Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: polnarG on August 05, 2007, 02:04:53 pm
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Hi everybody,
I am starting to work on a high poly colossus. To respect the overall design I would like to start from the original one. So far, I have a few sketches, the POF original file and blender. Does anyone knows how to cenvert the POF into a format that blender can read ?
thank for your help
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PCS2 has a pof>cob feature, but any such conversion produces a slightly unstable model, so you're better off starting from scratch. besides, the original C model has some "low poly" aspects (beveling into the engine "arms" ) that you would have a hard time working around and not making it ugly.
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Meh.
What other models have you done?
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It would be my first model. I believe it is a hard job as I have red lots of people asking for it and no model coming around... If you have some advises to give me for start that could help me save time, I would appreciate.
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:wtf:
If it's your first model, you should do a fighter, and a low-poly one at that, too! You're getting way over your head here. Even people like VA started off with a crappy first model. Try do something basic before you try doing a giant high-poly capship.
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make a cube. improve the cube. make the cube into a captial ship. texture it. add turrets. convert it. release it.
edit: Texture the turrets too...they should all share the same texture.
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Please Bosch, don't make him commit suicide because he started too big.
PolnarG. Start a fighter. Making the HP Colossus is a bad idea, ESPECIALLY for your first model.
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I'm sorry, Snail, but this is not the case...you may be right, but you shouldn't disencourage him. And a better Colossus doesn't really have to be high-poly. A less blocky version is welcome... :)
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I'm not discouraging him! I'm trying to do the complete opposite.
Do you think that making a HP Colossus for your very first model is a GOOD idea? Really? Do you? Really?
It's the equivalent of making an ubership. A high-poly ubership. polnarG will have to model a high-poly thing, then stick on 60+ turrets, texture the beast... Not a good thing to start with IMO.
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But the Colossus he's going to start with may not be one he will release...
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and mobius said - "let him make big uberhsips!"
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I am a beginner so thank you for your warnings and for your hints. I will start from scratch and give you updates from time to time. I guess from your comments that it mey be a lot more harder than what I think. What is the most difficult : making the poly model ? texturing ? make it work in Freespace ? Anyhow, I will give you news of my upgraded cube from time to time.
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I'm telling you you're going way over your head.
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@polnarg- :welcomegreen:
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and modius said - "let him make big uberhsips!"
Eh?
I am a beginner so thank you for your warnings and for your hints. I will start from scratch and give you updates from time to time. I guess from your comments that it mey be a lot more harder than what I think. What is the most difficult : making the poly model ? texturing ? make it work in Freespace ? Anyhow, I will give you news of my upgraded cube from time to time.
I'm telling you you're going way over your head.
Well, he can simply start with a tiny fighter. There are many tutorials around, you can simply go and search them. Visit The FAQTM.
@polnarg- :welcomegreen:
Duh! I forgot to welcome him...I'm still at 49 kills!!! :lol:
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All I can say is that even though I didnt finish the model I started with (might complete it one day, a SOC Strike Frigate) I would say that snails advice to do something simpler first might be a good idea but on the other hand if you really want to make the C then I look forward to seeing it.
/Dice
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..if you really want to make the C then I look forward to seeing it.
Snail, what did I tell you on MSN?
This is FreeSpace 2: Colossus, we need an upgraded model.
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Two things:
1) Don't listen to takabosh for advice - ever.
2) Please, start something similar :) You'll enjoy doing it a lot more, and learn more too. Take it from someone who's done lots of models and still groans at large ships. And trust me, when you get to the UVing stage, you're going to want to kill yourself :p
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Wait a minute, I am already doing the Colossus remastering. :blah:
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i second the Cube of death, its simple and that way you can get a feel for creating a model with turrets, textures and all and getting it ingame. that way you get the fundamentals down, and if stuff does go wrong, then hey its just a cube and not a large complex model. it keeps face to key board contact to a minimum. then again diving in head first is a hell of a way of learn all of this. so really its personal preference. either way good luck.
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The Cube of Death(TM), it mocks me... (ok, not that badly. But first time around it did!) :lol:
Good luck with that, you never know. We rarely get a new person on board who says "this is my first model" and it makes me want to kill myself. If you are one of these "genetically one with the polygons" then more power to you!
