I parented everything and it all looks right with the hierarchy when compared side by side with the ISDF version from the XSI data pack. Could someone have a look see at the model and tell me if something is screwed up with the model? I really don't have a clue what else to change to make the x and y turrets to work as a single piece. The x turret is parented under the y turret but the tank shoots straight forward not up and down and to aim the main gun I need to pivot the main body rather then using the y turret pivot point which rotates but totally independent of the x turret. Is it because BZII 1.2 has some kind of issue that 1.3 and above corrected? Tanks...BNG
PS: Here's a web link to the zipped file http://files.filefront.com/ivatdragzip/;11770319;/fileinfo.html
yep.
Frame frm-frm_turret_y { this bit needs to be called frm-turret_y not frm-frm_turret_y
FrameTransformMatrix {
1,0,0,0,
0,1,0,0,
0,-0,1,0,
0.025558,1.9775,1.22704,1;;
}
Frame frm-turret_y { //this bit needs to be called something else
FrameTransformMatrix {
1,0,0,0,
0,1,0,0,
0,-0,1,0,
0,0,0,1;;
}
The same thing is wrong with turret_x
dang, beat me to it :)
Yeah...looks like your odf is calling the individual pieces and not the _turret parts, they're calling the frm-turret parts.
Higherarchy needs to be reworked...let me see what I can do with notepad...
Ok, Here's a fixed XSI for you. http://www.bzuniverse.com/~betadudes/unprotected/ivatdrag.xsi
I suggest avoiding those dummy higherarchy points in the future, the game doesnt seem to recognize them as actual parts of the model. If you want invisible turret pivots, use a copy of a hp, such as hp eyepoint, just place it in higherarchy and rename it the turret_x/y.
Cool...I was totally stumped about what I screwed up when I opened the file in Threed to illuminate the extra -numbers that Truespace adds to the file objects in the tree every time I save an X file for conversion to XSI. It's really frustrating to make something that looks right, but really isn't right at all. Tanks guys for pointing out what looks screwed. Really appreciate the help...BNG
That did the trick alrighty. Truespace, automatically assigns a noname_ thingy when objects are childed together; you simply drag and drop stuff you want under it on to the main object and boom it becomes a sub object underneath it. Then I had to rename the noname thingy with the proper name of the object group. Strangely, the X export thingy addes a -number after it's saved and I have to go into Threed to delete all those silly numbers. Then I can save it as an XSI file for BZII. My mistake was changing the group heading name to frm-whatever and Threed was adding it too; no wonder the engine was going crazy trying to make my assault tank work right.
Ewww, now I can make a rocket tank that actually works. I've got to make some track textures now as the generic texture I applied on the whole model looks really strange as the engine rotates the tank tracks as it moves. You guys have helped make me one very happy camper. Kudos, to each and every one of you...BNG.
Update: I corrected the assault tank, modified the geometry a bit, and applied a simple grey texture and if any body wants to you can DL and use the model for your own purposes it works perfectly now. The link to the zipped file is http://files.filefront.com/ivatdragzip/;11773986;/fileinfo.html Tanks again guys BNG.
heres an assault tank i just made the model for.
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m61/Myrodin/tankywanky3.jpg)
:) wish me luck in texturing it
It looks fairly simple, and shouldn't take too long to texture.
For a quick and dirty texture new modelers could try individually texturing each object with it's own texture from the texture library of their respective 3d modeling programs. I'm trying this in TS 7.6 with my assault tank as it has a vast array of textures that come with the program by default. I really like the ones that look like camouflage patterns.
Who ever said that custom texturing from UV maps was an easy task should post some articles for the rest ofus igots. Every time I look at the tangled mess a typical UV editor produces gives me a real headache. Then there's the laborious task of artistically producing a texture that doesn't look like it was painted by hyper active 7 year old strung out on caffeine. Good grief...why did I ever think that modeling for BZII would be a piece o cake!
You need a good photoshop type program and some experience of using it.
you just organise the uv's to fill up the square, export a UV map and then make a skin that fits the uv map.
Doing it any other way may be quicker but probably wont look good.
You have to sort out the "tangled mess" into a workable layout, the programs cannot do it, they have no intelligence.
