Triumvirate Lords Of The Third Dimension

[disbeliever]

Doc,

 

You wrote this "Basically, all you have to do is create the image in photoshop and use the alpha to get the gradient. Then create a flat plane in 3dsMax and fit it to your surface and apply the texture. Turn it into an AuroraTrimesh via the modifier list, and then select the alpha to be whatever color you desire. The result is that the part of your texture that isn't transparent will be self illuminated."

 

a few pages back. Can you please elaborate on the steps? I am trying to get fake lights to glow like you showed on the floor of your ship. Thanks

[disbeliever]

When you import a model file from kotor into 3dsm, it does not show the texture, but rather a gray/white color on the model. Other than exporting out and putting it in game and warping in, can you get the texture to show up in 3dsm on imported models so you can see it?

[TriggerGod]

Place the textures you have for your area in the directory that all your model files are in.

[disbeliever]

I mean for already existing area models. For example, a building in taris m02ab_02f. When I convert to ascii using mdlops, and import into 3dsm using nwmax, I see the model, but its covered in white/gray and I see no texture for it.

[disbeliever]

Edit: Do i extract every taris texture and put it in my model folder? How can I tell what specific textures an extracted and imported model uses?

[Quanon]

In material pallete of Max there is this Eyedropper tool.

 

Click on that to put it on and then click on any given Mesh.

Whatever material slot you got selected its name, mostly default 1 or any other number should change to a name.

 

And that should be one of Kotor textures, which you can extract with KotorTool.

Then ofcourse you need to "fix" the link, to do that, do the same like you would do for any texture you want to use => Diffuse=> Bitmap.

 

That should do it

[TriggerGod]

Edit: Do i extract every taris texture and put it in my model folder? How can I tell what specific textures an extracted and imported model uses?

Well, KTool has an older version of MdlOps, but you can use its model extraction feature. Double click on an .mdl file in KTool, and a window will pop up asking you where you want the model to be extracted. Unless you want to lose the other models and files, make sure that the "Clean model export directory before export starts" is unchecked.

 

It makes an ascii file, so you'll have to extract the binary model files on its own. Of course, you can also delete the ascii file, run the binary models you extracted from KTool through your version of mdlops, and you'll have your model ready to import into max.

 

EDIT: On an unrelated note, I'm thinking about re-modeling the door models in TSL. I think that there can be more detail on there then just whats on the texture.

 

Crazy idea: we've seen in some models that models can use two different textures. I think that, as long as they use the same name, we can me new textures for everything. For example, giving the eyes a new texture/UV map, so that they don't use the crappy original ones, and instead have a full eye texture, (when before we were given half an eye - or less.) and we'd be able to do the same thing for the other parts of models. It would involve lots of UV Mapping and hex editing, but I think it'd be possible.

[Quanon]

Well its been awhile since I posted here

 

No new pictures to show, but I've started to work on a new Stargate mod.

I made one before of the masks, but that was based on what I remembered, not on footage of the real deal.

 

With movie DVD in my hands, I started to take a ton of stills and sketching. To get a good feel of these masks, mainly on proportions. Since their heavly curvey, its a real insane task

 

So far I've restarted twice, first try out ended with a more hunched back, egg versions, not what I wanted

 

Anyway, when I get the model in shape I'll post some renders, for I start the long trek UVW map route and textures. I'm really aiming for a very faithfull looks of these things.

 

Here's a shot from the movie:

 

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[disbeliever]

I am taking a break from actual work on my middle city project to get better skills at modeling and animating. I picked a simple module from kotor, the hunting lodgee on tatooine. It only consists of 2 model files m17ad_00a and m17ad_00b. A is all that really matters.

 

My main area of focus is on area model animations. Not as placables or anything, but having an animation inside a model. There is only 1 animation in the 00a file, the fan on the ceiling. Its a loop of the fan blade spinning around. I want to recreate something small like this in a test area.

 

So I have a few questions I guess to Q since no one else answers me :-p

 

If you open the model file in max, and select by name, you will see there is a helper "dummy" for the fan, and then a few things under it. Where in max do you go to view any animations in the scene?

 

I can click on the main aururabase, and go to the modify tab, and I see under "animations in model" there is a "animloop1" with what looks like coors. How do you select or edit this animation?

