[WIP] - My TA re-modeling and re-design

[Cremuss]

Well, I'm happy to see lots of comments :))

@ REVENGE : What do you want I do ? ^^
I can keep them until my data base web site opens, but I'll modeling lots of things before, to have something to provide at the begining of the project

@ MR.D : Thanks @ uvs, I'll do that now :)
=) about the competition huhu =)
I'll try to do my best ^^

@ Hoi : I'll keep that in my favorites thanks, but I'll modeling basic buildings from Spring first, mex, lt, htl, kbot lab without loosing original design too far :)

That's why I've done a new Mex model, first release :
Needs your comments :)
There is not a lot of details but cylinder shapes make polygons counter explodes =D Only 22 polys left to pass over the 300 polys limit I've fixed huhu...

http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/2.jpg

You can see two things at both sides, that touch the rotating parts. I had this idea, like something which produces energy each times the rotating parts touch it or make the metal extraction be done successfully etc...
Just an idea

edit : What guardian looks like now, not a lots of modifications...
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/guardian/render/2.jpg
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/guard ... shot10.jpg

edit 2 : Some polys deleted, some added on the mex mesh
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/3.jpg

I'm gonna ride bmx huhu, next later :)

[Hoi]

much better! but a few things: make the rotating part of the mex a bit bigger and the guardian a bit lower, if you want to i can do some animation scripts

[Treeform]

Cremuss, i can add those models to your collection, but they need to be imported into spring formats.

[Cremuss]

Ok, I think I've done the Metal Extractor from Arm side
304 polys, UVs done, no textures

Original one :


My one :
Render : http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/6.jpg
Checker mat :http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/4.jpg
Render :http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/5.jpg
Wireframe :http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nshot6.jpg

Uv map :http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... er/uvs.jpg

Bonus :
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... /parts.jpg
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/metal ... nder/7.jpg

Now I have to decide in which format I'll release my mesh...
I guess .obj and .blend together is ok...
Any idea ?

@ Hoi : If you do animating scripts, do it for Spring community, not for me =D
I'm interested to see my mesh ingame =)

@ Treeform : I'm really interested about that ! I'll think about it 'cause as I said my project isn't started yet and I don't know how I will manage that... Web site, data base etc... pfiou :/ :=)

[Crayfish]

I really like that mexx (not the triangley one though)

[clericvash]

The mex looks great, nice job!

[Cremuss]

Thanks for comments :)
I'm happy to see my Mex is liked ^^

I'm gonna finish the guardian and his UV map but I've started 2 new model to have comments until the guardian is done :)

So here it is,

Original Advanced Solar mesh :


My one : added a ground base and some details at each corners (too much loss of polys at the moment)
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/advsolar/render/1.jpg
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/advso ... nshot1.jpg

Original Energy storage mesh :


My one which I think is not enough height :
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/energ ... nder/1.jpg
http://cremuss.free.fr/fodb/files/energ ... nshot1.jpg

Needs comments, they are pretty poor in polys at the origine, so I had to redesigned them a bit. ^^

[smoth]

those are nice but for spring many of them are using too many polies.

[MR.D]

Not really smoth, they're not units commonly massed, even for the basic LVL-1 tech tree.

if its under 500 triangles, its still gold in my opinion.

Now if he does a 400 triangle wind generator, then there is good call to question the Triangle count, but for these I don't think its too high ( yet ).

Its pretty impressive work, and I am very much enjoying the style he has kept with them so far.

Hard part is getting a texture that makes those models look as good as they really are.

[Cremuss]

Well, I don't think 300 poly for each model is too much. It is more for games like last Command and conquers etc... Now I don't know how the Spring 3D engine works and if he is able to draw those models nicely with good frame rates
I see that Mr D's models are around 1000-1200 tri and I don't think there is troubles ingame (I saw screenshots ingame so... ?)

edit : Owned :)
Thanks for comments :)
Yeah, the hard part will be to textures all of those models huhu :/

[clericvash]

Keep up the amazing work dude, i hope when they get textured ta-based mods will include them.

