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I just thought of something i may have a month or 2 until Version 1 comes out so I thought that i may start to learn and begin to model. I have a few questions before I begin to do this tho. I think i will try to use blender3d but If that is a bad program plz tell me.

1)If i model characters how do i go about animating them

2)I heard that when making models there is a problem getting them sized right

3) what should i start off modeling

4)How do you make and apply hte textures

1. You would animate in whatever modelling program you use. I believe you would need to bone at least some of them - exactly how this should be done to meet FPSC requirements in some instances I am not sure and would be a matter of trial and error for me. As far as I am aware there are no official published guidlines to provide technical guidance for producing such user made models. An official tutorial in the manual eventually might be useful here.

As far as complex models like NEW charactrer models are concerned - modelling, preparing, boneing, skinning, animating and saving them successfully for use in FPSC is I suspect something of a nightmare, but maybe not. I dont like the look of trying but may do so later on.

Perhaps you might find it useful in the case of characters if you could open a default character (copy) in a moddeller and study its makeup.

In the case of simpler entities or segment entities like doors they do not require bones as far as I can see as I have successfully made new double doors without them and they are just frame or vertex based animated models without bones. They work perfectly.

2. Sizing is not a problem - just import any default entity model (copy) x.file (say a wall) into your modeller and use that as as measure to scale your new models to. If you find that your modeller does not work in the same scale or export/save in the same scale as required by FPSC then you may have to just test a new model out to see how its sized - then you can work out any scaling requirement and adjust in your modeller accordingly. If you do this test on the default door (copy) you will have imported as a scale reference - then once you have the scale correct you can use it always as your measure - again you only need do this once.

3. Start with a simple box model like a crate - then if you want to animate something try doors like I did.

4. Make your textures in any paint programme. Save as BMP if you like and apply to your model. When you have made the model complete with textures - export it/save it. Via conversion if necessary convert to .x file. View in something like 3D exploration. If the texture(s)/skin is present by default then you are OK if your model is not textured then the model has no UV mapping info so you will need to apply it in your modeller before export/saving.

The hard part may be getting multiple textures to export with the model as a one piece skin. If you cant do it then you may be able to take a copy of a default FPSC model skin and amend it for applying to a new model. (Thats if they are roughly the same dimensions not necessarily same scale) i.e. if its a character use a default character entity (copy) as a base template to model your new character at the same overall shape. Thats a bad and difficult way of doing it, but if you are stuck with the skin - it made be a workaround. The best option is to make the effort to find a method of obtaining your one piece skin though.

Once you have your model and texture successfully saved you can then actually convert and replace, even scale the texture to any format that FPSC can use. I use .dds for almost everything that I can except editor icons. You then call/reference your texture in the new entities script file which you will have made - all appropiately needed files having been placed in the necessary FPSC folders.

5. Once you find a method of working with whatever progs you have or can find for free or buy, then you will have learned your method and wont have to do so again.

Thats briefly what I would suggest. I hope that helps a little.
Start small is the best option.

For some packages that are easy to learn, here's what I'd suggest.

Milkshape3D - For creating the meshes.
Lithunwrap - For UV Mapping the meshes.
CharacterFX - For animating the meshes.

Anything that comes out of CharacterFX as a .X model is usually fine for DBPro - with the animation keyframes set to interpolation mode, CFX is actually quite close to WYSIWYG.

These are all cheap - Lith is actually free and the other 2 add upto about £30.

The only single package that I've found can handle all these tasks at a reasonable quality is 3DS Max, and that's an expensive investment that might lead nowhere - I have 3DSMax, and I still use CFX and Lith, I don't even use Max for making meshes, I use Rhino3D.


Van-B

Van,
Sorry to say but Lith is no longer free.
http://www.unwrap3d.com/
$50. Not bad, but still.
By the way how does Milk3D work for doing walls? I haven't attempted using it yet for that.
SoulMan

You can still download Lithunwrap though - it's perfectly legal, the version before the author sold out is still freeware.

Milkshape is great for low poly modelling work like walls, you just position nodes at each corner of the wall, and make polygons using the nodes - I'm not sure how the polyline support is, I'd usually use a closed polyline and extrude it in Rhino, to be honest I haven't bothered with Milkshape much except the basics.


Van-B

thanks one last question say I make a simple barrel how do you make texture for that i know I make a bitmap but it is a shape and how does it wrap right......I cant really explain it but that confuses me

THx

glyvin101

If its like a metal barrel or probably wooden too, you would need to make a different texture for the top of the barrel as well as a texture to wrap around the sides. Thats if you want it to look correct and have the top look as if its got a rim say. The top/bottom texture would have to have an obvious circular area to make it appear so.

The easiest way to apply the textures if you are making your NEW model and textures from scratch I find (as its not easy for someone whos not done it before and a barrels quite difficult)is to apply the main body texture to the whole of your model (which would be a cylinder with top and bottom) first. Then you need to get preferably into a polygon selection mode in your editor, select a polygon on the top of the barrel and apply your top texture to it, repeat for each polygon on the top and bottom of your model. Now you have a different texture on the top and bottom.

You may have to adjust your textures and possibly apply UV mapping to get them to look correct and in the right place, particularly in the case of the top/bottom - you will need cylindical mapping on the sides and prossibly linear or face/polygon mapping on the top. Some modelling progs do not apply UV mapping by default you have to choose to do so. Depending of which prog you are using you then just need save your model and find your method of saving/exporting or converting it to an .x file with the UV mapping intact.

Sounds hard but its not really - it just a matter of whether or not the progs you use can do what you want or not. If they cant then find one that can. Tools that make things easier than others are a godsend as they will stop you pulling your hair out and giving up which there is no need to do.

Just like game engines really

In Lithunwrap, you could UV map a barrel onto a single texture in seconds. Like, you'd get your barrel mesh into lith, select everything, then select the cylinder mapping tool - which will roll out the barrel as if you'd cut it down the side and laid it flat, and it'l also make two lids for it if you select the closed ends option. After shifting the stuff around the texture till your happy, you then save the model and save the UV map as a bitmap. In your art package you can load the UV map and use it as a lighten layer over your texture as a guide.

Objects that follow simple geometric rules like boxes and cylinder based objects are nice and easy to UV map, IMO the real tough work comes with character texturing.


Van-B