2255 replies to this topic

[Agent Cooper]

Thanx Sparks! Thats everything I need to finish this gun off.
I may come to you for more help soon.

[Adridos]

As is the tradition, here's the newest scale comparison chart for both front and side profiles.





Hope you guys like it.

Also, since I have all the mech models clustered up in the same file, you could suggest something to do with it, because I myself, couldn't think of anything good.

Edited by Adridos, 21 March 2013 - 09:35 AM.

[Sentinel373]

Here is my current project that im going to make using a 3d printer

The cockpit will have a joint in it so it can open and close. And i might add some articulation in the arms and torso. Im going to have to design a nice chair though since the pgi cockpit model doesnt have a back since thats not visible ingame.

[baabaa214]

Where is a good 3d printer site (would like one in the States if possible) that would give price on printing one of the mechs?

[Sentinel373]

baabaa214, on 22 March 2013 - 04:51 AM, said:

Where is a good 3d printer site (would like one in the States if possible) that would give price on printing one of the mechs?

I use www.shapeways.com, they have an facility in new york. and if you upload your model to their website it tells you what it's going to cost based on what material you want it printed in.

The nice thing about shapeways is they charge you for material used instead of total volume of the model. so the model becomes cheaper if you make it hollow. This does mean that if you import the model from the game you will need to edit it quite substantialy or else it gets very expensive if you want a big one.

Edited by Sentinel373, 22 March 2013 - 05:02 AM.

[DirePhoenix]

Adridos, on 21 March 2013 - 09:34 AM, said:

As is the tradition, here's the newest scale comparison chart for both front and side profiles.





Hope you guys like it.

Also, since I have all the mech models clustered up in the same file, you could suggest something to do with it, because I myself, couldn't think of anything good.

Something I've noticed about these images that keeps setting off my faux-OCD... You have the Catapult and Cataphract out of order... The Catapult is 65 tons, while the Cataphract is 70 tons.

EDIT: nevermind, these are all apparently height order, not tonnage order (the light 'mechs are out of order, as well as the Trebuchet and Dragon needing to swap places too). This kind of highlights how these 'mechs don't seem to have a consistent volume-mass ratio. The Catapult should be scaled down and the Jenner and Spider should be scaled up a bit for example, to make their volumes more consistent with their tonnages.

Edited by DirePhoenix, 23 March 2013 - 08:15 AM.

[Adridos]

DirePhoenix, on 23 March 2013 - 08:08 AM, said:

The Catapult should be scaled down and the Jenner and Spider should be scaled up a bit for example, to make their volumes more consistent with their tonnages.

Actually, the way I look at it, we can't really compare them just by their maximum tonnage, since that involves a lot of weapons which inflate the weight of the actual mech represented. And of course, density of the insides.

For instance, I supported teh Catapult vs Stalker comparison, but then I looked at it from a different perspective. You see, a great example of inside density is the Catapult's vs Stalker's cockpit, which kinda shows how can Catapult match Stalker's size, yet be so much lighter. Stalker's cockpit is stuffed and armored, while the cockpit of the Catapult is more or less hollow in comparison.

That's also the reason why I've set them up just by height and not their actual weight. Altough, I could do one like that if you wanted to see the differences between the mechs of the "same" tonnage.

[Dauphni]

Another thing to remember is that it's not always easy to judge a Mech's volume just from a profile. Take the Catapult and Stalker for example: in the front profile, you can see very little difference, but in the side view, it's obvious the torso and legs are much more massive on the Stalker.

I think it'd be interesting to do a similar line-up shown from the top.

[Adridos]

Uite Dauphni, on 23 March 2013 - 10:24 AM, said:

I think it'd be interesting to do a similar line-up shown from the top.

I chose not to do so, because, really, we'll never see the mechs from that perspective, but since it's so easy to do...

Edited by Adridos, 23 March 2013 - 11:03 AM.

