Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: sigtau on August 18, 2009, 09:21:29 pm

Title: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on August 18, 2009, 09:21:29 pm
Hey, why not.  I got bored, and since this appears to be the only decent thing I've modeled recently.

(http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8178/tc2.jpg)
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Solatar on August 18, 2009, 09:50:05 pm
As long as care is taken to make sure they fit into the HTL freighters (Poseidon).

I actually like how this looks. There's not too much you can do for a cargo container, but the little things are what make the SCP great.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on August 18, 2009, 10:25:01 pm
The whole thing is a good chance to practice some detail work.  I'm already pretty far into more general shape stuff.  Before exporting to PCS, I'll import the Poseidon's model and scale it to the correct size.

And yes, the little things are what keep it going.

(I also need UV map and glowpoint practice.  This is a good opportunity for me.)
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Galemp on August 19, 2009, 12:15:41 am
The corners look a little too pronounced to me...
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: -Norbert- on August 19, 2009, 04:16:32 am
I like that it looks, as if it could be split down the middle to fit the really big stuff inside and the door (assuming it is a door).
But in your place I'd put the door somewere it would be hidden, once a Poseidon grabs the container (to the front perhaps?).
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Hades on August 19, 2009, 06:42:54 am
The corners look a little too pronounced to me...
I agree, they look weird.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Snail on August 19, 2009, 06:43:55 am
Yeah. If the shape deviates too much from the source material, I'm not sure it'll work.

(http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/images/Tc_2_320x240.jpg)(http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8178/tc2.jpg)


I mean, side by side they look completely different. There's a lot of detail on the retail maps you could incorporate into your model without completely sacrificing authenticity.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Rodo on August 19, 2009, 08:11:34 am
like some recess on the small squares of the corners maybe, for those red glow parts.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on August 19, 2009, 03:49:30 pm
Guys, guys, it's faar, FAAAR from done, and I already am working on those little recessed squares.  I'm modeling the details, since that's basically half the model right there.

Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 19, 2009, 03:58:52 pm
By Vectrons crystal shoes, brothers we should wait for his model to complete fully before judgement is passed. :yes:
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Aardwolf on August 19, 2009, 08:35:50 pm
You need a lot of practice.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Kolgena on August 20, 2009, 05:31:22 pm
By Vectrons crystal shoes, brothers we should wait for his model to complete fully before judgement is passed. :yes:

It's just that his foundation/base model right now deviates so much from what the containers are supposed to be like that any extra work done on top of it is basically going to waste.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 20, 2009, 05:33:09 pm
Yeah i know, but it's all a learining process.

He can redo it once he learns to finish the "test model"
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Kolgena on August 20, 2009, 05:34:46 pm
I guess. I just felt that if I was modeling, I'd like to have someone point out an error as big as this, so that any ideas I put in it later don't have to be totally redone because I have to remake the container entirely.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on September 19, 2009, 02:15:27 pm
"An error as big as this?"

By the way, I lost this model when I had to reformat due to massive system slowdown from unknown causes. (It wasn't a virus, it was just ... slow)
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Aardwolf on September 20, 2009, 10:01:07 am
I guess. I just felt that if I was modeling, I'd like to have someone point out an error as big as this, so that any ideas I put in it later don't have to be totally redone because I have to remake the container entirely.

To paraphrase:

If I modeled something crummy, and asked people what they thought, and they said it was good, and I believed it was good when it wasn't, that'd suck.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: AthlonBoy on September 21, 2009, 07:50:20 am
Your best bet is to get at the original mesh and work from there. That way the proportions will be identical in every way, and you get to keep the original texture if you don't change the UV map too much.

I can see that you're still learning, but this is a great way to sharpen your skills. On that subject, I should really do something about my Boanerges mesh...

I'll give you a bit of a hand. Rather than make you learn how to get files out of FS2, I'll give the cargo container stuff to you. Here's a zip file with the model, the required textures, and a 3DS Max 2010 scene with everything in place in case you use 2010. If not, just import the .obj and apply the textures to the right material slots (glow to self-illumination, shine to reflection).

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1400541/transport02a_cargo.zip
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Aardwolf on September 21, 2009, 09:30:41 am
Actually, that's not such a great method either. Problem is, if you work from the originals (particularly with more complicated stuff than cargo containers; fighters, especially) you wind up conforming to the original's edge cuts/polygons, even as you're trying to add more detail / smoothness / whatever. For a cargo container such as this, however, you should be fine working from the original model.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on September 23, 2009, 06:58:13 pm
Hmm.  Taking the original model, beveling it, and adding a bit of detail (such as extrusions and the like) may be a better way to go.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: AthlonBoy on September 24, 2009, 01:31:22 pm
That's what I was thinking. For cargo containers, everything must be exactly sized up, so that any cargo-hauling ship can use it correctly.

Plus, there's not really a lot to it. You don't constrain yourself by using the existing mesh.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Zacam on September 24, 2009, 01:50:14 pm
Speaking of cargo containers: Cargo03 is attached with the textures used on the HTL Amazon Advanced. But all it's lower LODs are somewhat screwed up. It needs smoothing and texturing UV issues corrected.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: sigtau on September 24, 2009, 04:30:51 pm
When I made the model from the first post, I compared it in size and got the dimensions of the original box--and the Poseidon's cargo bay--and scaled it from there.  However, working from the original model seems like an even more foolproof way (in comparison).

Once I finish this, I'll have to ask one of you guys here on HLP if you're willing to UV map it, something I can't do worth a crap, honestly.
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Rodo on September 24, 2009, 06:11:46 pm
When I made the model from the first post, I compared it in size and got the dimensions of the original box--and the Poseidon's cargo bay--and scaled it from there.  However, working from the original model seems like an even more foolproof way (in comparison).

Once I finish this, I'll have to ask one of you guys here on HLP if you're willing to UV map it, something I can't do worth a crap, honestly.

it's basically a square... shouldn't be that hard to uv, I guess...
Title: Re: HTL cargo containers?
Post by: Zacam on September 24, 2009, 11:07:17 pm
Just UV it properly so that when viewed in game it doesn't have a lighting seam that takes place. Look at the underside of the Amazon Advanced or top of the Deimos in F3 if you want to see what I mean. (Assuming you can run with shaders)