Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: TrashMan on March 22, 2002, 03:31:13 am
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hello there!
I'm new to this site, and modding alltogether, however I'm really good at making low-polygon 3D models.
Due to the fact that I like Freespace, I wanted to start modding.
I don't know much yet, but I'm learning.
What I really don't know is how to make good skins.
If anyone is interested, I'll send him several of my FS models (a Battleship, fighter, space station, and several other vessels), for him to make skins and/or complete mod-s.
On large ships (like destroyers), should I make the model without turrets ( they are not attached, but are individual objects)?
Thanx
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Yep. Make the destroyer hull seperately. Turrets are seperate objects, as are any physical susbsytems - like radar dishes, etc - that rotate are you want to be able to destroy (without blowing up the whole ship).
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Thanx! The model I'm talking abot is a 5,8 km long Battleship with over 150 turrets. When finished (I'll post a pic. here) it should have abot 8000-9000 polygons. Is that too much? Too litle?
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woot, I think there's a limit of about 90 or 100 subobjects (turrets, lods, debris included), so you can forget 60 of your turrets :)
for the polycount, the max limit is around 10000 polys for the pof, and a maximum of about 800 for each subobject.
Never use intersecting polys, you can't use either 2-sided polys.
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And remember, always make the hull out of a single object! ;)
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Originally posted by Styxx
And remember, always make the hull out of a single object! ;)
mmh, actually, many OTT capships use two objects( hey, when you have more than 900 polys per ship, you have no choice :p), and there was never any pb with that, I really don't understand what the pb is with that :confused:
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Sorry, you can only make a ship with a max of 60 turrets to be used in FS or FS2:(
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that's not true :) I have ships with 74 turrets :p
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woot, I think there's a limit of about 90 or 100 subobjects (turrets, lods, debris included), so you can forget 60 of your turrets
for the polycount, the max limit is around 10000 polys for the pof, and a maximum of about 800 for each subobject.
Never use intersecting polys, you can't use either 2-sided polys.
Probably 100. Seems to me the Colossus has 80 turrets, a dozen or more radar dishes, and at least three debris pieces and four LODs. That makes 99 subobjects.
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Originally posted by venom2506
mmh, actually, many OTT capships use two objects( hey, when you have more than 900 polys per ship, you have no choice :p), and there was never any pb with that, I really don't understand what the pb is with that :confused:
Lemme correct myself. Always make each subobject out of a single object. ;)
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Oh, well...
I'll have to reduce the turret number. Bumer.
The 3D model should be finished by the end of this week (I use Truespace 4,2 and 3D max 3). Like I said, the model isn't the problem, but the skin is.
I'll also post my campaign ideas (feel free to steal), and new weapons.
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I'm thinking on making a campaign that takes place after the second Great War.
There should be at least 1 new species.
New weapons include:
- gatling laser cannon
- prometheus H turret (cap only)
- Ion cannon x2 (cap only)
- meson missile launcher (cap only)
And more...
I'll post everything here in time to come.
Fell free to steal everything. I'd rather that someone else makes the mod, then that is never done.
If anyone is interested in making a new campaign, or will incorporate some of my models (when they are done) et me know.
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Are you sure that 100 is the limit?
Debris I can understand, but what does LOD stand for?
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Just counted the submodels on the Colossus (which has more than any other ship); it has exactly 90, so the limit would be higher than that. ;)
Also, the primary ship submodel is called "SouperDupera." Maybe someone at Volition likes soup... :D
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Originally posted by TrashMan
Are you sure that 100 is the limit?
Debris I can understand, but what does LOD stand for?
LOD= level of detail, models with lower polycount displayed by the game when the ship is far away to easy the CPU work.
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Another usless post :D sorry about it :D
TrashMan!! Kako kaj hrvatska? Šta delaš i pogledaj tole (http://kissifrot2605.free.fr/) i reci èe želiš zraven, rabim nekoga da mi pomaga sa modeli. Ja sam iz Slovenije i neznam tako dobro hrvatsko:(. :D
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Hiya Trashman...
I like to FRED so if you got an idea of how you want your mod scripted I would like to try it (for the experience).
I am getting my feet wet with the RbotechMod and so far have recreated 3 missions (I've planned on a 18 mission campaign).
So that is my level of skill :)
You're more of a modeler? I'd like to learn myself cause I eventually want to try something called The Open Mod Project (TOMP). Basically it would have 2 aspects. First for the purests TC mods. Second data packs from those mods that contain the highlights for easy incorporation into custom mods or an "official release".
