Mek Arcade [Maps] work in progress

[Rabidbutton]

Is there anything I can help you with cdxbow?

[cdxbow]

Rapidbutton: What are you interested in? You model don't you? I could do with some assistance with that, but if you have want to do something else there are a just a few other things left to be done.

[wowie]

I have also had to remove the 'big pig' and have had to come up with another meka, excitingly named Mek #9 at the moment. The legs are still the same as Mek #7, on which it's based, so it is still needing work, and it's not textured properly but here it is with 2 skins quickly applied.

The only problem is, to my eye it looks a bit like another mek, but I can't pick it. The shoulder armor is similar to the chaos marines suit but other than that I can't identify what it is reminiscent of. If anyone can let me know.

Looks like a Dreadnought to me, except tall and thin instead of short and fat:

[Rabidbutton]

Models sounds fine, I can try my hand at a variety of things I think, what do you need done?

[cdxbow]

wowie: give the man a cigar. It does look a bit like a dreadnaught. I will fix accordingly. Why couldn't my Warhammer playing son tell me this?

rabidbutton: thats a bit vague! With respect to modelling can you give me some idea of your skills (do you animate? configure models for the cube engine? texture work?) also what apps do you use, examples of your work etc. If I can get some picture in my head of your skillset it makes it easier.

[Evropi]

I think it is a bit... over-textured. Could you reduce the complexity of the texture? I think the overall look will be much better then. The model is, of course, of excellent quality and I wouldn't change a thing on it (okay, maybe making the shoulder a bit smoother but otherwise it looks awesome).

[Rabidbutton]

rabidbutton: thats a bit vague! With respect to modelling can you give me some idea of your skills (do you animate? configure models for the cube engine? texture work?) also what apps do you use, examples of your work etc. If I can get some picture in my head of your skillset it makes it easier.

Sorry about that!
I wouldn't say that I have the most experience in modeling/texturing, it might be hard to explain where I'm at because I'm not entirely sure my self, though I have been practicing with models and textures and have made a lot of progress, the software that I am familiar with is blender and gimp, I love to animate things, and I did set my mine up in red eclipse so it's possible that I can do some cube model configuration too.

Errrrrrr, I can only show you some unfinished works(and for that I am deeply sorry XD) because lately I have been creating models, learning from that particular model, and starting all over again ect...

[cdxbow]

Evropi: It is a slapped on texture from another mek. Not done, and won't be until I am happy with the mesh. Making it look 'non copyright infringing' is the first step to happiness, making it look good is bliss and making it animate properly in the engine is better than sex.

rabidbutton: You can clearly model so I will ask what do you want to do? Sometimes it's the hardest question.

The most critical modelling task is working on the meka over the next month to get them looking and working better; some mesh work, texture work, animating and configuring. I have them in various formats, milkshape, misfit and max. If you are a blender user smd meshes and animation have proved a successful way to import packages from Max and Milkshape. If you use windows or linux you can use Misfit Cubed, which is our mod of misfit3D designed to spit out an md5 animation set very easily and as most of the meka are in this format it's the easiest way to play. Download http://sourceforge.net/projects/misfitcubed/

I set myself Mek #9 as a one week challenge, admittedly starting with an animated mek in misfit format with the animations all sorted and ready to go, but it would be nice to know that it can be done in one week. I got the idea from discussion in one of the developer FGD forums where someone had posted estimates times to do various modelling tasks.

The second most critical modelling jobs are the mapmodel sets. I had planned to have these done by Xmas bus 'shit happens' and they never got finished. The models are currently divided into the following sets
industrial - available here
road - static set soon to be available.
aerospace - resonably big set
vehicles - as above
buildings - biggests. Needs the most work and animation
fx - explosions and other special fx. Mostly experiments. Good explosions are important.
old - old medievil level tech
vegetation - haven't decided but nobias models are very nice and perhaps a conversion of some to fill the gaps in the RE garden might be nice, but not a prioritory. MekArcade needs destructibles rather than 'nicer' trees - see below.

The third most critical modelling task is a plan to tackle the modelling aspects of making a whole heap of destructible models by about the middle of the year. We have done a couple, John_III has done a nice fall over palm, and I guess I am looking at developing a few generic destructible models, which can be reused. eg falling post (? use Johns Palmtree), collapsing small building, collapsing skyscraper, bridge collapse, landslide, exploding vehicles etc

So if there is anything that rocks your boat in that list, let me know. That goes for anyone else. Then there are the non modelling tasks, ah........

