3D Modeling tutorial questions.

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Sat, 15. Aug 09, 15:32

Curvy type designs. That seem to made out of one big object. Instead of being able to be made out of a handful of smaller ones.
Your right, it will be just practice. There is a lo of commands, and I just got to start to get used to them, and what they do. So I can take a box and hammer it into the shape I want.

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Sun, 16. Aug 09, 03:42

I was just doing a random tutorial, (unfortunately a 3DSmax one) I fugured it would be good to up my XP level with the program. Get to understand a few of the process' and how to bend them to my will.
Anyway it mentioned a 'Bridge' tool. But I can't for the life of me find where it is in gmax. So I'm thinking that maybe it doesn't have one, or at least, it goes by a different name.
Does anyone have any ideas?

There isn't that many gmax tutes around, but tonnes of 3DSmax ones. So I keep running into problems like this. I'd get 3DSmax if it wasn't nearly $4,000US, which is like....a million bucks Aus.

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Sun, 16. Aug 09, 15:07

a bit more tedious but you could always go to

convert edit mesh

select edge you want to bridge

Shift-drag it close to the other edge you want to bridge it to

convert to edit poly and select vertice mode

select target weld

then click vertice on edge you just dragged out then on the vertice you want to bridge it to

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Fri, 21. Aug 09, 06:26

Yes, that worked.
Was indeed more fiddly and tedious, but I guess that cannot be avoided.
I'm still working on things. I really wish I had more time to devote to this, I might be able to produce something faster and more substantial.

I'm still going though.

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Fri, 21. Aug 09, 22:20

glad it worked for you

doesnt matter how much time you have a day/week....etc, if you have the drive to do it you'll get the eventually.

Bladedranger

superbun · Post by **superbun** » Sat, 22. Aug 09, 10:07

This thread seems very helpfull (didnt have time to read it all) If you need a quick way to make good-looking ships, try using some of the files from X2, somewhere in there was a pile of parts that I used to make ships for X3:R

the problems I had were: Adding wepons/camera's etc. and getting the ship in-game, and I had no clue about texturing...

All the work I did on those ships was on my old computer (wich broke) if I ever manage to resque the files and start work again i'll need a lot of help.

EDIT:

here's a link for the ships I was working on: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 12#2812712

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Sat, 22. Aug 09, 15:54

Nice ships superbun the GDF Battleaxe and GDF Cutlass look the best imo

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Wed, 26. Aug 09, 05:13

I liked the X2 ship designs too. I was always surprised no one ever made a program that gave you the option to play with the modular parts of the ships to build new ships. Sort of like X2 lego. That would have been fun!
Probably because it would be tougher than it sounds.

I have a few things on the go. I sort of start making a part, like an engine, a body part, or a cockpit. Then move onto something else.
Here is one of the latest full ships I have been working on.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/ ... ship07.png
It sort of started out as just me messing around. Ended up being a bit Art Deco. Its meant to be in the M4 class. With the weapons to be mounted on the fin under the cockpit.
1315 Polygons.
1503 Vertices.
Its more or less done. I think. Needs something, but I cant think what.

Any thoughts?

I even messed about, making a couple weapons that I might one day try to add to Morrowind, or Oblivion.
Practice! Practice! Practice!

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Wed, 26. Aug 09, 08:02

Imo M5 when looking at the size.
It could need stuff on the engines... small stuby 'wings', pipes or a "servicepanel".
And well it could nee a cargobay ^^
It looks very small, only the cockpit and engines. You could extend the mainbody a bit.

Did you check the polycount in editable poly or in editable mesh mode?
editable mesh is the right to check how much it would have ingame.
editable poly has the half of that (so maybe it's 2.6k polys)

I even messed about, making a couple weapons that I might one day try to add to Morrowind, or Oblivion.

Weapons are not that hard to implement but armor is

(arghh weightpainting is a horrible task)
The problem about switching from one game to the other is that you propably forget how to export models correctly into the first game

Experience Experience.... Practice Practice Practice Practice

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Wed, 26. Aug 09, 12:26

Oh, ok. I used Editable Poly. Ill count the polys in Editable Mesh.
It's 2862 Polygons.

You reckon it looks like an M5.

I guess so.
I want to make a bigger ship. M6 is my favourite class. I had a ball with the M6's in X2. I shed tears of sadness when I saw how the M6s in X3 were so nerfed. So I ended up downloading someones M6 and tweaking the stats so they were more like an X2 M6. And much fun was had.

I'll also make M3's,. because people seem to most commonly use that class. No sense in making ships if no one else wants to download them.

My wife has a website of her own, and she's allowed me space on there for my ships. When I have some ready for people to download. So when anyone wants one of my ships, you wont have to sign up to anything to get them. Dammit! I hate that!

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Thu, 27. Aug 09, 07:46

Ok, this may not be the right place for this. But something weird just started happening to my gmax.
Nothing is displaying properly.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/ ... xerror.png
It just started happening, last night. I tried restarting the program. Then the whole computer. But its still happening.
It still works perfectly fine. It just wont display.
Any ideas?

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Thu, 27. Aug 09, 18:07

Page not found in the link

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Fri, 28. Aug 09, 11:27

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/ ... xerror.png

There, try that. The 'k' on the word 'work' was missing, for some odd reason.

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Fri, 28. Aug 09, 12:35

Did you try reinstalling gmax?
Save you models first (scenes&meshes folder) to be sure.

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Fri, 28. Aug 09, 13:11

I'll try that next. I was just hoping It wouldn't have to come to that.But I'll do it tomorrow, because at the moment I am tired and for no good reason, my head is pounding.
Peace!

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Sat, 29. Aug 09, 03:54

It took a few goes.
But I managed to re-install it and its working properly again.

I re-installed once, and there was no change.
But I had to un-install it, then delete all the files left behind, then re-install. And that fixed it.

Finally, I can get back to work. Too much time has been wasted.

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Sat, 29. Aug 09, 14:20

good to see its workin for ya that pic on the prevoius page looked very wrong

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Sun, 30. Aug 09, 03:53

Ok, Here's another ship.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f295/ ... ntinel.png
Lately I seem to have been creating rather small ships. That hasn't been intentional. So here is something a little bigger. The gold nacelle like things are the engines. With the curved 'inside' part will be glowing. With the engine trail being a very faint colour similar to the engine glow.
Forward weapons will be mounted inside the sandy coloured cylinders in a ring formation. Don't know where I'd stick the turrets. 'Spose I'd work that out when I get to it.
I figured that the small domes on the blue decorative rings and the light green nacelle fins might also glow, as decorative lighting.
3198 Polygons.
1849 Vertices.
Could use a little more detail. Not very sleek, since I like sleek. (I still flap about on the floor like a fish out of water at the thought of using USS Voyager in X3!

) I'm just not very good at 'sleek' yet. But this ship is okay. I don't mind it.

Thoughts?

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Sun, 30. Aug 09, 09:59

the ring on the engines looks a bit strange/unusual
i would make the cockpit even bigger to make it feel bigger.
Imo the 'wings&engines'-part of a model should not be bigger then the cockpit on the ship, otherwise it looks like a fighter.

[ external image ]

bladedranger · Post by **bladedranger** » Sun, 30. Aug 09, 18:35

Nice reply killjaeden, couldnt have said better

@Gammel keep it up, your doin well