Return of hppav's updates! Update 12-24-09 VC Exterior

[hppav]

I will contain all updates in this thread, and it will likely be more often than weekly

These days are busy days for me. With only 42 hours of free time each week, that has slowed any development to a crawl. However I have learned a few tricks from class that have made me much faster than I was before. I amazed Draco by completing 90% of the Explorer in a matter of two sittings. Before I spent weeks on just the exterior in previous versions. I have gotten that much faster.


By mulletmansam at 2009-07-09


By mulletmansam at 2009-07-09

Note: These are Pre-Alpha, the final version will be better than what you see here. Also note the Pine Valley Terrain Texture

I've also started work on a new menu, which is currently a secret I won't reveal it until it is done, just because it will detract from the sheer awesome sauce that it is. Only Draco has set eyes upon it's majesty and he silently cried a little for not thinking of it himself. In fact he even hinted at wanting to do the sound work for the menu, however it wasn't officially stated by him (as he is a little tied up, as you may well imagine, by JPDS).

The terrain in the images above is a pre-alpha terrain I am creating from a height map that Draco sent me a long time ago (but I initially lost and recently found again).

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Also, since some of you don't know what large scale development can result in, here's a TresEd pic of the raptor pen model I made. This image was taken just over ONE YEAR ago. Amazing



Pullin' this thing out of Developmental Hell!

-hppav

[Draconisaurus]

Lookin great.
Lol, yes I secretly cried a little It's brilliant menu idea. And well I wasn't intending to do actual soundwork for it, but I made several suggestions about how it should work - and I would probably enlist the help of Matt, whenever we would get to that point.



So now, Sam, the real question is - are you going to have only an aged version of the Explorers, or are we planning another mini level where you go around exhibits when they were all new and shiny...

[Christopher]

Looking good!

[hppav]

So now, Sam, the real question is - are you going to have only an aged version of the Explorers, or are we planning another mini level where you go around exhibits when they were all new and shiny...

I actually had an idea of doing just that, have it set in Jurassic Park San Diego after the events of The Lost World. Sort of a museum that you can explore.

[machf]

Looking VERY good.

[hppav]

Thanks!

I did some more work on the Explorer today, fixed most texturing issues (except for that windshield, it's giving me a pain, no matter which way I adjust the bitmap, it's always shifted 4 pixels from it's opacity map). And I also fixed most shading issues (but I forgot the bumper somehow, I'll have to do that next.) Anyway, I took some more images of the explorer.


Interior shot


Epic Cliff Shot


Rear shot, notice the horrible shading on the bumper :X

It's nearly done. It also needs $ objects, but I haven't gotten around to making any yet. The explorer itself is 79 separate objects since gMax only allows you to export models that have only one texture. I'll be combining them all via scripting when I get that far.

[Draconisaurus]

I actually had an idea of doing just that, have it set in Jurassic Park San Diego after the events of The Lost World. Sort of a museum that you can explore.

Dude, that's brilliant...

Rear shot, notice the horrible shading on the bumper :X

None the less, you seem to have a relatively good knack at it, now.

It's nearly done. It also needs $ objects, but I haven't gotten around to making any yet.

Be careful. Remember that the pivot must always be centered, and the auto-centering option can't be used to affect this.

The explorer itself is 79 separate objects since gMax only allows you to export models that have only one texture.

Dude, you do know that there is a TPM export script for GMax... I hope you're not using 3ds. Anyway that's a very, very bad idea, for multiple reasons.

I'll be combining them all via scripting when I get that far.

That will be.. extremely sloppy.. and you've just signed into messenger, so I'll discuss it with you there.

[hppav]

I actually had an idea of doing just that, have it set in Jurassic Park San Diego after the events of The Lost World. Sort of a museum that you can explore.

Dude, that's brilliant...

Rear shot, notice the horrible shading on the bumper :X

None the less, you seem to have a relatively good knack at it, now.

Thanks

It's nearly done. It also needs $ objects, but I haven't gotten around to making any yet.

Be careful. Remember that the pivot must always be centered, and the auto-centering option can't be used to affect this.

I will

The explorer itself is 79 separate objects since gMax only allows you to export models that have only one texture.

