[gyp5sy]

First off, I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong forum, but I'm trying to emulate you guys, so I would find it better if you can answer my questions.

Here's my problem:
I'm working on a Bengal Strike Cruiser (Carrier, I meant Carrier!) so I can build my own WC1 campaign, but I'm having some problems getting the final model faceted like I want.  I do my modeling and texturing in max 9, so this causes some problems right off, since I have to export to a third-party program to get it .cob-ready for PCS.




So, then I import the thing into TS 7 (some kinda beta, or something), to do the proper grouping and hierarchies.  However, converting from this point, gets me a model that's untextured (Just the red outline in MViewer), but it seems to be set up correctly.



I take care of all the faceting and get it to look like how I want it.  I then find I have to run it through LU just to get the proper coordinates on the model (I think)  After converting to .pof from there (whew), I get a properly textured model, but with the smoothing all messed up:



Is there a way to get LU to save .cob files with faceting?  It seems to save them with some sorf of smoothing going on, that I am powerless to stop.  Do you guys have any other reccommedations?  I'd just use TS 3.2, but I'm using .dds textures and run into problems with that.

btw, question number two:  Do you guys mind if I use some of your "hangar clutter" (i.e. loading trucks and barrels)?  If not, can you give some sort of short explanation of how these work?  I've done some digging and found that there is a complex model over a simple one... Any reason for this? 

Anyways, again, sorry if this is off topic for you guys, but I just want to insure I get your input...   

[Col. Fishguts]

You have to UV-map it first and then open it in TS to set up the autofaceting angles. Only after that convert it using one of PCS builds supporting autofacet.

[gevatter Lars]

Nice looking model you have got their. My own Bengal model is on ice since a long time and its good to see that ship nicely detailed.
Small thing about the design. The front "wings" are a bit thick. If you place turrets their it could be a little bit hard for them to hit something or protect the flightbay from fighters that comming in directly from the side.
Anyway good model.

[gyp5sy]

Col. Fishguts: Thanks for the advice. I'll try that, but I think I've already assigned UV mapping coordinates when I paste the texture onto the model in MAX, but I'll try an explicit modifier.  Hopefully that will help.  Until then, I've found that Deep exploration can take care of the smoothing problems.

Lars:  I agree with you.  But the blueprints looked more like they were turret mounts....  My plan is to put a 1 part turret on the very outside face with a 180 firing arc.  I think that gets me the coverage I need.  I tend to follow the Claw Marks blueprints as closely as possible, but some things are just not consistent.  8 stated laser turrets when there are clearly 19 shown in the graphics.  A fighter complement of 104(?!)  Nope, never gonna fit that many.

[gevatter Lars]

My version also got a turret mount on the front but I made it a small podest instead of this big thing and mounted a multiturret their. A 1 part turret would also work.
As for the blueprints...they are indeed quite strange. I have resized some parts of the ship and the fighters to get a scaling that makes some sense.
For the armament I used also a mix of blueprints, stats, gameweapons and data from the movie.
Overall I used a mix of all these to make the model...but as said its on ice for a very long time.

[Scooby_Doo]

Thanks for bringing the Bengal up gyp5sy, I had totally forgotten about.  You know, one of those models you get started on but never really finish and put off to the side.

Looking at your pic, boy did mine ever do a change   

[gyp5sy]

Thanks for bringing the Bengal up gyp5sy, I had totally forgotten about.  You know, one of those models you get started on but never really finish and put off to the side.

Looking at your pic, boy did mine ever do a change   

Is that good or bad news for my modeling skillz? 

Can someone who did the texturing or is knowlegeable about such things help me out?  I really, really, hope you don't mind if I steal some textures to do this, but I have some questions about how this was done on some of the other ships....

It is totally beyond my skill to use the multiple tile thingies you guys have for the ships...  Like fbayterran.dds, for instance.  Did you use UV unwrapping for the whole model?  Or did you end up tiling it (i.e. just UVmapping)?  If it was UV mapped, how can you tile with just part of a texture like you guys did?  I tried this with Max, just using the crop function that it has, but when it came time to convert, none of the cropping came out.  Just used the whole texture. 

Any advice with this, or is it a trade secret?  Should I start another thread? 

Sucks being such a newb.

Later, guys.  and keep up the good work!

[Scooby_Doo]

I like what you've done with the Bengal, epseically the rear engine section.

For texturing first off divide the model up into sections. 

If I was making it, I would seperate the bridge section (both upper and lower) and those outer pylons into one group. I'd use symetry since both sides look equal, this also cuts your work by 50%.  The engine wings would go into another group, again symetry is your friend.  And finally your main hull into a third group.  Now the fighter bay you will probably want to seperate into it's own group.  Do note that when I mean group, I mean a single object with all the necessary pieces attached, but not welded together.   (Why? because you'll probably want to seperate them out before converting, in case of PCS problems). 

Lets take the engine wing for example.  There would be one object, it would have several subobjects, the wing itself, and the exhaust cones.

Once you've gotten the groups sorted out then you can start worrying about UV mapping.  Hide all but the group your going to be working on.   Then tackle it piece-meal.

Hope that didn't confuse you too much.

[gyp5sy]

That helps, thanks.  Although, I'm already done with the fighter bay...

Are you talking about symmetry using texturing, or with the modeling, itself?  Of course, I could just mess around with symmetry and textures, myself, but I'd rather bug you about it. 

So, your saying texture each individual part, then use symmetry to (re)build my model?  Makes sense in a weird way...

[Scooby_Doo]

Bug away, maybe someone will see what I've been doing and have a better way 
 

Edit: I started writting a tutorial for you and decided this thing is getting too big.  I'll write up one with pics for the Mod Forum.   

Oh, by symetry i mean on the model.  (Of course this leads to symetry on the textures too)