Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: bobbtmann on September 06, 2008, 12:42:52 pm
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So I've made a new fighter, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Unfortunately, there are some things that I'm a bit hung up on and need to get accomplished before I publish it.
1. Texture. Normal map is easy enough, but how do I texture the engine exhaust? From my understanding it's an .ani, but 3ds max doesn't seem to view those files as recognized formats.
2.Scale. Right now this model is sitting at around 20 metres. When put into the game it's bigger than a Juggernaut. Okay, so I scale it down. Now, the model is the right size in the game, but in my target box and tech database the model appears as a tiny speck. Any way around this?
I think those are pretty much all the problems I've come across. Any help in solving this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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For the tech room you have to edit the bit that says $Closeup_pos:
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Thanks snail.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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What species is this for?
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It was intended for humans. It's a bit of a shift from the usual human style, but we're an adaptable species. Maybe it's made by a group of humans who have been isolated from the GTVA for a long time. Like on earth, for example. I would imagine that their Hercules mk II would look different from the GTVA's Hercules mkII.
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no offense, but it's too curvy for any terran fighter, unless it's from another universe.
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Titan is right IMO but it's a very interesting shape. Perhaps campaign designers can think something for it. :)
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1. Texture. Normal map is easy enough, but how do I texture the engine exhaust? From my understanding it's an .ani, but 3ds max doesn't seem to view those files as recognized formats.
2.Scale. Right now this model is sitting at around 20 metres. When put into the game it's bigger than a Juggernaut. Okay, so I scale it down. Now, the model is the right size in the game, but in my target box and tech database the model appears as a tiny speck. Any way around this?
The newer pofs don't bother modeling the thruster exausts. In pcs you put in a thruster point and it's taken care of.
Under options in pcs there is a scale factor - change it to suit yourself. It's a relic from the days of Truespace, which could only zoom out so far, making it useless for cap ships at a 1 to 1 scale.
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It makes me think flood hercules :nervous:
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It looks like a compressed Ares. Nice though--I'd almost call it a Herc3.
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Looks like a rock.
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Looks good actually. Me wants!
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It looks like a Herc with some Vasudan spice to me. Could be the next joint project.
I think the Hercules is now rivaling the Claymore for the most iterations of the name btw.
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Maybe I should rename it then. I don't want it being associated with something overdone.
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Maybe I should rename it then. I don't want it being associated with something overdone.
Well, the games themselves have two Hercules, the Mk1 and Mk2. And then there's the Ares which is based on the Herc. And there's at least one fan-made Hercules Mk3 out there. http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/GTF_Hercules_Mk3 (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/GTF_Hercules_Mk3). So in terms of fan-made stuff, there's probably only one new Herc that I know of for sure. So it's not that overdone. You can name it whatever you want
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Thats really doesn't do the herc series justice... It looks like an aerospace fighter FFS, and, imo, the herc series ended with the ares
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i like it, but i dont think it should be a human ship, and I especially dont think it should be called the hercules
also, the textures remind me of a human's nose, no offense
definately think it should be a different species with the current texture
maybe a more human-ish (and not human nose) texture would convince me
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I still think it looks like the bastard child of a rock and a SF Basilisk.
It'd be good for some unknown species. Doesn't look FS-terran at any rate.
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I still think it looks like the bastard child of a rock and a SF Basilisk.
It'd be good for some unknown species. Doesn't look FS-terran at any rate.
i agree
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I'm just glad we've got another modeler.
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What you need to do is hook up with a good texturer who's weak at modelling and "co-operate" :yes:
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You guys don't like the fact that it looks like a nose? :lol:
Truthfully, I got my inspiration for that one from a person's nose. They had a cold, you see. I found the effect to really give the appendages a straining, outward reaching feel. I also doubt you'd like my corvette, then. The turrets were inspired by pimples...
But if anyone really likes texturing and would be willing to lend me a hand, I'd really appreciate that. I think someone else's take on this fighter would be nice. I've always like seeing other people's work. So if you're interested, drop me a line.
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I'm sure there was a Herc 2 variant and an Ares variant in the Patched version of Inferno.
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Wow i tried to picture it, but it looks Snailish to me... ;)
Still good job! maybe it will look different textured but teh "nose" looks awfully curved (optical illusion?)
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Hmmmm. It could be an optical illusion. Here's a side elevation for clarification.
On a side note, would someone please explain to me how to get a shine map onto my model? In 3ds max there's a specular map portion to a texture, but somewhere between the model going from a .3ds to a .pof, the shine map get's lost.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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other than the texture it looks nice IMO
just the skin color and then the brown around the intake...it looks nosish
with a new texture i would really like it
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On a side note, would someone please explain to me how to get a shine map onto my model? In 3ds max there's a specular map portion to a texture, but somewhere between the model going from a .3ds to a .pof, the shine map get's lost.
It's done differently, by using a seperate texture file.
xyz (main colour map)
xyz-shine
xyz-glow
xyz-normal
Without a shine map your model will have the default shine values.
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Just give this a Terran texture later on, this has potential for a very advanced looking Hercules variant, just as the title says.
Throw the spike on the underside and voila, Herc Mk. IV. :lol:
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So the pof model uses only one map (xyz.dss), but in the vp I include a glow map and a shine map with the exact same name, only followed by "-shine" or "-glow"? And Freespace will know to use them? It's strange, because I've done that, but neither the shine or the glow show up in the game.
