RPGista's mapping and modeling thread

[Bikerdude]

Apart from the fact that most mappers do not have the skill to make textures (I don't!),

I would like to learn so I can make the odd texture now and then.. there has got to be an idiots guide somewhere... :-D

[SeriousToni]

You have to make up your very own methods and guidelines. Once you're into the program (like in Dark Radiant) you develope your own style and work flow. Then you are able to make textures faster and faster - with improving the quality. The problem is that most people think it's very easy. It isn't. So they give up confused or desperate. It's just like learning every other thing - you need time and the will to do it.

[RPGista]

To tell you the truth, I found the information to be quite confusing at the time. It IS simple in the end, but there doesnt seem to be a single, A-Z file on it, had to pick up the info on several places.

 

Putting a new texture into the game is relatively simple, you have to create a folder inside the TDM's texture folder, put the files there, then on TDM's material folder, you have to create your shader, referencing to the files you want to include. It should now be in DR. The wiki has info on those processes. Texturing itself is a science though, but there are loads of tutorials around, including Renzatic's very good ones.

 

Springheel - thanks a lot for clearing that up, it can be confusing when you have no clue of the whole process yet. I did say I was going to give a go at making new head gear, you can expect some experiments soon. Will also try a new face, and maybe we can go from there. Haha, the point was to create some simple architecture models, then I stopped learning that to create a game-ready model for once (benches), now Im going over character modeling, so lets see if I can get something useful with my limited knowledge...

Edited July 22, 2012 by RPGista

[SeriousToni]

RPGista, why don't you put the simple peaces you found together to an awesome a-z tutorial and post it in the wiki? You could include things like tiling photos, finding saturation and color balances, delete spots and reflections, lens correction, making diffuse, bump and specular maps, finding interesting places for textures, vary and combine the photos for less repeatings, find cool sites on the internet with free textures to use, choose the right software for your work process, and also the right music to work with, setup the shader files for tdm including material properties, and many other important things.

 

Don't forget the screenshots!

[RPGista]

Was that a joke? Im afraid you lost me...

[Springheel]

then I stopped learning that to create a game-ready model for once (benches), now Im going over character modeling, so lets see if I can get something useful with my limited knowledge...

 

Going from a bench to character modelling is pretty ambitious, but I'm here to help if you need it. I think it took about two years for me to go from my first pot to tackling characters.

[Diego]

I can definitely feel your pain regarding working with the engine. I can model, texture, rig and animate but I can't, for the love of flying spaghetti monster, get anything ingame! The moment I rage quit is usually having to open the ase file in notepad and writing purgatory in seemingly random places for the tenth time, trying to get it to work.

 

About modeling. It takes time but it's a fun learning process Jumping from benches to humans may be ambitious but working on something more exciting can be very very motivating. Just be careful not to overwhelm too quickly, we tend to give up with too much frustration. Are you familiar with the Joan of ark tutorial? it's like "hello world" for modelers! everyone's done it, it teaches the basics of advanced modeling techniques

[SeriousToni]

Was that a joke? Im afraid you lost me...

 

[simplen00b]

I would like to learn so I can make the odd texture now and then.. there has got to be an idiots guide somewhere... :-D

I managed to work out the basics of creating the various image files from the basic textures tutorial and parts of Renzatic's tutorials (the bits that I understood anyway). The hardest part I found was getting the material file to work - I've got a breakdown of what worked for me in a PDF on my minus account if it's any help.

 

Tempted to say that if I can work it out, anyone can, but if that was true, everyone on this forum would be able to do EVERYTHING.

Edited July 24, 2012 by simplen00b

[RPGista]

A big exercise in futility - texturing the olive press has been a ton of work for a piece that only i would probably find a use for, but I guess I needed the training as it posed problems the bench didn't. I probably wont finish it anytime soon. Failed in creating normal maps for the nails, needed bump maps all over, a lot of decal work too is needed, and Im getting some strange smoothing problems in game, so I'll leave it at that for now, and move on to other (possibly game-ready) stuff.

