. Trying to skew it in Paint Shop isn't working well so far.

It will get a simple origin story about a tyrant who enslaved/tricked/coerced/whatever a magician to make the sword but the magician was anti-tyrant so he added the Ruby of Rebellion with some trick so when the tyrant activated it, thinking is was a power he could use, it was permanently activated. The magician then either face a horrible punishment or escaped to do something like oppose the tyrant.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 18 Mar 2012, 23:16

30 mph wind with strong gusts so no outside work today.

My first UV mapping. Here is the unfinished map, in Hexagon, for the sword's blade. I learned that selecting the right seams for unwrapping is important and can save much effort. Separating polys/faces in the map (dissociating in Hexagon) is important too.

The small items are the end inside of the hilt. The large item over the texture is on side and the item to the left is the other side not yet edited.

Question for Hexagon users: Both sides would have the same UV map. That is, the item on the left will just get the same shape and be overlaid on the large one on the texture now. Is there a time saving way to do this? Maybe auto-match the not-yet-edtited side to the finished one? Maybe the finished one can apply to both sides?

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 18 Mar 2012, 23:43

Now it is cold too. Well, not warm. The haboob, sirocco, sand storm has blocked a lot of sunlight.

Back in TS 7.6 model side. Pipeline to and from hexagon is .obj files. Only one side is mapped so far.

I UV mapped the unsubdivided blade since it is a simpler mesh. That looks like a mistake. SDS distorts the texture.

3 blades picture: Effect of SDS on the shape and texture of the blade. Right: no SDS. Texture as I want it but not shape. Middle: 1 level SDS. Left: 2 levels SDS. This has the shape I want but the texture is distorted.

2 swords picture: Try to type that and not type "Two Swords Way" The sword with the UV mapped blade. Left no SDS, right 2 levels.

Question: Do I have to extract the final mesh from the SDS and map that to get the texture on it right? That is a lot of polygons.

jamesmc · Post by **jamesmc** » 19 Mar 2012, 02:28

Looking good!

Love the glyphs on the blade.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 19 Mar 2012, 03:25

Thanks James!

Here is a scene with the sword. This isn't going to show the glyphs well so I'll make a simpler one with the camera close to the sword. The stand has a Geiger look.

Strategy since I have little time: Don't finish the UV and just show one side of the sword. It was going to have a mirror behind it. Use the no SDS version but add some loops and change the shape of the tip to be more like the SDS one.

MikomDude · Post by **MikomDude** » 19 Mar 2012, 08:38

Looking good Finis!

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 19 Mar 2012, 17:03

Thanks MikomDude!

This may be it depending on how much time I have. I simplified the blade in TS, applied local SDS to the fuller, added loops near the point to round it, extracted the final mesh, and UV mapped it again in Hexagon. There is some distortion of the glyphs. I think that is my UV map and might fix it. If I had time I'd do some more dramatic lighting and texture for richer colors and edging for the velvet.

If I write an origin story in time then it will be a challenge entry.

MikomDude · Post by **MikomDude** » 19 Mar 2012, 17:09

You don't need to write a long story or anything, I really want this to be an entry it's a great sword. Hope you make it in time

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 20 Mar 2012, 03:06

This will be the picture for the challenge if I write a story in time. Yeah Mikom, just a short one. I'll just turn the story idea above into a paragraph or two.

The glyph distortion was due to the UV map. Moving points, edges, and scaling in Hexagon's UV editor all have different effects. Which points or edges you move also matters.

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 20 Mar 2012, 11:30

Fantastic sword Finis!

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 21 Mar 2012, 02:02

Thanks Steinie! I removed the glyph near the point and updated the picture above.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 26 Mar 2012, 18:49

Kropark was a magician. He made enchanted objects and was very good at that. One of the best. Soldiers of king Ukjag were at his house when he returned. His family was not.

Ukjag ruled the neighboring kingdom and had defeated Kropark's previous king and added the land to his realm. Kropark didn't like kings at all but now he stood before Ukjag and wondered if he would be better or worse. Ukjag said that Kropark would be rewarded if he worked on a magical sword. Then he took Kropark to his family and showed him the luxurious palace rooms they would have and told of the riches that he would be paid. Then he took Kropark to the dungeon where some townspeople were used to demonstrate what would happen to his wife and children if he refused.

So Kropark worked on the Sword of Kings. He enchanted gems that would influence everyone within hundreds of leagues of the sword except its wielder and those told of a special charm to say. The gems would reflect the spirits and powers of vices and virtues and of strength and weakness. The gems would activate in pairs and Ukjag would test the people by giving them a choice. If they followed the good influences they would be rewarded. If not ... Kropark made the gems of vice and weakness. Then he lived for some time in the luxurious rooms with his family. He thought the rare things needed to enchant the gems of virtue and strength were being gathered but then he was called to see the making of the blade and its joining with the rest.

Not magicians. Sorcerers. In league with darkness so long that now they were more demon than man. They did not fear Ukjag. They did not treat him like a king. Kropark saw the outline of a blade amid symbols and heard the sorcerers incantations and saw their urn. They poured blood from the urn. The blood of child. All the blood of a child. It took the shape of a blade in the outline. The sorcerers invited one of their masters. Kropark could not see it but he knew it was there. A demon. It entered the blade willingly, eagerly, and the blade turned to metal. There was one gem left to make and Ukjag told Kropark to finish the sword. Now Kropark knew he had been deceived. This was not the Sword of Kings. It was the Sword of Tyrants.

Kropark pretended to work to give the final gem a vice power but instead he prepared something to work against the sword's powers. When last gem was almost finished he went to his family. He had a bead, ages old, that would make a wish come true, once. Its power was not limitless but it was enough to send his family to a far away land and ensure that Ukjag would never find them. Then he returned to the sword to finish the last gem. He must make it more powerful than reflections of spirits. More powerful than a demon.

He added a ruby to the sword. If a tyrant uses the powers of the sword to rule then the ruby encourages rebellion with equal power. Now the soul of Kropark resides in the Ruby of Rebellion until all men are free.

---------------------

One of these pictures will the the challenge entry. See full size images for glows and rays.

SwordOfTyrants_Done - This image has no glows or rays.

SwordOfTyrants_DoneAllTS - This image has glows and rays directly from TS. The pommel area is lit.

SwordOfTyrants_DoneComposite - This image was post processed to add glows and rays from TS without the pommel area lighting.

Which do you think is best?

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 28 Mar 2012, 03:12

I'll use the one with no glow or rays.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 30 Mar 2012, 04:16

Wireframe. I didn't keep the original objects for the SDS objects after extracting the final meshes so some objects are not pre-SDS.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 31 Mar 2012, 01:27

Here are details of the pommel, jewel setting, and jewel material. Glass reflectance. The jewel is a geosphere with some editing.

The pommel has a white area made by Boolean subtraction of a jewel. The jewel is placed a small distance above the white area. The lighting and material settings must be tuned for different lighting. Use transparent shadows for the lights. That is why I didn't use mapped shadows. They don't work with transparent shadow lights.

The pommel material is a solid color with a fractal from Apohysis for a bump map.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 31 Mar 2012, 01:29

Here is the jewel.

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