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I don't know what prompted me to write this post, perhaps the recent conversations i've had on MSN with "modellers", or my recent perusing of the 3D modelling forum, but whatever the cause I cannot hold back on saying this little piece, although it will step on some toes I am sure. Perhaps I just feel the need for an argument...

I am not a great modeller. I know I am not. There are things I can do and there are things I cannot do, as many of you who have known me are aware already I generally make the scenery in Banshee games, and i've made one or two creatures and structures in my time, but nothing particularly brilliant.

However I will say for myself that I can make a model from start to finish. Mesh, texture, animation. Therefor I consider myself as having the ability to model, albiet not to the standard you see in Banshee games (because Nick does all the important models!).

Without any of the three key elements of a model (mesh/texture/animation) then it is not a finished model. Sure not all models need animating, but for those that do the lack of animation makes it incomplete.

Texturing though is crucial. Without a texture a model misses most of it's detail. If you cannot texture, then how do you know what you need to model in the mesh and what you dont? Afterall a good mesh will reflect the appropriate detail for the polycount allowed, and do the rest on the texture.

Therefor I can only conclude that an untextured model is an unfinished model. Looking around at the forums over the past few years it is obvious to me that most anyone can make a mesh and there are only two different skill levels around here: Makes efficient use of allowed pollies; Loves smoothing.

Without the texture a mesh is nothing. It is not useable in a game, and it is not a demonstration of the modellers skill because without the texture the mesh is undetermineable.

Therefor this rant ends with the following thought:

Why do so many of us (around this forum in particular) say we can model but cannot texture. Surely what we meen to say is: "I cannot model, but I am already learning."

because:

Modeling and texturing mean:
the act of communicating with an extraterestrial being who wants liver for its brain.
I don't know

fair enough then, but from what you've said instead of saying
'I can model but i cannot texture'
People should say
'I can make the mesh but I cannot texture it' its a tiny difference really, and although its a point well made, its not really a point worth making :S

Just my two million pounds

yeah, in your PANTS

and I mean the back.. don't flatter yourself.

So...you're saying since I'm a horrible texture artist that I cant be considered a modeller? NOOOO!!!

Heh...

Cheers,
Preston

Whether you are wrong or right on this issue depends on whether you are stating that modelling is *this* or that modelling ought to be *this*.

If you mean the former than you are wrong. All through out the industry, texturing and modeling, as well as animating, are serperate jobs.

Just because something can't be pluged in doesn't mean the act of creating it can't be described as creation. The A.I. programmer may program the A.I. but his A.I. won't work without the rest of the engine. This doesn't mean that he didn't program the A.I.

What I'm driving at is that the act of creation is not dependent on whether it can be used in the product. It is still modeling even though the model isn't complete(and I'm using the word "complete" here in the sense of ready to use in the game). The word "model" doesn't mean "complete game model" and "modelling" doesn't mean "creating a complete game model." The whole industry agrees with me on this one so I'm afraid you have your work cut out for you.

If you meant the latter, than you aren't necessarily wrong. Then your statement becomes a matter of opinion and whether an opinion is wrong or right is simply a matter of opinion.

What if I can model, and do half decent textures, but I can't UV map (which is true)?

learn

Well I think a play with words isn't going to make any difference to the end result, but I guess that a moddeler isn't really the true name of someone that makes models. He should be called a mesh designer, then a texturer, then an animator.

Im not ^_^

I can't model, but I would prefer to say that modellers can model and animate their mesh, and at least UV map them. Just because you're a ms3d or max pro doesn't always mean you can PS as well. Finishing the animation and UV is good enough.

EDIT: Come to think of it, you can be called a modeller even though you can't animate. Static models, etc.