A-Z of Modeling a new Lightsaber

[DarthParametric]

Ah. Thanks svösh. It's still not quite right, but I see I'm on the right track.

 

 

EDIT: Hrmm...had some crashes with the initial game testing but possibly I accidentally used a K1 hilt - oops. Anyway, played around with it some more but even when detaching more polys the UV map is still screwed up. Doesn't seem to really affect it noticeably in-game though, probably because of how low res it is. Here are some in-game screen shots. This should make Ferc Kast happy (seeing as I modelled it for him).

 

[svösh]

No problem DarthParametric. Just split up your pre game version so you don't have any stitching on your UV at all. Not on your decompiled ascii, we just re import the new ascii to check for stitching if something looks off in game. If there is I jsut take note of what's stitching then open my pre game hilt scene and detach that part of the model then export > compile > test

 

Also you could collapse your stack to " bake your uv map on " just select your modifier stack right click > chose collapse to.. editable mesh. Then any more modeling you do will already have the old mapping layed out.

 

BTW that armour in your pic above is gimmped , the dev's made it so your bottom hand never reaches your hilt on any sex more quality control from OE

 

svösh

[DarthParametric]

Just split up your pre game version so you don't have any stitching on your UV at all.

That's what I did. I tried in again in an even more extreme manner with another hilt - just about detached every damn row of polys. Even then there's still some screwiness going on in the UV map. And between groups of polys that I know were detached from one another.

 

more quality control from OE

While we all enjoy putting the boot into Obsidian, in this instance I'm not sure how much blame can fairly be apportioned to them. I was just testing a hilt in K1 and you get the same dodgy hand helpers with the Jedi robes (and it's even worse when nekkid). Seems like it's a legacy of Bioware's sloppy work moreso than something Obsidian did completely on their own.

[exile025]

Firstly i want to say thanks for this tutorial. But i have a big problem , when i try to download the NWmax plugin i get a message from firefox this site can't be found ? Please i need help finding this program. Please reply as soon as possible.

[DarthParametric]

Your first port of call should be a forum search and then a Google search. Both would have turned up the following:

 

NWMax for GMax v0.7 - http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/twl-jame/nwmax/

 

NWMax for Max/GMax v0.8 - http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Other.Detail&id=626

[thane51]

hello,

I am a fan of star wars and especially lightsaber. I find the lightsaber from kotor not really beautiful and I want create a new lightsaber. I finished the model but I don't know how I can do the second part. Some one can help me ? (I am French but I can "read" English and I am a "noob" in modding)

 

thanks for your answer and sorry for my English.

[TriggerGod]

hello,

I am a fan of star wars and especially lightsaber. I findthe lightsaber from kotor not really beautiful and I want create a new lightsaber. I finished the model but I don't know how I can do the second part. Some one can help me ? (I am French but I can "read" English and I am a "noob" in modding)

 

thanks for your answer and sorry for my English.

 

Which part specifically are you having troubles with?

[thane51]

this part "Part 2: UVWmapping". How I can do that ? "Now apply the Unwrap uvw and click it once so that its highlighted blue, this will allow you select and isolate the polys"

[TriggerGod]

this part "Part 2: UVWmapping". How I can do that ? "Now apply the Unwrap uvw and click it once so that its highlighted blue, this will allow you select and isolate the polys"

 

Oh, ok, thats more helpful. Heres what you do:

 

Apply the Unwrap UVW modifier (its in the same area as the UVW Map modifier)

 

There should be a plus button next to the modifier after you apply it. Click it, and then click on the option that appeared beneath it

 

Select the polys you want for each part.

[thane51]

ok thanks. If I need more help I call you

[Dak Drexl]

First off, this is a great tutorial so far. Im having a little problem though. I've made about half the model, but I deleted the top poly of the N-Gon by accident so I can't really build up anymore. Also I can't undo it, so how can I get that top poly back? Thanks!

[TriggerGod]

First off, this is a great tutorial so far. Im having a little problem though. I've made about half the model, but I deleted the top poly of the N-Gon by accident so I can't really build up anymore. Also I can't undo it, so how can I get that top poly back? Thanks!

 

I'm not sure if GMax has this feature, but there might be a button somewhere in the side bar called 'create', and you can remake the top poly by clicking all the top vertexes.

 

Of course, I don't really use that button much, so I might not have the name right.