[raiden]

Whoo, action in this thread .

Thanks for empathy and thanks cdxbow for sharing some impressions about your work.
Maybe the right cannon of the mech #9 could be very long, as an option in design? This depends surely from personal tastes and from the kind of a mech it is determined to be. (Although I would say, that the look of your mech isn't too near to the dreadnaught's one. I mean besides similarities in shape, your filigreed texturing differs clearly.)
Besides the unsolved things, the model looks really good until now - thumbs up.

[Rabidbutton]

So if there is anything that rocks your boat in that list, let me know.

Alright then, there are some questions that might need answering and of course I will need access to some mechs in order to fix em' up
do you think it would be better to discuss this through email or on this thread?

[cdxbow]

Public if possible, private by email if need be.

Your questions are....?

Before I do a whole heap of SMD exports, I would like to know if you have tried this http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Import-Export/MilkShape3D_MS3D If this works it could save a lot of conversions. Has anyone tried it?

Is that mek in your picture an original? Maybe we could rig it up against our human walker skeleton.

[fawstoar]

I make music as a hobby... I could probably make a few tracks for MekArcade if you would find that useful. I don't have a whole lot of time on my hands at the moment, but I'm always eager to help out with small projects like this.

Here's a sample from my more recent work (I think I posted an earlier version on these forums a while back): https://soundcloud.com/fawstoar/nomad-v2-1

[Rabidbutton]

Your questions are....?

Do mek arcade models require normal maps?
Will the destructible models have breaking animations, for instance a building that crumbles?(just double checking)
What kind of models would I be looking at creating for particular sets theme wise?

That's pretty much it I think

Is that mek in your picture an original? Maybe we could rig it up against our human walker skeleton.

Yep he's an original, still needs some work though...

Do you have the meks in md5 format? because I have an md5 import/export script for blender 2.49

[quintux_v]

I think it is a bit... over-textured. Could you reduce the complexity of the texture? I think the overall look will be much better then.

Agreed. I can't tell if it's just too dark or what, but it's really hard for my eyes to focus on anything on the model.

Speaking of mechas, have any of you here read Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy? It's a steampunk alternate historical fiction novel series that takes place right before and during WWI and features the "Darwinist" Allied Powers against the "Clanker" (mecha) Central Powers. It's likely not the type of mechas you're looking for here, but there's still a lot of great illustrations to think from. Look up the illustrator, Keith Thompson. He should have a gallery online.

Whoo, action in this thread .

[cdxbow]

Rabidbutton:
Q. Do mek arcade models require normal maps? - yes. Walter provided a greyscale map for the original chicken walker, and the human walker has a normal map.

Q. Will the destructible models have breaking animations, for instance a building that crumbles?(just double checking) ?- Some yes, some won't eg streetlights, signs and trees will just crumple. Buildings are a bit more complex depending on their nature. Some just blow up such as oil tanks. I don't have a clear idea in my own mind which elements can be done as models and others (eg dust/glass shattering) may be best as particles implemented somehow in the engine. Obviously Fx done with just with models are a bit easier. Explosions, flames, dust clouds and other fx are an important area to experiment with in 2013 and I will be looking at that again after feb.

Q. What kind of models would I be looking at creating for particular sets theme wise? Not sure what you mean. Format wise md3 mostly for statics and md5 for animated. Theme wise, any general scifi look.

Q. Do you have the meks in md5 format? because I have an md5 import/export script for blender 2.49 Yes. That's the distributable format. Makes it much easy if you can handle them as is.

Mek 6, the human walker base is here http://teamxbow.org/cube/models/models-mek/mek6_v04.zip

I have updated the chicken walker pack so it includes Mek 1 to 5 and an early number 8. See attachment. Mek 2 (beholder) is the base for the others. Mek8 was the first exported out of Misfit cubed and all went well except the left/right leg animations came out forward. Walter, for unexplained reasons, would never produce a left/right leg animation of the original mek 2. When I tried myself I couldn't manage it in anyway that seemed to make sense. In the end I had to make a seperate max model, twist whole model left and right in max, then twist legs back and it would export and work OK, but I could never combine it successfully with the master model with all the animations. I got up to that point with mek 8 in misfit and decided I needed a better solution, so I haven't been back to fix the left/right of the legs.

