Nosslaks stuff

[Nosslak]

well I will have a stabe at making a replica of your cart in DR so you have something for comparision

 

May I ask why you want it to be made out of patches at all?

[fllood]

I was just wondering what kind of models would mappers want?

Generally I think TDM is short of steampunk type models...

[Nosslak]

Generally I think TDM is short of steampunk type models...

Yeah, but it would help if you were more specific. If you would suggest a purpose that needs to be filled by said machine and some kind of reference for what you had in mind, it would make my job a lot easier.

[Bikerdude]

May I ask why you want it to be made out of patches at all?

 

1. round and curved sufaces for the wheels

2. less surfaces and tris when using patches

 

Most small models I have made have always been made out of patches.

[Baddcog]

1. round and curved sufaces for the wheels

2. less surfaces and tris when using patches

 

Most small models I have made have always been made out of patches.

 

I disagree with that. You can't optimize patches. You can't make LOD 's with them (ie: breaking down the current model into a lower poly vers.)

 

Anything you can make from patches you can make more optimized in a model program.

 

You can't make shadowmeshes for them. Well, technically I guess you could, but you have to export to an ase and make a model out of it, in which case you've only made a model in DR, not in a 3d program.

You could probably even make high res versions to bake, but you'd need to export an obj and use a 3rd party program, etc...

 

I'm not saying don't do it, it's perfectly exceptable to make models in DR. But you can't make better models as DR is limited and 3d programs give you much more control.

 

It's like doing textures in MSPaint instead of Photoshop or Gimp. You can do it, but it's not the best way.

[Tels]

I disagree with that. You can't optimize patches. You can't make LOD 's with them (ie: breaking down the current model into a lower poly vers.)

 

Patches do have on advantage, tho: the engine can scale their detail automatically (unless you use the "fixed surface division" box). DR wil only show you one version, but during runtime their number of polies can vary depending on distance etc.

 

However, if that is more efficient than using a fixed model, or even a model with LOD, I don't know.

[fllood]

If you would suggest a purpose that needs to be filled by said machine and some kind of reference for what you had in mind, it would make my job a lot easier.

Most steampunk would be for ambience I think. And enigmatic in their purpose, as they should. Small steampunk models may be good for loot. Steampunk models may easily get very detailed that might be a challenge. or make them impossible to model with reasonable poly I guess.

 

 

Below some linked pictures for inspiration. not for any specific request to my WIP or TDM.

Some may suit for loot, lighting, ambience, probably let the player breath under water... or just remain enigmatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know you just did that terrific plague mask

 

 

 

 

maybe a steampunk doorlock?

 

 

And Last a victorian slightly steampunk-styled room which would be cool to taff in I think. (ignore the two wall light holder left and right of the mirror)

 

[Melan]

Should this be the time to link Giles Bowkett's post on steampunk? Yes, I think so.

[Nosslak]

Most steampunk would be for ambience I think. And enigmatic in their purpose, as they should. Small steampunk models may be good for loot. Steampunk models may easily get very detailed that might be a challenge. or make them impossible to model with reasonable poly I guess.

As long as the silhouette is fairly simple you can fake a lot with good normalmaps, so I'm not sure that really is a big problem. But as you say they tend to get pretty intricate and it is pretty hard to make steampunk models IMO as you most often can't just throw on a bunch of cog-wheels and such and still make it look realistic. Instead you have to plan it out a bit more carefully so it'll look like it's got some kind of function and this is where I suffer the most.

 

I have actually thought about making similar models to those photographies as well. I've considered making a top-hat, goggles and a similar mirror but have then changed my mind. I found a really intricate mirror maybe half a year ago that I was seriously considering making but then I remembered that I had read/seen that the PCs animations were pretty horrid so I changed my mind. I wasn't sure if steampunk goggles would really fit in the TDM universe but if you want I could still make a pair. I also might still do a top hat as they're pretty cool.

 

EDIT: I could try my hand at making something more exotic and enigmatic like this:

Apparently it's an alembic (used for destillation) but I wouldn't have known what it was without the filename and I think it's generic enough to be usable for most purposes (like that other blue cylindrical machine).

Edited September 28, 2011 by Nosslak

[Springheel]

I wasn't sure if steampunk goggles would really fit in the TDM universe but if you want I could still make a pair. I also might still do a top hat as they're pretty cool

 

Goggles would fit (we have a pair already though they're not great). Top-hats are too victorian for our setting, though.

 

That distillery would be cool...I posted that same picture in at least one of the dozen steampunk image threads over the years.

 

Any kind of cool old-fashioned machinery would be nice to see, since we have so little.

[nbohr1more]

That looks great!

 

I am having a hard time finding visual references but since Electricity is part of this alternate history I think it would be cool to see more Tesla style voltage regulators (etc).

 

To my knowledge, the electric tech of this era is primarily DC so it is confined to generators within individual homes but it would be neat to see a big military compound (etc) with some wires strung between buildings and accompanying voltage regulation artifacts.

