Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Rampage on June 30, 2002, 05:49:27 pm
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I have released the Freespace 2 post MODding manual, which is a complete, unabridged guide to making thrusters, shields, LODs, debris, etc.
It is [probably] the first Freespace 2 MODding manual for newbies that shows lovingkindness and patience. And it's [probably] grammar and spelling error free!
To download the manual, click on the link below:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1lyx2/Dump/fsmanual.zip
NOTE: HLP Admin., please post this as [ground-breaking] news. Thanks. :D
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Rampage, you're too kind:D:p
Does this mean I have to stop bashing newbies' headz in whenever they ask a question?
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One point: Lithunwrap is now Ultimate Unwrap 3D and you have to pay for it! :(
Some of us are only casual modders, and we don't want to fork out a few hundred notes for a piece of software that we really aren't going to use enough.
I'd also recommend a links section for where people can get some of the stuff that you've mentioned. :)
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I still have the free version of Lithunwrap, in case anyone wants it.
(Note to admins: If this counts as a warez post, please deleat it immediatley. I am sorry if I've over-stepped the rules here.)
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If it's free then it's not warez :)
And I'll post news about this tomorrow - right now I'm about to pass out of tiredness. Nice job though!
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Lithunwrap was released as freeware IIRC. The author can't take that back later and say it's not free now :)
To get back on topic the guide is good but a little technical. I found it a little hard to follow in places. (e.g LODs - It doesn`t say if you have to attach a light or not) Overall though it was pretty useful.
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I'll DL it to learn shielding :p
EDIT: dude... that's easy...
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I like this part:
MODding is an art, a work of beauty. 3D designers are the core of this—art. Without them, Freespace 2 would be just three dislocated CDs sitting in our closets collecting dust particles. With our faithful 3D designers, Freespace 2 has surpassed every other game in its genre, even the old Descent series. The community continues to grow and “newbies” continues to flood in. In order to improve our community, we must teach these novices the art of 3D modeling.
Gives credit where it's do :D
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Thanks for posting the news thread, Thunder. :) I hope that my manual will bring in a new age of Freespace 2 modding, for post-modeling has always been hard for me. Now I know [most] of it, I want to spread my knowledge to others so they wouldn't be in agony trying to find answers.
I'm open to suggestions, so if you have something that you want me to add/delete/improve in the manual, just tell me either my e-mail or ICQ/IM or by posting a comment or two below! Again, thanks to you all.
"Oh... Finally some fame... This is... Oh... Old Gil is so happy!" :p
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*Sees rampage 194 posts adn thinks: wow, this guy is unique guy without spams, i wan't to be just like him, exept... i can't shake that spam!!:sigh: Argh get away!!!*
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Ahhhh, nevermind.
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another thing to learn and master. Thx.
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Originally posted by Unkown Target
I still have the free version of Lithunwrap, in case anyone wants it.
(Note to admins: If this counts as a warez post, please deleat it immediatley. I am sorry if I've over-stepped the rules here.)
[email protected]
:D:D:D:D
*Starts begging*
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Originally posted by Unkown Target
I still have the free version of Lithunwrap, in case anyone wants it.
(Note to admins: If this counts as a warez post, please deleat it immediatley. I am sorry if I've over-stepped the rules here.)
Cool. Could you send it to me?
[email protected]
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must... have... lithunwrap (hey I might actually get around to using it)
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Wow, you made the whole turret process really complicated. I always have found it easier to create the turret in a seperate scene, set its axis, glue up the lights and any submodels (turretarm), and save the whole turret as an object. That way, when you get ready to attach it to the main model all you have to do is load it, position it, scale it, rename it (though it actually works if not every part of the heirarchy is renamed to the corresponding turret number, you just have to play a bit in Modview) and glue it as a sibling to LOD0. This avoids all the confusion of gluing/ungluing with all of the other model components in the scene, and with a capship with over 20 turrets, especially multi-part turrets, the constant setup of the heirarchy for each turret can get really annoying.
You may also talk about using the copy tool to reproduce turrets once you have one made.
And my final suggestions:
1) don't glue until everything is in position.
2) ALWAYS glue "detailx" subobjects in ascending order (detail1, detail2, detail3), or they will be out of sequence in FS2.
3) I have found advantages to placing the axis of each turret at the center of the turret's base, where it would connect to the ship. This allows a more precise alignment of the turret and the hull if you get as picky as I can be.
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very cool, now i can shield though thrusters still refuse to work no matter what i do-annoying :mad:
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Thanks a lot :nod: :yes: :yes: :yes:
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Can you shoot a copy of it to me too? (As long as it's under 5 megs that is)
[email protected]
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Is he taking any notice?