You should finish your meka and texture it. So far its looking good and more importantly it doesn't remind me immediately of any other mek. I would like to try to rig it to the human walker skeleton we currently have. It may not work but if it did, wow, instant meka. In one of the art forums someone said it takes 8 to 10 hours to rig a player model, I replied I thought it was more like 2, so this would give me a chance to test my guesstimate. Also we need big looking meka, chicken walkers always tend to look small.

fawstoar:
Music, great. If you have any good musical ideas that you think might be suitable, make them. Incidental music, theme music, great giant over the top battle music, whatever. Have a go. Sound effects too. Audio becomes more important in middle of the year when (hopefully) have some progress with SP. Sound is a bit like Cinderella, waiting for her sound engineer prince to come and rescue her with a comprehensive audio design plan (and relieve me of any significant thought in the matter)

Quintux:
I haven't read Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy, not much time to read at present.I will check out the art work.

And for all those bitching about the texture:

Addendum: steampunk version of mek9, looking very nice. Texture based on Keith Thompsons picture.

[Rabidbutton]

Right, so I'v done some work on the character, the adjustments might not be very noticable but I'm sure he is more functional now
cdxbow do you think I should unwrap the model now and work on the high poly for the normal map and then texture it? or keep on shaping the low poly and add more detail(Asides from the proportions which I will most likely change to fit better, if needed)

[cdxbow]

I wouldn't do anything to do with textures until the mesh is as complete as you can make it. And the next thing I say is going to make you change it a bit. The only thing that obviously needs to be altered is the hands, no glove/hand bits are needed, as the meka have their weapons attached directly. See mek9 earlier in this post or at this picture of a thor and an atlas.

So you could leave the arms short and empty, fashion your own weapons or If you want I can send you some gun models.

How many vertices or polys is the model so far?

[Rabidbutton]

Ah see there's the problem, I thought you wanted to use this model as one of the "light battle armor"(viewtopic.php?p=35959#p35959) because it was created as a person in a suit kind of character, with that being said I could probably alter it into a mek without too much hassle.

the mesh currently has 1149 verts...

[cdxbow]

Battle armor, big meka, whatever. I don't have an urgent need for another meka (Mek9 will fill the last spot for feb) so you can take your time. When you have something you are happy with let me know and I will try to rig it quickly. The verts are OK, thats good.

[quintux_v]

@cdxbow: I have to say, that first picture looks pretty nice in terms of texturing and such, it's simplistic and easy to look at while having enough subtle details to be pleasing. Where did you find that? I'd like to see a mecha in RE/MA that looked like that. The shading kind of reminds me of the RE playermodel with shaders on, which I always did really like (though I don't use model shaders when playing).

Also, just a rather funny coincidence, which lots of you probably already know about... I was searching around polycount and found this. It looks like the artist does a lot of robotics/mecha based stuff, including the whole "big armor" ideas and such on some things.

Also, cool spin on the use of the KT sketch, you probably can't actually use it (due to copyright crap), but I think it's a very cool start.

[Rabidbutton]

Barrels
This was my first completed attempt at them, I feel like they are a little defective(could just be the OCD talking) but either way I think I'll try to create some explosives and maybe some mines? I know you wanted them in Mek Arcade.

[quintux_v]

The barrel looks just fine, there should be a variation with leaking mecha fuel and I suppose you could use the team colors as well.
As for the mines, you should check whether a new model is needed or if the RE one can carry over, considering that cdxbow really wanted the mines for MA whether they were in RE or not.

[cdxbow]

Quintux: Thats #9 with a modded version of the original texture that came with mek #6 (from gabriella). I have colored it with colours from the Keith Thomson picture.

Rabidbutton: Nice barrels. I haven't thought about the mine model yet, thought I'd wait and see how the RE one looks. When I get to the Light engineer I thought I might add something that looks like a launcher to the mesh.

[quintux_v]

Quintux: Thats #9 with a modded version of the original texture that came with mek #6 (from gabriella). I have colored it with colours from the Keith Thomson picture.

Rabidbutton: Nice barrels. I haven't thought about the mine model yet, thought I'd wait and see how the RE one looks. When I get to the Light engineer I thought I might add something that looks like a launcher to the mesh.

Sorry about the confusion, I was actually referring to the thor/atlas picture, the mecha with the orange and black texture, although, like mentioned, the KT one is very cool.


As for the mine, here's the image I stole from another post:

[raiden]

Ok, I have started to rebuild the stuff I lost. I'm a bit depressed, since I realised how much work I really lost and how difficult it was to come to this point. I have to start from zero, with all the old ideas in mind. So a result won't come soon probably.