 

So my questions are these:

 

1. Can i create a simple model animation and have it in my area like this fan?

2. Would you have to have a helper dummy like bioware did? Is that even possible?

 

So say I have a small test area box, similar to what Q did for his little tutorial. Just a plan simple room. If i made a standard primitive sphere and just wanted it to go back and forth across the room, looped, how would I go about that?

 

Would I be able to get my animation in the "animations in model" area under the aururabase properties? Would i be able to export it out and get it in game?

[Quanon]

Well, Dis, at the moment you won't get it in game.

As Kaurora doesn't do animations yet. Though I'll try to explain something, euh, animation bit in 3Ds Max.

 

Animations are stored on the Mesh/ Object it self.

So select that fan, then look down at the this long bar at the buttom of Max.

 

This one represents all the time frames that Object uses to run its animation.

When you got your fan selected you should see some small greenish blue tabs appearing on this time bar. Those are keys and they store position/ orientation/ scale changes.

 

Basicly it comes down to this to animate a model in Max:

 

1) Pick your object.

2) Click on Set Key, its a button next to a large button with a key on, somewhere down at the right.

3) Now click on the big key button, you've set your start of the animation.

4) Now grab the slider thing on the time bar, you should see some text change from "Frame 0/100" ( 100 frames is a sort of standard, you can change this though), just pull to the right and see it go up.

5) Slide it to 20 or something.

6) Move your object and hit the key button.

 

Tadaaaaa, animation in its most simple form!

 

Not far from the whole key buttons, you should see a Play button, rewind etc... click on that to see your animation loop

[disbeliever]

So if KA does not do animations yet, (will it ever?), could you use mdlops?

 

What properties of an animation that max would export does KA not like or cannot handle?

[Quanon]

Oh, don't forget to turn off Set Key. Or you won't be able to do certain edits.

 

Auto key button means whenever you move or touch/ edit the object that'll get saved to your time line as a key. Personally I don't like this, as I often end up erasing a key I set before and so on.

 

Now ofcourse this doesn't mean the game will use that. I'll post that later on.

[disbeliever]

Looking forward to your response

[Quanon]

Okay, here's my late response

 

Sorry for that, but we had a situation with my sisters dog, was very sick, needed a operation and so on.

 

Anyway forward with the animation business.

 

Mdlops does animation, but can't do Area models. So at the moment you're stuck.

 

Still you where right with the Aurorabase. You need to add info in the Anim box.

You should be able to edit or add a new one. You'll need to set how many frames you want for that animation.

 

Here's a quick picture guide of what I mean:

 

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Ofcourse you might be wondering what if I want more frames, like 500 or something.

Well you need to hit this little button down below:

 

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Though first set your frames on the time bar, then setup the Aurorabase.

 

Now comes a part that I'm not sure off, the Animroot option in the Aurorabase

I think you'll need to fill in the Object name that does the animation or the Aurorabase name ( more sure of this one after checking one of my own files).

 

Another part I'm not sure off, is if you first need to link your object to the Aurorabase and then animate. Or if you first animate the object and then link...

 

You'll need expirement with that

 

Then its just export with animations; to check if it worked open the ASCII code, at the end of the text file you should find something like this:

 

#NWmax ANIM ASCII

newanim default w_shortswrd_190

  length 0.833333

  transtime 0.25

  animroot w_shortswrd_190

    node dummy w_shortswrd_190

        parent NULL

    endnode

    node trimesh Blade

        parent w_shortswrd_190

        positionkey

            0.0 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

            0.166667 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

            0.333333 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

            0.5 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

            0.666667 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

            0.833333 -0.00662002 0.880211 -0.0456537

        endlist

        orientationkey

            0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

            0.166667 1.0 0.0 0.0 -3.14159

            0.333333 1.0 0.0 0.0 -0.0174534

            0.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 -3.14159

            0.666667 1.0 0.0 0.0 -5.23599

            0.833333 -1.0 0.0 0.0 -6.26573

        endlist

    endnode

    node trimesh Box01

        parent w_shortswrd_190

    endnode

doneanim default w_shortswrd_190


donemodel w_shortswrd_190[/Code]

 

You need to see those odd 0.0 -0.0066263 0.88343 blabla bla bla lines, then you know the movement of your object has been exported out.

