Xion Community

well I'm far from expert, but now my real goal is to pull out viewpoint and accutrans, unrealed, lightwave, maya, and anything else I have (i don't have 3ds) and make the players truly 3d and accessible from multiple sides. at least thats the goal...

have fun,
xonenine

Well, GOOD LUCK 2 U!

If you're going to do animations with it (for anything... like progress bars, volume bars, playing animations, etc.) you'd better use macros or have an inhuman amount of patience. I've done a skin like this (http://forums.skinconsortium.com/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=881) and even with a macro key set up to open the File -> Place dialogue box in photoshop and type in all of the renders' names but the number (which I typed individually), this process takes some time if you have animations with many, many frames. The end result can look spectacular though, and well worth the time. Another heads up: doing text in perspective is a huge pain (I didn't get around to it in mine), but ALAS' skin "Lissabon" demonstrates an effect that should work nicely if you decide to add song info.


3ds Max output the following for my animation renders: "FileName anim rend####.jpg" and before using my macro, I copied the entire name to a blank text file, deleted the #### number (actually, I left the first two digits to save keystrokes later), then copied what was left

As for my macro itself... ("+" will represent down state, "-" will be release, no +/- will represent press and release)

Alt
F
L (opens the "Place" dialogue box)
+Ctrl
A (highlights file name in dialogue box)
-Ctrl
Delete (self explanatory)
+Ctrl
V (this pasted my shortened file name to the dialogue box)
-Ctrl
End
Left arrow
Left arrow
Left arrow
Left arrow (this series moved the cursor to just before the file extension, where the file render number was)

After you press your macro key, type in the remaining digits of your render number and press enter, add new layer (I would have added this to the beginning of the macro, but I couldn't find a keyboard shortcut for it), then use the macro again.

I'd recommend doing a render of your skin without any of your animated parts attached, then use that as your base layer. Then, if you don't have any transparent or reflective animation parts, you can render each animation set individually without the base of the skin visible (if your animated parts are transparent or reflective, you'll have to leave the base layer visible (which means you'll have to crop it out later. Once you've added all your animation layers, you can crop out everything that's not needed in each frame for each render set (if there is anything).

Sorry for the text wall, but I wanted to be of some help . Anyways, good luck, and I hope to see some fantastic skins in the future!

hmm being a 3D artist this really gives me some good ideas for a true 3d skin,
although im unsure if time polygonal placement with geometrical interface work makes it permissible, hehe
sorry 3D artists inside joke there..

but yeah i don't think perspective would be much of a issue for text scroll.
only prob i see with it is having it larger then what xions internal default is set at.
that by a guess is a 12. and to 0 with BG color tapering.

that is more of a fade in then a enlargement. but can give mostly the same effect to a untrained eye.

very interesting post here glad i read it.
makes ont think a bit on concept.

Now that I have made some simple 3d models as players, I'll try to continue w my plan to make my own more sophisticated models.
I'll still use the unrealed modeler first, and at least Maya or Lightwave for the renders.No doubt I'll have to stop fooling around and move to something high-end.

Seems like it's time to learn about CS4 Extended. It's what I'd like to work with next.

dude isnt maya a $4000 program?

You get a Personal Learning Edition, it's called, w/ Unreal Tournament 2004.So it was like 35 dollars, hehe.

Edit: I should mention some of the other really good resources.
The free Half Life2 and free Halo Editors
Microsofts free PC and XBox Game creation software, XSI Blade, I think it's called.

ahhh fair enough..... i cant justify spending thousands of dollars on programs if i'm not using them to make money back

oh and ZBRUSH is by far the best 3d modelling an rendering program i have ever used.. not too bulky... but very very detailed its also very very easy to use... here is an example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5fYgsdrOaA
its genius how u interact with the poly mesh asif it were clay :D:D:D:D

Well, I'll be learning alot more, maybe I will get to try zbrush.Up till now I'd have to say unrealed is my favorite, but that's only because of the scripting you can do with it, which really has nothing to do w modelling.

(Nothing beats the fun of creating a security camera and a video screen, then scripting them so that your security cameras actually function in the game in real time!Or creating an industrial fan and changing the room physics near the fan so the unwary get sucked into it... )

Also, the workflow is based on subtraction/solid geometry, but you can mix and use both subtractive and additive elements.Model textures can also be animated.

No doubt other programs offer this method of modelling, Blender is another I'll be giving a new tryout in the coming weeks...

Reading all my Blender tutorials now, Logokas was certainly right about this being the best choice, for me at any rate...

At the same time I will finally model a skin in UnrealEd, with the added benefit of being able to run around and kill people inside my audio player.

Downloaded the Lightwave 7 manual last night: 1078 pages, a 40 page index, this is right up my alley, and I am liking the interface still more than blenders, so we will see...

Edit: 30 or so pages are blank, so that's not so bad now, hehe.I will switch to lightwave 7 for my skinning needs.Then the models can have real animation, 'stead of sprite animation.

Read the modeling half of the Lightwave manual a few times, and am happily making models I can export in various formats, (including an extra bonus, model importing directly to Unreal from Lightwave)-

it's really a nice program.I think anyone who is comfortable in photoshop will enjoy the layered approach to working w models.I'm certainly lovin' it.

The next hump is UV Mapping...

Well, I finally undestand enough UV Mapping to be able to start working on skinning my models.Man, it is for sure a steep learning curve to add UVs and rendering, but I spose I only have to learn it once.

Vinnie will be happy to hear the last tut I just read recommends using LWave. ZBrush, AND UV Map to finish a model.(cites ZBrushes facial detailing capabilities) Thats a kinda complicated workflow tho, LWave is more trouble but can be used for all aspects.