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Greetings Everyone! I wanted to start this thread on behalf of the DarkMod team to help keep our guests informed on our progress; to let them know there's DarkMod life in the project even when it may seem there is none -- and to keep them updated as such. There won't be a set schedule as to when this thread will be updated, but maybe check back from time to time. Anyone can post here and I'm sure you'll hear from other team members here in the future. Although many visitors might already have http://www.mindplaces.com/darkmod/index.htm bookmarked to see updates on screenshots and concept artwork, etc., some don't have it bookmarked and may not know about it. Other forums actually point to our site here and I figured there might be some benefit to providing occasional updates here via this forum, too. As an update for our guests out there, I can say that I've seen a LOT of activity from our team members behind-the-scenes on this DarkMod project. There are many discussions going on and a lot of concepts being worked on. As a team member with a primary focus on artwork, I've personally created a few concept drawings and have seen fellow artists showcase some very nice concepts. Our programmers, 3-D modellers, audio experts, etc. are also very active in these early stages of the project. I want to assure our guests that there's a lot of DarkMod life behind-the-scenes that you might not otherwise see from the outside. We have a long road ahead of us, but we have an enthusiastic group working on this and I'm confident you'll be happy with our DarkMod work once complete. Stay tuned, as I'm sure there will be many more updates in the future! Until then, may shadows continue to guide your journeys. Darkness_Falls

Fair enough. Variety is better. But how many different heads will we model?

That's a texturing issue. I think we'll do the textures as soon, as the model is complete.

As long as you don't make it a 1:1 copy it will be fine. Keeping the files that show the progress of the work, or keeping concept sketches also can be used to prove that you did not copy the work. Looking at the original art should be fine and I doubt that they can sue us about this. On a related note. If this would be possible, there wouldn't be a desktop for Linux looking like Windows 98 because Microsoft would have stopped this. So looking at it for inspiration is fine, but not taking it directly. Especially when you look at the concept art because the final model will look quite different then the concept art.

Or register here at the forums, so you can see the rest of the boards.

Thanks very much for the nice comments. Yes I'm trying to get into the games Industry, I'm 22 from the UK. I'm currently getting some characters together to go into a portfolio. I'm looking for anything to model in the meantime.... Wen u have something send the refs to: nevascrew@hotmail.com

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=159 The second post in this thread is the important one. The aim of this thread is to collect all information about what we want to do on a more detailed level but not TO detailed. So discussion about conecpt art should be here, but the information that this beast should be done shouild be posted there as well. You should also look through the document and add items in the lists, if you think that they should be included and I forgot them. For example: I listed a number texture themes and what each theme must provide for. If you notice that a theme, or a texture for a theme is missing, the list it, there so we can keep track of it. You don't need to be specific, but specific enough that we know what you are talking about. Of course even if you are an artist, that doesn't mean that you may not look through the other sections to check if we forgot something. If you decide here that you want to do a belcher but the coders don't know about this, you can not animate your model afterwards.

If you agree or decide something like that, then you should post it in my project definition thread, so we can include/remove it there. Not everybody is following all the threads, but we should all know about these things. That's why I started this thread. http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=159 Usually I don't look much into the Art threads, because I'm not an artist and can not contribute much there. So most of the time, when I look at these threads, I just look at the pictures and hope that the first mod is appearing fast because of the great graphics. But I don't read all the postings here. I guess there are others as well and we shouldn't rely on this when deciding what we want and what not. Especially since a thread has only a limited time and after that only few remeber it and what has been decided. Don't forget. If you decide something here, then the coders will also have to know about it, to give it life.

I'm willing to model something, charaters weapons, furniture, whateva.. I dont' have a portfolio online, but u can see some vehicle sI've done here: http://clarke3d.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/

Mechanics of lockpicking is discussed here http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showforum=14 and here http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=170. This thread is actualy only about the position of the locks. Or did you mean that? Not sure about this.

I'll work on these. PS: I just posted a sample environmental scene in the Art section: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showt...findpost&p=1795

And can't movies be made with the in-game engine? That way we can use the model for cutscenes.

Here's a question that may have already been answered, but why are we even having a thief model if no-ones going to see it? Or are we adding in 3rd person view and reflections? Or body awareness, as it is in thief 3. Cause then it makes sense. Still, amazing work.

Ahhh, another detail I hadn't considered. Quite true. I like the idea of the noise maker being one of the many mystical magic crystals. I wonder if its details could be achieved by using the same crystal model as the rest, but having the holes on the texture?

Minor update, which most will be from here on out. Added volume and folds to the hood, lots of finger details, the quiver is now strapped in place, the sword and sheath are a more reasonable scale. Right now, I need to decide if I should model in the rest of the details, or texture it in.

LOL, ummmmmmm.......someone has my login I think -- or the forum's trippin'. I didn't write this. Considering this other thread that's going on (http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showt...st=0entry1247), I'd say something's amiss with the forum.. or someone's playin' gamez.