If not, then you'll live and learn. Snail you were right to provide caution, but don't beat newbies over the head. It's his time and energy to spend. ;)
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Wait a minute, I am already doing the Colossus remastering. :blah:
Hades, next time tell everyone you are, so that GE doesn't come and say "HAMMERTIME" again. :P
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..if you really want to make the C then I look forward to seeing it.
Snail, what did I tell you on MSN?
This is FreeSpace 2: Colossus, we need an upgraded model.
Ehrm, no. Collussus was just the promotional version of Freespace 2 that shipped with the logitech joysticks and ended with the mission with Rear Admiral Koth.
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Ehrm, no. Collussus was just the promotional version of Freespace 2 that shipped with the logitech joysticks and ended with the mission with Rear Admiral Koth.
Confirmed. It is.
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To address the original question of the thread; how to get a POF into Blender:
1) Download and unzip PCS2 from here: http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater/pcs2.zip
2) Open up the model you want to convert and then Save As a truespace COB file.
3) Using 3D Exploration (From here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/Downloads/3DExplorer_v181.rar) open up the COB file and then save it as a Wavefront OBJ file with the following settings: "Generate material file (*.mtl)" and "Store links to existing files"
4) In Blender, go to File>Import>Wavefront OBJ and open up your file with the following settings: Don't create FGons and don't separate by material. The rest shouldn't matter too much but feel free to experiment there. :)
Keep in mind this will also convert all the LODs and debris stuff too - not just detail0, so it probably will look like a bit of a mess. ;)
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Now having said all that, I'm going to go with Snail and Unknown Target in suggesting you try something a lot simpler than the Colossus to begin with. The big C is a monster ship and will be a nightmare to high-poly up to a good standard. It's a very bland model with no good direction that can be taken to pretty it up - and that's just the model.
The large number of textures it uses combined with the large number of turrets already means it runs a good deal slower in-game than most big HTL models out already. As such it should really be UV mapped and heavily detail-boxed so it can reach both it's visual and performance best. Adding a bit of detail and applying the same textures won't be anywhere near enough.
So rather than do that, I'd highly recommend following Snails advice and start with a fighter.(I'd advise against doing the GreatBigCube actually because it is just so boring that it gives no sense of accomplishment even if it all goes perfectly first time. ;) )
It's a nice and simple starting point from which you can work your way up to bigger and far more impressive things. It also encourages you to learn UV mapping and texture painting techniques early on so you can skip the texture-tiling stage of development alltogether.
Doing this means your models will look far better and run far more efficiently than they would if tiled.
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Ehrm, no. Collussus was just the promotional version of Freespace 2 that shipped with the logitech joysticks and ended with the mission with Rear Admiral Koth.
Confirmed. It is.
Since when has my information to be confirmed?
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Thanks for your straight to the point answer VA. Do you think I should start from scratch or take the existing model first ?
I understand that even going to a detailed untextured big ship is quite a big job but still I want to try this first : I am a little bit stubborn. If things go wrong, I will have to blame my stubborness and start with a fighter, or a missile ? ;)
Hades, are you really working on it ? If so where are you on this project so far ?
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I admire your stubbornness then - if you really want to jump in the deep end and try it, by all means have a go. :)
Setting a very difficult goal for yourself is a great way to achieve the best you can I find. :D
As to how to go about it, I would recommend that you begin by modifying the original.
This probably won't become your final one because working with an existing model is very tricky - especially for a beginner. I'll say right off also: totally ignore textures for now. Don't worry about them at all and concentrate 100% on getting a feel for modeling, because Blender handles textures kinda weirdly and it will more than likely just hinder your modeling at this stage.
So yeah, just try adding all sorts of bits and pieces to the model. Start with something like antennae, move on to things like squarish extrusions, cutting recessed areas, pipes here and there and just keep on adding complexity to what you do until you're able to 'spruce up' just about any existing surface.
That's a good way to get into the feel of greebling, and will give you a lot of what you'd need to build basic hull structure. Later on, you'll probably find the existing model too time consuming and limiting in what you can modify, and at that point I'd recommend starting from scratch.
From there you'd use the original model as a shape guide while you construct a more complex basic hull mesh. This is what I did with the lucifer and it turned out ok-ish, but I learned a huge amount from it.