In short cause of the text limit in the table files I was thinking of only 3 or 4 of each type ship in a release from each current mod.
ie. X-wing,TieF,A-wing,TieB,SSD,RbCRu,Ishuttle. for Star Wars
Star Trek would have 3 0r 4 of the cap ships. Kling/Rom/Fed/
That way hopefully it would make it easier to do custom stuff and also have one big mod that can keep being added to for teh ultimate enjoyment
Fed vs. Empire
Shadows vs. SDF3
Argo against everyone...
What do you think?
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Originally posted by Infested_Larva
Another usless post :D sorry about it :D
TrashMan!! Kako kaj hrvatska? Šta delaš i pogledaj tole (http://kissifrot2605.free.fr/) i reci èe želiš zraven, rabim nekoga da mi pomaga sa modeli. Ja sam iz Slovenije i neznam tako dobro hrvatsko:(. :D
Ouais, ben alors ça mon pôte t'aurais pu éviter, hein, c'est pas moi qui posterait dans ma langue natale, ça non alors, alors tu devrais avoir honte!
:D
nah, I can do that too ;7
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TO INFESTED LARVA-Not bad. When(if) I put my models, feel free to use them in you campaign.
TO AVERYONE ELSE - has anyone actually tried to put more than 100 subobjects!? Well?
And ALL my models have a small polycount and still look great! I have allso created lots of FRED2 missions, out of fun, and they are all pretty complex and fun, with lots of events (min. 50).
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Originally posted by TrashMan
has anyone actually tried to put more than 100 subobjects!? Well?
Yeah, I was the one who found there was a limit :)
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Originally posted by Woomeister
Yeah, I was the one who found there was a limit :)
actually no, Killmenow figured it out first when doing his ( hey, what a coincidence :rolleyes: ) ISD.
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How many low-poly LOD models do I have to make? 1, 2, 3?
For close, medium and far away?
I'll have to do only the hull, right?
Or do I have to make LOD models for turrets too?
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you can do the turrets but it would be kinda counter productive to need them in all LODs, just do the realy big ones (note turrets that are in more than LOD0 need to have there names ending in a for LOD0, b for LOD1, c for LOD2, ect...) you should have four LOD0 (the main one with full detains),
LOD1 (poly choped some small details, remove most of the small turrets),
LOD2 (probly only about 200 poly here at most, not turrets unless it's huge, spinning subobjects should be gone after here),
and LOD3 (a box or triangle)
if you want to make more go ahead, but this is how I do it,
oh and make it out of one subobject... or else :D (im asuming you doing this right and not throughing fourty or so primitives or spline objects together into a nonseemless mesh, there's been an upsurge in that sort of thing lately)
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Manners, guys? Welcome to HLP, trashman; good to have you here. :nod::yes:
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Originally posted by venom2506
Ouais, ben alors ça mon pôte t'aurais pu éviter, hein, c'est pas moi qui posterait dans ma langue natale, ça non alors, alors tu devrais avoir honte!
:D
nah, I can do that too ;7
Yah... não me digas, eu tambem sei falar portugues e tu nem por isso :D Quando quiseres eu ensino-te a falar... :) :ha:
Styxx: DON'T even say a WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
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So, three models for the hull, and two for large turrets.
How many debris should I have?
What abot fighters - they need LODs too, but I guess two would be enough.
Bombers and their turrets are allso seperate?
Can they have more than two turrets?
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O.k. the battleship's hull has about 430 (or was it 340?) polys.
I'll check that.
B.t.w. - Infested Larva, the story is good, except for one starange part; - why the hell would the GTVA want to rebuild the node to Gamma Draconis, they know the Shivans are there!?(http://www.inet.hr/~tstanici/Imagees/GTVBS_Paladin1.jpg)
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(http://www.inet.hr/~tstanici/Images/Fleet.jpg)
The GTVBS - Battleship Paladin(I wanted to call it Apocalypse, but I saw that there are allready ships with that name), the military science vessel Galileo, a wing of Phoenix adv. heavy fighters and a Washington class freighter
(http://www.inet.hr/~tstanici/Images/Fleet2.jpg)
Just a test picture
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What do you think of the following names:
- Archangel
- Valiant
- Valour
- Avenger
- Vanguard
- Titan
- Paladin
- Claymore
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You know, it really made me wonder why my floppy disk drive was churning, until I saw the image locations.
TrashMan, you need to get the images on a webserver before any of us can see them. The simplest way to do that is to Private Message any of the moderators here, and kindly ask them to host the images on HLP webspace. :nod:
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Originally posted by Odyssey
You know, it really made me wonder why my floppy disk drive was churning, until I saw the image locations.
