Models Made By Tels

[Tels]

Now that we have the ability to export ASE from DarkRadiant, even idiots like me can try their hand at modeling

 

Inspired by Sotha's Glenham Tower mission, which had a "flat" wooden crate somewhere, here is a crate for shipping wine:

 

 

Roughly modeled on this:

 

http://www.kloster-pforta.de/shop/76-190-product_zoom/6er-holzkiste.jpg

 

or this:

 

http://www.einfach-gut-kaufen.de/-Geschenkverpackung-und-Weinverpackung-Weinkisten-Holzkisten-Holzschatullen/a-260/?ReferrerID=3

 

(My version still misses a few details)

 

It is not in SVN; because I still have some troubles with the ASE exporter. For instance, exporting the lid (3 brushes) ends up with 2 MATERIAL references, and the first one is invalid (empty). I could fix it manually, but I wonder if this is a bug in the script?

 

Also, the whole box, plus the body need some caulked faces and I think the exporter cannot yet handle more than one material per brush?

[Baddcog]

Looks good.

 

It would be great if the exporter could just cull any faces that had caulk on them. I think that's the main issue with exporting models is you'll get extra faces that don't need to be there.

[Sotha]

Wow! If the issues are fixed that means that there will be lots of simple, but much needed, models to be created. But we could still have 'em as prefabs already. What's the use in the model?

Well, okay, it is easier to find in DR.

 

Are the collision models okay with DR created models?

[Springheel]

Something looks decidedly wrong in that shot...why is the crate under the candle totally dark?

 

It is not in SVN; because I still have some troubles with the ASE exporter.

 

Don't take this the wrong way--it's great that we can now model in DR and all--but let's not start uploading everyone's first model where they successfully put some rectangular brushes together. The models on SVN should generally be something that would take a mapper longer than two or three minutes to make themselves (there's a reason why we don't have twenty five different crate models).

[Tels]

Something looks decidedly wrong in that shot...why is the crate under the candle totally dark?

 

Good question, I think this is also an DR->ASE model, but I am not sure atm.

 

(Edit: Before that comes up, I was toying around with creating a low-poly version for LOD for a moveable, the crate was just the easiest to pick and had a chance that I actually finish the model. In real life, it showed me that the LOD code can't even handle moveables, so I coded about 6h today to make it work - the model never got used. Just saying :-)

 

Don't take this the wrong way--it's great that we can now model in DR and all--but let's not start uploading everyone's first model where they successfully put some rectangular brushes together. The models on SVN should generally be something that would take a mapper longer than two or three minutes to make themselves (there's a reason why we don't have twenty five different crate models).

 

Yeah, true, but while I agree tho that the current version looks quite simple, this:

 

* it took me way longer than 5 minutes (I don't know about you, but most mappers are not that experienced modelers like you are), esp. getting the dimensions right, plus the typical "look of a wine-crate" - ask my girlfriend how long we discussed which piece of wood goes where and why

* if you create that from brushes and convert to func_static, you end up with a lot of extra faces, which all need caulking. That is not something I want to redo everytime.

 

So, if the verdict that the model takes a long time to make and is sufficiently of interest to have as prefab, why not convert it to a real ASE model, anyway?

 

Also, if the team decides, no we don't want to have this on SVN, no problem with me, I just start my own model repository (although I would hate to do that on top of all the other work I have).

 

And then there is the point where I wanted to make low-poly versions for LOD purposes, but if even my first model gets dismissed before it is even finished, I wonder why I should bother with this. <sarcasm>We seem to have so many talented modellers just pouring out models, that surely I can do something else </sarcasm>

 

Edit: This is a learning experience. See above.

[Tels]

Wow! If the issues are fixed that means that there will be lots of simple, but much needed, models to be created. But we could still have 'em as prefabs already. What's the use in the model?

Well, okay, it is easier to find in DR.

 

You can rotate models easier. OTOH you cannot resize them as easily. It depends, I am unsure when we want something as model and when something as prefab.

 

Are the collision models okay with DR created models?

 

Since I still have troubles even exporting ASE (it sometimes works, sometimes only with manual fixing, sometimes not at all) I haven't tried making a collision model yet. (Technically, you should be able to make a collision from tdm_collision faces, export it as extra .ase and then use it with "clipmodel" "wine_crate_cm.ase" but I haven't tried that yet).

[SneaksieDave]

Disclaimer: my comment has nothing to do with the model in question Just a general statement.

 

I actually agree with the "what's the point in a model?" sentiment. Prefabs are awesomeness in and of themselves. They don't need to be converted to models to be useful. In fact I'd argue as models they are much less useful. Brush prefabs are already solid (no extra cm, though you can make one if you wish), textured properly, can be re-textured easily (beyond skins -- complete texture remapping), can be resized, broken apart or combined, deformed, etc...............

 

I'm for making things that must be models into models, and everything else leave as brushes.

[Arcturus]

Proportions and texturing look good. I like it. No lock though.

[Baddcog]

Yeah, I'm with Sneaksie on that point.

 

Prefabs in and of themselves are quite useful.

 

I think one issue with models from DR is they will never be as complex as a model program can do. All of our models has shadow meshes, so if we just start making a bunch of editor models without shadow meshes/proper collision... (and extra faces due to no culling caulk) then they'd probably be best as a prefab (caulked at least).

 

I think the ase exporter is probably most useful for turning ground patches into a blendable model. (but that's more mission by mission basis, and why the exporter is sooo nice that everyone can use it pretty easily)

And of course being able to make a quick blocked out model for modelling scale in 3d.

------

The worst part about prefabs is just having models in models and/or prefabs... might miss that perfect object sometime.

[Sotha]

On ASE exported and DR:

• DR can be used to make (in good detail) virtually any object that is bigger than a table.
• Smaller objects cannot be made with DR since they look blocky due to minimal brush size.

Now here is the thought:

if the ASE exporter worked flawlessly, a mapper who cannot model like me, could easily create a HUGE accurate good looking teacup in DR. A detailed teacup of the size of a house. Then export the huge teacup to ASE, open it in blender and rescale (I do know how to rescale models in Blender) it into an ordinary sized teacup. Basically this means mappers could create detailed custom simple small objects themselves, without learning the arcane secrets of true modeling! It would be really nice since custom mission target loot would be cool: "Steal Lord Worthforths golden knickers."

 

On collision models:

At present if I create a multibrush moveable, it won't work at all since the game cannot generate a collision model for it. It seems that CM's are generated only for simple brushes. The only way I know for making a working multibrush moveable is to have each separate moveable brush bound together. But that is tedious. It's probably useful if I could make the brush into a model+collisionmodel and put it in the game.

 

Disclaimer: I don't know much about modeling, so please forgive me if these sound totally daft ideas.

[Fidcal]

There's some confusion there about complex brush moveables. You make your complex brushes/patches into a single func_static like the stepladder. Then you make a simple moveable brush shape to wrap around it and give it collision texture, eg, tall 'pyramid' for the stepladder. You make that cm shape the moveable and just bind the single func_static complex shape to it.There are only two parts to it.

[Tels]

Unearthing this thread, just to keep the stuff all in one place:

 

Keys modeled by me:

 

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/12863-translating-the-tdm-gui/page__view__findpost__p__264060