And actually - that's the key to modeling really - treat every model as a learning experience and you'll find you can soon model any shape you can think of, and even a lot that you can't :D
If you have questions, need help, tutorials, advice or anything I'd be happy to give it. :)
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I understand that even going to a detailed untextured big ship is quite a big job but still I want to try this first : I am a little bit stubborn. If things go wrong, I will have to blame my stubborness and start with a fighter, or a missile ? ;)
how about the drone? or was it already HTL'ed?
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no, it wasnt. but im sure it would just be some beveling and greebling to make it look more like a drone and less like a bad nose job...
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Ehrm, no. Collussus was just the promotional version of Freespace 2 that shipped with the logitech joysticks and ended with the mission with Rear Admiral Koth.
I know, I know....
But FS1 was about the Great War...FS2 is about the Colossus. That's why an improved model is, uhm, "needed" :)
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But FS1 was about the Great War...FS2 is about the Colossus. That's why an improved model is, uhm, "needed" :)
It's not about the Colossus. It's about the Second Great War. :P
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No, the Second Great War started later during the main FS2 campaign :P
And you can't exclude the importance of the Colossus, that's basically the ship which put an end to the rebellion and destroyed the Sathanas.
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didnt the GTVA hate the ntf just because the NTF didnt want a vasudan-terran aliance?
stupid command
besides, im sure 4 deimos corvettes could be used angainst the collosus and win.
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.....
4 Diemos' would get killed easy by the Colossus.The Colossus can take about 20 Diemos' and live. :P
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didnt the GTVA hate the ntf just because the NTF didnt want a vasudan-terran aliance?
Ehm....so? It has nothing to do with the Colossus being the main "character" of FS2.
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besides, im sure 4 deimos corvettes could be used angainst the collosus and win.
The Colossus can defeat 6 Orions. I've tried.
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Oh yea here is the Colossus i was doing-
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Hmm... i think that it would need a lot more detail than just beveling, IMO.
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Extruding. :P
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Oh to crap with you.
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Extruding. :P
Do you do anything but hit the extrude button over and over?
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That is just the start. :P
See?
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greeble. nao.
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Not that I could do any better, but instead of just extruding like that, I think it would be a lot better if you cut in little windows and follow the plate lines of the tiling.
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I am not a model maker, so each HTL ship that has been made, to me every one of them is a masterpiece.
Isn't the one which came with the MediaVP HTL?
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I agree.
I like that Colossus, seems better armored than the original. Don't forget the turrets: you can copy and paste the main beam cannons of a Hecate(and, why not, modify them a bit! :D )then make them bigger. :)
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didnt the GTVA hate the ntf just because the NTF didnt want a vasudan-terran aliance?
The GTVA hated the NTF because the NTF tried to cede from the GTVA. It was a civil war.
Oh and about the collie: The spires going down look very strange.
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First view of the head of the colossus
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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Wow, that is pretty good.
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work in slow progress
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rendered
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The ass end of that thing is already looking nicer than the original colossus. I wonder if the concept art V had for the colossus was just a bazooka?
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:v: begs to differ.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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WE should definately follow this sketch, rather than the original collie design. :P
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Trashman is right. I never knew that was meant to be the collossus!
The head is a bit too small...
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Never seen the Volition's sketch of the Colossus . It's awesome !
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HEh..I find time, I might give it a go :P
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I always thought the Colossus lacked "Vasudan" in its design. It was supposed to be a joint project, but it just looks really Terran. Nothing even vaguely Vasudan about it.
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True. Maybe the GTVA just used some underqualified, poorly paid Vasudan labor during the construction, thinking that it'll fill the 'Vasudan' part in the project.
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I am not specially found of the colossus as it is in the game. The original design is indeed quite interesting and making definitely the colossus more vasudan-terran ship. For the time being I am trying to respect it as much as possible. I had some idea that I cancelled like a bigger head because it was making the colossus looking like a mix between colossus and lucifer...
If most people think the design should be renewed, I can still make modification.
And just in case you had not noticed, it is only half of it (the left side of the ship), I will mirror at the end
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Out of boredom I started to make the ship in the concept pic :P We'll see if it turns out good at all...
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The more colossus project on the road, the more chance we have to get one :nod:
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Hehehe...hold your horses bub. Expect mine to go slow..unless I'm in a really good mood.
I'm modding SOTS, have 2 ships to finish for FOW, the Demon for Fs in general and I havn't even started on my paper :P