Dude, you do know that there is a TPM export script for GMax... I hope you're not using 3ds. Anyway that's a very, very bad idea, for multiple reasons.

I'll be combining them all via scripting when I get that far.

That will be.. extremely sloppy.. and you've just signed into messenger, so I'll discuss it with you there.

The TPM Exporter for Gmax that was released don't have support for multiple textures, if you do multiple textures you'll get a "Unknown property: "name" in undefined" (I think) error.

And a note to members here, we just talked about it in MSN. He recommends that I combine the meshes on my older computer which has max. So I'll try that when I get to it.

[Draconisaurus]

Indeed.. Machf, you've worked with GMax more than any of us, I think.. What's your take on this error?

[hppav]

Seems I found the problem. You HAVE to do it via a multi/sub-object material. Put it together first then apply it to the model with the correct Mat IDs.

Odd that I couldn't figure that one out before

[machf]

Thanks!

I did some more work on the Explorer today, fixed most texturing issues (except for that windshield, it's giving me a pain, no matter which way I adjust the bitmap, it's always shifted 4 pixels from it's opacity map).

That's the well-known error GeomAdd has when importing RGB textures. Sure your color map is 24-bit RGB and the opacity map is 8-bit grayscale, right? They would line up if the opacity map was a 24-bit image too (they both would be shifted the same amount). But better use a "generic"/"plain" color map and use the opacity map for any effects you want to apply on the glass (scratches, lighter/darker areas, etc.)...

And I also fixed most shading issues (but I forgot the bumper somehow, I'll have to do that next.) Anyway, I took some more images of the explorer.

Yours and Remdul's are the reason I stopped working on my own Explorer. You may remember that my 3-views matched yours exactly, even though the ones I had been using were of a "regular" (non-JP) one...

Rear shot, notice the horrible shading on the bumper :X

It's nearly done. It also needs $ objects, but I haven't gotten around to making any yet. The explorer itself is 79 separate objects since gMax only allows you to export models that have only one texture. I'll be combining them all via scripting when I get that far.

Reminds me of that other Explorer I converted from some HL2 mod (just to show that whatever can be done in HL2 can be done in Tres too - I wouldn't release that to the public), had lots of separate objects too.

[hppav]

I managed to take the model down from 79 meshes to 16 meshes. I still have some shading issues (a few more popped up after combining the meshes). You need to detach any faces you want to have the same smoothing as separate elements. You go Detach and check the "as element" to do this. It takes a while but that's how you solve the issue.

[Draconisaurus]

You need to detach any faces you want to have the same smoothing as separate elements. You go Detach and check the "as element" to do this. It takes a while but that's how you solve the issue.

*thumbs up* You got it. I will note, though - some shading errors will not show up in your GMax scene if your model still makes use of smoothing groups. Set your entire mesh to use Smoothing Group 1, and you might just see those errors that are cropping up in Tres..

[Nick3069]

Very nice!

[jetblack]

I will contain all updates in this thread, and it will likely be more often than weekly

These days are busy days for me. With only 42 hours of free time each week, that has slowed any development to a crawl. However I have learned a few tricks from class that have made me much faster than I was before. I amazed Draco by completing 90% of the Explorer in a matter of two sittings. Before I spent weeks on just the exterior in previous versions. I have gotten that much faster.


By mulletmansam at 2009-07-09


By mulletmansam at 2009-07-09

Note: These are Pre-Alpha, the final version will be better than what you see here. Also note the Pine Valley Terrain Texture

I've also started work on a new menu, which is currently a secret I won't reveal it until it is done, just because it will detract from the sheer awesome sauce that it is. Only Draco has set eyes upon it's majesty and he silently cried a little for not thinking of it himself. In fact he even hinted at wanting to do the sound work for the menu, however it wasn't officially stated by him (as he is a little tied up, as you may well imagine, by JPDS).

The terrain in the images above is a pre-alpha terrain I am creating from a height map that Draco sent me a long time ago (but I initially lost and recently found again).

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Also, since some of you don't know what large scale development can result in, here's a TresEd pic of the raptor pen model I made. This image was taken just over ONE YEAR ago. Amazing



Pullin' this thing out of Developmental Hell!

-hppav

Dude.....I've wanted those cars in a level since I saw the first movie.