New 3D Thread

[Klavs81]

Tarawa Ferret

https://skfb.ly/6oxQM

 

[Klavs81]

Broadsword is up

https://skfb.ly/6oxSM

 

[NinjaLA]

big things planned.. yuuuuuge.

 

[L.I.F.]

Well, looks like I've got my work cut out for me. I will get on it ASAP.

EDIT: OK, all files grabbed. That's going to be fun!

 

[L.I.F.]

So, first attempt to port the Broadsword and it looks pretty nifty already. Just a few issues of small surfaces disappearing for some unknown reason during the process so I'll try an alternate way of getting the models in-game. Still:

Your models are damn well awesome.

EDIT: @Klavs81, I have a strange issue with two specific panels. If I try to import the .obj you made available, there is no problem whatsoever with the model (except that it's too big to be used safely by HWRM, leading to an unholy mess in-game), but if I save it again through either Blender or 3DS Max, those two panels disappear. These are a panel on the internal edge of the left wing and the one under the danger triangle on the right of the cockpit. Any clue about them?

Spoiler

In the above picture, there's on the left the model after any kind of modification or additional save whatsoever, with the two panels missing. On the right, it's the original file opened in Blender, showing that the same two panels are somewhat different. The thing is: if I directly import the .obj without touching it, the panels are textured correctly, but as indicated above, this option isn't available to me as I need each sub-mesh to be at max 22k triangles big.

 

[L.I.F.]

The Sabre, in all her glory:

@Klavs81: there is however a similar issue with two polygons missing after working with the files (this time purely with Blender).

Spoiler

If it comes to it, I could try and see to fill them manually with Blender (I'll have to learn how to do it), but you might know what is happening.

 

[crazycanuck]

I took a quick look at the Broadsword It looks like some faces are missing or there are two faces in the same place. Probably best to rebuild the faces. The trick is rebuilding the UVs.

 

[L.I.F.]

I took a quick look at the Broadsword It looks like some faces are missing or there are two faces in the same place. Probably best to rebuild the faces. The trick is rebuilding the UVs.

Would you have a workflow I could use with either Blender or 3DSMax? I'm kinda learning to use these two systems as I go.

 

[crazycanuck]

I will see if I can make a tutorial video. I will try to have something for you in a day or two.

 

[L.I.F.]

I will see if I can make a tutorial video. I will try to have something for you in a day or two.

Thanks a lot! Keep in mind that the idea is to have the models split in 22k triangle parts (that I can do withput probkem) before solving that issue, if it changes something.

 

[Klavs81]

What happens when you triangulate those polygons? I show all the normals facing the same way on my end. It's possible that some of them flip when exported into other programs.

I suggest triangulating the offending polygons (turning the complicated poly into a series of triangles, typically those that break are complicated many sided polys) and looking at the polygon normal alignment. They are definitely there, and UV mapped, just flipped around so their normals are pointing inwards.

https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?6298-My-mesh-is-black-Flip-Normals

 

[L.I.F.]

What happens when you triangulate those polygons? I show all the normals facing the same way on my end. It's possible that some of them flip when exported into other programs.

I suggest triangulating the offending polygons (turning the complicated poly into a series of triangles, typically those that break are complicated many sided polys) and looking at the polygon normal alignment. They are definitely there, and UV mapped, just flipped around so their normals are pointing inwards.

The polygons are definitely there, since inserting the full model without touching it works properly in the visualizer. You're right, though, I just checked in the visualizer, the textures have been flipped towards the interior in the two areas in question. I will try to see how to triangulate these areas in either software. Thanks!

EDIT: it works! Awesome!

EDIT 2: in the visualizer, not in-game, some other stuff to check now.

Aaaaand it works!

 

[Klavs81]

Awesome! Looking great and wonderful to see these girls with space beneath them!

I know it's a long way off, but tell me you can make those torpedos jump off the rails.

FYI that Broadsword was meant to carry 6 heavy torpedoes, 4 external and 2 in the bay, they should fit (maybe as a tech upgrade from 2 to 4 and finally 6?) Of course, that will eliminate your missile load, but for a heavy strike...

 

[L.I.F.]

Awesome! Looking great and wonderful to see these girls with space beneath them!

I know it's a long way off, but tell me you can make those torpedos jump off the rails.

