universal advertising (Part II)
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fhko
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No...
The texture is actually more or less done...I'm exhausted now...4 or 5 straight hours of messing with this thing...
as I was saying...the missiles are inside out...
If your interested
Ship Model
Ship Texture
The texture is actually more or less done...I'm exhausted now...4 or 5 straight hours of messing with this thing...
as I was saying...the missiles are inside out...
If your interested
Ship Model
Ship Texture
It's still a transforms problem. Assuming this is all one mesh... first, collapse the mesh in Gmax.
Add an "edit mesh" modifier. Choose the "element" subobject level. Select the missiles, and click "detach".
You should now have two meshes - the missiles, and the rest of the ship. If you can't select the whole missile using the element subobject level, you don't have all the missile vertices welded. Either weld them properly and do it again, or select the missile using faces and do it that way.
Do a reset transforms on the missiles, and collapse that mesh again. If they're showing inside out in Gmax you'll need to flip the normals, then reset transforms and collapse again, as in my previous post. What you're aiming for is two meshes with faces in the correct orientation in Gmax, all the transforms reset, and all collapsed and ready to go.
Finally, select the main mesh, and attach the missiles to it.
As for the texture lines: I assume you're using Paint Shop Pro? Sounds to me like one of two things: either you're painting with a brush that doesn't have enough opacity to completely cover the template lines; or, you're using the magic wand tool to select bits of the template to paint on. Sometimes it gets it wrong... difficult to explain but usually fixable if you just move whatever you're trying to paint to a new layer and do it there.
By the way, it's often necessary in texturing to paint beyond the boundaries of the template. Two reasons why: first, there's often more resolution on the UV map than there is on the texture itself (eg, you edit the UVs in 1600x1200 but the template ends up 512x512). So you can end up having UV coordinates that don't map directly to pixel positions on the template (they're half way between two pixels, or something). So the output template is a kludge that's just a best guess. You can fix this by snapping UVs to pixels in Gmax, but sometimes that's not an option and you just have to leave enough space around each bit of the template to paint an overlap (diagonal lines, for example, will usually pass through non-definite pixel coordinates, if that makes sense).
Second reason, if you're using jpgs.. the compression can mess up the boundaries too. Again, best answer... build a little leeway into the template so you can paint over the lines.
f
Add an "edit mesh" modifier. Choose the "element" subobject level. Select the missiles, and click "detach".
You should now have two meshes - the missiles, and the rest of the ship. If you can't select the whole missile using the element subobject level, you don't have all the missile vertices welded. Either weld them properly and do it again, or select the missile using faces and do it that way.
Do a reset transforms on the missiles, and collapse that mesh again. If they're showing inside out in Gmax you'll need to flip the normals, then reset transforms and collapse again, as in my previous post. What you're aiming for is two meshes with faces in the correct orientation in Gmax, all the transforms reset, and all collapsed and ready to go.
Finally, select the main mesh, and attach the missiles to it.
As for the texture lines: I assume you're using Paint Shop Pro? Sounds to me like one of two things: either you're painting with a brush that doesn't have enough opacity to completely cover the template lines; or, you're using the magic wand tool to select bits of the template to paint on. Sometimes it gets it wrong... difficult to explain but usually fixable if you just move whatever you're trying to paint to a new layer and do it there.
By the way, it's often necessary in texturing to paint beyond the boundaries of the template. Two reasons why: first, there's often more resolution on the UV map than there is on the texture itself (eg, you edit the UVs in 1600x1200 but the template ends up 512x512). So you can end up having UV coordinates that don't map directly to pixel positions on the template (they're half way between two pixels, or something). So the output template is a kludge that's just a best guess. You can fix this by snapping UVs to pixels in Gmax, but sometimes that's not an option and you just have to leave enough space around each bit of the template to paint an overlap (diagonal lines, for example, will usually pass through non-definite pixel coordinates, if that makes sense).
Second reason, if you're using jpgs.. the compression can mess up the boundaries too. Again, best answer... build a little leeway into the template so you can paint over the lines.
f
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fhko
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- Location: As I awake I find myself in a strange new place.
and what if the Missiles are objects separate from the ship body? 
Seemed like a waste of time to try and combine the little fins to the missile, and the missile to the mount, and mount to the ship...when it's too small to tell the difference...and it's easier to UV map them when they're separate...
The rest of the ship however is one piece...all except for the guns and thruster (which are connected) I formed from a single box modified several times...
Seemed like a waste of time to try and combine the little fins to the missile, and the missile to the mount, and mount to the ship...when it's too small to tell the difference...and it's easier to UV map them when they're separate...
The rest of the ship however is one piece...all except for the guns and thruster (which are connected) I formed from a single box modified several times...
Makes no difference, just skip all the stuff about detaching them from the main mesh. Just keep reminding yourself, no model (or part of a model) is finished until you've collapsed the stack, reset transforms, collapsed again and everything looks ok :)
f
/edit: oh, and i'm not sure I'd agree about it being easier to map them when they're separate... how do you make sure you're aligning them properly on the map, and using all the available space? I tend to map separate bits of model like that as I go along, fine: but there comes a time when I'll combine them into one mesh so I can optimise the mapping.
