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agree completely Gaven, but, it's easier said then done. Care to give it a shot yourself? :)
Heh. Actual scratches and stuff is especially tricky on this small of a canvas (512*512) A lot of this texturing stuff is actually done with vectors and shading, so resizing wouldn't be a big deal, but some of my textures, which have been scavenged from VO's textures aren't up to their 2048*2048 par. Thus, I've been rendering with 512*512 textures, to show what it'll look like ingame.
I quote:
All of our "small" single-person ships use 512x512 textures. Larger objects, like capital ships, stations and the normal-mapped asteroids, get 1024x1024 textures. We usually create all the textures at 2048x2048 or thereabouts, mostly as a method of "future proofing" the model/texture, in that we can use them in a future optional "512MB Videocard Patch" that people with lots of video memory may apply if they choose. It gives us the option of being able to easily increase the visible detail of the materials without any artistic labor. The tradeoff is that the "scaled-down" versions won't look quite as good as if they were tweaked by hand at that resolution, but the tradeoff in practice is minimal.
Because of the small size of the textures, putting things like scratches and detailing various parts of the ship is...tricky, because if it isn't done right, then it just looks like a blob of pixels, not a scratch. That, and my base texture is just something that's been tiled from a 150*150 photoshopped picture of scavenged VO textures.
Also, Gavan complains of the textures looking waaay to big, like Waylon's work. I've been actively *trying* to get it to look that way, because I want it to look like something in VO, rather than make it look out-of-place.
From an artistic standpoint, Gavan is totally correct. However, some things aren't really feasible, or something that I have access to, like Waylon's textures.
I quote:
All of our "small" single-person ships use 512x512 textures. Larger objects, like capital ships, stations and the normal-mapped asteroids, get 1024x1024 textures. We usually create all the textures at 2048x2048 or thereabouts, mostly as a method of "future proofing" the model/texture, in that we can use them in a future optional "512MB Videocard Patch" that people with lots of video memory may apply if they choose. It gives us the option of being able to easily increase the visible detail of the materials without any artistic labor. The tradeoff is that the "scaled-down" versions won't look quite as good as if they were tweaked by hand at that resolution, but the tradeoff in practice is minimal.
Because of the small size of the textures, putting things like scratches and detailing various parts of the ship is...tricky, because if it isn't done right, then it just looks like a blob of pixels, not a scratch. That, and my base texture is just something that's been tiled from a 150*150 photoshopped picture of scavenged VO textures.
Also, Gavan complains of the textures looking waaay to big, like Waylon's work. I've been actively *trying* to get it to look that way, because I want it to look like something in VO, rather than make it look out-of-place.
From an artistic standpoint, Gavan is totally correct. However, some things aren't really feasible, or something that I have access to, like Waylon's textures.
In defense of rust location(s): what if particular materials were more prone to rust than others? That'd explain some instances of localized rust. I can appreciate the other instances of rust (weapon hit scoring, etc.), of course.
In regards to rust, I usually turn to warship reference photos to see where and to what degree rust occurs, then apply that to the model. However, more recently, I've turned to aircraft reference photos to get a feel for locations of wear and tear, as well as how dirt and other things accumulate on a plane's skin.
To add grunge to a texture, I will take a large brush (usually custom, but PS's bundled slotchy brushes work too) and paint grunge all over the texture (on a separate layer), and then use an eraser to erase the grunge from where I don't want it.
Generally speaking, dirt and grime tends to accumulate around panel joins on aircraft, and so, when I go to erase from my grunge layer, I erase the centers of panels, leaving grunge only on the panel lines. If there are areas that would emit some sort of exhaust, I'll add that later, usually going back from the emitter.
To add grunge to a texture, I will take a large brush (usually custom, but PS's bundled slotchy brushes work too) and paint grunge all over the texture (on a separate layer), and then use an eraser to erase the grunge from where I don't want it.