FYI that Broadsword was meant to carry 6 heavy torpedoes, 4 external and 2 in the bay, they should fit (maybe as a tech upgrade from 2 to 4 and finally 6?) Of course, that will eliminate your missile load, but for a heavy strike...

Well, I have one or two ideas for this. It would involve treating them as separate subsystems each and activate/deactivate the individual weapons depending on having shot or not. I will first rework the model to remove the torpedoes. I'll have you know how it goes.

Edit: I've split up the model, but the under-wing torpedoes are not full models, there are holes on top of them. If you have a full torpedo model available, I would be able to use it for the torpedo itself in flight.

Edit 2: OK, the model without torpedoes has been integrated, now it's a question of scripting.

Spoiler

Edit, electric boogaloo:

Spoiler

So, the structure works nicely with each torpedo considered now as its own individual object by the game, but there's some texturing issue as I removed the whole ship around the torpedoes to make the subsystem. If you could have a stand-alone torpedo with its own texture, I think it would be enough to deal with the issue.

 

[Klavs81]

That's great news! I'll see about getting you a cleaned up torpedo tonight. I always thought the big torps would be like small spacecraft, popping out decoys and ECM to throw off point defenses. Or maybe an option for MIRV warheads! The mind boggles.

 

[L.I.F.]

That's great news! I'll see about getting you a cleaned up torpedo tonight.

Thanks!

I always thought the big torps would be like small spacecraft, popping out decoys and ECM to throw off point defenses. Or maybe an option for MIRV warheads! The mind boggles.

Ambitious, aren't we? The MIRV part is entirely doable if you want (as long as all warheads target a single ship, though, engine limitation). For the ECM, it's a question of setting the accuracy parameters on the missile, but for decoys, that's going to be quite harder, TBH. I've worked on getting something like that for the fighters themselves, but to no avail. The best I managed to do was a "mine" that targeted enemy missiles after being dropped and could, in some cases, kill the missile, but that would require the missile to come from the right angle and so on. Switching the target of an enemy missile on the fly isn't supported by the engine AFAIK. Though I won't despair, a lot of so-called impossible things have been done already in this engine. Right now, I got two kinds of special missiles, the Border Worlds' long-range cruise missile, fired from specially-equipped capital ships that goes slowly very far before releasing a faster torpedo as it comes close to its target, and the Skipper missile, which is built like a fighter and can attack a single target for massive damage while capable of cloaking periodically for additional hilarity.

For the torpedo-release stuff on the Broadsword, I'm working on some script. No guarantee, but it could work and would indeed look quite awesome as well as being a new way of managing ammunition.

 

[Klavs81]

Hmm, I show the torpedoes as solid. Check your normals again?

 

[L.I.F.]

Hmm, I show the torpedoes as solid. Check your normals again?

Huh, I will. In any case, though, having them as their own model with their own texture file would probably allow to avoid the texture issue I currently have, if it isn't too much work. ^^

 

[crazycanuck]

The Hornet and Raptor are now imported. The Krant had a small polycount and only one error in the mesh so I imported that too (only took one hour!). Currently working on the Gratha. Are there any plans to redo the Dralthi? I'm not fully satisfied with the import I did, but it took every trick I know to get it under 30k triangles. All being well I should have all the WC1 fighters converted by the end of the month!

 

[DefianceIndustries]

EDIT: @Klavs81, I have a strange issue with two specific panels. If I try to import the .obj you made available, there is no problem whatsoever with the model (except that it's too big to be used safely by HWRM, leading to an unholy mess in-game), but if I save it again through either Blender or 3DS Max, those two panels disappear. These are a panel on the internal edge of the left wing and the one under the danger triangle on the right of the cockpit. Any clue about them?

Spoiler

In the above picture, there's on the left the model after any kind of modification or additional save whatsoever, with the two panels missing. On the right, it's the original file opened in Blender, showing that the same two panels are somewhat different. The thing is: if I directly import the .obj without touching it, the panels are textured correctly, but as indicated above, this option isn't available to me as I need each sub-mesh to be at max 22k triangles big.

L.I.F. Looks from the screenshot like the normals are flipped on those faces. It sometimes happens when you convert across multiple formats. In blender, select those faces and then go to the edit->normals and select flip normals. if the normals are inverted they should appear light gray like the rest of the mesh after you flip them.