 

Often you'll find just positionkey "nothing inbetween" endlist.

 

Anyway, its really sensitive, if you do it wrong you won't get animations out of Max. So no doubt you'll be restarting a lot...

 

I only got one weapon with anims working and it was a b*tch to get it working.

[disbeliever]

Wow very informative, thank you.

 

What is the issue with mdlops now handling area animations? Do we know yet what specific values it cannot handle that max generates?

 

If mdlops can handle animations (I will still use the fan example from the hunters lounge) could you create a fan in 3d max, animate it, export it out, run it through mdlops and use it as a placable then?

 

Basically, if i wanted to create my own moving fan in a custom area, is it possible in any way shape or form? And if so, how?

[Quanon]

MDLops only handles: Weapon models, bodies and heads to some extend and placeables.

The program just doesn't know how to build up the right code structures for area models.

 

Sithspecter has animated weapons and I was able to make one, though thats not an option for you.

 

Placeables I haven't been able to test fully yet myself so I can't say: examples of animated placeables are the footlockers, cylinders, crates etc.

 

These have opening, closing and being 'dead' anims. Though I can't see problems by kicking out those and just inserting "Default".

 

That would be a way to do it. For real animated area parts we'll have to wait a bit.

[disbeliever]

Interesting.

 

Have we determined what parts of the xported animation either mdlops or KA cannot handle? Has any research been done into it?

[Quanon]

All I know is Magnus knows how to tackle the animation code, at least he has some idea how it works. He just, like the lightmap thing, never got to start on it.

 

I think MDLops seems to know how to handle it; just not for Aurorabases that do Area models. It looks that somewhere/ somehow the kind of flavor of Aurorabase get handled differantly by the game.

 

The more annoying bit is where using Neverwinternight things, not real Kotor... euh stuff.

Its only when you import you get like 80% real Kotor 3D: so to speak.

 

Its a real hassle!

 

Now I just remember I made doors to. Still these are just object animations, these don't use the skeletons and weithing, that seems to work differantly under the hood.

 

Don't know the details but its differant.

[disbeliever]

I see

[magnusll]

MDlops can't properly do area animations because it lacks the ability to handle a series of fields which the authors of MDlops never decoded. I had it easier there, since I started from where MDlops (and Fred Tetra and Torlack) had already gone.

 

Writing that code is time consuming though. And with me leading a raid group in Age of Conan and participating in the beta and the imminent launch of Champions Online, you can guess that my free time is stretched pretty thin....

 

Despite that, do not despair. While my work is slow and occasional, I will keep going and sooner or later you will have an even better version of Kaurora.

[Quanon]

Nice of you to drop a message Mag!

 

Enjoy that Age of Conan, I just recently bought those old movies with Swartchy in it as Conan. Enjoyed it a lot even if it was cheesy!

 

May you have many spoils and plunder riches!

[disbeliever]

looking forward very much to a new KA that can handle light maps and area animations!

 

Enjoy your rape and pilage lol

[Quanon]

Well, its been awhile since I posted something in here. With my ups & downs lately, ugh...

Anyway its a bit more sorted out and I'm more relaxed now, so I got back to my modelling.

 

In a new idea, put my Aqualaris thing on hold a bit, I started to think about adding a little extra content to Korriban. One of my first (and only) bigger mod release was this sort of temple thing.

 

I wanted to this sort of 2.0 version of it. But a little grandeur and more "story" to it.

Anyway its all more ideas now, but here some render shots I took of my first area: a canyon.

 

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Just need some extra details here and there: then its time to start the texturing!

 

Well, work has progressed nicely today: so can show some more little renders

Really having blast with that again, Max can do these really nice soft renders, I really like that

 

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[TriggerGod]

Now I feel bad because I haven't been doing a lot of modeling. I'll try to have something to show by the end of the weekend. I get lots of free time with labor day

[Quanon]

Well, I'm now officially: unemployed longhaird no good slacker!

 

Since I'm now "job-hunt'n", I got lots of time... to spend on thing I like doing!

So its no miracle why all the sudden I can show off stuff