Generally speaking, dirt and grime tends to accumulate around panel joins on aircraft, and so, when I go to erase from my grunge layer, I erase the centers of panels, leaving grunge only on the panel lines. If there are areas that would emit some sort of exhaust, I'll add that later, usually going back from the emitter.
I haven't grunged this up yet or anything, and it's still in progress, but I thought I'd post this up. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/AeoleusUV4.jpg
This was rendered this time with the full size texture, 2048*2048.
This was rendered this time with the full size texture, 2048*2048.
Oooh... nice.
Are the visible faces below the cockpit intended?
Yes, the Cockpit is embedded into the ship, and gives a better forward view, as well as a wide view of what's going around the upper hemisphere.
I don't mean that, I mean the unsmoothed polygons right in front of the black circles. :P
PS: Um. That ship looks very familiar. Like, one of the Turanic Raider fighters from Homeworld.
PS: Um. That ship looks very familiar. Like, one of the Turanic Raider fighters from Homeworld.
If you're talking about this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/aeoleuscockpit.png
and the windows being recessed, then yes. It is intended. There is a little bit of error in my cockpit coloring on the largest, most visible window, and that's not deliberate, but I'll fix it eventually.
Edit: Rogue, I don't think you're thinking of Turanic Raiders. I think you've got the Kushan in mind, unless you're thinking of this: http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/turanic/interceptor.htm
If you're thinking of the Kushan, then I think you're thinking I copied this: http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/kushan/light_corvette.htm
I didn't but meh.
Edit2: Stop editing your post! You keep changing your question! :P Yes, the black circles are deliberate. I'm not entirely done with the texturing, but those are going to be recessed guns once I get around to it. Or something else, whatever takes my fancy. :P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/aeoleuscockpit.png
and the windows being recessed, then yes. It is intended. There is a little bit of error in my cockpit coloring on the largest, most visible window, and that's not deliberate, but I'll fix it eventually.
Edit: Rogue, I don't think you're thinking of Turanic Raiders. I think you've got the Kushan in mind, unless you're thinking of this: http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/turanic/interceptor.htm
If you're thinking of the Kushan, then I think you're thinking I copied this: http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/kushan/light_corvette.htm
I didn't but meh.
Edit2: Stop editing your post! You keep changing your question! :P Yes, the black circles are deliberate. I'm not entirely done with the texturing, but those are going to be recessed guns once I get around to it. Or something else, whatever takes my fancy. :P
The size of this ship is comparable to, what, the Atlas? Or smaller?
Leber, I dunno about the atlas - there aren't enough enough players flying Atlases. But in relation to the Cent and Vult, we're looking at something more like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale1.jpg
(hrm, can you load Photobucket now?)
So, a little bit bigger, but this is really intended to be a Blockade Runner - fast, medium armament, and poor maneuverability when it's *cough* running blockades with cargo (smuggling, anyone?), though it's otherwise pretty snappy.
Hopefully I got the comparison between the Cent and the Vult at least partly right there...it isn't often when folks get together and pose with various ships side-by-side.. If somebody could do that with a bunch of ships, that would be awesome.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/scale1.jpg
(hrm, can you load Photobucket now?)
So, a little bit bigger, but this is really intended to be a Blockade Runner - fast, medium armament, and poor maneuverability when it's *cough* running blockades with cargo (smuggling, anyone?), though it's otherwise pretty snappy.
Hopefully I got the comparison between the Cent and the Vult at least partly right there...it isn't often when folks get together and pose with various ships side-by-side.. If somebody could do that with a bunch of ships, that would be awesome.
I was thinking the Turanic Raider Interceptor, ayuh.
I'd like to submit a couple but don't have a 3D program to render, or the skills to weild one... would there be anyone willing to help me with it?
