Universal Forum Archive

Oh man. *drools*
That looks so tempting (I'm not being sarcastic). If only it wouldn't take so darn long...

Do you have a top-down picture to complete the set. I may try to use the "professional" method of modeling and it would really help to know what the top looks like (and maybe even the bottom-up if that is at all possible).

i had started on a shelby a while back.

didn't get too far on it though:

http://www.a-i-f.net/derek/images/template.gif

big high res of top front back side

blueprints good. That one just seems broken, though..

ther we go.. had to reupload it

If I feel really motivated, I might actually try to make it sometime in the next few weeks. Big maybe.

Obviously I never felt motivated enough to try for the mustang. Maybe I'll come back to it in a few decades. What's the rush, right?

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In the mean time I hope you can settle for this nice little ship of the line I made.



Now before I release her from dry dock, does anyone have a suggestion on what to call her? (I will incorporate the name into the texture)

My thoughts: USS Sea Spanker, The Red Medallion or The Black Bandit.

I'll give you a day or so to throw in your thoughts.

The Pajama Sail :]

Seriously though, nice model. You animating the sails?
f

The sails are unanimated currently. Since the model is already 101kb in size and I'm planning to release the texture as a 1024x1024, I didn't think it a good use of bandwidth to increase the file size of it anymore.

Do you think I show use a different color for the sail stripes? Red or Brown/Tan maybe?

edit: There is a slight problem with the model in its current form. The front railing and bow of the outer hull just oh-so-slightly overlap. This ordinarily wouldn't be a problem because only the dominant side of the face is visible, except that I'm using double sided rendering to pull off the sails and thus you can see the overlap. Fortunately, the two pieces are textured essentially the same way so the difference in the two isn't that apparent. It kind of just looks like the ship has headlights in the right lighting.

I can fix it, but it would alter the geometry of the ship to the point where it wouldn't be smooth on the inside railing and/or outer hull. Alas, I am doom to make only nearly perfect models.
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Some more pictures to help inspire those names. (and to showcase a few days worth of work)


The 40 guns really eat up the poly count.


The crew has to get below deck somehow...


It takes a lot of work to get the paint to match up like this. And btw. I'm planning to put her name on the rear here where everyone will see it as they take her out for a spin.

fhko wrote:The sails are unanimated currently. Since the model is already 101kb in size and I'm planning to release the texture as a 1024x1024, I didn't think it a good use of bandwidth to increase the file size of it anymore.

Well, attention to filesize is always admirable, but 101kb isn't so bad really. Animated sails - simple ones at least - can be done quite easily. Model the sails "flat". Model them with a slight billow. Set the blend time to something like half a second, and use the anim for walk/run. Not hugely costly in terms of file size and it looks a bit like the sails are billowing when you move.

fhko wrote:Do you think I show use a different color for the sail stripes? Red or Brown/Tan maybe?

I'm far from being an expert, but with this style of boat I'd have expected plain canvas sails, maybe with a single logo on a few of them (like the classic spanish galleon); for an older, classic age style boat, then maybe stripes and such. But whatever, I was mostly just being silly.

fhko wrote: The 40 guns really eat up the poly count.

I can imagine. Short of hiding them below decks not a lot else you can do (LoDs always good, of course).

fhko wrote:The crew has to get below deck somehow...

Should really be painted on, but hey, it's only another 10 polys innit. May as well model it for good measure :)

fhko wrote:It takes a lot of work to get the paint to match up like this.

Don't quite know which bit you're referring to (which prolly means you did a good job). As above, attention to detail - seams and such - is admirable :]

f

thats truly an incredible model.

Man, you guys are terrible with this naming business. I was sort of serious in my request for suggestions. A model this good needs to be properly titled.

Fooli wrote:The Pajama Sail :]

Seriously though, nice model. You animating the sails?
f

LOL!!



Excellent work Fhko, truely a beautiful model, and that's some fine texturing too. I think I'm gonna contact jmoyet to send me the 17th century world (I can host).

Man, you guys are terrible with this naming business. I was sort of serious in my request for suggestions. A model this good needs to be properly titled.

Give me a few hours, and I'll get creative.

Hali'

Could anybody tell me how to properly texture a model?

It's moderately complicated actually. I'll throw in some pictures to make it easier.

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Step 1: Make a model....



Ta-Da! (I'm assuming you know how to do this)

Step 2: Apply initial UVmapping...



Any decent modeling program will give you the ability to apply some simple UVmapping modifiers to your model (Gmax's Uvmapping shown in picture). UVmapping will allow the computer to know how to manipulate a 2D image to make it fit on this 3D object.



In the case of this cylindrical type mapping, the rendering software will know to sort of wrap the texture continuously around the cylinder horizontally. And also to apply the texture flat against the caps (aka top and bottom) of the cylinder.

For more complex shapes, you will need to probably cut the model into more simple shapes, UVmap those pieces and then re-attach everything using a welding tool (Now we're cooking with gas! ). This takes some practice to get good at and it's more of an art form than a science.

Step 3: Organize your UVmapping...

Doing all this will probably leave you with a jumbled mess of overlapping UVmappings. This isn't good if you want the different parts of your model to look different (normally you will).



You'll have to move, scale and rotate the different parts, faces and sometimes individual vertices so that everything is given its own unique location and the amount of area it will take up on the texture will be roughly proportional to the amount of detail you want to provide it with.

Eventually it turns into something like this...(Notice how close I pack everything together, this is the best way to take full advantage of the total pixel count of your final texture.)



This is probably one of the most tedious tasks in modeling, but is absolutely necessary unless you have a top-of-the-line, $5000 piece of modeling software (I'm guessing you don't). It will take a few hours to get it the way you want it, but it's worth it in the end.

Step 4: Texturing

Texturing is a fancy term that means turning this...



into this...



using whatever art software and images you can scrounge up.

For this I use pixia (freeware) and try to find as many related images as I can. I then cut, paste and modify them into a usable form then go in with a paint brush/bluring tool and touch up what needs improving.



Once you done that for every single piece of your UVmap, your all done. Except for the nice PR screeny of course...

Thanks, I have 3d studio max, it maybe capable to do something like this, and it can import AutoCAD files.

It's easy and fast with the UVmapper too, you can get something like this ( I textured it ) ( showing off ) :






Source:
http://www.bgblackguardheadquarters.freeforums.org/

Nice treasure chest...very detailed texture.


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*sigh* unless someone actually gives me a name in the next few hours, the ship will be named TUS (The Universal Ship) Sea Spanker. After the ship from an old Simpsons episode.

Then my actual vote is for, er... oh yeh. The Red Peril :]
f

Royal Maiden.

Precious Blow.

Ark Raven.

Royal Thundercannon.

Pirate's Cradle.

Bonaventure

Picaroon Lass. (pirate term)

Jack Ketch. (same as above)