Spider Model

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 23 Apr 2006, 17:40

A. Your Avatar is kick-ass.

B. I'd probably use the "mecann" for the gun. I still need a few for the order-giving/order recieved sounds. Are you planning on making more sounds? Could you perhaps make some sci-fi spider-type sounds for me? The sounds are greatly appreciated!

AF · Post by AF » 23 Apr 2006, 18:06

You have a problem, you model has the wrong pose and dynamics.

Look at the image first, and compare how the legs are resting, they seem more like the centre bit will bounce slightly like its got suspension, yet your model looks rigid and hard, infexible. See how the legs go outwards somewhat, rather they aren't just going straight down, see how a real spiders pegs are, even look at the cybran spiders in supcom...

Every spider units I've seen tends to suffer from this problem, it just doesn't look fluid enough as a result, it cant effectively do the normal spider walk as well as it could, not even the scifi movement where the legs stab the ground with force.

But it's a nice model nonetheless.

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 23 Apr 2006, 18:27

So something more like this?

I tried making a new UV map in Wings, but i get this message:

"A closed surface cannot be mapped. (Either divide it into two or more charts, or cut it along some edges.)"

What does this mean? I cant use Wings to save my life...

Here is the new UV map...the legs are all screwed up.....

AF · Post by AF » 23 Apr 2006, 18:44

Good, now you can add bouncey script thigns and so on and be much mroe flexible while still looking intimidating......

Cookie for sheekel

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 23 Apr 2006, 19:19

grrrrrr.....i am this close to giving up UV maps altogether

FireCrack · Post by **FireCrack** » 23 Apr 2006, 19:47

Try not to use the automatic UV mapping tools, do it manualy.

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 23 Apr 2006, 20:03

How do you mean? Right now im using UV mapper, as suggested in Argh's tutorial. Is that an automatic UV mapper?

I think the problem is my lack of photoshop skills, it took me 3 minutes to find the paint bucket tool.

FireCrack · Post by **FireCrack** » 23 Apr 2006, 20:06

It seems like what you are doing now is just clicking on "auto unwrap faces" or somthing similar. WHat you should be doing is editing the UV's of each face individualy, or in groups of faces that can be treated as one, to creat a good UV map.

Zenka · Post by **Zenka** » 23 Apr 2006, 20:33

Whell, the reference only uses plain colors (and self illumination). However you should ask Sinclear if he wants to paint the texture on the UV mapping (he is a genious in that. If I wasn't only-average at it, I would do it myself)

Dr.InfernO · Post by **Dr.InfernO** » 23 Apr 2006, 23:01

I just want you noticed it.

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 23 Apr 2006, 23:32

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

I decided to start with a more simple UV map, so i scraped together a ~100 poly tank to make. It all seems to be working except the map isnt lined up with the model:

The UV map:

The model in Upspring (not aligned at all, i intended it to have green treads and a blue turret

. Its also upsidedown for some reason...)

Das Bruce · Post by **Das Bruce** » 24 Apr 2006, 02:39

You have to flip textures, also try using wings for the UV mapping, its supprisingly user friendly for free software.

FireCrack · Post by **FireCrack** » 24 Apr 2006, 04:06

That's looking alot better, though you can still stich some faces together at the edges for a smoother texture.

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 24 Apr 2006, 04:25

Im feeling a bit overwhelmed, i tried it through wings and my UV is...well:

There is a lot to do, is it usually this complicated? I can hardly tell which faces are from where! I dont even know what that stuff in the lower left is, there is a high concentration of something there that stands out...

IceXuick · Post by **IceXuick** » 24 Apr 2006, 04:51

In 3Dsmax you can unwrap the UV map, and choose the max. angle that 2 connected faces may have and then leaves these together in the UV-map. I don't know if this is explained right, or if you can understand what i'm typing... Well, eventually it let's you decide if every face/polygon should have his own space in the uv-map, or that some faces that are connected in the mesh and don't have like a 45 degrees angle between them, should be connected on the uv-map.

For optimal usage of your texture it is often done like your example...

I'll try to get you some screenshots...

SwiftSpear · Post by **SwiftSpear** » 24 Apr 2006, 04:56

Do a tutorial! There is no way you're going to effectively figure out UV mapping by just playing with it. Auto uv mapping is pewpie and should be avioded at all costs. Also, when making a uv map you want as little white space as possible, white space isn't being used for anything so it's just making the image larger then it has to be, and you get get more texture resolution out of a smaller image if the white space isn't there.

Sheekel · Post by **Sheekel** » 24 Apr 2006, 05:12

I went through most of the wiki and all of Argh's tutorial...

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 24 Apr 2006, 05:28

sheekel

RTFM

wings has one.

SwiftSpear · Post by **SwiftSpear** » 24 Apr 2006, 10:14

No, I mean you have to do one or more of the tutorials that are hosted around the internet for how to uv map with wings/max/uvmapper or whatever other uv mapping tool you can use. There hasn't been an even semi decent universal uv mapping tutorial or artical to come out of this comunity yet, and I don't see why there ever would be as we just started UV mapping recently while the technique has been used elsewhere for literally years and years.

We can't possibly cover all the tools that might be used and our modelers haven't been using the tech long enough to master it.

GrOuNd_ZeRo · Post by **GrOuNd_ZeRo** » 24 Apr 2006, 11:00

Why don't you ask the original artist for the model and go from there? maybe get him/her into Spring...? muhahha!

Anyway, I think the spider isn't supposed to have a turret at all, it just turns it's body towards it's target, what are people's obsession with miniguns anyway? they are heavy, excessive recoil and excessive ammo ussage, it's only really useful for attacking fast moving targets.

Spring RTS Engine

Spider Model