Maximius

No I actually have a hard drive here, its the security frame thats missing. I have to figure out how to attach these SATA cables to my computer. I wonder it they are compatible? Remember guys, I live in Philadelphia, when someone wants you dead a fifteen year old rides up on a scooter and blows your head off. No one "bombs" people here anymore, sheesh, how passe'.

Heres another try at the longsword: http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4598/bi...ongswordib2.jpg http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/605/lon...tcloseuput5.jpg Im not in love with the blade as it is, I want to fine tune the curve of its edges. Total polys is like 270 so there is plenty of room for detailing and such.

Thats the weird thing, neighbor lady said it was in the mail pile but there is no address on the box now that I look at it, so it could not have been from the mailman. And the box was not sealed either, just a cardboard tab tucked in. I wonder who dumped it into our mailslot? Someone returned it to the wrong house. It has SATA connections in the back actually, they look exactly like this picture: http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9794/satapic1la2.jpg That is SATA right? My computer has the IDE ribbons or whatever, would it be possible to purchase a SATA cable setup and install it? I could use a ton of new memory right now, in fact I can't even install D3 at this point I have so much crap on my HD.

Yes, it appears to be a kind of portable, secure hard drive that you can unlock and pull out of your computer. I have a metal box with a kind of hard drive in it, but I dont have the frame it fits into which in turn fits into your computer case. The ports in the back of the hard drive wont accept the standard IDE or whatever cable that HDs take.

The mailman left a package in our box the other day and the neighbor lady gave it to me, assuming it was mine. Its a CRU Dataport, which looks to be some sort of portable harddrive. Is this correct? How can I hook this thing up to something?

This is all making sense guys. We'll have to talk more about shadow and collision meshes and all that jive. It would seem that in a castle setting there would be a need for two models of the same sword, hi poly ones for guards and matching but simpler models for an armory weapons rack. I'm reworking the sword and Im going to try a battle hammer and axe as well, I found a webpage that has clear photos of the real things. Results soon!

I always thought the mix of the familiar and the weird or anachronistic in the Precursor games added a great deal of flavor. One (probably more) old FM had a kind of Mechanist mining operation that had broken into an ancient tomb or something. The mix of undead and mining equiptment, crude electric lights and woo, had a great deal of impact. It made the setting impossible to really pin down in terms of origins, enhancing the immersion because it could not be criticized as being too much this or that, it was a mix, and it gelled nicely with the magical/technical world of the games. I usually despise attempts to weld magic and sci fi into one setting, except Lovecraft of course, who could crap on my kitchen floor and I'd thank him heartily.

Thank you Springheel, I appreciate your points. A question: Why does the sword get a higher poly allowance, is it because its an item the player will encounter often and in clear view, while other items, say the cleaver I made, would generally get at best a cursory view and most of the time only a quick glance?

Heres the sword: http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/1685/sw...ighrangelw6.jpg http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/904/swo...tcloseupca4.jpg Its only about 108 polys and I could reduce it more but I wanted it a little fancy for right now. Im looking into a normal map plugin for LW8, when I get that set up Ill get the cleaver and block texturing started.

The last song "Cold and Blue" really kicked ass NH. Great response from the crowd too!

Two edged sword, not the texture. Here is the chopping block for the cleaver, Ill put the two together tomorrow. The table is 66 polys. http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9433/ch...ocktableyl7.jpg

I just wanted to show off the tang against the handle. Ok, I will reread my notes and try to whip up some maps, give me a bit to refresh myself on that stuff. I have to get going with GIMP again but that won't take too long to pick back up. If you don't mind, Ill post my questions here as I go for you to assist. Im trying to make a sword right now for the heck of it, having a bit of trouble getting the double sided blade to look right though.

Here is a redesigned cup, but its a bit hefty at around 126 polys, 26 of which are in the handle: http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/23048/200...26973499_rs.jpg And here is a pretty nifty cleaver, I dare say: http://aycu02.webshots.com/image/22561/200...58264223_rs.jpg Note the full metal tang, one of the marks of a quality knife: http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/24046/200...08818708_rs.jpg Cleaver totals only around 32 or 36 polys, Ill make a chopping block table for it too. Thanks for the link Crispy, I've been reading it through a bit and its helpful.