Moved the waist up. Defined the torso more. The sharp angles in the arms are caused by the lack of polys. The arms are actually round but the cylinder I used was 5 sided, thus the square look. There's not much way around it, I'm already at 725 faces and multiply that by 2 when it gets imported to Thief, it's already a very high-poly model for the Dark Engine. But I did tighten them up and make them look better than they did.

I had the same problem trying to keep the moss arrow from looking like a stick of asperagus. You know, since modelling is our weakest point, I wonder if we shouldn't just stick to the crystal idea for arrows? One model, different textures.

Bad plan. In part. We can derive different colours and shades and varnishes from the one model, but nothing so drastic as different carving or nail combinations; that would make the normalmap look out of place. You'll have to make a highpoly version of every alternative design, pretty much, or risk it looking fake and plastic.

hi, i just talked with rezniac about my model that i was about to texture. he said that i should rather add the details from the texture as real vertices in the model. well, thats where i do not know how. although i think i do not need to make the wood like look on the table plate by model because its flat, i need to know how i should fake it without a texture? or for example how do i make rough wood surface? a rusty metal, old leather etc. do i need surface modifiers or just much time and an eye till i get it right? i know for clothing surfaces just as banners, jackets, well everthing like that there is SimCloth. is there something like that for all the other surfaces to use for high poly models?

We've had this discussion already. Check out: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showt...%20dagger&st=50

Essentially, in Doom 3, models are a complex thing. Or rather, half complex. You will need to make, for each individual object: a lowpoly version (aim for < 7500 for characters, < 2500 for most objects, architectural details more. Use your discretion) a highpoly model. Anything from 50000 to 2 million polygons. This has lots of detail. The detailed version is used, by Doom 3 or another tool such as ORB to generate a normalmap with all the detail, so when lit, the lowpoly looks much higher detail. Texture sizes go in powers of two: 2, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, much like monitor resolutions. Doom 3 characters have a 512x512 texture mostly, but there are unsightly seams. We can test out 1024x512 textures. So, aside from the normalmap, what do you need for the skin? You need a diffusemap (this is like a standard texture, just colour and value information). Don't paint any shadows on this; that's done more or less in realtime. Then you need a specular map. This defines the shiny areas, and is greyscale. White = very shiny, black = matte. Skin should be greyish for normal, slightly greasy skin. Eyes = shiny. Clothes = not so shiny. Metal = very shiny, quite white in places. Characters need to be in the MD5 format, with bones. Tutorials at www.doom3world.org Objects can be in ASE or LWO formats.

Wacom!!!!!!!!!!! They are like, the Creative Labs Soundblaster of the Tablet world. I have one http://www.wacom-asia.com/products/graphir...ire3_index.html (of course I have pasted you the Asia-pacific link, but just go to www.wacom.com and choose the correct reigon) That is the consumer model. Cost me $150 AU and has pressure sensitivity, and a cordless, batteryless pen, with the tip, 2 thumb buttons, and erraser head, completely mappable to any function in any program. Although the program has to support pressure sensitivity to benifit from the tip pressure. PhotoShop is great. I highly recommend it. It is powerful enough for your needs and very cost effective. I think anything more expensive is only for highly paid proffessionals, and most of us wouldn't make use of the features. That's only my opinion, but I do own the consumer one, and it does everything I want. Regarding your new concept art Darkness_Falls; ahh, colour dodge - looks like you've accustomed yourself to it quite nicely I think those look miles better than the originals. Colour dodge can be applied as a blending mode for an entire layer; you can get other kinds of effects that way, by duplicating your artwork onto a new layer and giving that new layer a different blending mode. There is a new game http://www.crashday-game.de/pages_e/news.htm - check the screenshots - the artist has taken the screen shots and done some layering effects to make them look like photos, not that they had much work to do with making it look realistic, heh, but they've obviously used photoshop to give them "photograph" looks - how everything is sort of blue-ish, and goes darker around the edges. Just another way of creating mood.

This question was asked in the Ion Storm forums a while back. I thought it might help us to conjure up more resources and spur more creativity... Source: http://forums.ionstorm.com/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=290033 The City is an amalgamation of times and places, both actual and fictional. Medieval & Victorian London and France, modern-day Prague, and even parts of Boston (home of the ghosts of Looking Glass) have been mentioned as real places that influenced the look & feel of the City. Some oft-cited art references are The City of Lost Children, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Name of the Rose. The works of Mike Mignola (Fafhrd / Mouser stuff), Tim Burton (Mr. Wrought Iron Himself), Jules Verne, Charles D-i-c-k-e-n-s, and Alan Moore / Eddie Campbell have also been mentioned a fair few times as influences. That's just a sampling, there are dozens of others .

Yeah, that would be a great idea. We could get 5 or 6 different looks from one model. Saves one heck of a lot of work.