Forgotten Chronicles - Mod in Developement

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 16 Jun 2006, 16:56

Still playing around with tattoo, but don't quite know how it all works, I'm going to search on main site and maybe google it

Sean Mirrsen · Post by **Sean Mirrsen** » 16 Jun 2006, 21:16

Basically you have to have a UVMapped model and have a blank texture material applied to that model. Having that, you load it into Tattoo. Immediately see the View->Show model warnings (or smth like that) dialog, it will tell you if anything's wrong. When everything's all right, you select brushes and just paint whatever you need. A special button enters "overlay mode" where you can draw not on the model, but on a surface before the model in high-res, disregarding the polygons. After you've finished, switch back to normal mode and the picture you've drawn will get applied to the texture of the unit. You can't rotate or pan in overlay mode, otherwise it functions a lot like Photoshop. A list of hotkeys can be found somewhere in the help menu. Also pay attention to the bottom "status bar", it shows what modifier keys you can press to do one or another thing. For example, when in Tattoo mode (applying decals), right clicking will bring up a dialog where you can load any image, including the TA textures.

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 17 Jun 2006, 03:40

Thanks for the info,

Edit: Oh and there is one problem, wtf is UV mapping for, what is its purpose, Coloring is cool and all but, why do I need to do it?

Guessmyname · Post by **Guessmyname** » 17 Jun 2006, 11:08

UV mapping assigns areas of a flat texture to faces on your mesh

In other words, you can't use the s3o format without this.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 17 Jun 2006, 11:21

I have said it before.. but I'll repeat it...

textures are the skin of a model. In order for it to be placed on the model correctly it needs coordinates..

Imagine unpeeling an orange then laying all of the skin flat on a surface. painting the skin then glueing the skin back on. That is what uvmapping is.

Since it was requested earlier..

here is an example texture:

Here is the model that the texture goes to:
http://cs.selu.edu/~ssmith/gallery/g2da ... ective.jpg

see how it looks like I unpeeled the model onto the texture? that is what uvmapping does. It tells the model where it looks for what part of it's texture.

Sean Mirrsen · Post by **Sean Mirrsen** » 17 Jun 2006, 16:22

In a more imaginative way of speaking, imagine you smashed your model to individual faces and are making a jigsaw out of em. :)

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 17 Jun 2006, 19:56

lmao @ Sean

Anyhow I guess I get it, heheheh, like a director for a current kinda, or like irrigation, except for textures

Ps: Yea my analogies suck, you gonna do something about!?

Sean Mirrsen · Post by **Sean Mirrsen** » 17 Jun 2006, 20:28

Technically, with a tool like this, you can get away with just an automapped UV map. Like Lightwave's Atlas mode in "make UVs". If you want to have a better detailed texture though, you'll have to conserve space - by clustering together similarly textured objects, and placing mirror-textured faces on the same spot.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 17 Jun 2006, 20:37

I know several modelers do that but it is generaly bad practice in game modeling. Tools like deep paint and tatoo are nice and all. Part of the problem he will run into when he uvmapps like that is that he will have to find someone to texture it and most texture artists are going to want to bring it into photoshop and draw details by hand or paste on digitized bits.

Pxtl · Post by **Pxtl** » 17 Jun 2006, 21:20

Latest beta of Blender has a skinning system that makes UVMapping a snap. Just tried it on my own model. You just plonk some seams down on the model to tell it how to unwrap, run the unwrapping tool, and then moving things around and pin them un the mapping screen until you like it. Very quick and easy.

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 17 Jun 2006, 21:22

0.o, I can like, uv my texture, or something like that, in Wings3d!

It looks pretty horrible, and I don't think it would look good in game.....

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 17 Jun 2006, 21:26

FINALLY, I THINK I GOT IT! You uv map so you can see all the faces flat, then apply, a skin or texture, then its ready to go?

Zoombie · Post by **Zoombie** » 17 Jun 2006, 21:34

I don't think it looks that bad. Its just a little bland. And black.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 17 Jun 2006, 21:45

FOR THE LOVE OF GAWD!
CROP!

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 18 Jun 2006, 01:20

0.o Who is this gawd you speak of?

Anyways, my internet is being annoying right now, so I'll learn how to crop if the page ever loads

PS: I have Fast Access Dsl, or something like that, 350kb or so

Edit: lol, that's easy to do, I'll do it every time

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 11 Jul 2006, 01:58

WOAH, a double post after all this time

Anyhow i am starting up again, I cannot escape my want for building a mod and having my (our) visions of units coming true :p

I have got a commander idea, a super unit idea, and both a light and heavy tank modeled

I was out of this for like teh past month

I guess I don't have too much time these days....

Edit: If anyone is interested, this is the *SUPER* Unit I designed, planned on taking up about, 1/3 of the space at mediumish range camera

Teh red blob on top is my heavy tank

Oh and cropping is way too easy :p

Guessmyname · Post by **Guessmyname** » 11 Jul 2006, 11:26

Pxtl wrote:Latest beta of Blender has a skinning system that makes UVMapping a snap. Just tried it on my own model. You just plonk some seams down on the model to tell it how to unwrap, run the unwrapping tool, and then moving things around and pin them un the mapping screen until you like it. Very quick and easy.

Wings does that, and it's interface is much, much simpler

EDIT: Tha- that - that's a big scorpion Snipawolf. Nice model, but good luck scripting it...

Min3mat · Post by **Min3mat** » 11 Jul 2006, 14:31

AWESOME. with a model like that you _MUST_ do some CRAZY scripting!!! =D

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 11 Jul 2006, 16:37

Yeah its gunna be a killer, but I plan on doing some things first and things like this later, if I released him in the first version, with nothing remotely like that in the other two races...... BOOM!

Like here http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5762

Cuz I mean, that tank was heavy and strong enough to do some damage, anyhow I am planning on getting my devopment document going soon, some of these ideas, I just lose em too fast

Anyhow more on the mod and me trying to get a human commander and skins/textures and all for it, and getting all the level 1 stuff, then I might release a test version for people to get bored with almost extremely fast cuz there are no level 2 units, hehe

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 11 Jul 2006, 16:57

Sorry for double post, didn't feel like editing that thing

The tail holds a charged particle cannon, DAMNIT, I forgot the claw UNDER the tail that bends out too...

Well that's all for now, maybe expect a skinned/textured unit by end of week :p

Spring RTS Engine

Forgotten Chronicles - Mod in Developement