8 replies to this topic

[DuLt]

I know that people will think I'm just a noob that wants a quick escape to something that needs hard work. But I ain't.

Anyway. I'm learning blender (I know the basics for modelling, skinning and texturing) I'm improving with every day.
As the topic sugestsm I'm trying to make models for half-life 2 (which I'm responsible for all the graphics in this really small project between some friends - it's just to have an escuse and prupose to learn new stuff).

My questions:
- What does this models need exactly?
- How to add kinetic and limit values to the bones, how shoudl they be named?
- How do I make facial features and eye twisting deal (great technical name )?
- How do I imput these models into half-life and give them AI (one pre existing AI like the combine AI)?

That's that for now. I'm also searching for tutorials on how to make a human body and head.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Hoot]

-Well with the first one is a very general question so I can not answer that..
-The bones names should be something simple to remember but still allow you to know which bone it is
- for the eyes and facial features that would take some playing around but it would PROBABLY be done with bones.

the AI wouldn't be done in blender, just the animations the character does may be.

Hoot

[DuLt]

Thank you for replying Hoot but maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I know (or at least I think I know) that to make a character for half-life 2I should know how to make the facial features, to imput the bones rotating limits (angles) and to do something else for the kinetics too work. Off course I know that I can only make the animations with blender but half-life 2's face poser needs some special data for it too work (I believe). I'm also currently searching for ways to do this.

On a side note I jsut remebered a stupidly easy way to make heads on 3d programs (this technique is quite old so I can't take credit for it). I'm gonna draw a grid (with different densities) on my face, photograph it (front and side) and then play connect the dots with blender or any other program. This should make the face rounded correctly.

Anyway thank you for your help.

[SHIVMOO]

xsi mod tool --- google it, or click the link in my sig. it is a 3d tool like blender created for people for free(like blender ), with that there is a link on the xsi mod tool download page to get a plug in for exporting and importing models to and fro from the source engine to xsi.
soooo... hopefully that should help, if blender does have as good as exporters use that.. seeing as xsi was used to create halflife 2 i doubt it

gd luckbtw i have created 1 untextured model for source.. just need to texture and rig and animate for it

Edited by SHIVMOO, 07 February 2007 - 02:13 PM.

[DuLt]

I was tol XSI was paid that's why I never used it.
Anyway I was also said I needed and .sdm exporter for blender and that there are a few ones out there. I'm gonna search them just for the sake of it =P.

Btw. Just a curious though also. Movie making wise... XSI is as powerful as 3d studio max?

Thanks for your time!

EDIT: I've tried XSI mod tool for a bit... and I must say I'm a bit (big bit) addicted to blender's interface (I find it more dynamic for someone that likes many many windows). So i think I'm gonna model with blender and then import a dX file of the model or something. Sugerstions and criticisms to this action anyone?

Edited by DuLt, 07 February 2007 - 04:45 PM.

[Scythar]

1. make the model with as less polygones as possible
2. facial expressions are very "game engine" bound, so i guess mostly would be done in the game editor itself (could be bones, but could also be socalled morphs)
3. before you put all your work into this, make sure you can properly export everything you make to the game engine. So seek the plugins you need first (if they exist) and then try everthing out with simple cubes and stuff before getting yourself into modeling just to find out in the end that all those nice models cant be used in Half-Life.

Most of the time ppl start with map creation cos int's static and the least difficult (map + spawnpoints if you die + spawn points weapons or flag + enemys)

4. making the models always come to a stage (ai or not no matter) where you have to start coding (making gun sound like gun, seeing the effects of bullets etc...) so make sure you can or you know someone can for you.

Just my 2 cents, ther a lot other tips, but cant come up with some for now.
Happy Creation bdw.

[DuLt]

I'm on a side project learning how to map (at least the basics).
So you sugest first I use a blockdude to try out the bone structures and such?

Also...Do you think I can us epreexisting AI (like the AI of a combine elite).

Thanks for replying.

EDIT: Isn't there any export format that can export mesh+bones+animations from blender to XSI?
2xEDIT: I jus tfound out blender can export .XSI format... I'm gonna text bones and animations now. If anyone already knows the solutions please say so.
3xEDIT: I tried with a premade modelled skinned and textured creation of mine and it results in an error when I import it. Anyone knows why?

Edited by DuLt, 08 February 2007 - 10:58 AM.

[Scythar]

Like i said, very game engine dependant;
can't talk bout half-life, but to take my example (unreal tournament --> unreal editor 2), texturing also give errors: i had to make them in one, and only one format: tga, and i had to put them all together in 1 folder, then i had to import that folder in the editor, then i had to link manually (by coding, which i hate)... etc... Thats why i never finished anything, i just gave up.

AI was a bitch (parden the expression), since you had to manually code every possible preferred road they had to take in the map: this becomes very quickly a map full of red and green lines and little mistakes werent always correctable...


Don't want to discourage you off course, it's just that in those days we were with a team bout 40 ppl, everyone specialized in his domain and still it never really got finished. The results were there, just not what we intended.

[DuLt]

I managed to code a überly simple game in blender using its internal game engine.
I'm trying to see if making an fps in blender is that hard and can it have the basics we are looking for (small physics, bullet decals and custumizable hud and effects). We also wanted to see (we... my team and I) if blender can render with anti alisasing and dynamic shadows. If the both turn out noes... we'll try to link it with OGRE3d engine.

On a side note... I've been practicing textures and lighting in blender and... I have a question:
- Without using radiosity, how can I make a lamp that shines and casts rayshadows.

http://netbreakteste...pt/random12.jpg

The lamp shines and casts lights, but I had to turn shadows off so the lamp wouldn't cast a shadow... and i wanted shadows from the lamp protectors.

I'm sorry if this request is too off-topic.

Here are some other test images:
http://netbreakteste...pt/random09.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random10.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random11.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random12.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random13.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random14.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random15.jpg
http://netbreakteste...pt/random16.jpg