Ok, let me first say, I'm really not a modeler. And certainly not a "character modeler" or a "pro". Modeling really isn't my forte. But we currently don't have a character modeler. Just a couple mechanically oriented modelers who are great with tanks, vehicles, etc.

So, we really need some infantry models for our WWII project so we can get things coded and tested. We're shooting to have a small demo out asap, which we hope can show some initiative and attract more people.

So, I decided to make an attempt at building one. I used a couple other meshes as reference in Maya, to help guide me on basic shape and how to make things fit together in a way that would allow for animation. Helghast's ragdoll test model came in rather helpful, and I'm sure you can see its influence in the head/face (I really liked the construction of the jaw which allows for decent lip/mouth syncing). So I was able to use "snapping" to points and then adjust things, and even built most of it totally from scratch. And this is what I came out with:







Our lead modeler and level designer (who doesn't do characters) says this isn't even close to usable quality. He's hellbent on finding a trained pro who uses Z-Brush. But I really don't see what's wrong with it? Maybe my own inexperience with 3D work? I was hoping to get some 3rd opinions on it. Keep in mind, it's totally unskinned, except the helmet. I just put a color on the face.

Well, thanks for any input. If you think it sucks, go ahead and say it. It's not going to "hurt my feelings", lol. So no need to lie, heheh. It looks better to me than the meshes I've seen in other games, and we're only working on the demo as of now. I'm pretty positive that after we release the demo and some trailers, we should have people flocking to join the effort. So, go ahead and lay it out. I'm eager to hear what you think...

Btw, I know the shading looks a little funny on the upper body/uniform, but it doesn't look like that in the engine. It's just the way maya makes it look with my current lighting.

In case you want some specs:

3138 tris
1592 verts
3801 edges

I should also mention, this game is planned to be massive, so we can't use über high poly models. We're trying to keep things reasonable, and this falls well within our calculated limits. The only real means I see for improvement is some simple tweaking, or increasing polies significantly, which is basically out of the question. After all, he still needs a gun and all his other equipment. And it's possible that you could see up to 100 soldiers, many tanks, aircraft, large towns, artillery, and all sorts of stuff in one scene (with a very strong LOD and mip mapping system of course). Performance is a major concern.