TrashMan, you need to get the images on a webserver before any of us can see them. The simplest way to do that is to Private Message any of the moderators here, and kindly ask them to host the images on HLP webspace. :nod:
lol yeah, I wondered why too :D
I was about to kick my poor laptop again :p
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Look now and tell me what you think!;7
I'll post other pictures, as soon as I finish making models of:
- Thunderbolt strike bomber
- Whirlwind Corvette
- Protector Cruiser (aaf)
- Unnamed race fighter (does Hygarii sound good)
- Unnamed race Bomber
- Terran Starbase (Vanguard)
- Shivan Destroyer (or Juggernout, I'll have to see)
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Thank you all for your help.
I still haven't got an answer on the question about turrets and bombers.
How do you animate the turret (it's barrels)?
Thanks for the offer Star Dragon, I may take you up on your word.
I'll write the main stroy of the campaign and put it on my homepage (don't laugh when you see it, I didn't even try to make it look noce, it's only a test page), and post the message here when I'm done (with the link). It might take a while, I have lots of exams coming up.
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woah, looks neat! those ships designs reminds me of my own for OS ( "sob" ). two thumbs up :)
( tho don't expect to have all this pretty lighting effects ingame ;) no specular map hehe )
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mmh, about lods, 2 are sure enough, but then they would better have a very low polycount. I always make the 3 lods anyway, coz Lod1 has to still look pretty good -as you see it in the targetting window- and lod3 can be as basic as a cube, so...
for bombers, yeah, you have to make the turrets subobjects and glue them, just like for a capship.
Don't quote me on that, but I think there's no turret limit for bombers ( well, save for the subobject limit of course)
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Originally posted by Setekh
Manners, guys? Welcome to HLP, trashman; good to have you here. :nod::yes:
Yessir.
(http://members.cox.net/wmcoolmon/images/welcome.gif)
:D Looking very good there, btw :eek::eek2:;7
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Glad you like it.
I'll be finished with the lods soon. Can anyone make the skin for it (I'll even send him the textue I used in TS)?
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The two models that are allmost ready(for texturing) are the GTVBS Paladin and the GTF Black Phoenix.
Anyone interested?:confused:
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I'm guessing 2 LODs for a fighter would be enough? 1 with fewer polys and the second just a triangle should do.
What about the engine flames? That would be a subobject glued to the hull right?
And can someone please explain this stuff about hierarchies? thanks
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:confused: How many debris parts should I make.
How detailed should they be, and do they have to fit in like a puzzle ( put three peaces together and you have the original ship).
And what about putting turrets on the debris?
C'mon guys, talk to me.
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:mad: Gimme some answers!:sigh:
How can I finish my ships if I dont know how to do it?!
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The debris pieces don't need to account for the whole original model. Just pick a few sections and do them. Three ought to be plenty. I wouldn't bother with turrets on the debris; if it has just been blown up, it's not going to be shooting.
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On Lods with less detail I should remove the small turrets, right.
How does the ship fire then. Do I put just a local light named turretxx on the spot where the turret should be?
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Hmmm, those ships look nice. a :yes: to you (though I can't help ya with any modeling technique - sorry :p)
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Originally posted by TrashMan
On Lods with less detail I should remove the small turrets, right.
How does the ship fire then. Do I put just a local light named turretxx on the spot where the turret should be?
no, don't worry, all that stuff will be based on the main lod data.
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But on LOD 2 I still have to place the big turrets, right?
My webpage with few additional models is up.http://inet.hr/~tstanici (http://inet.hr/~tstanici)
Check it out.
And, Infested Larva, check the stroy (Istll havent decided on the campaign's name)
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Originally posted by TrashMan
But on LOD 2 I still have to place the big turrets, right?
you don't HAVE to, you can, that's different. when thy're very big, it's better to place them coz you might see them from the distance. Sometimes I put them, sometimes I just can't bother actually...
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Let's see if I got this right:
LOD 0 - full detail, all turrets, best textures
LOD 1 - The samy polycount, medium textures, and only big turrets
LOD 3 - less polys, poor textures, and no turrets
LOD 4 - a cube or something like that.
And three or four debris parts, low detail, poor textures, no turrets
Right?
And what about engine flames on fighters?
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Let's see if I got this right:
LOD 0 - full detail, all turrets, best textures
LOD 1 - The samy polycount, medium textures, and only big turrets
LOD 3 - less polys, poor textures, and no turrets
LOD 4 - a cube or something like that.
And three or four debris parts, low detail, poor textures, no turrets
Right?
And what about engine flames on fighters? They are subobject that have to be glued?
And check this out!
gammadraconis (http://www.inet.hr/~tstanici/)
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Ups, I did it again.
I fixed the link, visit the page now and tell me what you think!