N64 Modelling Techniques
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2021
- Note: The model has been reworked with new textures since and looks better. This video is up to detail the techniques used. Here is the update: • Bowser Model Update
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All the textures have since been updated, the ones in this video were lacking contrast and didn't look as good as they should. This video is still up just to detail the techniques.
Here is the updated version:
th-cam.com/video/egfTK8I513Q/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=KazeClips
i'd love to see the update
@@Ragesauce just posted it!
@@KazeN64 in a video or somewhere else? I haven't seen a new video pop up yet.
Perhaps Kaze you should focus on making your romhacks multiplayer co'op + VS
& CONSOLE COMPATIBLE! 🧐🤨
Perhaps Kaze you should focus on making your romhacks multiplayer co'op + VS
& CONSOLE COMPATIBLE! 🧐🤨
textures on the old one are more readable, due to the bright colors and detail size imo. You can keep the higher res texture, but making it bigger would help (as in, 50 scale pieces show on a leg instead of 500 smaller ones), I would also boost the colors a bit to more orange and saturated browns on the base of the spikes etc.
The face is def the strangest looking part, mostly due to the pupil size and the shadow around the eyes. The old model was mostly bright with all shadows and color variation on the eyebrows and eye area, while yours is mostly the opposite atm. Just some shadows on what would be the eyelids, and on the eyebrows would help a lot.
This is just my opinion of course
Oh, that's what it's called! I have always wondered because whenever I saw hi-res minecraft texture packs I thought they looked awful and found it was generally because the scale of the details was off, such as pebbles being near microscopic, which might make sense in the real world, but not in minecraft.
I also agree with the rest of what you said in general, something about the eyebrows specifically messes with me.
yes also should remember this was all meant to jam through composite video. all his subtlety will blur to nothing
@@GigsVT i dont think he'll be using it on original hardware though
@@garfreld If this is for the game he's been putting on his other channel, he's making sure it runs on an N64 as well.
Optimized Bowser looks like he needs a hug. Would you hug him?
XD the same I thought I stand a good stuffed animal
don't hug me, I'm scared
no
@@luginess0 xD
@@luginess0 I do
Really prefer this new model! However the eyes and eyebrows could maybe use a tiny bit of shadow imo
naw it looks shit
@@oliverb.8995 Do it better.
@@exan6970 that’s not an argument. you don’t need to know how to cook a steak to know if it tastes good or not. you don’t need to know how to draw or sculpt to appreciate art. you most certainly don’t need to know how to model or draw textures to know if a game asset looks like shit.
in any case, it’s not the shape of the model that looks shit, it’s the texturing that’s shit
@@exan6970 ok i will
The red could be made darker too imo
I wanna say first off: I think this is incredible and super well done, I always love seeing what insane magic you're able to perform on every little thing in SM64 and this is no different. I also have like little to no background in the 3D modelling space as someone who works more in 2D. With that said I do have some critiquey stuff to say lol.
I feel that some of the textures lack the same colorful feeling of the original and might even be too detailed for the SM64 style. The texture that works the most for me is the shell though, everything there feels super visually pleasing. I think what I'm mainly getting at in regards to overdetailed stuff is scales, they just feel too dense and don't capture that orange outline look the original ones had.
yeah i kinda agree. the scales are probably going to be slightly reworked.
@@KazeN64 Yooo I'll keep my eyes peeled for that.
Still overall, greatly improved from the original though, really cool to see
Optimizing the models to push the n64 to its limits is a cool idea, but I much prefer the colors and textures on the original model.
I think the same of the mario model as well, like you can give up some on the body but the eyes ended up looking wierd
I'm sure your girlfriend is cool and all, but imo the original textures are simply much better, even upscaled. This is like a majority of fan HD texture packs for games where they're clearly higher resolution and in some sense improved, but they also clearly deviate from the original designs in ways that are really blatant and off-putting to anyone familiar with the old textures. Basically it looks like uncanny valley bowser now.
yeah thats fair. i personally like all the textures except maybe for the scales. it's likely these textures are still going to be improved on though so don't worry too much. i'm mostly showcasing techniques here.
