Topic: Busy Busy FoaS (A few TOS ships here and there)

[ShadowDiver]

go see the movie..

Free your mind... ....get a clear head and back to the grind stone..

[FoaS_XC]

No worries I plan on enjoying myself. Helps that I'll be going with a bunch of friends, including one very attractive lady...

btw: ShadowDiver, I posted a new video tutorial over on my site for ya.

[ShadowDiver]

Thanks...

I have been working on it all night.......but I 'm having problems rotating the saucer like you do...all I can do is in/out, f/b and l/r..
I can't flip the axis like you do and spin it like a diamond..

[FoaS_XC]

You mean like moving around the camera around the scene?

[Starfox1701]

I like it when you do that. It saves me having to do it and it really does help the computer run the ship better in game.

[FoaS_XC]

@ starfox, do you mean redoing the K'T'Inga with fewer textures or do you mean my GI bake thingy?

[GotAFarmYet?]

I actually just downloaded WZ's D7. it's better than his K'T'Inga and it doesn't use 30 textures, just 7 or 8. it will mean that there will be a v3 for some klingon ships, but it also means that things will be so much easier on people's machines. Furthermore, It won't break me when I organize all my klinker ships.

BTW: How much do people like the GI-bake versions? Is it worth continuing with that workflow or should I go back to the standard look?

I am fine with both, the real question is how do you feel about them
You are the one doing the models and the work that goes into them, there fore you shopuld be going in the direction you choose. you have to decide what is best for your work flow and makes you want to complete them the most, and go that route. If you listen to a community and start doing something you hate you will never finish it, well without money being involved.

[ShadowDiver]

gonna try this...

http://img403.imageshack.us/i/saua001.jpg/

[ShadowDiver]

HEY...it worked..lol

Thanks FoaS....

[FoaS_XC]

GAFY - I'm pretty much torn down the middle about it, to the point where I'm tempted to do both >.<, I just figured I'd knock and the sky and listen to the sound.

ShadowDiver - Nice work so far, man. Now that my youtube account can handle 15minute videos I think I will go back and make a "The Bare Basics of Max" - I do make a lot of assumptions about what people know about working with max. You should post a thread, man, so people can keep track of your progress .

[ShadowDiver]

Sure.....
I can handle criticism as well as the next guy 

If you could send me a PM with the where, how and rules of what to do and not to do I will get one up ASAP...

[FoaS_XC]

Just create a new topic in the modelling sub-forum (ie: where this very thread is). There is a rules post, but it can basically be distilled to "Don't be a douchebag" No one will give you a hard time, and if they do I'll smack em with Centurus's rubber chicken.

You can either go with a thread for each new model you are working on, or just make a thread for yourself and keep everything condensed (kind of like how this thread is for all of my works, more or less).

[Starfox1701]

@ starfox, do you mean redoing the K'T'Inga with fewer textures or do you mean my GI bake thingy?

I thought they were the same thing Fewer texturs is always a good thing. Please refresh my memory on the GI baking.

[FoaS_XC]

The K'T'Inga/D7 version thing is because I used WZ's K'T'Inga model for most of my klinks. Its good quality, but there are a bunch of seperated textures, one for each element, instead of a bunch of elements on a few textures. WZ's TOS D7 Uses many fewer textures by condensing a bunch of elements onto fewer maps. If you download WZ's D7 and WZ's k't'inga you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Now the GI-bake thing is how I've been releasing a bunch of my models. Basically it puts EVERYTHING on a single texture and adds some pretty cool lighting effects (if you check out my tutorials on my site you'll see one of my workflow). The problem is that it takes a bit longer to get things done and can be a bit of a drag. Furthermore, since everything is down to one texture, I have to fit a lot onto less area. it IS easier on the processer, but I lose some detail. Basically, I'm wondering if people liked the effect and seeing if its worth continuing to do.

[GotAFarmYet?]

GAFY - I'm pretty much torn down the middle about it, to the point where I'm tempted to do both >.<, I just figured I'd knock and the sky and listen to the sound.

The one texture sheet makes them convertable to other games, a plus, and if they change the basic engine out for one from another game it would be easier to convert your ships.
1 2048 x 2048 basically covers the same area, or more, as most models use anyways on 6-8 seperate sheets. it usually is 2 1024 x 1024, 1 1024 x 512 and 2-3 512 x 512 sheets.

so a 1 sheet approach has its advantages, as long as the PSD file is sectioned correctly and named right it can be done quite easily for change outs as well using groupings and the abilies to hide all or part of them. So use the one sheet either way and if you wish to go back and bake them, if you side against it, it will be easy to do. Guess you should put the two pics back up of the ship you had with both versions baked and non-baked and put it up to a vote. My vote is for which one takes you less time and effort, as that in the end is always the deciding factor.

so i guess I am a combo player in the vote, single sheet and which ever method takes the least effort and time, you can always go back to the other method with this approach.

[Tulwar]

I'm for whatever gets the most out of the game engine.  If one texture is easier on the processor, than that is the ideal, but if that means it takes too long to hammer out each model, that means fewer models.  Game models only require reasonable quality, but for them to be any use at all, they have to be finished.  Personally, I like the idea of having several models in one folder sharing one texture or set of textures.  This solves a lot of trouble with download and storage.  Since using one texture per model is easier on the CPU, that makes for a less chop and fewer glitches.

If reducing the texture to a single file takes too long and is too troublesome, then it doesn't need to be done.  SFC models are like chess pieces:  You need only tell a rook from a bishop.  Better models are luxeries.

A lot of very talented people have make vast numbers of beautiful models for this game.  Creating a standard set of models at a standard scale is an enormous undertaking as it is.  Whatever gets the job done is the priority.

[Starfox1701]

Well I definetly like the GI Baking but that does no good if doing it that way bores you to tears

[FoaS_XC]

Alright, I think I'm going to strive for both versions at once. It's only two extra steps (GI bake for one model and an additional break model) not a big deal. Just seeing what people thought.

btw: I've actually gone and created a Twitter account for Robinomicon. So, if you're really curious where I am, what I'm doing, in the 3D realm, you can check my microblog at http://twitter.com/robinomicon

[FoaS_XC]

New video tutorial up at my site. "Basics of 3ds Max" for those who are just trying to dig into 3ds Max (or its variants).

[Centurus]

I say go with a few texture maps.  Unless you have a computer that's 6 or 7 years old, your computer and the game engine can handle it easy.  Anywhere from 3-7 textures, not including lightmaps, I think is fine, especially if you have each section of the ship on its own map, i.e. the entire saucer is on one map, engineering hull on another, warp engines on another, torpedoes and phasers on another.

Just an idea.