Aspiring Game modeller needs help!

Well, my ambition in life is to become a game designer or any job within the game making industry.
I have these programs to help me model: Maya6PLE, Photoshop. Ive bought a few books and found them very useful!

I need help finding resources like front and side view images for concept art, i find these really really hard to find. I noticed that a few people on here have modded games, and i'd just like some direction on where you find all your concept images that you go by when modelling. Also any tips are appreciated!

 

Screen captures from DVDs or other games is what I generally use for reskinning reference. All my modelling has been low poly (Jedi Knight / MotS), so no need for accurate working images.

Also high detail toys can be useful, plus technical guides / journals / blueprints (for Star Wars in particular).

 

My advice for the modelling would be to get your hands on the toys- although reference templates in your 2d viewports are helpful, having something you can actually turn in your hands is almost invaluable when it comes to modelling more complicated shapes. So my advice would be to get the toys, and make your own top/side/front/rear view reference photographs (take them from as fara away as possible with maximum zoom to reduce perspective as much as possible.)

For more detailed models (ie. not low-poly game models) you might find that it's not quite as useful an approach, but for getting started with modelling, I think it's the best way.

The "Art of Star Wars" books have some very useful material- for example, the art of ESB book has blueprints for the snowspeeder which are ideal for modelling (I'm actually about to start on a little project involving modelling the speeders to spruce up a Hoth-ish level for Half Life 2/Counter Strike, so I'll try to post the reference images I'm working with if you like.)

Maybe you could find some toy collectors who could help with things like scans of decals and so on for texturing?

 

Well, i have a huge collection of SW toys in the attic, so i will dig em out, and I'd like to know about the HL2/CSS SW mod your talking about? And yes please about the reference pics

 

Be aware that any vehicles used to hold the std action figures are generally really distorted, with scaled up cockpits and scaled down everything else.

 

Unfortunately not as ambitious as a mod- just a map. Well, a room in a map. Slow going... But I'll post the snowspeeder pictures once I get my scanner working.

 

Jedi_Nath

May I ask which game(s) you're considering working on?

 

Not sure, Unreal2004 or the Source Engine, whichevers easiest, so that will probably be unreal2004

 

Isn't Republic Commando on the Unreal engine? If so it could be a good one to mod considering there are already Star Wars assetts in game, and you'd have no hassle from LucasArts (which occasionally occurs when someone makes SW mods using non-SW game engines).

 

Ty for the tips guys, keep em coming though! There may be other game designers needing help.

 

This is the most useful snowspeeder image I've found;

[image=http://scottthompson.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Snowspeederblueprints.jpg]

Or if you prefer the X-wing;

[image=http://www.swmodels.zabel.kiev.ua/starwars/x-wing2sidebw.jpg]

 

A few more useful snowspeeder images here- should be particularly handy for texturing!

http://masterreplicas.com/customer/starwars/starwars_product_detail.php?pid=8371