Zillameth on 30/10/2005 at 14:10
Just a random thought. Please excuse me if someone mentioned it earlier. I've had a not so short pause from T3 editing, lately.
I was building a cellar of a mage's mansion yesterday. I'd like it to contain examination room with all sorts of specimens, including live creatures. These creatures need to be kept in cages, so they don't run away nor hurt each other (or the mage).
The problem is, I can't find a cage in static mesh library. I managed to get around this by piecing a cage together from several other meshes, but this solution is probably neither elegant nor efficient.
Now maybe I'm just empty-headed, but chance is there really is no animal cage in the library. Even if I just missed it, someone will need a nonexistant mesh sooner or later, and I mean ordinary, common objects, such as containers, tools, furniture and so on (yeah, I'd like mechanist robots back too, but they are a kind of bonus in my book). And I know that if I'll ever be able to make my own meshes, it won't be soon.
I assume I'm not the only one with this kind of problem. And I hope there are (or will be in future) people with necessary experience, who could be willing to create meshes someone else needs.
The wishlist, preferably in form of a sticky thread, could help to organize the effort. Got some spare time? Got nothing better to do? Why not take a look at the list and see if someone needs something in particular? The thread could also serve as a place where new entries are suggested and discussed. If this worked, maybe we could compile a "community" library with all the custom content provided by different people.
This isn't supposed to be a brainstorm, or a list of all the lacking things we can think of. It's supposed to list things someone really needed and couldn't find at some point. For example, I'd really like a new set of wooden catwalk tiles, 4ft and 8ft wide, with railings at one and both sides, but I don't even know what I would use them for. I'd be mad to expect anyone to follow this kind of a whim. We all have lots of our own designs to fulfill, anyway.
So, does anyone think this is a good idea, or should I put my random thought generator to better use? :-)
Ziemanskye on 30/10/2005 at 15:02
A general wish list is, I think, a good idea.
But I think it could do with some formatting/rules:
(Just as examples)
* You must actually have a use *now* for what you ask for, rather than just things you think might be useful
* You give the dimensions you need it to be - x,y, and z, unless it really doesn't matter
* You specify how many textures and their rough placements (eg - 2 text, upper and lower section). This is a smesh wishlist - don't expect fancy new textures with everything.
* If possible - post screenshots of the location it's going in - you could grab from the editor with the builder-brush in position for clarification if needed
* Also if possible - post pictures or links to things if there's a real world equivalent
ascottk on 30/10/2005 at 17:36
I managed to port the T2 robot meshes (I used them in the Labyrinth 1.1) but I'm having a hard time making an AI out them. I'm still trying to figure out the best way:
* There's a tutorial online for a robotic arm that might be useful (you can use anything as a bone in max with creature tools)
* using biped which presents a lot of problems (fitting a human figure into those robot meshes)
* Using regular bones (the mesh stretches when the bones move)
If anyone has any experience with character creation I can send you the max files, matlib, & textures.
OrbWeaver on 30/10/2005 at 21:04
I think it would be best to integrate a wish list into the proposed online mesh repository that was mentioned some time ago.
Crispy on 31/10/2005 at 06:22
ascottk - Probably the last option is best. The bones might not export properly with the first option, and fitting a biped into a T2-style robot would be quite difficult. (But if you think you can do it, go ahead, as it's usually faster than manually creating bones. I did it with a raven character once - it was tough, but I managed in the end!) You can still make the robot parts move rigidly rather than deform if you use the Vertex mode for physiquing.
Manual boning can take a while, though, so I suggest you do a smaller-scale test first to make sure you can export everything properly. Nothing more annoying than doing all that work and then discovering it can't be exported! :)
str8g8 on 31/10/2005 at 09:27
ascottk, with the Skin modifier you can make the weighting Rigid, this will stop the deformation of the mesh I think. Max help will provide the details.
STiFU on 31/10/2005 at 11:17
I would really welcome a staticmesh wishlist. I would make static meshes myself, but i cant find the needed 3ds version 5.1 anywhere.... :( I would like to have it sooooooo much because i got some c4d skills and i guess i could transfer them to 3ds and serve the community as a smesher!
May i add something to that list yet?? :cheeky:
New Horizon on 1/11/2005 at 00:33
Quote Posted by STiFU
I would really welcome a staticmesh wishlist. I would make static meshes myself, but i cant find the needed 3ds version 5.1 anywhere.... :( I would like to have it sooooooo much because i got some c4d skills and i guess i could transfer them to 3ds and serve the community as a smesher!
May i add something to that list yet?? :cheeky:
Sent you a PM. ;)
ascottk on 6/11/2005 at 08:06
We could also posts links to free models that max 5.1 users could convert. Just post the URL and specify which model you want. I ended up downloading a whole bunch of stuff too so I might have it already ;)
EDIT: I did find a cage . . .
STiFU on 6/11/2005 at 10:01
But dont those models you get on the free pages have too many polygons? I dont know how many are normal in thief 3, but they are far less than models for raytracing i think. We would have to reduce polygons afterwards, which is not so easy i guess. Or have you found a site, on which you get 3ds gaming-models?
