Interesting in doing some characters

[Baida]

Hi all,

I discovered Glest not so long ago, I think that's quite a cool Game even If I haven't played too much till now and even If I get my ass kicked everytime  
In fact, I'm just interested in doing some characters even building or anything else in Glest because I think that could be very funny.

Moreover, Game design is what I'm studying and that could be cool to make some models and etc to improve my skills.

So,  Sorry if those questions have been already requested but what are the main constraints for doing meshes for Glest ?

- What's the scale use for a character, which unit in 3DSmax ? (E.g) (meter, inch...)

- How many polys do you use by character usually ?

- What sort of map do you use ? ( I guess only diffuse and no specu, normal maps, tell me if I'm wronf)

- What's the size for those map ? (256x256) ?

And finally, is there any group of people making a mode in search of someone able to modelise, texture and currently learning to animate ?

If i get answers this afternoon, I think I'm gonna make a character directly to test it immediatly  

Thanks

Baida

[tucho]

You can download many original characters from glest in 3ds max format

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.glest.org/glest_board/viewtopic.php?t=2215]http://www.glest.org/glest_board/viewtopic.php?t=2215[/url] take a look to some of this models and you will obtain the answer for your cuestions

PD: only one thing, the texture of this models is 512 but ingame is 256

[Baida]

Yes, thanks that's what i did before you told me to do that  The triangle count is about 740. Don't want to reduce  it if It's possible 

Code: [Select]

[url=http://users.skynet.be/fa341830/3dscool/dwarf.jpg]http://users.skynet.be/fa341830/3dscool/dwarf.jpg[/url]

[titi]

Hey, the model looks good!

If it gets a nice texture and animation it will fit perfectly in the glest world.

[Baida]

I keep on working on my model 

Here a screenshot of the progress. As you 'll notice I 've started to paint my model in Maya thanks to the 3D paint tool with a 256x256 map.

It 's not really ready to be finished.

Don't pay attention to the shield and weapon, I'll do a hand made texture like the rest. 

Here the screenshot:

Code: [Select]

[img]http://users.skynet.be/fa341830/3dscool/dwarfy.jpg[/img]
Thanks for your anwsers and advices.

[tucho]

But according to you what's the triangle count limite for such character ?

I think we can go to 700/800 triangles or m I wrong ?

The models from the actual version of Glest were made in 2003-2004, the computers are better today and you can make higher polycounts, I think you can make units of about 1500 or more without any problem.

[Baida]

Cool, that's too late for this one, but at least I know for the next meshes.

I have a question about plugin, I'm working on Maya 8.5 and 3dsmax9.

I installed the Glest plugin in max but It appears It only works on Max7, is there any others plugins or ways to export for Glest without that plugin?

M I force to use 3DSmax7? Because I don't have that version !
Thanks for you answers again.



 

[tucho]

the last version of max that the plugin works is max 8, and there is a plugin for blender too

[Baida]

Hi, here the last update of the painting, I have to work on a little bit yet.

Otherwise, I would like to animate it correctly  (rigging/setuping..) , that's what I'm learning at the moment but that's quite hot ! :oops:

Moreover, I went on Glest Evolution's website but It seems there was no plugin there too, even nothing to download, is it a forgiven project ?

I would like to know if there is a current projet being developped at the moment even a mod ?

Sorry If i ask so many questions, but I would be very interested in giving some help for a  Glest mod, If my help is welcomed

Code: [Select]

[img]http://users.skynet.be/fa341830/3dscool/dwarf3.jpg[/img]

[titi]

As far as I know the 3ds7 exporter also works for 3ds8.
We ( weedkiller, I and my son ) are working on a northman faction ( or norseman? ). Your new unit would match perfectly in our new faction.
We really need a new unit which throws axes. If you want to join, you are welcome.
But we are working with blender, not with 3dsmax because most of us are on linux and 3ds max is too expensiv and blender is free. We want to publish our mod with the GPL so this must be ok for you.

To see some of the things we have look here ( at the end of the thread ):

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.glest.org/glest_board/viewtopic.php?t=2462]http://www.glest.org/glest_board/viewtopic.php?t=2462[/url]

[Baida]

I could join without any problem If you need some help.

About the GPL, does that mean I'll be forced to work with Blender too ?
Because I have the possibility of working on 3dsmax, Maya and many others programs thanks my school where I'm learning game design.

But If I must work with Blender that won't be a big problem because I know how to model with this one too or almost   :wink:

Before all, If I join you, I want you to know that I will work only when I have free time, that means from time to time, I guess that's the same for your If you go at school/work or have a familly :wink:

I'm Belgian so that wont be difficult to contact me on msn, we are neighbours

Oops i forgot to give you my msn : O_Geoffrey-^-hotmail.com

[AF]

A GPL program can be used to create non GPL content, and vice versa.

[jbr]

That depends: What if the gpl program you use inserts its own code into other things you do with it? Then, containing gpl code, those products would have to be glp'd too.

But that's all extremely hypothetical, it definitely doesn't appy. Feel free to make the models however you want! I mean, I used non-gpl'd Microsoft windows to modify glest, but that doesn't effect the licence!

[Baida]

Ok, thank you, I will keep on working with those programs If You don't mind Titi and if I may join, that won't be a problem because I can easily export in .OBJ If you want for exemple to use the mesh in Blender and etc...

That's what I do all the time !

- About modeling and texturing -> I have a little question, Is it possible or can we use 2 differents textures for one character ? That could bring more details because with this one I only use a 256x256 map and I don't have so many details unless next time I do a symmetry mapping

About vikings, I know some stuff which could be very interesting, the first thing is the movie "The pathfinder"=> It's about the vikings who were in America.

