Posted by: gavinbartlett - Monday, October 24, 2005 6:14:04 AM
Hello,
I am interested in helping out on the art side of things if possible. I Love all things generals and like what I see here, definitely has potential. I work in the games industry as an artist at present and have just finished working on Project Gotham Racing 3 on the Xbox 360.
I am a bit disillusioned with the way EA have almost totally shunned the generals and C&C titles so I would like to produce a mod / help out, to give something back to the fans I suppose.
I am not a programmer so I’d need someone to tell me what file format would be supported for importing models into the world editor, texture map sizes, etc etc... I use maya day to day, and max in my spare time, texture wise I’d say am pretty good :) I know Photoshop like the back of my hand...
So if anyone is interested lets talk and give me some work to do :)
Posted by: krit - Monday, October 24, 2005 6:32:12 AM
Wow, you sure chose to join at such a good time, right after the modelling program (Required for plugin for exporting models into .w3d formats) got decomissioned...
Posted by: Luckie - Monday, October 24, 2005 6:34:30 AM
We have plenty of modeling and skinning work left. Your help would be more than appreciated. I'm going out on a limb here, but I think your industry experience pretty much qualifies you. It's good hear that share our opinion of EA's "kick the fans in the teeth" approach. Blbpaws is the mod leader. He may want to see a little bit of test art.
Technical Stuff:
C&C Generals uses the Renegade Public Tools frontend (called RenX) to Gmax (from the makers of 3dsmax).
The steps: 1) Install Gmax 2) Download and Install Renegade Public Tools 3) Run RenX
You can use 3dsmax but you will need to export the model into a script file, then run the script in gmax to put it back together. On top of that, skins [i]do not [/i]export from 3dsmax.
Thus, skinning needs to be done in RenX.
If there is anything you can't find (like a w3d exporter) we should be able to help.
Posted by: krit - Monday, October 24, 2005 7:37:16 AM
I remember they said that Autodesk has discontinued GMax so it's no longer available for download and activation codes no longer exists didn't they?
Posted by: Luckie - Monday, October 24, 2005 7:47:01 AM
http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax
It is still available for download. However, I'm not sure about activation codes. I think I may have a couple around.
Posted by: MicScoTho - Monday, October 24, 2005 11:41:14 AM
As for activation codes for GMax, the community at present has resorted to using a "fix" while we attempt to persuade Autodesk to make an unsupported version of GMax available for download without activation codes. The fix/workaround/whatever you'd like to call it is available from PlanetCNC here: http://www.planetcnc.com/files/main/index.asp?singlefile=yes&fileid=1647
Also, I believe a W3D importer to which Luckie refers is available on our Miscellaneous Downloads page (http://www.cncgeneralsworld.com/downloads/downloadmanager.asp?action=showPage&page=misc) -- "Coolfile's .W3D Importer" (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong [wink]).
Based on the previews I've seen for Project Gotham Racing 3, however, I can quite confidently say that the All Stars modding team would be more than happy to have you on board. I'll have our Mod Manager Blbpaws talk to you shortly.
Posted by: Blbpaws - Monday, October 24, 2005 2:26:34 PM
Hey,
I guess I'm the third staff member to echo these thoughts, but, as Mod Leader, I can definitely say we would be interested. It wouldn't be a lot of work, and it might be slanted towards the skinning side rather than the modelling side, but there's still some art that needs to be done. In addition, we're going over a number of our early models and skins and remaking them based on poly count issues and detail concerns. With your professional experience, I think you'll be a big help in this area especially.
Generally, our staff is pretty relaxed and loose--hopefully more loose than what you work with professionally--and generally the team decides which model/skins are best and we incorporate them, so I don't think you'll have any issues.
If you have any questions, or want more details, either PM me, e-mail me, contact me on AIM/MSN, or respond to this topic. If you want to join, let me know, and I'll add you to the team.
Thanks!
Blbpaws
[quote=gavinbartlett]
Hello,
I am interested in helping out on the art side of things if possible. I Love all things generals and like what I see here, definitely has potential. I work in the games industry as an artist at present and have just finished working on Project Gotham Racing 3 on the Xbox 360.
I am a bit disillusioned with the way EA have almost totally shunned the generals and C&C titles so I would like to produce a mod / help out, to give something back to the fans I suppose.
I am not a programmer so I’d need someone to tell me what file format would be supported for importing models into the world editor, texture map sizes, etc etc... I use maya day to day, and max in my spare time, texture wise I’d say am pretty good :) I know Photoshop like the back of my hand...
So if anyone is interested lets talk and give me some work to do :) [/quote]
Project Gotham Racing graphic wise looks amazing, 80,000 Poly cars I heard? Anyways, isn't there a .W3D exporter for 3DS Max? I thought there was... If there isn't, then it sounds like the Generals modding community is hosed (For Models and Animation) if they dont keep Gmax around.
AuroraAlphaHL2 [grin]
Posted by: Blbpaws - Tuesday, October 25, 2005 3:53:48 PM
It's quite possible there is one in the works from EA.
Edit: Gavin, if you'd like to join us, please talk to me on MSN (Blbpaws@cncgeneralsworld.com) or PM me here. I'd like to see one piece of sample art--it can be something from PG3 racing or something you and I decide you'd like to make (or remake) for the mod. Contact me and we'll get the ball rolling.