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Originally posted by Vasudan Admiral
...though thrusters still refuse to work no matter what do-annoying :mad:
Hmm... Follow the steps below:
1. Have a geometry model of your thruster ready.
2. Position the thruster geometry at its desired position.
3. Name the geometry "thruster01-geo".
4. Add a Local Light.
5. Name the light "thruster01-light".
6. Glue the light and the geometry as sibling.
7. Name the selection "thruster01".
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Theres also a little unwrapping program called UVMapper, which I must admit, I've always preferred it to Lithunwrap, even if it does only support OBJ models :)
Just go to WWW.UVMapper.com and download the classic version :) It looks a bit simple at first, but it's a pretty powerful tool :)
Flipside
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Get your 3D Explorations out, kids! :D:D
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UVMapper is a nice piece of kit. It's heavily keyboard driven with few menus, which can make it somewhat difficult to use. It has always been better at doing uv projections. Lithium sometimes does some strange things that UVMapper never does. On the flip side Lithium has added some new features which make it overall much more powerful than UVMapper now. I rarely use UVMapper these days.
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I always liked UVMapper because - at the time - it was the only thing I could use to manipulate vertices and use multiple materials for a model with. Nowadays, i only use it to extrct UV templates, as MAX seems to have lost its textporter plugin with r4.
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I've got Lithunwrap, but it don't help me at all.....
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I find the main problem with UVWrapper is that the only way to rotate the map is to drag vertices individually, but the program is far more powerful than it first appears, for example, you can do a box projection, then box select, for example the top projection, or part of it (Not very accurately, admittedly, but hey, it's a free program), drag the top projection over the bottom projection any old how, box select them both and then ask for a planar projection, and hey presto, the vertices are lined up correctly and everything, and you have the top and bottom projections layered on top of each other, thus saving BMP space :) (With the obvious downsides, but hey, it's only an example).
Lithunwrap I didn't get along with, but then, different horses for different courses as they say :)
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You can do all that with LithUnwrap FlipSide. Plus in LithUnwrap you can select polygons via the 3D preview window, which is a god send. Trust me on this. If you use UVMapper, learn LithUnwrap (but keep UVMapper on your HD for special occasions).
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I have released a newer version of the manual. In it are some fixes and additions. I have added the links to some programs mentioned in the manual as well as most suggestions, most noted the suggestions made by StratComm.
To download the newest version, click on the link below: (It's the same link.)
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1lyx2/Dump/fsmanual.zip
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It says that it is forbidden. Could you fix this? Thanks.
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Originally posted by fs2freak88
It says that it is forbidden. Could you fix this? Thanks.
Fixed.
ACHTUNG! For those who have included the link to the download of this manual, they need to change the URL link. It is now: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1lyx2/Dump/fsmanual.zip.
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Can you send me an address of the RAM page ? I would really need it, I got only 64 and FS2 runs slowly!:)
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Could anyone understand the aim of this message? It wanted to be only a joke. It appears it is a hardly understandable one.
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:blah:
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Originally posted by TopAce
Could anyone understand the aim of this message? It wanted to be only a joke. It appears it is a hardly understandable one.
[Sarcastic] Ha...ha... Good use of my name. [/Sarcastic]
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TopAce: :wtf:
Rampage: :wtf:
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The tutorial goes online! [Check the Siggy]
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Lithunwrap - yes please!!:yes:
[email protected]
Thanks!:)
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Rampage - I like the manual but could you make the font a little larger for those who who don`t have the eyes of a hawk. :)
Pyro - If you are actually after a copy of Lithunwrap you might find this page of IP Andrew's Modding Tutorial (http://underworld.fortunecity.com/pacman/106/fs2mods/shipcreationguide/whatyoullneed.html) useful
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@ karajorma: most helpful!:)
Very good, Rampage. Quite technical and detailed, but understandable!
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Originally posted by Rampage
Thanks for posting the news thread, Thunder. :) I hope that my manual will bring in a new age of Freespace 2 modding, for post-modeling has always been hard for me. Now I know [most] of it, I want to spread my knowledge to others so they wouldn't be in agony trying to find answers.
Thunder???:wtf: Look closer dude, who posted news.
*Shamelesly taking credits*
j/k
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Thruster allways work for me, but "thrust" in the wrong direction!:lol:
Left, right, up, down.... I don't remember seeing them blowing towards the rear....
Uhh....have to take care of that!
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OK, I should probably search for these questions, but my connection is crap and will probably cut out if I try, so:
1. How do I go about making a ship model for FS2?
2. Is there a polygon limit?
3. How does the game engine deal with progressive meshes and debris?
4. How are capship engine effects modelled, or are these just simple 'glow' effects set up in ships.tbl?
I think ships have to be built out of lots of smaller pieces, which seperate to become debris, and I believe a similar method is used for progressive detail? Certainly seems like the long way round to a DX9 programmer, but it's amazing what they did with only C and DX5. No object-oriented code...
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Originally posted by Descenterace
I think ships have to be built out of lots of smaller pieces, which seperate to become debris, and I believe a similar method is used for progressive detail? Certainly seems like the long way round to a DX9 programmer, but it's amazing what they did with only C and DX5. No object-oriented code...
Not quite correct there. Debris are seperate models. Have a look in the modding section of my FAQ to (hopefully) get all the help you need getting started.