[FLOZi]

those are nice but for spring many of them are using too many polies.

I'm afraid I also have to disagree with this. S44 tri counts are considerably more than these appear to be without any issue.

[smoth]

calm down, I am just saying for a simple structure some of them are using polies on places that would be easily covered by the texture. The C&C argument is invalid because C&C deals with much lower unit counts. No need to get in a tizzy.

[FLOZi]

That I agree with, it's wasteful in the way it is modelled.

[Hoi]

nice!, some waste though.

[smoth]

Here is what I am on about:

The red lines are areas of waste

What makes spring different when compared to other rts games is the large scale and largely the free camera. Meaning at any one time the player can see the whole battlefield. On a unit with many moving parts, barrels tank treads yes, they are going to be higher poly count. They are more complex by necessity. I am not in anyway trying to belittle your work or give you a hard time. I am saying that even though you are making really good geometry that you have areas of heavy waste.


The game can be quickly dominated with many many units. So making sure that your geometry is good and wastes very little is important here.

[Argh]

Here's my critique. Feel more than free to ignore all of it, it's just my opinion:



1. Making replacements for OTA stuff will mean that people will endlessly complain about it, slowing down your process and ultimately making you work a lot harder than you should, for nothing worth having anyhow. "Close enough" copies of OTA designs are in violation of copyrights... so, don't bother, if you're really trying to make stuff for the community as a whole.

Make stuff that's not obviously just a copy of an OTA design, and give it a generic name. Make a "mining structure", not a "replacement ARM mex". Make "assault tanks", instead of "bulldog replacements".

You won't have to put up with nearly as much bullshit. Look how many posts of "helpful suggestions" and various whining you've already collected... and maybe you'll see the wisdom of this

Lastly... if you're really making stuff for the community as a whole... please, refrain from putting Arm and Core logos on them.

2. All models in Spring must have one material, but must be in multiple pieces, for animation purposes. So they're basically all on one uvmap, but aren't all joined / merged.

3. Polycounts as high as 3000 are going to be just fine, in most games. The average polycount of objects in P.U.R.E. is around 1000, and it's not a problem- in fact, I'm quite certain it could be twice as high without causing serious FPS loss for anybody with halfway-modern hardware.

Your current stuff's polycount is just fine, and I can appreciate the time spent getting it tight, but you're wasting it on things that won't be seen, like the insides of gun barrels (that should be on the skin, frankly, unless the barrels are truly HUGE) and bevels, etc... when you should be spending it on better major greebling, rounder shapes, etc.

Also, for rounded things, bear in mind that Spring uses a rounding shader, which can make even 5-sided columns look reasonably round from a side view, and will make even fairly low-poly spheroids and curving shells look pretty round. So, don't waste a lot of polygons on round stuff, it's not really necessary.


That's pretty much it. If you're not an experienced skinner... get the models done, so that we can all see them, then offer them to anybody who wants to skin them. If the models are really well-designed, I'm sure there will be takers. But if I were you, I'd quit wasting time trying to please everybody, and just concentrate on making the best designs you know how to.

[Hoi]

take the mid way, listening to people is good, very good but when its ok its ok, there are always some people who want to say something like x would be better if you would do y... ect, and please, ignore args 1'th point, you're remaking ta units, its important to keep them ta otherwise people wont accept them as ta remakes but just some units with the same role as ta units, so, better models textures and scripts, same names!

[Snipawolf]

If they're free models made for TA styled games, who do you think is going to use them?

People making ta styled games, which is noone, or people changing what they've already got, which are few.

Make an assault tank, and it could be used in ANY place where an assault tank is used, in this engine or any other one.

You are limiting your models' usefulness and killing your time for no reason.

[Hoi]

i disagree, redoing the ota stuff is great, becaus the ta stuff is played alot, and the same unit in 2 diffrent mods is fail, the stuff needs to be like ta, but better, becaus there will be a day when some *A mods dont depend on otacontent.sdz and i hope all this models will be in