Not only that, in the technical database my model show's up with the previous model's glow map on it. For example, if I was looking at the original Herc in the tech database and afterwards I click on my model, my model has little glowy bits that correspond with the original Herc's map. Or if I click on the Hatshepsut and then my model, my model has these glowing yellow parts on it. I don't know if this latter problem is connected to my shine map problem. Does anyone have any ideas what is happening or how to fix it?
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(Glow/Shine maps) Check that you have the relevant features turned on in the launcher.
(Glow points) Don't know about those. Unfortunately, I'm no great shakes at models.
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So the pof model uses only one map (xyz.dss), but in the vp I include a glow map and a shine map with the exact same name, only followed by "-shine" or "-glow"? And Freespace will know to use them? It's strange, because I've done that, but neither the shine or the glow show up in the game.
For testing - Don't put in a vp. Put the model in mod/data/models and the maps in mod/data/maps
You can put them in /data/models etc, but a mod folder is better.
Once you have finished testing vp's are ok. Otherwise it's a extra unneeded step.
Test using pcs2. If it can't find the glow map, then it may be a problem with the way the vp was put together. Also where exactly is the vp, which folder?
Not only that, in the technical database my model show's up with the previous model's glow map on it. For example, if I was looking at the original Herc in the tech database and afterwards I click on my model, my model has little glowy bits that correspond with the original Herc's map. Or if I click on the Hatshepsut and then my model, my model has these glowing yellow parts on it. I don't know if this latter problem is connected to my shine map problem. Does anyone have any ideas what is happening or how to fix it?
If you pm the vp I could take a quick look at it.
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I guess I could just post the unfinished thing, Water. I haven't edited the pof yet, and the glow map is more of a test than a finished product. I don't think I'll keep the smiley face or anything.
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I guess I could just post the unfinished thing, Water. I haven't edited the pof yet, and the glow map is more of a test than a finished product. I don't think I'll keep the smiley face or anything.
Ok you are almost there. Somehow you have HBN.DDS listed as a texture in the pof. It's not obvious but it should be HBN without any extension. Just getting rid if the .dds part in the pcs2 texture section will also work.
Grab your shine map and run contrast/brightness, turn brightness down - make it really dark. At the moment it is way too much.
The models 0.0.0 point seems to be in the tail - move it to the mid point of the body.
The texture is cool, just not very terran ;)
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Actually, I like it as some kind of very modern terran fighter. Maybe the next-NEXT generation of fighters.
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You know what, build a Perseus with such a box-in-shell-ish style, and a few other models of Terran ships. What you'll get is a species. Then grab some experienced modder, create a story, and you'll end up with a 9-10 person team, working on a pretty popular mod (if a single unfinished ship makes 2 pages of forum, a campaign created by you will generate a lot more).
Believe me, I know it from somewhere.
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Thanks for the help!
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LUA-PINEappl332e... Yuu make whatt you think is goood. don take cra from peeple adn make sure ytou sh whn yu think its dosn.....
rawadas har-lit winds.
nakkerr now. sleep/
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Why do Terran fighters always have to be blocky? Goodness knows that modern fighters like F-22s and F-35s aren't blocky. Even if they are supposed to be blocky, what's wrong with breaking the paradigm?
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Because it will be ridiculed as "not freespacey enough"
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Who cares if it doesn't look FreeSpacey enough, I'll fly this thing all day if it gets finished.
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Heh. Blocky is the current Terran paradigm, but we're in the Modding forum, not FSUP, so when its done, this ship could be a Hercules Mk.XII :p
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"Because BOXES won both wars son, BOXES!!!"
"We let Vasudans change some elements (That whole "gun thing" look) and look what happened! No, don't try to blame it on the sabotage, I KNOW! So just stick to Terran Doctrine and you'll be ok!"
[Do you mean like that?] :lol:
Personally I despise generic Boxes... Raynor and Trash's Archangel are two of my most fav designs of all FS2...
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Like on Earth, for example. I would imagine that their Hercules mk II would look different from the GTVA's Hercules mkII.
deja vu... (http://209.85.12.236/5024/118/emo/bangwall.gif)
It does have the look of the Hercules, but now the blockiness is at the nose instead of at the sides, which have become some sort of... clamshells?! or whatever you call them :nervous:
The rear end just looks... freaky... to me somehow. But then again, to each his own... :doubt:
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It looks metallic, but like it came a new manufacturing process where it was grown. Sort of like how the cybrids made mecha in the third starsiege game.
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It's like an i-pod is to a walkman. The're both made by the same species, just at a different time.
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I like this one a lot. The Terran species should not be scientifically nor culturally limited because of an epoch.
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Heh. Blocky is the current Terran paradigm, but we're in the Modding forum, not FSUP, so when its done, this ship could be a Hercules Mk.XII :p
Actually I would say that blocky is out myself:
Myrmidon, Artemis, Hercules Mark II, Perseus, Erinyes, Ares . . none of these fighters are blocky. some of them are ugly yes, but blocky? No. The only really blocky fightercraft in FS2 for the terrans is the Boanerges. Not counting the FS1 ships of course