Skinning is the hardest and most important part of making a model.
I'm making a new tank model right now and I've found that once I got used to it, Blender seemed pretty easy to make a UV layout and then it can export the layout to a TGA file. I just use the face selection mode, select the faces I want and when you press "U" it brings up a list of a few various ways to unwrap it. I then just organize the different faces on a separate screen to get my layout.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about...
(http://www.pvuploads.com/Clients/LordWrathX/Blender%20UV.jpg)
Dia
That's the idea, open the uvmap.tga in a photoshop type program, that supports layers, make a nice metal type texture and use the uvmap layer as a guide to adding detail, shading, colour etc.
I make great use of a plugin called bevel boss to make panelling. Glass and chrome are also very useful.
It is very satisfying when your model actually starts to look like its made of metal or whatever.
Truespace supports UV mapping individual faces as well as multiple groups of faces that can be exported to a paint program the 2 most promising that support layers are GIMP and Paint.net. However, mapping with anything other then planar results in a tangled mass of UV lines that take forever to separate. One nice feature is face selecting half the model, applying planar mapping, and exporting that half to a paint appy. That's where the issues start.
Remember, when Jamsh said he drew a blank when trying to make models? Well the same thing happens to me with texture painting; I sort of draw a blank wondering what to paint. Filling in the lines is the easy part. Adding detail is the truly hard part. Also I get confused when I apply the texture as it always seems to appear mysteriously on the opposite side where I don't want it. Eventually, I guess the process will make some logical sense.
It takes time to get used to it but eventually like 2sheds said, it's quite satisfying when your model starts to look the way you want it to and starts to look like something period heh.
Dia
that assault tank GBD made looks familiar...
It's designed to slightly resemble the Klingon Distruptor Battery from "Star Trek New Worlds"
I wish I had the patience to learn Blender, but until the bugs are worked out of OM's XSI exporter my best bet is to learn Truespace, and please don't tell us that OM still needs testers; if it were my project; I would do most of the testing myself. Has anyone actually gotten a textured B3D/XSI model into the game yet? What we all really need is a decent XSI editor or modeler that can do animations.
Can MAX import stock BZII XSI models? I've yet to see a working or even crappy XSI modeler to date.
PS: What would really be cool if some Star Wars type units could be produced for BZII like some I've seen in the data pack, or some of the hugher models like the 4 legged walkers or huge transport types. BZII, is a larger then life kind of game and modelers should think in such terms when designing new models...we can always dream right? BNG.
got a few ideas up my sleeve... four legged walker? consider that done in Serenesis and BZC
Quote from: BNG Da BZ Fool on September 27, 2008, 04:02:54 PM
Has anyone actually gotten a textured B3D/XSI model into the game yet?
PS: What would really be cool if some Star Wars type units could be produced for BZII like some I've seen in the data pack, or some of the hugher models like the 4 legged walkers or huge transport types.
Last I heard the only person that has got a textured B3D/XSI model to show in the game correctly is OM and we're still waiting to hear how he did it. Just checked looks like I last posted asking him Aug 16th with no response.
As for the StarWars stuff yea that would be cool. I am a big StarWars fan and I think some of the stuff would probably look pretty cool in a BZ2 mod. I might have to try something sometime for the fun of it.
Dia
I would need to install the latest B3D first to work on it some more. The plugin source is the same file so anyone can update it and submit changes back... And I did not recall having any issue getting something in (it was a sphere with a few elongated polys to signify front, top, side so I knew I got it in right, but yea, textures and all, no animations).
(http://www.overminddl1.com/image_scripts/image_sig.php?type=ODL1signitures&image/sig.gif)
Generated by OvermindDL1's Signature Auto-Add Script (http://overminddl1.com) via GreaseMonkey (http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/)
That's the thing OM, you are the only one that has been able to do that. Some of us have been waiting to hear how you did it for quite a while now. Installing the latest Blender is not much of an issue I would guess.
Dia
Can MAX import stock BZII XSI models? If possible I would like to know if it's possible? Everybody can create XSI's with various 3d modelers, but can any actually edit them, or is that pretty much a SI thingy only?
Via 3Dex you can import any xsi to max.