My 3D EQ Fan-art

toddfx · #1 10-07-2010, 01:04 PM

**UPDATED 12/20/2012: Lots of new images on page 15**
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Original Post:

I'm a 3D artist by trade and by hobby, and have recently been obsessed with capturing scenes from Everquest with a little extra twist to them. To make my life easier, I have recruited the help of a piece of software called "3D Ripper DX" which monitors the graphics card and captures any 3D geometry and bitmap images that are sent through. From there I can load the fully texture mapped scenes up in 3D Studio Max and go to work on them.

My goal for these images was to bring a semi-realistic feel to the Norrath we all know and love so much. The realm contains some truly beautiful scenes, and I am curious to see what they might look like when taken to the next level of CG. I wanted to see how good of a result I could get using the painfully fragmented geometry and miniature sized textures used in the game.

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Sadly due to the nature of the game quality models and textures, I was not able to get these to a point of perfection. I could only sit in After Effects and tweak the composite for so long before I had to just throw in the towel and call them finished. There's only so much you can do with the game's assets, and I unfortunately don't have time for a total ground up re-build.

For any of you who dabble in the art of 3D, here are a few technical notes. Most of EQ's textures are 64x64 or 128x128, and the models are of course extremely basic. Any 3D artist will know this is a bold place to start haha. I used CrazyBump to generate displacement and normal maps for the stone and wood, which is absolutely critical to take it out of the video-game look. And then of course the magic of VRay's lighting pushes it closer to real life. I used VRay RT to set up the lighting, which was quite fun [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] I found that atmospheric effects and lens blurs helped to hide some of the imperfections of the geometry.

Anyway, I have enjoyed creating these and am eager to make more. If anybody has any scene suggestions, i'd love to see some screenshots for inspiration. I want to do a forest scene, perhaps like this shot of WC.

EDIT 10/11/10:
Here's a new new render of a fountain in Erudin. I love the vibrant colors in this city, so I really exaggerated that here.
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yaeger · #2 10-07-2010, 01:09 PM

Oh man.. if we could have graphics like that..

/drool

Nice work, thanks for sharing.

GreenRanger · #3 10-07-2010, 01:10 PM

thanks for sharing! the picture of the entrance to HighKeep is litteraly breathtaking.

cant wait to see more.

guineapig · #4 10-07-2010, 01:15 PM

5 star rated this thread!

stayne · #5 10-07-2010, 01:28 PM

Great stuff man! Thanks. Would love to see Unrest done.

Engraverwilliam · #6 10-07-2010, 01:29 PM

This is incredible.

Japan · #7 10-07-2010, 01:31 PM

so cool.

Aasimon · #8 10-07-2010, 01:38 PM

Fantastic!

Dunes · #9 10-07-2010, 02:00 PM

Absolutely amazing - job well done!

Dont lose faith in your work - youre doing something that so many fellow EQ'ers can appreciate but cannot do themselves. Also, there is something to be said about making graphics as classic as possible, but attractive graphics DO add something to the immersion and enjoyment of a game (they just arent required, and wont prop up an otherwise crappy MMO).

Great work, and I cant wait to see some more!

MeldrathRN · #10 10-07-2010, 02:05 PM

very cool