[Dak Drexl]

I'm not sure if GMax has this feature, but there might be a button somewhere in the side bar called 'create', and you can remake the top poly by clicking all the top vertexes.

 

Of course, I don't really use that button much, so I might not have the name right.

 

Thanks man, I actually figured it out but yeah that's how it's done. I have another question though. If this is unclear i understand but here goes:

 

Ok, so I have a new extrude and say I want to make all the side polys go outwards, but I want them to all stay together. So, I select them all and choose extrude: 1cm. They ALL go to the left instead of all going straight outwards. How can I make them each go straight outwards while still retaining the same 8-sided shape?

 

EDIT: I figured it out once again. Sorry for needlessly bumping this thread.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Hey hey.

I must first apologize for once again bumping this thread up, but as I just started on modeling sabers...

 

Of the many problems im having, this one first.

Ok, I can export my new saber model all fine, but what is happening is even with the .txi file, the blade is just two planes, so if you rotate the camera in-game it will appear flat (or not at all). so I have a flat 2d blade, that is also pretty transparent. so i'm missing 2 planes? from all the reading ive done i thought that was normal..

so,how do i fix that? i made the w_lsabreblue01.txi file and have the blue .tga file too.

In Gmax im linking my Ngon to the default hilts dummy correctly i think. then exporting..(my sanitycheck says verts must be welded, but one thing at a time.)

then also the blade never deactivates.

using gmax 0.8? and mdlops 0.5..uuum.

well any suggestions would be *awesome*

thanks

 

Ok i found the solution to the weld vertices prob...easy enough!

[DarthParametric]

If you are missing blade planes it could be you are not linking them all up before export. Double check that. You might want to try NWMax v0.7. There's a link to it in one of my posts earlier in the thread. And stick with MDLOps v0.5 - v0.6 doesn't work properly with sabers.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

If you are missing blade planes it could be you are not linking them all up before export. Double check that. You might want to try NWMax v0.7. There's a link to it in one of my posts earlier in the thread. And stick with MDLOps v0.5 - v0.6 doesn't work properly with sabers.

 

Right. So am I correct in that im linking my model to just the dummy though?

like if it were a blue saber its Dummy01..etc, etc.

so then in Gmax, when im relinking if i hold down ctrl and select all the planes it should link them all? i dont remember that working but ill try it.

 

thanks for those suggestions.

 

Id like to ask about orange sabers too...they say not to worry about the planes, but then you dont have a blade..and using another saber hilt just gets you a different color. ive already pulled all my hair out, so..

[DarthParametric]

I always found the best way to link was by using the Select By Name tool rather than doing it in the viewport. Just make sure everything is linked exactly the same as the original hilt was.

 

As far as orange sabers go, I assume you are referring to the Heart of the Guardian hilt? It and the MOTF hilt don't show up any actual blade planes in GMax, but they do have dummies which you still need to link as usual.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

I always found the best way to link was by using the Select By Name tool rather than doing it in the viewport. Just make sure everything is linked exactly the same as the original hilt was.

 

As far as orange sabers go, I assume you are referring to the Heart of the Guardian hilt? It and the MOTF hilt don't show up any actual blade planes in GMax, but they do have dummies which you still need to link as usual.

 

 

Ok,...Grrrrrr:mad:

I give up.

How do I link them all before exporting? I must be missing something major.

yes,..i use the 'select by name' from the edit dropdown too...

what i tried to do was..

click on select, (arrow button) select the 4 planes and my ngon.

then click on the link button and select the dummy. then export after clicking 'parent' twice in the nwmax toolbar (brings up aurora trimesh)

click on export geom only..

i take it that when i go to use replacer in mdlops, i should see all 4 planes,..yes?

 

 

Thanks for the help Darth P.

going to try again.

-KDJ

[DarthParametric]

The blade planes are linked to the hilt, the hilt is linked to the dummy, the dummy is linked to the AuroraBase. You should only ever need to touch the hilt and the blade planes though - there is no reason to ever unlink/relink the dummy. The NGon is linked direct to the AuroraBase. Again, there should be no reason to ever touch it. Just be careful in GMax because by default it doesn't show you a proper hierarchical representation. Make sure you tick the Display Subtree checkbox at the bottom of the Select by Name window to do this.