....have you tried Wings3D? http://www.wings3d.com/
Before starting a big project, or a really complex model, I would reccomend tooling around for a bit, and getting the camera navigation and face/vertex/point selection down. Also, get used to where the various tools are in the list, and know what they do. Inset, Bevel, Extrude, and Scale are very heavily used, so get to know how they manipulate everything in a model, not just the one face. Also, look for new ways to connect lines - the default auto-line creation isn't always perfect. In fact, I delete lines an awful lot in order to reduce polys and change the shape in subtle ways.
I'd recommend doing/checking out their tutorials, short though they may be. Also, a few tips to anyone just starting out on wings:
Edit > Preferences:
Under Camera:
Set camera style to "Nendo". I personally like this style the best, and I even have gone to so far as to set 'camera buttons' to 1, even though I've got 1, 3, and 5 button mouses - I just like the 1 button option the best, because it allows me to use my keyboard for option, and ctrl clicking. This also ties into the use of hotkeys, which I'll get into in a sec.
Under Advanced:
Turn on Advanced Menus - it makes it MUCH easier to select the option you want. Here's how it works: Without advanced menus, when you mouseover an option, it opens up a little window to the right, and if you move the mouse over, and overshoot the little menu, then it'll dissapear, and you'll be left to try again - annoying, especially if you're trying to work quickly. Turning ON advanced menus makes you click the option, at which point the submenu appears, and you select the option from that.
Under Misc:
Turn on the workaround for "Camera moves and interactive commands are jumpy", especially on OSX. Makes things SO much easier.
Under General, if you REALLY want to:
Turn on smart Highlighting. It's kinda cool, and I tried it for a while, but I decided I liked using hotkeys more because it afforded more control.
As for use:
ctrl-click or right-click to open a menu, and option click or center-click to change the camera angle.
E - changes to line selection mode
F - changes to face selection mode
V - changes to point selection mode
B - changes to object selection mode, though in wings, you should be making your models entirely out of one object (usually). I usually start from a Cube.
Spacebar - deselects stuff
- / + increases or decreases selection based on connected/adjacent faces/points/lines/whatever
Additional tips/controls can be found at the bottom of the window while using the respective tools and transformations.
Trial and error, this is basically what's been most useful for me in modeling. Experiment with stuff, goof off. Figure out what everything does, and get inspired.
As for rendering, I wouldn't bother with trying to learn blender, but would instead just take screenshots of the window, and put them all together, like so:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/Trebuchet.jpg
Cheers
Before starting a big project, or a really complex model, I would reccomend tooling around for a bit, and getting the camera navigation and face/vertex/point selection down. Also, get used to where the various tools are in the list, and know what they do. Inset, Bevel, Extrude, and Scale are very heavily used, so get to know how they manipulate everything in a model, not just the one face. Also, look for new ways to connect lines - the default auto-line creation isn't always perfect. In fact, I delete lines an awful lot in order to reduce polys and change the shape in subtle ways.
I'd recommend doing/checking out their tutorials, short though they may be. Also, a few tips to anyone just starting out on wings:
Edit > Preferences:
Under Camera:
Set camera style to "Nendo". I personally like this style the best, and I even have gone to so far as to set 'camera buttons' to 1, even though I've got 1, 3, and 5 button mouses - I just like the 1 button option the best, because it allows me to use my keyboard for option, and ctrl clicking. This also ties into the use of hotkeys, which I'll get into in a sec.
Under Advanced:
Turn on Advanced Menus - it makes it MUCH easier to select the option you want. Here's how it works: Without advanced menus, when you mouseover an option, it opens up a little window to the right, and if you move the mouse over, and overshoot the little menu, then it'll dissapear, and you'll be left to try again - annoying, especially if you're trying to work quickly. Turning ON advanced menus makes you click the option, at which point the submenu appears, and you select the option from that.
Under Misc:
Turn on the workaround for "Camera moves and interactive commands are jumpy", especially on OSX. Makes things SO much easier.
Under General, if you REALLY want to:
Turn on smart Highlighting. It's kinda cool, and I tried it for a while, but I decided I liked using hotkeys more because it afforded more control.
