Help with forming handle
Hi. I am trying to make the handle for the energy sword from the game Halo. I have sketched out the form but I dont know how to move forward to make it 3D and give it a similar shape to the original.
This sketch is probably not enough, but any tips to what features to use and how to give it a similar form to the picture attached is greatly appreciated.
Accepted answer
My first observation is how symmetrical the handle is. The top and bottom are mirror images. Same with the left and right. Notice some of the finer graphic details are mirrored. Even the sketch you did is mirrored about the horizontal axis. So my first suggestion is to only model one quadrant of the whole thing. Once that is 100% complete, then mirror it left to right then top to bottom. Cuts 3/4 of the work from the beginning. Get rid of half your sketch right now.
Next observe that the original model was only roughly modeled. Then a bump map was applied for some of the finer details. The ribs on the black areas and the rough cast shape of the metallic looking areas are only bump maps. The graphic symbols are bump maps. The illuminated areas are nothing more than graphic details added with a bitmap. The plain model, bump maps, and bit maps are used by a graphics engine to make the model appear to have a lot more detail than it actually does. The original model was likely very plain and lacked most of the detail you see. So if you want a truly 3D model you are going to generate a lot more detail than the original model had.
As Alazar pointed out, break the model into sections. The metal casting is one model. The ribbed black area is a completely separate model. Etc. These models can overlap in space. While that’s impossible in the real world, it’s no problem in the CAD realm. Once these individual sections are modeled, they are merged into one model. How you apply the finer details that were originally bump maps then becomes a tedious chore. Finally, as I originally mentioned, mirror the model left to right and top to bottom.
1 Other answer
- You have to understand, that whole handle is maded with 3 different technologies: A - stamping with assembling parts; B- casting with rough machining and then metal carving; C-polymer or leather cover on some unknown surface. You have to make every element separately.
- There is 3 weak places in this handle (red zones)
I - sharp edge in this place - non technological and even stupid element; II - nonrealistic and non useful casting elements wich divide striped part into some nonuseful parts; III- no sence parts like a lights on a corners. In gamedev it is very popular design like this, when author dont think about real use a weapon and add alot of fangs, lights, buttons, stripes and some tissels.