 

My procedure was always as follows. Prep the hilt model as appropriate. Get it mapped, detach all the faces, etc. Save that as one file. Load up the appropriate ASCII game saber. Merge the custom hilt file. Scale and position the new hilt as appropriate. Run a Reset XForm on it. Position the pivot point. Unlink the original hilt from the AuroraBase. Unlink the blade planes from the original hilt and relink them to the new hilt. Link the new hilt to the dummy. Delete the old hilt or leave it - objects not linked to the AuroraBase don't get exported anyway. Select the AuroraBase and change to the Modify tab on the right. Select an output directory and hit Export Geom Only.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

The blade planes are linked to the hilt, the hilt is linked to the dummy, the dummy is linked to the AuroraBase. You should only ever need to touch the hilt and the blade planes though - there is no reason to ever unlink/relink the dummy. The NGon is linked direct to the AuroraBase. Again, there should be no reason to ever touch it. Just be careful in GMax because by default it doesn't show you a proper hierarchical representation. Make sure you tick the Display Subtree checkbox at the bottom of the Select by Name window to do this.

 

My procedure was always as follows. Prep the hilt model as appropriate. Get it mapped, detach all the faces, etc. Save that as one file. Load up the appropriate ASCII game saber. Merge the custom hilt file. Scale and position the new hilt as appropriate. Run a Reset XForm on it. Position the pivot point. Unlink the original hilt from the AuroraBase. Unlink the blade planes from the original hilt and relink them to the new hilt. Link the new hilt to the dummy. Delete the old hilt or leave it - objects not linked to the AuroraBase don't get exported anyway. Select the AuroraBase and change to the Modify tab on the right. Select an output directory and hit Export Geom Only.

 

 

Hmm ok. Your saying "merge" which I know is an option..so do you mean actually use the option to "merge", or are you just talking about moving the custom hilt into the game saber?

Also, I think theres a step i miss with the pivot point, you said after resetting XForm, you position the pivot point. What are you doing there? i think your talking about clicking on hierarchy, and affect pivot only? and that way, you'd be doing it backwards from T7's tut...no?

 

im do it backwards from you in that i load my hilt up, then import the game saber with NWMax, then use the x, y cords at the bottom, after i line the top my hilt up with the top of the game hilt, but not z, cause it will take those coordinates when you reset xform. then do the hierarchy, affect pivot only, etc, then click the reset xform button..

Wow, yeah, unlinking the game hilt was always the first thing I do. whoops.

 

 

Yeah, im doing it all wrong. i just dont know what the **** im doing.

going to try it your way..

 

oh, one more thing, do i need to check the "compile model" box below the export geom buttons?

 

thanks again,

-kdj

[DarthParametric]

Well there's two things there. The first is I don't model in GMax, so my models always had to be imported and set up for use first, hence why I always had them as a separate file. The second is I haven't touched a KOTOR mod in a long time, so I'm going on my somewhat hazy memory. Don't take what I've said as the only way to do things, just as a rough overview of the procedure I have developed for myself.

 

You could indeed just load the appropriate saber MDL into your existing scene. Doesn't really make any difference which way you do it, as long as you have both your new hilt and the vanilla MDL together.

 

As far as the pivot stuff goes, I can't recall too clearly on that, so I'd definitely be leaning towards following whatever the tutorial says. I do know that it was a source of trouble for me in the past with certain hilts. From what I understand, it's probably an issue with GMax.

[Qui-Don Jorn]

Well,..i dunno.

I tried again a dozen more times different ways, still no dice. i would hate to think that 3 months of work is all down the drain because the blades wont work properly.

 

Would anyone know what causes this? well, cant really tell from pic, but that blade is flat and 2d.

 

and any object behind it makes it disappear.

like this..it looks like its behind her...

 

if anyone could help id be grateful.

[oldflash]

I suspect a missing or wrong .txi file for blade texture

[Qui-Don Jorn]

I suspect a missing or wrong .txi file for blade texture

 

Hey Oldflash!

 

ok..i thought they were pretty much all "blending additive decal 1"

I suppose this isnt always true? im not editing the colors at all, just leaving them all normal..so ive been double clicking on w_lsabre<color>01 in kotortool under "swtex_tpa", then copying the text in the little side window in the bottom left corner, then pasting that to notepad and save it as a .txi file. is this incorrect?

[DarthParametric]

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.