 

A render just to show how far I got.

Edited July 31, 2012 by RPGista

[Bikerdude]

Niiiiiceeee...!

[Springheel]

Looks pretty impressive to me, especially the wood.

[Diego]

I like it! The small details in the textures, like in the intersection between stone and wood, are very important.

[SiyahParsomen]

yum!

[RPGista]

Thanks guys, but as I said there are a bunch of issues with the model, so it will still take a while to finish it. I've focusing a lot on heads and new accessories for the past few weeks, mostly tests, thats why there arent a lot of progress to show here, but hopefully soon.

[RPGista]

This is one of the experiments I was working on regarding head accessories for women. It thought a nun character was necessary, but I dont know when, if ever, I would be able to actually create a complete game-ready model like that... The face is also new, a heavily modified (and simplified) template free model (wanted a rounder face than the current noble woman's one). The hair is missing, and the clothes are still too high poly, but it is just a test anyway. This is quite slow though, and perhaps I shall retreat to simpler works in the near future (architecture pre-fabs), also try to see if its possible to create hats and the like for some of the female heads without needing to modify them at all (just an extra mesh), that should make it easier to put them in the game without the whole re-rigging thing.

 

 

Reference:

 

[Tels]

Very nice, shame you don't plan on bringing it into the game.

[RPGista]

Another attempt at creating a head, this time a "robust" man type (someone athletic, strong). The texturing is a test - there are issues with it, mainly the ears, the eyebrows and parts of the beard. The head, with eyes, teeth and mouth, has around 1000 triangles right now, but Im still in the proccess of optimizing it, and I also need to finish the neck (have to study hey they are done in tdm).

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one without shadows

 

Edited August 10, 2012 by RPGista

[RPGista]

While I work on the head above, I decided to finish one of the WIP models I had going on, a warhammer. Im fascinated by them (in a bad way, they are terrifying), and I guess they could be useful for certain warrior characters. This one is a low poly, meant to be a AI weapon only (or prop), the texture is a placeholder, this would perhaps be close to the "used" type of hammer found more ordinarily, but I'll create a polished steel one, with some decorative work, for an elite/noble class (would it be interesting to see builder warriors with warhammers besides their mjolnir-like ones?). I thought a simpler, game ready model would be a good change from all the frustrating trial and error that is character modeling/tweaking.

 

 

 

The model is 332 tris, the shadow mesh 93 tris, but I'm stuck with the collision model - how should I do it exactly? Is it like the shadow mesh - create an extra layer and texture it with the collision texture? If so, where can I find it? Could I just reuse the same model as the SM, or should I make it even simpler?

Edited August 11, 2012 by RPGista

[Bikerdude]

Very nice looking models RP.

[Springheel]

Beautiful.

 

 

but I'm stuck with the collision model - how should I do it exactly?

 

For things that will be movables, collision models are a bit awkward. Movable cms are restricted to 16 faces (or is it polys? I forget now). They also cannot be concave. So you basically create a simple shape that will fit around the model as closely as possible. Any parts of the model that stick out will clip into the world, but if your cm is too far away from the visible mesh it will float. It's just a matter of getting the best balance you can.

 

You can load up models in DR and turn the collision model filter off to see the green collision layer for some examples. Here's another hammer:

[Bikerdude]

For things that will be movables, collision models are a bit awkward. Movable cms are restricted to 16 faces (or is it polys? I forget now).

When we find out what is can the wiki be updated with the info..

[Springheel]

I'm sure it's already on the wiki, though I remember getting some CMs to work even though they broke the rules.

[Bikerdude]

I'm sure it's already on the wiki, though I remember getting some CMs to work even though they broken the rules.

it must be 16 faces, as I could have sworn a bunch of our moveable models have complex CM brush model..?

[RPGista]

Thanks guys.

 

Springheel - thanks for the tip, I think that trapezium CM will do nicely in this case.