Needing a question answered about mapping with Spark

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<div class="IPBDescription">mew!</div>I'd like to get into mapping (I used to with UnrealED back in the day), and I realize I have a long ways to go, but how do people create such good looking basic surfaces?

Like, for example, floors. When you create a basic surface, it's flat with a texture. However, I've seen people "throw together" quick test maps, and the floors have grooves and walls have stuff on them.

For example:

<a href="http://www.j-pop.se/temp/1sttest.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.j-pop.se/temp/1sttest.jpg</a>

see how the walls are actually shaped, and the floors aren't a flat boring texture.

How does one do this?

Karrde

That looks mostly like some basic geometry (looks like mostly a hexagonal hallway with a few box shaped sections), textures (some textures have transparencies, normal maps, etc - thats what you see on the floor), and a bunch of props (the rails, coords, pipes, boxes, etc)

sloppy_joe

looks to like there's a lot of props in the picture. catwalk and wall mods use you model viewer to check it out.

Pipi

lots of props and lights like others said.


But if it can help, try starting with a plane. Then, extrude it once or twice and try moving only edges in between the extrusions. Also keep it symmetrical if you want a nice general "fits-all" corridor.

I've found out for me, that I get more inspiration and ideas while adding textures and props and geometry one after another like I feel it and not trying to make all the geometry then all the texturing and then adding props, see.

You can work more efficiently if you build modulars or sections. For example, take the screens you showed as example. The guy certainly made a cross-section of his corridor (about 32-inch long) and moved the edges wider to make it long kinda hexagonal (like Karrde said) and dragged the edges to the desired length. Then he added props (see 2 catwalks, 2-3 wall props, light prop) and copied/pasted them along the corridor.

Add lights, and if your computer runs well, try setting your lightning in Lit mode, so it gives you a good idea while working at it.


All in all, you must make good use of Face extrusion and the Line tool. Practice with them. Also start a rough idea of a room in bigger grid (like 16 or 32) then you can make details moving edges or adding edges (with the line tool) in 4 inches grid. Then, keep some extruding and remember to start texturing early, just add some and then maybe some props that you might think of right away like stairs or pipes that are obviously needed somewhere in the room.

Good luck ! :D

Karrde

And the tools will get better with time, too. Right now, it can be difficult to make complicated geometry close together as the line and square tools don't play overly nice near other lines.