how to skin.

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Originally Posted by Ã�4ÑØ â€*

Heh, skinning tutorials?? no thanks, they do more damage than good, in a creativity sense.

I find texturing is probably the hardest aspect of game content creation, and I doubt its a coincidence that the people who can do it have been drawing/doing/have a passion for art since they were young, and are very good at drawing/painting on real paper and canvas. Modelling has many certain rules, guidlines to follow, steps etc. Texturing is more of a creativity thing. Hence why we have so many damn modellers in this community, and shit all skinners. And those few skinners have a vast background of art i.e. did it in school, all their life as a hobby, or just likes to draw and/or paint (that I'm aware of).

If your not a drawer/cannot draw at all I wouldn't even bother. Try modelling or animation. If you are a drawer/painter, have a well grounded knowledge on art and a good creative mind, by all means go ahead, but don't even think of tutorials. Tutorials create a forced mindset. Go at your own pace and creativity, and do things completely thought up from your own head, and learn that way. You'll find it sticks with you more, and you won't have a more narrowed creativity because of trying to "force yourself to learn", and you won't be creating the same cookie cutter skins by using the same methods you've "learnt".

ONLY do it if you have passion for it, otherwise your just wasting your time, wich could be spent on furthering a skill you could be much better at.

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I don't completely agree, tutorials are great for learning if you really understand what's going on, not the cookie cutter you described. It's like the difference between copying someones notes at school, and doing them yourself. You're right, it does take someone with artistic ability and visual understanding, but tutorial's still help. I use tutorials for that reason alone; to learn, not to copy.

^ I spose. I however choose not to use them, it's really just a trial and error thing that way, and, I feel like I have more fun doing it. Plus I feel a great satisfaction by learning bymyself :P And what Leukemia said is also correct, didn't think of it that way. Some people are art inclined and haven't exposed themselves to it, and when they do, it opens them up creatively.

Well i do have photoshop skill. I just need the basics i think like how to make it look like a stock or look like the buttons and stuff like that just to make it fit. heres soem of my work.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7218/diablodl9.png
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7...eestyleae2.png
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7540/rustyio5.png
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4793/stevo51wn6.png

did you draw all of those??

cuz if it's just a few filters on pre images, bleh....you've probably got the wrong idea about skinning lol.

No i used brushes and in a few i used c4ds, some renders and yes a few filters. But if i have the wrong idea about it can you give me the right idea?:) But all of those are made from scratch except for the pictures of the people they have been cut from a background and pasted into my background.

skinning is absolutely nothing like that. at all. i would hardly even call it related.

first, you create a "base". this is what emulates a material's texture, be it synthetics, cloth, skin or metal. next, you need to know about how these materials react to light and lack of light (as in highlights and shadows/cores). you need to add these into the skin from ONE light source. next, you have to know about how the object interacts with it's environment so you can add realistic damage/aging to the material and material edges. scratch? dent? flake? also adding insignia and engravings. making your own custom brushes and such.

there's quite a bit you need to know, and if you can't emulate materials, don't even bother until you DO.

Do you know of any tutorials that can explain this to me?

yes. sign up at www.sourceblog.org

you'll find all that there.

Thanks guys. I just think the more i learn about all this modding the better so then i dont need to rely on other people as much. Thanks.

Great site snaf :)