I was going for minimal polys, I could add a cut at the base to give it more of a bowl appearance and less of a sherbertbut it will add 12 polys I think. That blows my mind. When I started modeling I had assumed that everything had to be welded together or somehow joined, knowing this opens up a lot of avenues. This is a cardinal example of a tiny bit of information that holds up a noob for no reason other than no one has yet to think to mention it because its so trivial. This is why an extended conversation amongst beginners would advance the general cause: beginners questions come up all the time and the easy problems can get sorted out sooner versus later.

Here is an 8 sided version and a 12 sided version. The 12 is 74 polys minus the handle, the 8 is 72 with the handle, and the handle itself is 24 which will become 26 or 28 when I cut it again to bend it properly where the lower section of it joins the cup. I may be able to reduce its poly count a bit by simplifying it. The handle is not attached yet, Im trying to figure out the best approach to that. The way I have tried increases the poly count by like 2 or 4 or something, I split one of the cups big polys foursquare and now Im trying to weld points from the handle to points on the cups side. Unsuccessful so far though. http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/2379/pu...v28sideslv9.jpg http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/562/pun...212sidestz3.jpg Optimization from the ground up certainly makes sense. Ill look into that plugin too. Give me a day or so and Ill have that cleaver I mentioned too, or at least a version.

Ok Im remaking the cup with 12, flat top. I find out about the light smoothing as well. I know that LW has a plug in too that reduces polys for you so I'll see if I can hunt that down for what its worth. Thanks for explaining with your trophy, it makes it instantly understandable what light smoothing versus poly smoothing is.

Thanks, but there is a problem. Everything but the cup smooths nicely. Around the cups handle though are a bunch of polys that wont smooth until I Triple them, breaking them up into triangular parts, and then they smooth but they look crappy. http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/853/cup...gproblemtg5.jpg Here it is unsmoothed with the handles adjusted. http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8113/cup2iy9.jpg This is where we are going to have to take some baby steps, I've drawn some normal maps before but I have never been able to apply them. Lets come back to this in a short bit. I had thought that it was best to use multiples of 8 in LightWave but maybe thats not correct. I did want to make it glass so I think it would work in this instance. Glad you like them spar. While Im trying to map them, Im also messing about with trying to make a set of kitchen knives, starting with a nice cleaver and chopping block set.

Thats a great looking trophy. I really like the delicate looking handles. Here is the punchbowl set in the nude, I got the cup handles by extruding one poly and welding it to another after bending it out around and back again. It could be straightened a bit but it looks decent I think. The bowl is 66 polys, the ladle 94, and the cup 112 or something like that. http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6073/punchbowlset1ke3.jpg http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/5995/punchcup1kx6.jpg http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/2296/punchladle1uu5.jpg Edit: Crap I just realized I forgot to crop those jpegs. I think they are big enough though to get the general drift.

There definitely seems to be an information gap between the skilled and unskilled when it comes to amateur modeling. Sometimes I have questions that are so basic, so simple, that its nearly impossible to figure out even with the help of the experienced. I could not figure out how to send objects from the modeler to the layout in LW for like nearly a month, I was missing one tiny step which the people assisting me probably didn't even bother to ask because it was so elementary. Also, I am an educator, so I value the classroom dynamic and the "synergy" that develops between students. I think it could be valuable here, with a crowd that is obviously bubbling with creative juices. I will look into that, I usually just remake the object to get them out, but it would save time learning to how to correct it I think. Thats grand, again you guys consistently rock. I will probably just remake the whole thing and get it right the first time, but I still have some questions especially about joining the cups handles into the bowls after I extrude them. Ill post some pics here later. Then I have to figure out about drawing maps for the bowl, Ill have to review my notes from before. I have a few ideas about how I would like to texture it. Thats interesting, I did not know that and thought that normals were useful but not the standard.

