[mandobardanjusik]

I think I finally have this uv done, so posting it, and I am now trying to do the skin (again). personally ready to make something new, but will have to wait of course

[attachment deleted by a basterd]

[bobbtmann]

I've circled the areas that will probably have to be fixed in red, and the areas you should consider changing in yellow:

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[mandobardanjusik]

ok, I made all the fixes on the uv here is a pic, I will start skinning tonight

PS: bobb I purposely did not change that one area because it is actualy one solid part, and has no overlapping parts, so it should be fine

[attachment deleted by a basterd]

[mandobardanjusik]

ok, I thought you guys would like to see some progress, I have a good idea of whats up next, but no revealing until I finish the scimitar and pursuer textures
So here is a very early WIP of the pursuer texture. going s bit off the XWA colors. they just have the most potential, wlel its more colorful at least, if anyones has comments or ideas tell, me
the pursuer is a patrol craft, it is faster than most frieghters, though it is only slightly slower than the Falcon(The slave 2 is actualy faster, can considering that boba only modified it a bit).

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[mandobardanjusik]

ok, update. so Bobb got me fixed and in the right direction with the pursuer skin, so here is a nice render I asked him to make, I will be working on this quite a bit tomorow

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[mandobardanjusik]

ok, so I am ressurecting this thread.  I have something I need to say and I am going to be straight forward with it. I can model, and I can uv, but I am extremely weak at texturing. while I do plan to work on that, at this moment if I want to be productive towards FOTG, I am going to need to team up with a somewhat skilled texturer. the current projects I would like some help with is The Utility Tug, preferably the dagger, and posibly the scimitar and warpod if possible, but it would require a good amount of uving skill on my side. I am willing to do modeling, and or uv mapping in exchange, though I would like to see previous examples of your work. and preferably someone who has a feel for FOTG and starwars

[mandobardanjusik]

hello again, I have once AGAIN tried to texture the scimitar, and I wasnt able to catch bobb or brand yesterday, so to make it easier on them and me, I am posting a jpeg of it here (oh and I fixed up the tug, however dont know how to approach the texture)

[zookeeper]

That UV layout looks very inefficient. In numerical terms there's "only" about 40% wasted space, but looking at it I think it's clear that things could be packed a lot more efficiently.

[rhettro]

I don't think the UV layout is bad, although all those tiny pieces could get grouped a lot tighter. But I'm guessing that may only net you at best 10 percent more texture to use. This texture tutorial is a good place to start: www.ciinet.org/kevin/wchf/texturetut.html 

I confess that I am still only a beginner when it comes to textures.

[newman]

I don't think the UV layout is bad, although all those tiny pieces could get grouped a lot tighter. But I'm guessing that may only net you at best 10 percent more texture to use. This texture tutorial is a good place to start: www.ciinet.org/kevin/wchf/texturetut.html 

I confess that I am still only a beginner when it comes to textures.

I'm not. He could gain a lot more than 10% by efficiently organizing the UV layout, he's wasting a lot of space.

[mandobardanjusik]

uv has been fixed and optimized, and approved by bobb, and the AO bake turned out fine, now for the pain of texturing it

[newman]

If you stopped looking at every challenging bit as being a pain and instead looked at it like a fun challenge, it might help. Otherwise, give up and go to greener pastures. Why would you do something painful as a hobby? You either like doing it or you don't. If you don't, you're in luck - there are so many other hobbies to choose from, I'm sure you'll find yourself in one.

[TopAce]

If you stopped looking at every challenging bit as being a pain and instead looked at it like a fun challenge, it might help. Otherwise, give up and go to greener pastures. Why would you do something painful as a hobby? You either like doing it or you don't. If you don't, you're in luck - there are so many other hobbies to choose from, I'm sure you'll find yourself in one.

I don't see what's wrong with disliking one aspect of modding. For example, I dislike writing briefings and waypointing, but building a mission up from zero to a full mission is a lot of fun. Does that make me dislike FREDding? I don't think so.

[newman]

I can understand how UVW mapping can be a pain for some people sometimes. It's a necessary "evil". But texturing is the actual art. If you don't actually like doing it, your textures are going to come out mediocre at best. I'm just saying, it's a matter of perspective. If everything that's challenging is considered a chore.. it's bad way to look at it.

[mandobardanjusik]

well, its not nessecarily a dislike, however, there are areas where I need direct help and teaching, rather than tutorials, and that can be tough to get. and trust me if I was going to give up, I would have done that months ago and gone after my first try and went back to the FOC communitty completely. and this is like my third attempt at the scimitar texture now, and I have tried at a couple others at well(usualy ended by a needed mesh or uv change). and I also need some help with some of the texturing on the tug, I am unsure of how to do some of the detailing

[mandobardanjusik]

Newman, I know you can be something of a hard cynic, but if you are willing to give me a hand, I would love to bounch some questions off you on IRC about texturing, or I could post them on here, as it is a couple of detailing related stuff that is preventing me from finishing the tug

[newman]

Newman, I know you can be something of a hard cynic, but if you are willing to give me a hand, I would love to bounch some questions off you on IRC

I was unaware you knew me at all. Anyway, I'm going to be very busy over the next few days and won't have time. I'll pop round the IRC when my timetable allows it, but in the mean time, here's how I'd approach texturing.

1) Render your uvw map in the resolution you'll be working with. Save as PNG, open in Photoshop, Gimp, or whatever you're working in.
2) Come up with a basic paneling texture. Google a bit to find examples, see if you can lift one off one of the FotG artists to see how they approached it. Something you can tile that isn't too eye catching.
3) Put your base texture layer beneath the UVW layer. Name them appropriately. You'll always use the base texture layer as bottom and UVW one as top.
4) Start experimenting. Using the UVW layer to orient yourself, start drawing in detail. Experiment with tools, effects, custom brushes, don't be afraid to add layers. They can easily be turned off or deleted.
5) Scour the net for some good custom brushes, see about adding some dirt. But think about what types of dirt and weathering are there and where are they most likely to occur. You probably don't want paint chipping in the middle of a large flat surface but rather on the edges. Think about which parts would be most exposed to weathering, enemy fire, scorch marks, etc, and apply accordingly. One of the common newbie mistakes is to overapply dirt everywhere, without thinking about where each dirt type actually makes sense. Look up examples of real aircraft/vehicles to get an idea too.
6) Loads and loads and loads of practice.
7) I believe you already know about baking occlusion. It can do a lot for the overall look of your ship.
7) You'll find your definition of a "hard cynic" might.. change a bit as you get older. I'm just telling you how it is

I'll see about dropping by IRC when time allows, but honestly FotG already has excellent artists so you should be in good hands when it comes to specific questions. It's just that "not sure how to texture" isn't specific, and people will be more likely to actually help when you're already well on your way and just need specific advice here or there.

Good luck, in any case.

[mandobardanjusik]

ok thanks Newman, and its good to know I already have a basic template setup with 1-3, and 7. and I will see if I can see about getting a tad bit more specific, as I know exactly what to ask about on the tug, and on the scimitar, I actualy have a basic idea on what to do on the texture, the tough part is getting the cockpit modules forward uv perfect, its hard to do well without warping

[newman]

No probs, I just remembered this tutorial: http://www.jamesodonnell.info/dingo_tut/index.html

If you haven't gone through it already, I highly recommend doing so before proceeding with any spacecraft. You'll save yourself some time in the end. Definitely one of the "go to" tutorials for beginners, it should give you a really good idea how to approach this.

[mandobardanjusik]

why THANKS newman this is exactly what I needed for the tug