[Scooby_Doo]

Here's the demo model for the high detailed Bearcat I was working on earlier.  Table is there, textures are all there, necessary weapon models are there, ship model is there, nothing besides the base Saga stuff is needed (no Scooby_Required.vp is needed). This works with the Saga build and works mostly with the WCS_Open modifications (weapons don't appear, not sure why).

The model itself needs a few fixes but I wanted to release it to get some feedback/ideas and the textures/tables are more-or-less placeholders.
http://scoobydoo.freespacemods.net/HiRes/Demo-Bearcat-06-08-14.rar

No wheels with this version, Saga doesn't support scripting.

[Dragon]

You left the missile model in the bays, and one of the green lights is inside-out. Also, maybe you could split each engine off and make the thrust flaps move either with throttle or thrust vectoring? Oh, and could you release the model with landing gear? Don't worry about Saga not supporting scripting, your models are also used for FSO mods, and those features would be awesome.

[Nyctaeus]

You should refresh your texturing tutorial !

[Scooby_Doo]

You left the missile model in the bays, and one of the green lights is inside-out. Also, maybe you could split each engine off and make the thrust flaps move either with throttle or thrust vectoring? Oh, and could you release the model with landing gear? Don't worry about Saga not supporting scripting, your models are also used for FSO mods, and those features would be awesome.

Ya I realized the missile bays afterwards, I'll get them cleared up with the next demo release.  Technically I can do the moveable thrusters, my vectoring scripts handle that, plus nozzle contraction/expansion, only problem is the number of subsystems it uses.  The scripted versions will be coming soon, I want to get the model working correctly, as this will be the basis for future fighters.

Edit: Also the gun models need to be sized down quite a bit too.

Fixed the missile hangers. I'm creating multiple layers (the basic lod 0...lod 4) then additional feature lods like Missile Bay Layer.  It'll be simple to produce the same base model with different features

[Dragon]

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Javelin and Liberator in HD. That's really gonna be something. Also, Rapier, Raptor and Dirk look suited to that kind of overhaul, too.

[gevatter Lars]

Good to see you doing modeling again. May I ask for you landing gear? I am also working on a ship and I don't want to fiddle around with the gear ^_^

[Nyctaeus]

I found something: Green Light 01 has flipped normals.

[Scooby_Doo]

I think I fixed that one already... Problem is my model has all these parts individual, there's over a hundred and fifty pieces to the bearcat itself, all those little details I've added are imported from separate files.  When I go to prepare to export for dae, I merge most of those together into big clumps.  Collapsing them into groups sometimes picks the wrong one and the normals get messed up.  I usually catch them as they look wrong on the model (flipped normals, either hidden or shaded wrong).

Also the cockpit frame needs to be redone.  I don't have a bubble canopy cockpit model made yet, working on it now. (If you remember I had made canopies from several different styles)

[Scooby_Doo]

Using one of the newer cockpit meshes

[Dragon]

Nice, but here I think that a simpler cockpit mesh would be better. Struts here seems a bit excessive, the whole point of a bubble canopy like this is a large FOV it gives.

[Scooby_Doo]

Hmmmm I wonder if there's a way you can have more than one option for cockpit frame meshes, sorta like the show gun mounts.

Also in FRED how do you get a fighter to actual land on a carrier?  I'm trying to make a quick demo mission.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

You're going to have to ask the Diaspora guys regarding FSO landing physics. Or crack open the missions & tables and see what looks like landing stuff.

[Scooby_Doo]

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a launch, flyby and coming in for a landing.

[Dragon]

Hmmmm I wonder if there's a way you can have more than one option for cockpit frame meshes, sorta like the show gun mounts.

There isn't. It'd be very useful, but I haven't heard of anything like it.

[Scooby_Doo]

Also is there a way to create glowing areas?  I don't mean glowmaps but glow fog like... sorta similar to what you see with Star Trek a lot.  I'm guessing that's shader stuff though.  I tried glowpoints, but they just don't look good.

[General Battuta]

Like the blue bits here?



Or is that not exactly what you're after?

[Scooby_Doo]

That looks like glowmap, which I can do no problem.

This is more of what I'm referring to:

and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aKrAxk6Qo8

both of those look like their shader issues though.
I'm mainly interested in the intakes, giving them a nice "glow".

[Shivan Hunter]

Trek doesn't usually do "glow fog" effects on ships (unless there's something I don't recall and I am a bad trekkie)- they mostly use glowy areas like some BP ships (which is what glowmaps are made for). If you mean something more like the Bolitho's engines, Diaspora used several transparent layers to create the effect (which you can actually see in the image), like FS1/FS2 retail's engine effects.

ninjaedit: welllll, that's just bloom. FS does bloom (as a user preference) but it's not nearly as pronounced as that effect. You might be able to fake it with glowpoints but idk

edit: also bloom in fs and in a lot of games looks terribad

[Scooby_Doo]

Ya.... I think I'll pass on that for now LOL.

Next question, has there been a LUA event added for missile launching? Last time I was working on the missile bay, nothing was available.

[Dragon]

I'm not sure, but opening the doors on arming the missile bank works for me. You can add a dummy empty bank to close them if you want, or use one with external missile mounts for that.