Thanks for putting these things into perspective Badcog, its easy to get a bit overwrought when you have finally got a few things made and you are feeling feisty. I know these items are not game ready, I just wanted to show them off and get some feedback on them at this point. I got a reality check last night with this punch bowl ladle, the poly on the back by where the handle leaves the bowl claims it has more than four sides and will only triple, at an odd angle, which looks crappy when I smooth it. I can't get the damned thing to look right. Its always amazing how I can move along at a relatively decent clip and then some simple thing tangles up for a whole night or more. I have done a little normalmapping work with Gildoran before, I understand the basic ideas I think. But I had not thought that a normal map would be used on something like those perfume bottles honestly, not that they couldn't but I thought normals were for either really simple stuff like making square pipes look round or for really detailed stuff to accentuate fine details. Are most objects normal mapped? Simple things like bottles or cups too? Im sure in some instances, some unique object like a holy chalice or something. Thank you for your offer of assistance, its great how you guys are willing to help noobs along. I will be pestering you shortly. But I still think that there would be value in the noobs talking amongst themselves, much as students in a classroom benefit from discussing problems in addition to learning from the instructor. And while Wikis and tutorials and such are very helpful, even an uninformed partner is better at helping you solve problems at times. You can't ask a Wiki or a tutorial a question, you can only get the information it presents. Sometimes thats not whats happening in LightWave and you are totally stymied because the tutorial says its going to do X but it did Y, or nothing happened, or funny black polygons appeared.

If five beginner modelers could be assembled, we could agree to create these sets and they would add up pretty quickly. Say we all decide to make punch bowl sets, something I started last night. So I make my "archetype", then make five to ten variations on it. It took me an hour to make the bowl and most of the ladle, a cup that can be cloned six times will be for tonight. Now, tomorrow I can tweak it and make three different versions, probably in 1/2 hour, a few more the next night, lets say for a total of six. Just different textures and shapes, a few minutes with the modeler and its done. With my colleagues, we would have a set of 30 to chose from in a week, actually much less if necessary. Then, the next week, its dining ware, then silverware, soon you have a pile of dining stuff. Then its kitchen stuff, then bedroom stuff. The reason to work on the same stuff is so that if problems crop up, all the noobs are roughly on the same project and can benefit instantly from advice from the more skilled and each others input. Plus all the numerical and aesthetic standards would be in accordance, with one person pointing out things to another to keep everyone moving in the same direction. I'd be happy to get a IM prog and help a noob to get started. After that we are both fucked. I have some time and sanity finally. Im getting paid leave from work so I can breathe for the first time in about nine months instead worrying about becoming homeless. It would be easier for me to stay on this schedule but its not really that onerous, cause after the first model is made its all tweaking. If anyone is interested in working on sets of items please PM me and we'll get going. If you can contribute one hour a night, and less on some nights cause once you get going some stuff is really easy to reproduce, you could help build up this repository of objects.

I think I understand you better now, you copy and paste a mini-map of the objects into the larger map? So the prefab tray would not be a solid object but a pre-arranged set of individual objects that you could select from? Thats an interesting idea, it seems that it would be possible to assemble a library of related objects, lets say perfume bottles, all associated with a set of trays and accompanying objects.

Thats right I think but these guys are pointing out that prefabs have drawbacks too. It seems best to go with individual items. If there is a variety, and with simple stuff it should not be too hard to produce, you could quickly assemble a relatively original scene. Enough to help immerse you in the story or setting. In fact, other than time and effort Im not aware of a reason why this level of work couldn't be done to order. I know thats a bold statement for a total frikking noob to modeling but its true. All those perfume bottles could be altered in a moment, all those makeup jars, it would be simple. A specialized design or scheme could be incorporated pretty much at whim. A mapper could ask for the same brush/comb set done in ivory or wood or whatever and it would take a few seconds of reassigning textures. Add a bit of variety to the brush/comb base set and you have quite a bit of diversity available, and so on.

I did try Azureus but found it a little confusing, there was some security plugin I was supposed to install but Im not sure if I did correctly. Yes its for Windows Ill chek it out thanks guys.

Im trying to get into using some sort of torrent download thingy, can anyone get me started? Whats a good program, and are there any good websites that walk you through? I found a few to read but I get lost real fast when they start talking about assigning ports and stuff like that.