Topic: The First steps...

[Norsehound]

Well...











Completed a course of 3D modeling recently and got the latest 3DS Max for my birthday. Decided to start modeling in the past few weeks, inspired by dogfighter's low poly models, for my first venture in modeling. I'd like to texture these and maybe use them for models in sins of solar empire (as I doubt anyone would want these for SFC), but I thought I'd show them here.

The smoothing groups are on in some places, which makes some of the models look weird...

But I don't know the motions of how to texture, especially in 3DS max. I know there's a UV unwrap modifier but I don't know how to use it, or what the best methods are for modeling.

Still, here they are.

[Rod ONeal]

I think the basic designs are quite well done. You're probably being a bit too frugal with the polies. Modern equipment can handle a lot higher res models than you are showing here. It takes a while though to figure out the right balance between smoothness and poly count. There's also tricks/techniques that can help balance the two. All of that comes the more you do it. Real good first effort though.

[marstone]

keep up the work, they look good for a newbie.  billion times better then any model I have tried so far.

[KBF_Gow]

They look good for starters, and you will only get better.  Poly management is less of a headache now, but I still run low polys for races I dont play at home, particularly since fed carriers can set your comp on fire dumping a pile of high poly fighters out..

As far as whether people would ever be interested... well as an inspiration, here is what shipped with the game..

You are already doing better

Original Taldren FCA model

[Adonis]

Dude, would you post a wireframe of one of them. Just want to see something with the saucer.

[Norsehound]

Adonis, you mean something like this?



The low-poly stock models were something of a guide for me when I was making these, though I figured I could do a little better than the bridge-less saucer and simple block warp nacelles. The Connie's secondary hull is still low-detail though, but I want to see how far I can go with texturing.

Thanks all. It's pleasing to hear that I'm doing well for a newbie from those who've released models already.

[Tulwar]

They're good models.  You are a bit conservative with the polies; the saucers could be rounder.  The only reason anyone wouldn't want them is because there are so many good Federation models out there.  Personally, I would like to see an imaginative leap, where someone could actually make the Lyran ships look cool.  That is a tall order.

[Norsehound]

Well, my intention for these was to get them into Sins of a Solar Empire. Not sure about the poly counts there, but there's a call for a ton of ships on the screen at the same time.

Working on learning how to unwrap them now. Looks like it would be better if I had the components as separate geometry instead of merging the model together and unwrapping them that way.

Eventually I'd like to try high-poly modeling, maybe with something for SFC (liiiiike.... a proper Miranda model), but since SFC won't work on any of my computers, ya.

[Tulwar]

If you succeed in creating a kind of F&E mod for Sins, I just might buy some memory so my game computer can run it!  My game machine is old, and only runs SFC and Baldurs Gate.  It has 512 Meg Ram.  I did buy a vid card to play Sins, but the small memory makes it too slow to play.  I'm not willing to spend much on the machine at all.  Perhaps I'll buy a Linux machine and run Widows emulators this Spring.

If this is what the models are for, the low polies are probably a good thing.  The games sucks up a lot of resourses.  Your models look good.  You are quite right to limit the quality; these are not for the cinema.  For this kind of game, models are little more than icons and shouldn't go much further than representing a ship's class.  Each class should be distinct, and should not get bogged down in varients.

[Kreeargh]

Well, my intention for these was to get them into Sins of a Solar Empire. Not sure about the poly counts there, but there's a call for a ton of ships on the screen at the same time.

Working on learning how to unwrap them now. Looks like it would be better if I had the components as separate geometry instead of merging the model together and unwrapping them that way.

Eventually I'd like to try high-poly modeling, maybe with something for SFC (liiiiike.... a proper Miranda model), but since SFC won't work on any of my computers, ya.

Damn good work  Im a friend of real low poly. You can map the entire model without detaching anything just select the polys you want to map and go to the uvw map selection select plainer or whatever and then uvwunwrap edit from there.
Sins frigets and cruisers range in the max 3k range or will get heavy lag, Cap ships can be up to 9k and stations can be up to 15k with no real effect on the game engine in singleplayer mode that is. Fighters need to be under 500 though or lag will result. Dont forget Sins needs 1 single map for all textures you can apply a bmp and then have it converted to the dds format Sins uses without haveing to remap the model.  Get the xsi mod tool and crosswork i think it is,max with crosswork can directly convert max files to xsi version than Sins needs . Crosswork to xsi or Obj to xsi or max9 with the sins maxscript is the only way to get models in to the game.  I used max 9 and script to get the  BSG Sins of the 13th tribe mod started but my bro went to boot camp so i cant use it to finish unitll he returns. 

[Adonis]

Adonis, you mean something like this?



The low-poly stock models were something of a guide for me when I was making these, though I figured I could do a little better than the bridge-less saucer and simple block warp nacelles. The Connie's secondary hull is still low-detail though, but I want to see how far I can go with texturing.

Thanks all. It's pleasing to hear that I'm doing well for a newbie from those who've released models already.

Yup, that's exactly what I wanted. Here's a little tricky on how to get the saucer shape rounder with a negligible loss in amount of polies: You have the most segments of the saucer on the edge, and you fuse the verts together as you go towards the bridge area, keeping in mind you do them only with the surfaces that you have a single smoothing group on. One example would be to have the saucer edge and the bridge have the most segments and the smooth saucer top inbetween have considerably less, and you already save up polies with almost no loss in looks whatsoever. See attached pix for examples.