A-Z of Modeling a new Lightsaber

[Qui-Don Jorn]

You're using custom blade textures? The blade TXI usually has the info on two separate lines:

 

blending additive

decal 1

 

Not sure if that is significant or not, but I suspect it is.

 

No, im *not* using custom blade textures..i was using Oldflashes hilt replacement mod but i took it out. so now its all me.

so yes i have it as..

blending additive

decal 1

 

which is saved (in the case of Visas) w_lsabreyelo01.txi

oh wait...if im not going to use custom blade textures, why would i even need this file? it should just be the default games blade. right? its a game resource isnt it?

[DarthParametric]

Yes, that's why I asked if you were using custom textures. The default blade colours don't need a TXI.

 

Are you linking all 4 blade planes to the hilt? You mentioned something about only 2 in an earlier post. Remember that two of them will appear as just helper/dummy objects.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Yes, that's why I asked if you were using custom textures. The default blade colours don't need a TXI.

 

Are you linking all 4 blade planes to the hilt? You mentioned something about only 2 in an earlier post. Remember that two of them will appear as just helper/dummy objects.

 

Yes, I am.

then linking the hilt to the aurora base....even though i do this, 2 of them appear to be missing in game. in mdlops, while im replacing, the first and fourth are there as dummies, and 2nd and 3rd are there as trimesh..

 

just thought of something,..

If im building my hilt in gmax with a couple of ngons, then attaching them all together, would that affect things? Like, sometimes I make a hilt with a couple of seperate ngons, and say a cone. then when im all done, use "attach list" select all of them and attach. so they all become one object.

oh yeah you dont use gmax..nevermind. Anyone?

[DarthParametric]

You don't link them to the AuroraBase, you link them to the hilt. Your hierarchy should look like this:

 

[Qui-Don Jorn]

You don't link them to the AuroraBase, you link them to the hilt. Your hierarchy should look like this:

 

 

Oh oops sorry, thats what i meant..*not* the aurora base, i meant the dummy. thats how im doing it exactly. linking my hilt to the dummy, after ive linked all my planes to my hilt.

im getting tired, been up all night..dont ask.

 

would NOT mapping and unwrapping have anything to do with this?

because i should say that i havent done a proper map/texture yet. im just trying to concentrate on getting the saber and blades working in game first, then i was going to go back and do the map and texture. just been assigning chrome1.ga to it and leaving it as is...i dunno.

[Quanon]

You don't use the replacer function of MDLops?

Cause whenever I make a hilt I never have to touch the blades.

And only the hilt it self gets replaced with my own model.

[DarthParametric]

Ah yes, it has been so long since I've played with that stuff I'd forgotten about that. I would say that would be the problem. Just replace the hilt. The only time to replace the blades is when you physically alter the blade planes, which in my limited experience with such things never went smoothly.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Huh? but you still have to link the blade planes to your hilt right?

 

I had thought that it was because I wasnt building my hilt properly. I was creating 3 or 4 ngons and stacking them on top of other until i got my shape, then attaching them all together so they all become one. so I remade a hilt that was just all 1 Ngon, but after all that...that wasnt it either..still had a flat blade in the game.

 

so ok, all i have to do is the mdlops replacer and not worry about doing all that in gmax??

unlinking, relinking, resetxform, etc etc?

im so confused.

 

edit: nevermind i have to do that in gmax cause otherwise i wont have a acsii mdl to replace the game hilt

i think i get it now...good thing i didnt delete my entire mod yet...cause i almost did.

[DarthParametric]

No, no, you still have to link them all as previously discussed. It's just when processing the model in MDLOps you only need to replace the hilt.

[Quanon]

so ok, all i have to do is the mdlops replacer and not worry about doing all that in gmax??

unlinking, relinking, resetxform, etc etc?

im so confused.

 

Ok; I'll try to summarize in a few steps how I do things:

 

1) Make the model: out of 1 Ngon or more doesn't matter. Just make'em ONE object; using ATTACH.

 

2) UVWmap your model, or just apply a simple UVWmap set to cylinder: no super important at the moment.

 

3) Import a standard game-hilt.

 

4) Select the game-hilt: hit the unlink button.

 

5) Position your hilt as the game-hilt. When it's in place=> Go to Pivotpoints. Then align YOUR hilt to the game-hilt. The pivotpoint says where your character grabs the hilt. Well it make's sure the hilt is in the right place.

 

6) Deactivate the Pivotpoint thing: ResetXform your hilt.

 

7) Now link your hilt to the dummy.

 

8) Go to the aurorabase and export.

 

9) Start up MDlops 0.5

 

10) Click on Replacer button, somewhere bottom right.

 

11) New window comes up, you have to load in the standard game-hilt. The BINARY file.

 

12) Then load in your NEW exported ASCII file.

 

13) Click ReadModels.

 

14) Another window comes up. Pick lshandle01( or another number).

THen click Set Replace Target.

 

15) Yet another window. Pick your HILT model. Should be something like Ngon01, Cylinder01 or any name you gave that object in Gmax.

Click select Target.

 

16) Next click DO IT.

 

17) Voila; your new saber is being converted to the BINARY files the game uses. Rename as you like, to make them really custom or just leave the name if you want to replace the game model everywhere in the game.

 

You don't have to touch the dummy or the blades(planes), infact leave them.

As long you don't hit the UNlink button when you selected them by accident. And even then, it shouldn't matter much, as you do the real replacing via MDLops, not in Gmax.

Gmax only gets used to make new 3D; nothing much more.

 

Not sure if I wrote a tutorial on it... have to lool that up.

 

EDIT: Here's a link to a tutorial I wrote myself, a looooooong time ago; just ignore the bit about the UVWmapp'n. That isn't just right. The rest should work.

CLICK ME

 

Yeah, blatant posting my tutorial in another tutorial thread. I'm shamelesssss

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Thankyou very much. Im trying it again in a little while. wish me luck

FYI it really sucks not having internet my house.

thats everything i was doing except i was unlinking the planes from the game hilt and relinking them to my hilt.

Thanks again both of you.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

....nope.

it's just not gonna work. i did everything as it should be done, and got the same thing.

Oh well, i tried.

i am defeated, i give. this mod is *done*. it'll just use the game's hilts. whatever.

ill get over it eventually..

 

 

Edit:

Hold up, hold up, ow Im convinced that im not exporting the game saber from Kotor tool correctly...So here is what I'd been doing,

1) KT- double click on w_lghtsbr_XXX.mdl > brings up export menu.

export to kotor tool/working/exported models folder, then...

2) open mdlops. select ascii mdl file > click read and write > this makes binary .mdl and .mdx files...

is this right so far? i dont need to export the .mdx file out of KT? (since mdlops makes one from the .mdl)

 

sorry i just got a little confused cause i read the quick tut that comes with mdlops..

[itachisen]

hey guys, anyone has this tutorial y tried to downloaded but it gives an error.

thanks.