Community aircraft...

[Warfreak]

You should really take the time to learn how to UV your stuff with atleast with the stock textures. The next thing to make the models complete is skinning them in some way.

[Clavin12]

Don't worry. I am going to get their very soon. In fact right now I am researching textures and such.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Same here, I've been checking out tutorials for Truespace myself. Texturing a model is relately simple, but creating a custom painted skin is a whole nother n-cha-la-da. Every 3d modeler seems to have it's own strange way of extracting a UV map from the base model. Built in UV mapping tools seem to vary greatly from package to package. Ironically, none seem to do as well as 3rd party applications that are better designed then the tools provided with the original 3d modeler. Still, it can be done but getting it right and simple enough to understand is where the true secrets need to be revealed. TS, has an adequate set of UV mapping tools as does 3d Max and other's like Blender 3d. There are also quite a few 3rd party mappers available to help simplify the task as well. The key seems to boil down to how can the UV sections be seperated sufficiently to prep the map for export to a paint program; actually painting is purely a matter of personal taste at this point. Two modelers could take the same UV map layout and both would look unique when each of them applied colors to suit their' own style.

Not to change the topic, but the task is further complicated if existing BZII theme textures are used. One being, converting PIC texture files to the formats supported by the other programs like Lithunwrap (wow, I just realized it supports COB files directly; it's the default Truespace format). Lith, also doesn't directly support B3d files, so they'd have to be converted to another format to import them in to Blender.

The model also needs to be optimized prior to texturing as well. What I recently realized as well is that models can be optimized quite a bit by just converting multiple objects in to a single piece using the booleen tools of the 3d modeler; the process as I understand it welds veritces and deletes un-needed vertices as well. On a typical aircraft model the body, wings, and other related parts could be intergrated together in to a single piece rather then the dozen or so parts typically made individually. Each of us will eventually figure out a way to custom skin a model, but with all of the different model making methods used the task can vary greatly for person to person.     

[Clavin12]

BTW I'm sure that people have thought of this but I considered actually "modeling" the textures by building a 3d model of whatever and then taking a picture of it from the top thus creating a realistic texture. This would help a lot in making tech looking textures.

[Warfreak]

It's how Avatar did his LOD textures so I don't see why not.

[Clavin12]

Hows this for an aircraft. It wo0uld probably be a heavy aircraft for assault or heavy defense.

[TheJamsh]

would be perfect for the Swarm

[mrtwosheds]

It's a flying frog!

[Clavin12]

yup

[divine_crusader]

I have these if you want them ( if I can find them that is ).........









I know I have them somewhere on my harddrive, as I never delete any of my work. It'll be just the models though, I never fully finished any odfs for them.

[Nielk1]

I have these if you want them ( if I can find them that is ).........

I know I have them somewhere on my harddrive, as I never delete any of my work. It'll be just the models though, I never fully finished any odfs for them.

GBD has a Stargate mod in the works but its pre-Tar'i with Atlantians mainly IIRC.

[Mr X]

It's a flying frog!

I disagree...

...Its a flying Gecko!

@ Divine Cruasder, those look awesome, especially the first one.

[AHadley]

Definitely the first one. Looks like the Tarantula(?) from Starfleet.

[Clavin12]

I think i'm gonna stick with modeling swarm/scion type units. Need any organic airplanes?

[Nielk1]

To be organic you need to get away from all those square extrusions for everything.