This is probably just a thing of getting used to it. I also found the render96 assets to look very off at first but once I got used to them, I liked them more.
partially agree. the only thing that looks that off putting to me are the eyes, and that the lines for the scales look too light. other than that i like it tho
the original had dragon scales for the face
the new ones look like turtle shell pattern and you can very easily see it's repeating like a symmetrical fractal.
the old textures although low res looked more vibrant, and the their details look just fine frim afar. i guess it is all because the larger range of color they had compared to the new ones
Plus the N64 has line blurring and the games have anti-aliacing. So it ends up blurry anyway, even on an HDTV and with a Component Video Cable. From afar, you're lucky to see Koopa's face. Lol
@@Schwarzorn Well, to be realistic most people are going to be playing on an emulator in HD. This texture upgrade definitely works for HD more than low res.
model is fine, textures are worse
@@zimtak6418 True, but that's not the point, right? It's "This is what they COULD have done.".
i really like the new model, but i've also grown a fond appreciation for old bowser's bejeweled shell.
This video reminded me of Mario64DS.
That game used hardware with almost the same specs as the 64 to create graphics that jumped a generation, but it must have been optimized in exactly this way.
This is the result of accumulated know-how.
However, it's also amazing that the original Mario64 was able to produce such excellent work with almost no know-how.
SM64: *Is over 23 years old*
Kaze and his girlfriend: "We can optimize you"
Also, yes I'd give new Bowser a hug
Very interesting optimization techniques. Although, like I have seen a lot of comments saying, the more realistic duller contrast colors doesn't exactly scream upgrade. Overall I love what you're trying to do with all the optimizations, especially with the shading and Bowser's shell, particularly the front part looks a lot better. I hope none of the nitpicking comments discourage you from doing what you're doing, I love all the effort you're putting into this. I know this is supposed to be more about optimizing the original model than it is remodeling him better from the ground up, but personally I think a great direction to go would be to make an original model not based on the SM64 version and simply rely on vibrant higher contrast colored vertex shading without real-time shading and no textures on most of the model, only having textures on the shell, eyes, and hair. Then you could potentially have a more complex level to fight Bowser in, instead of just a basic single platform arena type stage. This could also give you an opportunity to change up how you actually fight Bowser. Instead of just always grabbing him by the tail and tossing him you can now have more objects and enemies in the field to fight and perhaps toss them at Bowser, such as boxes and bombs. Or have Bowser smash through a layered brick floor like in Mario 3, or some other original idea. Just some suggestions, but what you're doing is fantastic and we're damn lucky to have it for the low low price of free.🙂
I liked the shading around the eyebrows on the old one. It made them look less flat.
God that thumbnail.
good or bad?
perfect
@@KazeN64 it's amazing but
That 090Tris Bowser is cursed-
I like the shell. I'd try to match the eyes and eybrows exactly I think that's what makes it feel like bowser. I think your scales texture is good but I'd zoom in on it up a bit to have a similar scale size to the old bowser. The modeling is great.
Kaze I can't say enough how impressed I am with all the hard work you put in your hacks, I'm really anxious to play this game and see the new Bowser model in action.
Maaan your videos and rom hacks are super interesting...
Keep It up man!
Yoooo I absolutely love these videos about optimization, thanks Kaze
Your Bowser looks way more serious than the orig. Major props to you for this awesome creation!
optimised bowser looks amazing, i think he needs a cooler/meaner expression in his eyes, he doesnt look as angry as the OG model
this looks amazing, you did a great job! :D
thanks for all your hard work and merry christmas
Kaze teaching me all kinds of lessons today and the new Bowser looks great.
Thank you to your other half for taking a crack at the textures! I think they look nice, she did a very good job.
This stuff is super interesting, love hearing you talk about it!
Kaze, love ur work. Mirror mode and vertex colours for 8X texture detail is an awesome strategy! I've been playing Banjo Kazooie recently and I really think that vertex colours free up textures, where they are most needed, to improve texture quality. Also, I'm really loving the characters you are including from Mario 1, 2, 3 and Mario World. That was something that was always missing for me in Mario 64. Great work, it's exciting to see N64 games continue to get better, while retaining their charm! Cheers man.
It looks awesome!
Keep up the good work.
Looks Great! I can imagine how much more detail n64 games could have if they were optimized to this level!
Optimizations are so satisfying! Only aesthetic improvement imo would be a few darker spots but that's only nitpicks. Love your breakdowns for this gem!
Pupil and iris size on the new model is the only thing that my brain can’t get around. My nostalgia is used to the large crazy eyes.
I think the eyebrows don’t give that angled angry emotion as much either.
