[TheFrozenMuffin]

I'm sure there is a post already,  I just need help finding it.

I want the in and outs of modeling for FS2 ships.  The requirements,  the No-Nos and such.  Thanks.

[Unknown Target]

Do a search for Karajorma's tutorial. What program do you want to use?

[Topgun]

Welcome to the HLP Station. Exits are located to the right, left, up, down, and 4th-dimensionally. However all of them are blocked, except the 4-d one, and no one's yet figured how to reach it. In the event of a landing of any kind, you can and will be used as a flotation device. Do not feed the resident Shivan Carl as he will become voracious and chew your leg off. You can find him in the ventilation duct. Throw him your lunch and he'll leave you alone (usually). Flamethrowers can be found under your seat but due to financial constraints have been refilled with holy water. Plasma rifles can be found in storage lockers. To prevent act of n00b, however, these can only be opened by Moderators, Volition, GOD or a hyperintelligent shade of BluE. Please remember that any attempt to use the ASCII characters 0046h, 0053h, and 0033h in sequential order will result in you being trampled by FreeSpace fan boys. If you go in the Vasudan section of the station and find a box labelled “Headz”, please don't open it. Thank you and enjoy your stay!



well, all I can say is be sure you have PCS, that was my first mistake...

[chief1983]

I think you forgot the , but I believe he already got beamed in his first thread.

[Topgun]

Yeah, I didn't want to shoot him twice. Who knows what the side effects are? It might give him newbie disease.

[Unknown Target]

Getting back to his question...

You still around Muffin?

[TheFrozenMuffin]

yeh, sorry, been on Hard-Light IRC getting help (just easier ^)^).  But I'm mostly a Blender Guy.

[Fozzy]

I find Wiki quite helpfull, http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Modelling

[Topgun]

This is how vasudan Admiral converts 2 Cob from Blender.

There is a way to get your Blender models into TS ready for hierarchy conversion. It will require that you set up your parts so they look something like this in Blenders outliner view:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/VA--Twisted_Infinities/BlenderTutorialStuff/OutlinerView.jpg

Notice that there's no hierarchy there. I did a lot of exporting experimentation and found that none of the formats will preserve that, so there's no point in assembling it in Blender. TS is actually better for that bit anyway.

So, once I'm at that stage, I export it as a DirectX .X file (just press the export all button). From there, open it up in 3d exploration (D/L it here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/Downloads/3DExplorer_v181.rar) and re-save it as a COB.
Because of Truespace' crappy importing, that's the only way you can get it to keep the objects separate. You'll still lose the object names and centres, but it's not too hard to figure them out again and they will retain their textures, positions relative to each other, and you'd have to redo their centres anyway.

Opening it up in TS, you'll see something like this in the scene editor: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/VA--Twisted_Infinities/BlenderTutorialStuff/TS_ImportedHeirarchy.jpg

From there just figure out what is what, set it up in TS as you would any other ships hierarchy, save to COB or SCN and convert using TS. Have a look at Karajorma's turreting tutorial for more help there.