This is an interesting point.Telarus wrote:We mostly have this for the 2d maptool images... primarily because of a core group of pretty killer 2d artists which have setup a... non-verbalized 'style guide'... things like the downloadable art-packs give maptool it's own style. So far it's developed rather haphazardly (as a Discordian, I appreciate that an 'almost-coherent' style has emerged ).
We want MT to be usable for RPGs, wargames, board games, and even card games. Is 3d really a good thing for board games or card games? It would really up the hardware requirements without providing much (any?) advantage to the person playing one of those two categories of games.
Since MT is used primarily for RPGs, and because there are certain technical reasons to choose the values for some of the graphics variables (like resolution, color palette, and so on), we do have some basic standards that many artists use. ("Standards are great. Everyone should have one.")
And so most artists have 50px, 100px, and/or 200px tilesets for example. You won't find any less than 40-50 because there just isn't enough resolution to make a nice looking table or chair, and you won't find many above 200px because with desktop resolutions running about 100dpi, there isn't a lot of return on investment for adding that additional detail.
But with simple standards like that, comes the capability of supporting a wide market of artists. And hence we can get medieval, fantasy, and modern/future artwork packs put together. One thing I've learned about the creative process -- and the people who enjoy creating -- is that you try to put a leash on them they're simply going to pull harder on the leash. It's best to give them plenty of length to run and try not to get in the way. (That includes programmers, of which I consider myself one. )
We'll take any documentation we can get. Whether for the tools themselves or the process of interfacing with those tools.But a doc laying it out for new users would be helpful. That might be something I'd be in to helping with.
I have read some articles on some simple techniques for defining a reflectivity coefficient for certain material types and the math involved in making it look right in a 3d scene. But as I'm not really into 3d I didn't pay much attention to the details.I have a few years of 3d lighting experience, and it can be intimidating for some-one who is just starting to think in 2d photoshop-style space to have to think about light rays bouncing all over a 3d space, and what the intensity of the source means for the ambient shadows much less how the reflective surfaces behave, or getting into what Normal Maps are.
Yeah, CC is a great forum! We have a lot of cross-pollination between our forums.I would recommend anyone interested in this line of art to take a look at the 3D forum over at the Cartographer's Guild [...]