[Nosslak]

Goggles would fit (we have a pair already though they're not great). Top-hats are too victorian for our setting, though.

Okey, I really didn't think there were such a thing as too victorian when it came to TDMs universe.

 

That distillery would be cool...I posted that same picture in at least one of the dozen steampunk image threads over the years.

 

Any kind of cool old-fashioned machinery would be nice to see, since we have so little.

In that case that's probably where I got it from. I've got a whole folder with photos of machines that could work in a steampunk setting or at least function as inspiration where I just uploaded it from. If anyone's interested I can upload either that folder or my whole reference library for TDM.

 

I am having a hard time finding visual references but since Electricity is part of this alternate history I think it would be cool to see more Tesla style voltage regulators (etc).

I couldn't really find any picture that was even the slightest steampunk-ish when I googled for "Tesla voltage regulators". I think you might mean Tesla coils, if so I do believe there are some of those in the game already.

[fllood]

The alembic (used for destillation) is cool and a model I think will welcomed for machinery/deco/architecture in maps. I would.

Steampunk goggles may not have that much usage all around, but I also would love to see them. mappers will find some purpose to them. and it would be a model adding to the inventors.

I think a Steampunk flavored light device would be cool to have and surly be used as well....

 

Anything in these areas would be a great addition imo.

[Springheel]

Okey, I really didn't think there were such a thing as too victorian when it came to TDMs universe.

 

The TDM universe has a few early Victorian trappings when it comes to technology, but the fashions and architecture are more Elizabethan.

[Nosslak]

I haven't forgotten about the cart just yet, it's just that it was a bastard to unwrap (maybe 20-30 islands that I had to mess around with) and I had some schoolwork to do.

It's still far from completion and the normals for the wheels are looking pretty funky as well, but it's a start.

[Tels]

Niiice!

[Bikerdude]

awesomeness.

[Nosslak]

Niiice!

awesomeness.

Thanks!

 

Diffuse pass is almost done:

Just some small things left to fix (mainly dirty it up). I'll probably move on to the normal and maybe specular maps tomorrow.

[Melan]

Oh yeah, that's nice! Transition into a low-poly has gone fairly well too.

Edited October 6, 2011 by Melan

[demagogue]

Ah that's great.

 

Apparently it's an alembic (used for destillation) but I wouldn't have known what it was without the filename and I think it's generic enough to be usable for most purposes (like that other blue cylindrical machine).

 

Heh that's the machine in my FM, and the blueprints you're supposed to find are actually design drawings of an alembic or distillery.

[Nosslak]

Oh yeah, that's nice! Transition into a low-poly has gone fairly well too.

Ah that's great.

Thanks!

 

Heh that's the machine in my FM, and the blueprints you're supposed to find are actually design drawings of an alembic or distillery.

So you've made one already? I might still be able to make a better version with normal maps and all that jazz. Would you mind showing a picture of it?

[demagogue]

No no, sorry, I just used the "generic box machine" in my FM (with some pipes into the glass room with the fuming mushrooms), which is why having someone make a real one would be so awesome... We need more machine variety and not have to use that box for everything. That machine I used was supposed to actually *be* an alembic, but it doesn't look anything like one. And the blueprints are just a custom .tga for the book pages, but that pic you posted is what they are actually blueprints of.

[Nosslak]

Mirrored from the halloween contest thread:

I tried putting it in, but it renders only solid black. Doesn't matter if I extract the .rar into my darkmod directory, or if I extract it and repackage all as a .pk4 (and put that into my darkmod directory)... either way it renders black. I had the same problem with the bellows originally... I don't think I ever got it fixed until the bellows was officially packaged with TDM. Will look more later at the materials file.

I think I found the problem. Apparently I had called my dds texture map "texture" instead of "textures". If you're feeling brave you can just try changing the name of the "texture" folder here: "[map_name]\dds\models\darkmod\props". Alternatively you can just download a new fixed copy at the same location as before:

http://dl.dropbox.co.../plaguemask.rar

I apologize for the inconvenience.

 

 

No no, sorry, I just used the "generic box machine" in my FM (with some pipes into the glass room with the fuming mushrooms), which is why having someone make a real one would be so awesome... We need more machine variety and not have to use that box for everything. That machine I used was supposed to actually *be* an alembic, but it doesn't look anything like one. And the blueprints are just a custom .tga for the book pages, but that pic you posted is what they are actually blueprints of.

I'll try to make a better one for you when the cart's finished in that case.

[Glyph Seeker]

Oh wow - the textured mine cart is looking grand Nosslak! Thanks for putting the hours in. =-3

[Nosslak]

Oh wow - the textured mine cart is looking grand Nosslak! Thanks for putting the hours in. =-3

Thanks! It's looking even better in it's finished state:

 

I'll start working on the alembic soon, I just need to know if I should model that stone/rock base or leave that to the mappers (so it might be easier to blend it in)?