Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: DeepSpace9er on October 25, 2003, 05:40:45 pm
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I made this up recently (my first FS2 Model) in gmax. What format does it need to be in in order to import it into Freespace? What file does it need to be called, and can somebody post a screenie i took of it?
Looks pretty neat, i just suck at texturing, and all that other crap. If anybody wants to finish it, ill be more than happy to give it to ya because i suck at this sort of stuff.
:cool:
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http://www.fattonys.com/images
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Ok great.... here it is
(http://www.fattonys.com/images/Upload/GTF%20Osiris.JPG)
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the osiris is already a Vasudan bomber, so you may need to find a new name... its a tad blocky, and how many polies?
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New name: GTF Deteis
Poly Count: ... still looking for it. (How do i find it) :o :shaking:
I know it needs some work, but thats where you guys come it. Much better than me at polishing up this sort of stuff.
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in Gmax, on the right hand menu, click the farthest right button (not on the top bar) to the right of the create new shape button, then near the bottom is a polycount button
EDIT:
(http://www.fattonys.com/images/upload/polies.jpg)
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1048 polys
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its a tad high for a fighter...
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Well i could lower it a bit but as you said its a bit blocky so im goign to have to consolidate somewhere
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don't only listen to me!
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There are alot of unecessary polies on that. You can easily make those rear fins have a straight edge, rather than the gradual curve, and save alot. :)
If it was more rounded, I'd give it more praise, but here's whatcha get anyway:
:yes:
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You need to attack that thing with the Chamfer Edges tool. (/me likes the chamfer edges tool :D). Anyway, tis pretty good.
To export out of GMax, you need the Quake 3 .md3 exporter plugin. Export your ship, then open it up in Lithunwrap or Deep Exploration or something, and save as a more useful format (cob, 3ds, etc.)
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Heres a new screenshot. I changed the wings and reduced their polys, plus i got rid of some other ones that werent necessary. Poly Count is now 980. If anyone wants to play with it, post your e-mail and ill be more than happy to share it.
(http://www.fattonys.com/images/Upload/GTF%20Deteis.JPG)
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Oooh very nice. *Would like to see textured version.* :nod:
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sorry but it's a bit crap
and I'm not talking about the design (althought I don't like it, expecially the nose;+ it looks more like an actual atmospheric fighter rather than a space fighter and many areas are underdetailed when other overdetailed); I'm talking about the model.
Pcount isn't bad (and it could be far higher) but there are tons of intersections, completely useless polys, and I suspect some geometry errors.
Intersections may work with the lastes FSO builds, but you just can't be sure
Rebuild your model from scratch and try to make a single solid object, try to avoid useless edges (don't subdivide flat faces, just triangulize at the end if you need it).
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She looks alright, what are you like with texturing? :)
Thread renamed.
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I cut up the wings a bit, gave them a 30* angle to make it look less atmosphereic, cut up more of the polys, changed the engine/missile launcher on the wings and made them a little less blocky, and the nose I straightened up more. I personally think it looks more like a fighter version of the medusa, which according to your view of space fighters, would look almost like an atmosphereic bomber. Ill post a screenshot l8r today when i have more time to change it.
Btw, i suck at texturing... but im imagining a GTVA dark metalic grey a littly darker than the Myrmidon.
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the design is a matter of tastes, so it's completely up to you and your imagination, regardless what the others think. Critics are always helpful, but you have to make things in the way you want to make them; so, if you believe it is this the way it should look, then definitively you should go this way.
More important are instead the tech critics, if you want to put this fighter in game: your mesh in the older shots looks like having a nice collection of errors, wich will cause in the best situation an incredible waste of polys (a non efficent model, with a pcount higher than what the ship looks like, and a model that could be much much more detailed with a more wise use of the polys); in the worse situation it simply will not work correctly in game.
I'm not going to tell you all the modelling "rules", for two reasons:
-1 it's full of tutorials made by the community about how to make ships for the game, check this: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/freespace/intro.html it is a tutorial itself and it has links to all the other tutorials, and check also this, where a guy was having some of your same problems: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,18200.0.html
-2 you have to learn with the experience how to avoid polywasting and some errors, nobody can really teach you that..as you know there are different strategies to make almost the same things, you just have to find the best ones. Example: the wings in the second screenshot. I think you deformed a solid like a rounded cylinder or something like that, making it almost flat.
It could be ok, but in this way the final edge of the wings could turn into a "double edge" (it looks like a line but instead there are many edges sharing the same position). If this is the case, it may cause problems and you will have to fix it. And secondary, the two verts, that subdivide in the middle this final edge, are useless, and increase the pcount.
My suggestion is: learn how to convert model and put them in game, make a lot of tests, learn what will work and what will not work, avoid useless vertices (vertices that don't have any role in defining the shape).
About texturing: I wish you best luck in finding someone to map your model.
There are very few texturers, and they all are overbusy; a lot of people always ask for someone to texture their models, but usually they find nobody. My suggestion is to test first it in game in order to provide to the artits a perfectly working model, and second unwrap your model before asking for a texturer.. it will be easyer (but still very hard) to find someone
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I basically stripped the thing down and redid it to save polys. I cut the poly count down to 692 and remade it into a more space-looking craft for either light assault or heavy recon. Another pic too...
(http://www.fattonys.com/images/Upload/Deteis_02.JPG)
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It's the descent ship.
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I like this one a lot better, design-wise ... I'd have to reserve judgement until I see a better perspective shot, though.
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This looks nothing like the Pyro-GX. That one was a lot more condensed and it had the vert. stabilizers that curved inward at the top.
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Did a little more work on it and brought it down to 556 polys. I think im going to try to texture this model and see how it runs in FS2. :)
(http://www.fattonys.com/images/Upload/Deteis_03.JPG)
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I like this one (http://www.fattonys.com/images/Upload/GTF%20Deteis.JPG) better.
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I saved that version as a backup file so i still can build off of it. That one i think was the most poly intensive one. It had around 1160 polys. What im trying to make here is a build off of the Valkyrie and the Perseus, but im not that great of a modeler.
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Could someone make the ship, I think it was called the TV202, out of Terminal Velocity?
BTW, where can I download Terminal Velocity? I'd love to play it again...
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Originally posted by Descenterace
Could someone make the ship, I think it was called the TV202, out of Terminal Velocity?
BTW, where can I download Terminal Velocity? I'd love to play it again...
I have an untextured 202 mesh around somehwere. I may restart it at some point...
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don't make the nose curve down at all. have it stick straight out.