[Vapor Trail]

Ok... trying to find the fully assembled JM6 model, but failing... am I missing something or are the newer mechs using a different naming scheme for the fully assembled model?

[Sparks Murphey]

The Trebuchet and the Jagermech didn't come with assembled models, you'll need to put the individual pieces together. They are .cga files by default, but if you rename them to .cgf, Noesis can open them fine.

[Marineballer]

Does anyone know where they hide the models of Spider Trebuchet and Jagermech?

They arent in the Object.pak like the other (older) mechs wich they implemented.

[Adridos]

Marineballer, on 25 March 2013 - 05:53 AM, said:

Does anyone know where they hide the models of Spider Trebuchet and Jagermech?

They arent in the Object.pak like the other (older) mechs wich they implemented.

They don't hide them. They were never made complete and all we have is parts and a working model in CryEngine, which you can re-engineer to become your own _scale file if you have the nerves to do it.

Doing so with exact precision takes about an hour with everything set up and about 20 more minutes if you also have to rename everything and set up the dummy right. That's how I got the models for my scale pictures.

[Ravingdork]

Can someone create a black and white "Angry Panda" themed HBK-4SP? I would be most grateful. (I'd do it myself, but my computer can't run the appropriate software.)

Edited by Ravingdork, 25 March 2013 - 09:09 AM.

[Sparks Murphey]

Ravingdork, on 25 March 2013 - 09:09 AM, said:

Can someone create a black and white "Angry Panda" themed HBK-4SP? I would be most grateful. (I'd do it myself, but my computer can't run the appropriate software.)

I'll add it to my list. Currently working on another project, so it may take a little time.

[Agent Cooper]

Hey Sparks, thanx again for the ac20 shots.
Heres the results thus far

[Sentinel373]

awesome work!, i wish i had the skill to make somethinglike that. sadly i'm a cg artist so without a 3d printer i'm useless

[Marineballer]

I will put the parts together from the new mechs after eastern.
That will be fun

I just have problems with texture the mechs like the OP said.
I am using 3ds max 2012. Any tips?

[Sparks Murphey]

Marineballer, on 27 March 2013 - 01:23 AM, said:

I will put the parts together from the new mechs after eastern.
That will be fun

I just have problems with texture the mechs like the OP said.
I am using 3ds max 2012. Any tips?

Get 3DSMax 2013. 2012 is so broken generally.

I find slapping a UVW Xfrom modifier on the meshs after you import them is the easy way of getting around the fact that the UVs appear flipped. Tick the "flip" box on...the second axis on the list (I can't remember off the top of my head what the label is, but it's the second one down) and you're good to go.

While 3DSMax will load .dds files directly, my copy reports an "invalid header" on the normal maps. Opening them in Photoshop CS5 and then resaving them as .dds files works fine, as does exporting .tga files with Noesis.

By default, each triangle in the assets is it's own separate element. To make handling the mesh easier, select all the vertices and weld them with a very fine tolerance (I find 0.01 works well for me). Your aim is to merge the verts that are right on top of each other, without collapsing small detail. Once that's done, you can use element selection to select the building blocks of the 'Mech more easily (like grabbing a laser to duplicate it, for example).

Also, while this isn't specific to 3DS Max, it is something to keep in mind when assembling 'Mechs out of parts rather than just using the _scale files. The default parts are stored in _body textures, while the alternate parts are stored in the _variant textures, and you'll need to make two different materials for them. So, if you want to make a K2, the body and legs will use the _body textures, while the PPC arms and the machine guns (or ACs, or Gauss rifles, whatever) will use the _variant textures.

Finally, stop using 3DS Max 2012 and get 2013. Or rollback to 2011. Or Maya. Or Blender. Or K3D. Or SketchUp. Seriously, 3DSM 2012 doesn't even have a functional skin system.

[Agent Cooper]

Hey Sparks, I could use your help again with the Atlas if you feel like it.
Im trying to figure out the shoulder assembly and shoulder guard. Any shots in that area would be awesome.