As for use:
ctrl-click or right-click to open a menu, and option click or center-click to change the camera angle.
E - changes to line selection mode
F - changes to face selection mode
V - changes to point selection mode
B - changes to object selection mode, though in wings, you should be making your models entirely out of one object (usually). I usually start from a Cube.
Spacebar - deselects stuff
- / + increases or decreases selection based on connected/adjacent faces/points/lines/whatever
Additional tips/controls can be found at the bottom of the window while using the respective tools and transformations.
Trial and error, this is basically what's been most useful for me in modeling. Experiment with stuff, goof off. Figure out what everything does, and get inspired.
As for rendering, I wouldn't bother with trying to learn blender, but would instead just take screenshots of the window, and put them all together, like so:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/Dimpfinator/Trebuchet.jpg
Cheers
Hey, thanks for the wings 3d tutorial, good stuff!
The Aeolus model I'm honestly not a big fan of, it doesn't have many unique or defining features (like 80% of current ship models), kinda looks like a cross between a centurion and a ragnarok nix the winglets, but that's just me. You've got better ones imho: the Trebuchet, for example, looks very cool with those convex wings, muscular fuselage and space shuttle-ish nose. Nice job on the texture, tho.
The Deimos keeps on getting better and better, keep it up!
If we even got one player designed/modeled ship in game, imagine the splash that would make! I guarantee there would be some news articles about it.
Vendetta Online implements player-submitted ship designs
The Aeolus model I'm honestly not a big fan of, it doesn't have many unique or defining features (like 80% of current ship models), kinda looks like a cross between a centurion and a ragnarok nix the winglets, but that's just me. You've got better ones imho: the Trebuchet, for example, looks very cool with those convex wings, muscular fuselage and space shuttle-ish nose. Nice job on the texture, tho.
The Deimos keeps on getting better and better, keep it up!
If we even got one player designed/modeled ship in game, imagine the splash that would make! I guarantee there would be some news articles about it.
Vendetta Online implements player-submitted ship designs
LOL! That will be the day… right after cap ships and exploration expansion…
I'm going on sabbatical to entirely revamp my texture style. Apparently, Guild wants stuff that's more 'modern' looking, rather than something that looks like an existing ship.
I shan't be posting ships for an unknown duration of time, since frankly, I'm sick to the teeth of looking at the Deimos, and I have to redo my entire vendetta texture library.
I happen to like the Aeoleus a LOT more than the Deimos, at least in it's current state. Also, the Aeoleus is much more subtle in it's lines than the Deimos. The Deimos has hard lines, and looks agressive because of it. The Aeoleus is subtly powerful, and somewhat elegant. Real ships have curves. :P
As for ship models having defining features, that's all well and good, but there should be a common pattern to the ships that make them identifiable to certain groups. We have none of that, except for the similarities between the Valk and Cent, and Prom and Vult.
Whatever. This is going to be done when it's done. I might let somebody else have a shot at the textures for the Deimos, so that may continue to be worked on, it may not.
I shan't be posting ships for an unknown duration of time, since frankly, I'm sick to the teeth of looking at the Deimos, and I have to redo my entire vendetta texture library.
I happen to like the Aeoleus a LOT more than the Deimos, at least in it's current state. Also, the Aeoleus is much more subtle in it's lines than the Deimos. The Deimos has hard lines, and looks agressive because of it. The Aeoleus is subtly powerful, and somewhat elegant. Real ships have curves. :P
As for ship models having defining features, that's all well and good, but there should be a common pattern to the ships that make them identifiable to certain groups. We have none of that, except for the similarities between the Valk and Cent, and Prom and Vult.
Whatever. This is going to be done when it's done. I might let somebody else have a shot at the textures for the Deimos, so that may continue to be worked on, it may not.
FWIW, I like the Aeoleus better too :)
they both look cool. lets have both in the game!