Modelling rifles properly?

[LackLustreSurvivor 10]

I have always struggled to model weapons especially guns either they just don't look good or I feel that they mine aren't modelled correctly.

And now some really important questions I wish someone could answer.

1. Is it important to model a gun with every part intact except for moving parts? for example must the butt stock be attached/extruded from the lower/upper receiver?

2. Is it important to model a gun high poly with all the detail you can create and then bake that detail onto a lower res model? Or are most game weapons especially Arma's low poly modelled?

3. Which is the best way to model a gun? Box modelling or poly by poly?

I know that there are many methods out there but I am just tired of feeling my gun models are badly modelled as some people tell me what matters the most is the end result but others also tell me that I've made a lot of mistakes. I have been modelling for 5 years now (self taught) but haven't gotten serious till 2-3 years ago.

Here's some of my weapons I modelled and obviously all WIP as I can't seem to finish them for the above reasons... I keep questioning if I'm doing it wrong or not.

[b00ce 160]

1. Is it important to model a gun with every part intact except for moving parts? for example must the butt stock be attached/extruded from the lower/upper receiver?

2. Is it important to model a gun high poly with all the detail you can create and then bake that detail onto a lower res model? Or are most game weapons especially Arma's low poly modelled?

3. Which is the best way to model a gun? Box modelling or poly by poly?

1. No, it does not matter.

2. Its not required, my Pulse Rifle is @ about 1800 points and 1900 faces, but it would look a LOT better if you did.

3. I use the second one, but that's just O2. :p Its up to personal preference, what ever you do well is what you should use.

Nice Tommy gun, by the way. ;)

[PuFu 4600]

I have always struggled to model weapons especially guns either they just don't look good or I feel that they mine aren't modelled correctly.

And now some really important questions I wish someone could answer.

1. Is it important to model a gun with every part intact except for moving parts? for example must the butt stock be attached/extruded from the lower/upper receiver?

2. Is it important to model a gun high poly with all the detail you can create and then bake that detail onto a lower res model? Or are most game weapons especially Arma's low poly modelled?

3. Which is the best way to model a gun? Box modelling or poly by poly?

1. it doesn't matter. I for instace prefer having the pieces as they are in RL. And in as little pieces as possible (mainly due to HP subD modelling).

2. Most weapons in A2 (and especially the ones in OA) have been HP modeled, then a LP version was created out of it, then the normals, AO was baked from it.

A weapon model in A2/OA ranges from 5000 tris to 10 000 tris or so.

It is advisable to bake the normals and AO maps when possible, especially for things that will be held up close to the players camera (the weapons in particular). That said, it is not mandatory, i have seen 2d created normals that were better/on the level with the baked ones

3. It depends on the situation. booce uses poly by poly because there is no really other way in O2...There is no good or bad way. There might be simpler ways and more complicated way. The end result is what really matters..

[soul_assassin 1750]

Im looking at that tommy gun and the M16 and Im thinking: "What the hell is this guy talking about his models sucking? They look awesome!" :)

The only thing "wrong" with the future rifle I can spot is I would make the pistol grip rounder, the rest is perfectly sound.

[abs 2]

Im looking at that tommy gun and the M16 and Im thinking: "What the hell is this guy talking about his models sucking? They look awesome!" :)

Quoted for truth. You're doing good, bud. Start unwrapping and texturing, and then you'll see how nice your models are.

Abs

[max power 21]

Modelling my m16ish rifle and some old model of an Ultimax, I noted that making watertight models is fairly difficult and leads in some cases to very messy stuff. Some stuff that came by my desk at CWR2 has things like the little tracts or bulges on the side of the uzi done with floating geo. It actually turns out looking pretty nice. I did my 'magazine fence' (same sort of detail) on my rifle with integrated extrusions. It was awkward and difficult to get it to subdivide properly.

I would say do it as much as possible as the rifle was created, but you can easily do some things in texture or with a bump map. Of course, little things like stamped text or other small details would be done in some kind of texture, since modelling it would be a huge waste of time.

I modelled my rifle in the parts you would find it in real life but not necessarily as physically complete, separate objects. I have no faces on the rifle that can't be seen at least partially, so no end faces where the gas tube meets the lower receiver.

I've seen some models that look quite good ingame, then when I see the geometry I'm quite surprised at the crudeness of the model. Texturing is very important.

One thing to watch for is proportion. Your M16 is by and large very good, however the bulge for the bolt carrier in the upper receiver seems a little small. I modelled it by sticking a tube through a rectangle, then cutting and welding, but you have to note that a good portion of the tube's height is obscured by the block it's set into, the radius of the tube is greater than it appears.

Your tommygun looks excellent.

[LackLustreSurvivor 10]

Thanks for the answers I hope I will be able to put it all to good use! :D and hopefully start making better weapons since I hope to get to level of quality of this: http://www.lonewolf3d.com/index.html