Other than that it looks perfect!
I have one major thing going against the new model: Nostalgia
Also how do these changes look on actual N64 hardware? That might have been interesting to see as a comparison in this video
I agree, it's nearly impossible to tell which one actually looks better without seeing it in the original format and in motion.
Wow. I’ve always wondered what optimizing looked like in action and it’s pretty similar to what I imagined. I just didn’t think there was so much detail involved. I absolutely love the idea of every model and level being “optimized” somehow and seeing how much smoother and colorful and consistent an optimized complete game would be next to an original release. Soooo interesting.
Nice optimization! the OG SM64 bowser design is one of the cutest characters designs ever made and will always have a soft spot in my heart, but I could see Nintendo preferring yours based on the changes they've made to bowser over the years.
The new model looks cute i want to hug that Bowser
I like the new one better!! Keep it up , awesome job!!
The textures and mappings look great!! The only thing I think the new one is missing are the SCARY EYES. The original Bowser was arguably the most menacing Bowser we ever got, legit frightening as a child!
Thank You for sharing this.
The work you make as a Modder is Genius 💯😁👍🏻
It is very Inspiring 🔥💪🏼
Take care
How do you apply vertex colors over a texture in blender? I feel like I've searched the whole web for this, but all I get is vertex coloring without any textures, or at best texture paint. I would love if you could show how anyhow.
Well I've been watching these and I don't know why and also can't stop...
I like just about everything about the new model. He doesn’t look as pissed as the old model though. I want to say it’s the eye shape, but I dunno I’m stupid. I only see he looks approachable.
I prefer the new model in every way except that a couple of the textures seemed to have more depth in the original. I feel the eyes and eyebrows specifically looked more 3 dimensional before. Great work!
Mom, I want N64 Bowser!
Mom: We have N64 Bower at home..
Kaze's N64 Bowser:
also I'm gonna be thinking about "molten corn" every time I look at 64 Bowser now thanks alot lmao
this is pretty accurate, im impressed
The old bowser: more detail & good
new bowser: belongs to mario party 3
thank you kaze, very cool
I really like your mod, you are great
Can you talk in a video about vertex colors and textures in N64? How do vertex colors blend? To mee it looks like they simply mix with some opacity? How are textures overlayed and mixed? Is the factor applied to the whole material or can you blend with the vertex colors?
I finally found your channel, i miss this channel so much.
(Btw, i was expecting that you have made botw 64 version like the super mario Odessey 64 that you made, it was cool to play tho)
This was a fine job.
Looks great! But I think the pupils should be a bit bigger to resemble the original more, and also some shading around the eyes would help
I can barely see the textures on the optimized Bowser, they aren't noticeable. I do like how you made them line up though.
There was always something I didn't like about Bowser's eyes in 64. Instead of trying "upscale" by remaking that texture, I think it should be something completely new and in line with modern Bowser's art and maybe... it's positioning on the head too?
Whats the soundtrack in the back i know its from mario 64, so memorable :)
I can't imagine the future romhacks you will be able to do, damn.
Can we see it in action? Hard to tell without the animations.
you'll definitely see it in the game... though it'll be a while before it releases.
I like your texture improvements, this is probably how Bowser would have looked if they released mario 64 near the end of the n64's life cycle because they understood the tools better by then.
Terrific job! Could you please indicate me how to learn this stuff (having already programming expertise)? Do you have a discord sever or something where we could share knowledge?
Keep it up!
2 months later and i'm still impressed by your girlfriend's texture art! She's an amazing artist!
my dude, i can't wait to play this Super Mario 64DX
Nice optimizations. The new eyes seem a tad small to me in comparison to the old one, but I'm sure it was intentional.
Its looks awesome, can we see the demo scene with this new model in action soon?
Scales went from molten corn to corn on the cob
(looks great btw!)
"So long gay Bowser!"
Mr. Mario, Mario 1996
Is there a way to use SM64 DS models? They apparently use less Tris, but look way more accurate.
I genuinely think the newer model looks a whole lot better than the original. As others have said, the lack of shadows around the eyes/eyebrows and smaller pupil size makes him look a little derpy tbh. Fixing that would just give bowser his menacing stare back and would make the newer model become a straight upgrade
I think the textured spikes look a little better.
Also the fact that gray was used to shade the arm/leg scales instead of a darker shade of yellow/orange robs some of the color vibrancy, and the fact that overall the shading on th newer model seems... Flatter? Especially the eyebrows.