Here the link if you want to see some pictures. (Armour are awsome) ->

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.actuacine.net/2006/fiches/pathfinder.htm]http://www.actuacine.net/2006/fiches/pathfinder.htm[/url]
Have you thought to integrate "Danish dog" !? That's not a suggestion, just a question 

Code: [Select]

[img]http://www.granddanois.ca/photos/logo7.gif[/img]
Thank you for your answers !

[titi]

Hi,
Lot's of questions:

Glest has a (community)wiki probably this helps you:
https://docs.megaglest.org/Main_Page

There is also a page we used to brainstorm the viking mod:

Code: [Select]

[url=https://docs.megaglest.org/Vikings]https://docs.megaglest.org/Vikings[/url]
The alpha channel:
Glest uses the alphachannel in 2 ways.
1. the alpha channel is used in the usual way
2. the alpha channel i used for teamcolors. It is replaced with the teams color ( red blue green yellow )
But I don't know how to switch between the 2 behaviours in 3dsmax.
For blender it's described in the wiki.
You can choose the behaviour for every object in your model. So you can have classical aplphachannel and teamcolor in one model(but not in one object)

3dsmax:
Yes, you can work with this modeller. There is no problem with the GPL. The models you created are yours and you decide which license should be used for them.

3dsmax/blender:
Models can be imported in blender, but animations cannot.(As far as I know)

msn:
No, I'm on linux only, so mail will be the best way to get in  contact. ( info at titusgames.de)

dogs:
oh I forgot the danish dogs. I will think about it, but I don't know if the vikings really had dogs like this.

[Baida]

Ok ok, I will read all and you are right about animation, that can't be imported in Blender.

Anyway, At the moment I'm not able to animate as good as I want.
Np about MSN, I have linux me too "Ubuntu" and I use pidgin.

So, we will contact thanks to the forum    I mean do you agree me to enter "the glest northmen team" ?

About the dogs, you are right, I think they didn't exist at that time, Danish dogs are from (1559-1588) that's what I read in fact, that's because of some BD or books I read where vikings were accompanied by such dogs :lol:

If you want, I finish my character and equiped it with a shield and throwing axe  

Thanks again for the link I'm going to read all carefully.

[weedkiller]

He Baida, i'm also working for the norse-modification and i think it's always good to have more people creating units.
So this is the Axeunit i finished some time ago.

Since we have only units armed with spears and swords there should be no problem if we have more than one axeunit.

I think you could even "redo" some units we already have, for example the spearfighter, so you make the spearfighter the way you think it up.
Then we can arrange one unit as an upgrade for the other, means:
spearfighter -> berzerk spearfighter

Seeing your skills on the dwarf i think you can even do the berzerk versions
So feel free to add your units and we will see how we can arrange them into a techtree.

ps: my email is "theweedkiller at web dot de", if you want to contact me.

[Baida]

Hi all,

Thanks for these information weedkiller, that's kind of you  :wink:

[titi]

1. But yes, you're really really welcome at the northmen!

2. Your model really looks good! You should try to export it to glest.
Animation can be done when this works. When you have done this, you should think of integrating the teamcolor in your texture.

@weedkiller: if baida creates a throwing axe unit, yours don't have to throw axes anymore.

[Baida]

Yep, I would like to export but I don't succeed  :oops:

Sorry for this  

[titi]

Can you export it as 3ds files. These can be imported in blender.

[Baida]

Yes I can export in .3DS but the problem isn't the .OBJ because i can import those files in Blender too.

The problem is that I can't export in G3D from Blender.

I want to do that because at the moment, I don't have 3DSmax7 or 8 which work with the export plugin.

However i created a folder named "script" in blender i put all the script i found about export in this file but when i go to blender to export, there is not the possibility to export in .G3D.

That's why I was asking If you could give me the right version of Blender working with the plugin on titusgames.de that one -->
(g3d_xml_exporter_v0.1.5.zip ~0.1MB)

I use blender 2.5... That should works with this version  ?

[weedkiller]

Yep, i use also blender 2.5.
The exporter from titusgames.de should be the newest and bestworking
(titi and me had to make it work with the newer blenderversion).

Ok, installing the script is little bit confusing:
- go to your blender directory (where the blender.exe is)
- there should be a folder called ".blender", the dot marks a hidden folder under linux. if you enter it there should be the scrips folder.
- add the exporter.py
- restart blender, select the model-mesh and the armature, export via the file->export->G3D XML
- then you must convert the xml into g3d. I do this by Glexempel.
(some Glest tools)
https://sourceforge.net/projects/glest/files/glest%20tools%20win32/

some hints for your model:
change the start and ending keys of the timeline according to you animation,
if it is a walking-loop, drop the last keyframe since it is the same as the first, it should have around 10 frames, Glest morphes the model between this frames,
the model must be rotated 90 degrees backwards, so its lying on the floor (different coordinate systems),
do this best by parenting the armature to an empty which you can rotate before you export.

If you need some units imported in order to scale yours to the right height, use the importer in the Glest-Tools.
It is installed the same way like the exporter, but its runned differetly: open a script-window in Blender and run Wizards->G3dImporter.

Since there are no bones in the G3D you just receive the frames as several meshes, they made it as shapekeys...

Hope i could help you, weedkiller

[titi]

https://docs.megaglest.org/Blendermodelling

[titi]

Hey Baida, do you received my mail?

I send it to O_Geoffrey-^-hotmail.com.
I hope you received it, it contains some sensitive data ( password...) thats why I'm asking for it.