You can still map chunks of model individually in Gmax. Apply an edit mesh modifier (or edit poly, makes no odds) and use the subobject selection to choose a face or an element (say, one of your missiles): then with that still selected, apply your unwrap UV modifier or UVmap modifier and it'll only affect that subobject selection.
f
/edit: oh, and i'm not sure I'd agree about it being easier to map them when they're separate... how do you make sure you're aligning them properly on the map, and using all the available space? I tend to map separate bits of model like that as I go along, fine: but there comes a time when I'll combine them into one mesh so I can optimise the mapping.
You can still map chunks of model individually in Gmax. Apply an edit mesh modifier (or edit poly, makes no odds) and use the subobject selection to choose a face or an element (say, one of your missiles): then with that still selected, apply your unwrap UV modifier or UVmap modifier and it'll only affect that subobject selection.
Heh. Quick explanation:
"Collapsing" usually means one of two things. In terms of actual mesh editing, you'll notice a little "collapse" button appear whenever you have vertices, edges or faces selected in an Edit Mesh modifier (or Edit Poly come to that). As you might imagine, if you click the button Gmax will collapse your selection into a single vertex/edge/face, if it can.
The thing I'm talking about is collapsing the stack. The stack is the list of modifiers you add to actually make the model (such as Edit Mesh, UVWMap, Bend, Twist, whatever). When you collapse the stack, it's like flattening a multi-layered image in a paint program, or creating a final mix in a sound program: Gmax will produce a single mesh by calculating the effect of each modifier in turn, starting at the bottom of the stack and ending at the top. Once you've done that there's no going back into the stack to change stuff, obviously (though I doubt you'll need to unless you're doing something funky and advanced). To collapse the stack, first save a copy just in case. Then right click the top-most modifier on the stack, and choose "collapse to" (or you could right click anywhere in the stack and choose "collapse all").
To reset transforms, first do the collapsing thing above. You don't have to but if you're at that final mesh stage it makes sense to, I find. Click the Utilities tab (the one with the hammer, above/to the right of the stack). Click "Reset Xform" then "Reset Selected". Go back to the stack, and you'll see a new Xform modifier applied to your model... yes, Reset Xform is just another modifier and you can also find it in the normal modifier list. Anyway, if it all looks good, you can then collapse the stack again and you're done.
f
"Collapsing" usually means one of two things. In terms of actual mesh editing, you'll notice a little "collapse" button appear whenever you have vertices, edges or faces selected in an Edit Mesh modifier (or Edit Poly come to that). As you might imagine, if you click the button Gmax will collapse your selection into a single vertex/edge/face, if it can.
The thing I'm talking about is collapsing the stack. The stack is the list of modifiers you add to actually make the model (such as Edit Mesh, UVWMap, Bend, Twist, whatever). When you collapse the stack, it's like flattening a multi-layered image in a paint program, or creating a final mix in a sound program: Gmax will produce a single mesh by calculating the effect of each modifier in turn, starting at the bottom of the stack and ending at the top. Once you've done that there's no going back into the stack to change stuff, obviously (though I doubt you'll need to unless you're doing something funky and advanced). To collapse the stack, first save a copy just in case. Then right click the top-most modifier on the stack, and choose "collapse to" (or you could right click anywhere in the stack and choose "collapse all").
To reset transforms, first do the collapsing thing above. You don't have to but if you're at that final mesh stage it makes sense to, I find. Click the Utilities tab (the one with the hammer, above/to the right of the stack). Click "Reset Xform" then "Reset Selected". Go back to the stack, and you'll see a new Xform modifier applied to your model... yes, Reset Xform is just another modifier and you can also find it in the normal modifier list. Anyway, if it all looks good, you can then collapse the stack again and you're done.
f
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fhko
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okay...now my model looks inside-out (except for missiles) even in gmax now...how has this helped?
Edit: Nvm...I found the flip normals command...
Edit2: hmmm...the ship's UV map is messed up now...bummer...
Edit3: haha...I out-flipped this crummy little system...the UV is messed up on the missiles now ...but at least they are right side out...woohoo!
The model the above link goes to should be correct now...
Jaye did you want a .3ds version to texture for yourself?
Edit: Nvm...I found the flip normals command...
Edit2: hmmm...the ship's UV map is messed up now...bummer...
Edit3: haha...I out-flipped this crummy little system...the UV is messed up on the missiles now ...but at least they are right side out...woohoo!
The model the above link goes to should be correct now...
Jaye did you want a .3ds version to texture for yourself?
A texture is never really finished.fhko wrote:A visit to ariya has just reminded me that I forgot to publish the finished lumber mill texture Jaye made.
I already pulled it from the .atmfhko wrote:Jaye did you want a .3ds version to texture for yourself?
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Gavinbaisk
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- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:20 pm
Sorry to break the convo here but I've restarted my google ads for the game, more cash is now going towards advertising too, so there should be more players in game hopefully. I know you staff would like to wait until everythings sorted but you'll have hardly any beta testers left if we dont do at least some advertising 
Hehehe :)
Actually I find that asteroids are a challenge to do well (see TU's for how not to do it...). It's very hard to map and texture them so they look reasonably seamless close-up. Generally they're just lumps in the distance, but I'm a perfectionist I guess. They're probably an ideal candidate for procedural modelling/texturing.
f
Actually I find that asteroids are a challenge to do well (see TU's for how not to do it...). It's very hard to map and texture them so they look reasonably seamless close-up. Generally they're just lumps in the distance, but I'm a perfectionist I guess. They're probably an ideal candidate for procedural modelling/texturing.
f
