Progress Update #2

So, here are the first few shots of the Free Trader...
 

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You are a model making machine.

Very nice start. Perhaps the textures should be a bit worn of this model since it's going to be a transport out in the Landreich. Nothing like a few dings and dents to give a ship like this some character :)
 
Thanks Dundradal! The dirtiness and wear on a given spacecraft will be determined on a per-spacecraft basis in engine. It's a similar system to the decals I showed earlier on the Bengal. Anyhow - since this guy will be used as a confed transport as well, there's no real reason the textures need to be really dirty by default.
Anyhow, here's how far I got on the Free Trader tonight. I changed the engine glow texture over to the orange we see in the sprites - it does help differentiate between the bigger capships and these smaller corvette-sized vehicles. Also, after putting the windows in there, I come to realize how small this thing is - 83M is far smaller than I always thought this thing was. I was expecting something closer to 150-200M. Anyhow, random tidbit.
 

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Howard at another topic you said you use some kind of procedural mapping in max to get a used look. Could you explain that a little bit?
 
Thanks Dundradal! The dirtiness and wear on a given spacecraft will be determined on a per-spacecraft basis in engine. It's a similar system to the decals I showed earlier on the Bengal. Anyhow - since this guy will be used as a confed transport as well, there's no real reason the textures need to be really dirty by default.

That sounds very, very cool.
 
Without giving too much away from my ideas - the basic plot will involve the main character initiallly going out to seek revenge for something, but through the course of the game, his motivations and thoughts will be changed by the people he encounters.

Revenge is good. The cool thing is that it is a PERSONAL goal rather than something that will shift the balance of power for the whole Landreich. The hero is going to be questing for himself and those close to him, not fighting to save worlds.
 
As much as I love the Bonnie Heather and it's ugly design :) Howard Days Model kicks some arse n takes names people :) I feel like I'm using the wrong programs ~~~
 
Howard at another topic you said you use some kind of procedural mapping in max to get a used look. Could you explain that a little bit?
Sure. The basic idea that I use is that the materials in MAX can be as complex as they need to be in order to get the object looking good. I will use whatever combination of materials and textures required to get a decent looking ship. One resource I use is www.cgtextures.com - there are some wonderful grime and wear textures on that site.
My basic workflow is creating a texture in Photoshop - usually panel lines and doo-dads - and exporting that to 4 different image maps - usually the diffuse color, black and white bump map, colored decals, and glow map. The decals are separated out because I use Max's RGB Multiply material to change the color and tinting on the base diffuse texture - to give the different paint types - and overlay the decal texture over it to keep the decals for being affected by that. I then go in and use various combinations of Noises, Mix Materials, and F-edge materials (http://www.ddag.org/f-Edge/builds.html) and those aforementioned grunge maps to make the texture as beat up as it needs to be. I also don't worry about UV coordinates at this point - I'm using almost completely Box-Maps - I'm roughly laying out the UVs on the general texture to get the details in the areas I think they should go.
Once I have a more complete model, I then generate the separate set of UVs - automatically generated to have as much coverage as possible. I then use Max's Render to Texture utility to bake out 5 maps - Diffuse, Spec, Normal, Ambient Occlusion, and Glow - by this way all those Max materials are put into a game-usable texture.
That's basically it.
Dundradal: Yeah, it's gonna be pretty neat. We're gonna have a few different variations or dirt maps, so the type of damage will change too - everything from just scummed up to battle damage and scarring - will be available to be used on just about any ship.
t.c.cgi: Vroom!
JasonRocZ: You're using the same programs as I am, right? Photoshop and 3DSMax? Anyhow, it's not really that difficult. It's all in the methodology you use. :D
 
Well actually lately I was just using the program "Paint.Net" < just because of ease of use, And for the really simple models I've been using "Milkshape" also another just ease of use type program. But if I want to do high poly counts I use the 3ds Max. For the stuff I've been doing, Charon,Dralthi,Rapier,etc..etc.. Milkshape works kinda well...but when making high poly counts it's like 10 lbs of ya know in a 5 lb bag good for simple models (square,box,cylinder), and movin stuff around it's pretty good. When there needs to be more detail for Textures I've been using Corel Photopaint which actually works really good, especially if your referencing from another picture to make it work (copy pasting,rotating, etc..)
 
Oh I got something I thought I should add too....When flying aroudn I think it was in WC2, Special Operations 1 or 2...Didn't the player fly off of the Bonnie Heather for covert Ops, stuff....through all designs not really Howards design but the original design in WC2, I've seen there's no hanger bay, and I'd believe there couldn't be.....does the Fighter dock with the Free Trader? Like on the under side? there could be some type of docking spot on the free trader. Just a tid bit I'd thought I'd throw in. :D I think that's maybe why you also thought it was bigger I was thinkin the same thing, it probably being at least bigger than a football field.
 
I share your view, Howard, in that the freightor is much smaller than one might think. When I first witnessed the docking sequences in WC2, my first thought was that the player's fighter is huge! In reality, it is more a combination which includes the fact that this freightor is small as well.

Beautiful job so far!
 
Okay, I've finished the Free Trader. There's some minor work to be done to get it into engine, but not much. I've started on something that should be familiar to any SWC fans out there - the SWC Drayman! Of course, we already have a drayman, so this will be called something else. still it's kinda cool to see it.
 

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Howard, I can't help but wish you were involved in the next official WC project. Your models just look right. They really give a sense of scale and I think contribute to those intangible qualities every game strives to obtain which result in the player feeling truly part of another world. Way to bridge the gap between reality and fantasy.
 
I've started on something that should be familiar to any SWC fans out there - the SWC Drayman! Of course, we already have a drayman, so this will be called something else. still it's kinda cool to see it.

Why not call them both the Drayman? You could just put some "Mk.II" or other Roman numeral marks. You'd just have to decide which is the newer model.
 
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