Posted by: Jaytius - Tuesday, October 25, 2005 6:46:10 PM
Hi Gavin and welcome to the cncgeneralsworld forums, thanks a lot for offering your expertise, as you probably know by now we're working on a mod called All Stars, and I and the rest of the team would be more than happy for you to join the team; if you would like. I'm the main modeller for the AS mod at the moment, and the one with all the Import/Export know how, most of it has already been explained here, but if there is still anything that you are unsure of I'll gladly assist you, contact me in the usual ways, my MSN Messenger is jaymioz@hotmail.com
Posted by: gavinbartlett - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:04:35 AM
Hello guys i will be in touch soon, just swapping internet providers at the moment so i have no internet at home :( anyway seeing as its down time in the gotham camp i decided to make an orca; probably more halo spec than generals mod but an idea of poly limits from you guys would be great....Basically had a look for tiberian sun concept work on ign and found some really nice stuff, see whatya think. This took 4 hours in total.
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[img]http://www.cncgeneralsworld.com/public/files/gavinbartlett/orca.jpg[/img]
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Posted by: CG Apollos - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:30:57 AM
Looks great from the Screenshot! How many Polygons is that?
AuroraAlphaHL2 [grin]
Posted by: gavinbartlett - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:54:53 AM
5468 Triangles but not really optimised. :)
Posted by: CG Apollos - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 11:11:38 AM
That sounds a little high for a RTS game. Thats the way I like it (Everything High-Poly), but the All-Stars team will probaly ask you to lower it by alot!
AuroraAlphaHL2 [grin]
Posted by: Luckie - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:24:43 PM
Hah. Currently, we only have an Orca Bomber (already modeled) but we may be able to work that in if you could reduce the poly count to under 800. lol.
Posted by: Blbpaws - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 2:06:31 PM
Yeah, modding for RTS engine's is much different than other types. Generally we aim for things in the 600-800 range, but there are exceptions for particulary hard models.
So, contact me when you get your internet all sorted out, and we'll go from there.
Posted by: Jaytius - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 2:44:51 PM
It seems that only I can truly appreciate that fact that you made that in 4 HOURS! Quite frankly that’s amazing! awesome job, but yeah as the people have said, for such a model its poly range should be around 800 triangles.
Posted by: PaRaDoX - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 3:58:49 PM
well i think that is awsome you should put it into renagade!
Posted by: CG Apollos - Thursday, October 27, 2005 5:52:47 AM
[quote=Jaymioz]
It seems that only I can truly appreciate that fact that you made that in 4 HOURS! Quite frankly that’s amazing! awesome job, but yeah as the people have said, for such a model its poly range should be around 800 triangles. [/quote]
Yeah, that is just amazing work. Hey, could you consider going on my mod team? lol. [stuck_out_tongue]
AuroraAlphaHL2 [grin]
Posted by: gavinbartlett - Thursday, October 27, 2005 6:44:21 AM
Managed to get the model down to 1006 polys from 5600 odd. basically i went through and decided what could be done in the texture, what was excess detail and binned it. See what you think...
I know it's 200 more than what you said, but obviously the orca engines are round and any other changes would have effected the overall shape.
[b]Image Insert:[/b]
[img]http://www.cncgeneralsworld.com/public/files/gavinbartlett/orca-low-poly.jpg[/img]
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Posted by: CG Apollos - Thursday, October 27, 2005 6:51:39 AM
Still looks great!
AuroraAlphaHL2 [grin]
Posted by: Luckie - Thursday, October 27, 2005 6:56:32 AM
800 is kind of the high limit for this kind of unit. However, did you take out detail on polys that wouldn't be seen from the "top down" perspective of generals?
Posted by: Firion Corodix - Thursday, October 27, 2005 7:21:37 AM
that still looks superb [+1]
and having a model around 1k poly's wouldn't matter that much compared to an 800 poly model if i'm not mistaken.
Posted by: krit - Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:12:19 AM
[quote=Luckie]
800 is kind of the high limit for this kind of unit. However, did you take out detail on polys that wouldn't be seen from the "top down" perspective of generals? [/quote]
Umm... Would be a good idea but if the Orca was to go into a roll when it's crashing... Or if a cut scene was looking up at it from ground up...
Posted by: Luckie - Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:56:21 AM
Right now, we have no cutscenes. I think the crash animation would be a spin not a roll...
Posted by: Blbpaws - Thursday, October 27, 2005 1:50:02 PM
If we were to do a cut-scene and that were to be the case, we would simply use a more detailed model.
Posted by: CommieDog - Thursday, October 27, 2005 4:54:27 PM
I remember watching the ORCA Bomber spiral and show its underside during normal play in TS. I recommend we keep a bottom side for the model.
Posted by: Luckie - Thursday, October 27, 2005 5:10:16 PM
Isn't this the normal ORCA and not the bomber?
Posted by: krit - Thursday, October 27, 2005 5:14:41 PM
Nope it's the bomber. The Orca fighter only has a single boom unlike the Bomber and the model which has a double boom
Posted by: Luckie - Thursday, October 27, 2005 6:56:40 PM
I'm confused. We have a bomber already and it looks nothing like that. lol.
Posted by: Jaytius - Friday, October 28, 2005 2:02:51 AM
[quote]800 is kind of the high limit for this kind of unit. However, did you take out detail on polys that wouldn't be seen from the "top down" perspective of generals? [/quote]
Refers him to MicScoTho comment in the AS forums. [stuck_out_tongue]. And remember that generals is more of an angled top down, not just a direct top down, so some polys from the side-underneath can in fact been seen. But still that optimized model is awesome! I'd personally come round to everyone's house that would refuse the model and run over them in a mini.
Posted by: Luckie - Friday, October 28, 2005 3:36:35 AM
Pfsh, I wouldn't refuse it if I havent reskinned our current model of the Orca twice with more than 20 hours of work in it.
Posted by: krit - Friday, October 28, 2005 4:29:41 AM
