The Spy has a new toy. The Shuriken!

   I finished the Shuriken for the TF2 contribute site and am very please with its outcome. Probably my favorite mod of the set so far. I felt that my plans and the moments of inspiration really came together to create a really cool looking model.

   One bit of "on the fly" was the logo that surrounds the center of the star. The design was looking good but it was lacking interest. I thought, "how cool would it be to add some branding to the design." And I'm glad I did! It really tied it into the game and the TF2 logo made the shuriken look even more authentic to the era. Some other gems that helped create its realism was the scuff marks I added.

   The shuriken just looked too clean, and I thought, "What if the Spy had missed his target from 15 feet away?" It'd surely stick in the walls or ricochet off the surrounding rock walls and would look so pristine afterwards. Take a look at the screen shots below. Be sure to click on the images to view it in hi res.





   I also create a quick little YouTube video to go alone with the images today. Its a nice break down of what goes into creating a 3D object for in game models. You'll first see how the model looks at its base level, then the normal map is added to give a sense of depth (like an embossment). Next you'll see the specular map added which tells the model what I want shiny and what I want matte. And finally, everything previously stated with textures. Enjoy!