One additional optimization trick I'd love to see would be the use of quads whenever they are appropriate, but I feel like that would require custom rendering code.
I really like this model, though I think the eyes could use a bit of shading underneath like the original?
What does it look like actually in the game though?
Wow looks cool
this is so cool
Like The Outro 👍
I would love to see you put your skills to enhancing the sky backgrounds of Paper Mario
new model looks better in almost every way, but i do like how the old one had shadows around his eyes and brows
omg bowser got a trim
the textures are so much smoother
I agree with some of the other commenters about your new model not having enough contrast. The textures on the yellow part of his body aren't even visible unless you zoom in, whereas on the original they are clearly defined. Other differences I notice are the iris of his eyes being smaller compared to the original and the color of his chest not matching the original.
This looks awesome! Would love to see this treatment on the Yoshi model too!
Edit: I kinda like the textures on the old model better only because they will stand out better from the background in the original game. The new one will look fantastic in romhacks though
Good work, but I feel the eyebrows were better before. I see the comment about textures being revised since this video so I’m off to see if you felt the same way and updated it again. :)
It looks good! Can you use the new bowser model for '' Return to Yoshi Island 64 '' rom hack?
I like the shading & the original textures better but yeah yours is %100 more modern & efficient. The eyes especially on the original have a baked in shading that looks really good.
0:23
Aw girlfriend? Pack it up boys, we won't have Kaze stuffing out cheeks tonight 😞🥵
3:20 use this as a "tum tum" button
Kaze is the goat
looks great cant wait to see him in return to yoshis island
btw is there a release date?
The reworked textures may be too subtle, with too little difference in color. I didn't even realize the yellow had a scale pattern at all at first, not until the video zoomed in on the model. Similar goes for the vertex shaded horns; the original horn texture is obvious while the reworked model vertex shading is barely noticeable. The reworked green shell texture looks flat, created from dull green gradients with black outlines. The original green shell suffers from misaligned edges, but creates a sense of shape through its use of colors as well as the underlying mesh.
When a model looks better and runs better than the default:
The eyes and eyebrows looked better on the older model. Otherwise, the new model is really nice!
Some advice both artistic and technical: Old textures were better. Vertex colors need to be less obvious. While removing textures for ambient details in favor of vtx clrs save on performance the linear interp between colors creates an ugly artificial gradient. You can add tris to negate this but would need more than you probably removed. Also have you tested that skinning is cheaper than the old method? Skinning requires more memory bandwidth because of the vtx weights and adds cpu overhead so are you saving cycles vs the removed polys? I think the rsp is relatively underutilized with the f3d uCode compared to the work being done on the cpu. I.e scenegraph calcs that can be done on the rsp are instead done on the cpu. If you batch meshes by textures you can make better effective use of the tmem bandwidth. So you can open up your budget for more textures. Just some thoughts. Also you should be able to swap to swap uCode to f3dex with the same GBI ( some slight changes for audio is necessary)
cpu is not underutilized. thats a common myth n64 people forward. this uses skinning using matrices, so no extra cpu bandwith is required. yeah i agree old textures were better, which is why these ones got reworked (check pinned comment). i already use f3dex2. i prefer the vertex color gradient honestly
it looks pretty good, however the collars are too dark compared to the original and i prefer the original skin (yellow) texture because it looks more detailed from far away
I prefer your model but there's something missing from the original, the eyes kinda lack the shadowing around the eyes
how did you apply a texture AND vertex colors at the same time?
the n64 combiner allows it
@@KazeN64 i meant in blender, i was trying so hard but it never really worked in the way I wanted it to. on skin colored mesh, it just looked black/green and things like that.
Had no idea Bowser's 3D model in Mario 64 has 1k polygons.
shout out to kaze's girlfriend for redrawing the Bowser textures which made him look 100% more better
You're welcome 😎👌
I think you could even get away with using only 3 triangles for the shell spikes, since you only see maybe 2 vertexes from 90% of the angles anyway. Maybe the toes too.
ich finds krass das ich dich unter rba runden von hank endeckt habe.. viel glück noch bei dein youtube bro.. hollywoods finest!
trueeee!
I like this new model👍🔥
It is great incredible
Slightly related fun fact: Did you know that some maps in SM64 have less polygons than Mario himself?
This newer model looks incredible