Elephant model (needs texture)

[ZaggyDad]

I've created a elephant in blender (which I planned to use in the tech faction) but since I'm no good at making textures, I thought I would ask one of you to make one for me.

BTW, I'm having trouble with texture exporting, too. It won't export the UVs when I export my textured models. :wink:

~Zaggy

[weedkiller]

your model is great! maybe you add a little bambus-tower with archers on it?
unfortunately i cannot download; they say internet explorer is needed; bad under linux
well, on the other hand i'm also no good texturemaker. But i could try.

so you have a mod and a theme, were the model fitts or is it a single on?

[ZaggyDad]

Hmmm. I uploaded it on File-ho (don't ask me why it's not plural :roll: I guess I'll upload it somewhere else. :wink:

~Zaggy

[wciow]

Excellent model Zaggy! the animation is really good too (pro quality!).

I would love to give this model a skin for you!

[ZaggyDad]

The animation where he slams his feet on the ground isn't going to be used in the game, if I ever get it into it (I don't like the animation at all...). And the one where he jumps up was just a test.

~Zaggy

[ttsmj]

Do you have UV map already? If yes, I can try to make some texture...

[weedkiller]

ttsmj: come ti irc then i can send you my tryings (UV, basic tex)

EDIT: i already did some work

[ZaggyDad]

Good work! You might want to make the wrinkles smaller, and closer together, though. And maybe make the wrinkles thinner, and lighter. :wink:

~Zaggy

[weedkiller]

You are right, the skin is quite too cluseup, but i couldnot find better images. I could try repeating one image but this always looks bad.

I tried it differently and added little skin-details. Tell me if you think its ok, because a rework would need much more time.

ok a pic:


and the files to work on:

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.titusgames.de/viking/units_and_blenderfiles/axe_unit_Baida/elephant_full2.zip]elephantzip[/url]

[ZaggyDad]

Looks great, but the eyes are a bit far forward... You can probably change that by moving the UVs. :wink:

~Zaggy

[ZaggyDad]

I've added the archer, but I haven't finished the animations.  After you've finished the texture, I'll finish the animations, and put it in the game. :wink: )

And remember, the trunk's wrinkles are only horizontal.

Model:

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.mediafire.com/?4dvdn9myyin]http://www.mediafire.com/?4dvdn9myyin[/url]

[charlieg]

The texture needs to be higher res, the wringles less stark, and larger patches of non-wrinkled skin.  Perhaps tone down the contrast to make the color more uniform.

Use real elephant images for comparison:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en ... ages&gbv=2

[weedkiller]

i tried to improve the points

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.titusgames.de/viking/units_and_blenderfiles/axe_unit_Baida/elephant_full3.zip]elephandv3[/url]

[Duke]

Well the elephant is a pretty big creature for a 256² texture, would it be possible to use two textures on one moddel?

[divineauthority]

Or a 512 x 512?

Or are they not allowed in Glest?

[weedkiller]

Well its already a 512² map i used and it works with glest. The limit may lay at 1024²-textures but i don't think this is required.

If the Texture seems to be distorted it is because i messed aroud with the UVs and as i already said, its difficult to find highresolution elephant-skin images.

If you want to have a try on your own just go ahead, the blendfile is ment for download and usage .

I think multiple textures on one unit is also possible but you must seperate them as different objects within blender so that one Object has only one texture. But i don't think you should use more than 2 textures per unit, this may waste performance.

[ZaggyDad]

You can put multiple textures on one model by selecting the faces you want for one texture and setting it to the texture, and then doing on the other part.

BTW, could you put the texture on the model with the archer?

~Zaggy

[divineauthority]

Thinking about it, is that image a proper render?

If its just a screenshot of the model in a viewing window then the quality of the texture never looks as good (at least it doesn't in 3ds max).

[ZaggyDad]

Could you (weedkiller) post g3ds of it with the texture? I can't get it centered, so I can't export it properly.

~Zaggy

[weedkiller]

Hi ZaggyDad!
Yes i will do that for you. The only Problem: If i create g3ds there must be finished animations. But i will create some g3d out of your blend. Concerning the centered object, shall i edit the blend soo it should work?

EDIT: ok now found it: animations are complete didn't look carefully 
I edited the setup so it can be simply rotated around worldcenter, and you can edit it arranged to the "blender directions", if you want to export you just rotate them to "glest directions", means you must rotate them 90 deg backwards... Ok i put the g3d on here when its done. Did you want to texture the Tower? Else i will try after testing g3d export.

EDIT2:
Now i finished some basic g3ds. they use 2 textures: texture_archer.tga and elephant.tga
The tower has no real texture yet.

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.titusgames.de/viking/units_and_blenderfiles/axe_unit_Baida/elephant_g3d.zip]elaphant_bled_g3d[/url]

[ZaggyDad]

Thanks! But where are the rest of the animations in the blend? I can only see the attack animation.

Btw, I usually cut off the end frame of a repeating animation with plenty of movement at the end, so that it doesn't pause at the end of it. The glest engine renders frames in between end and start frames of an animation, so it doesn't make it look jerky. And btw, I use the render panel to change the start and end frames (It changes the same thing as the what'sit).

And, if you make the tower texture, make it separate from the elephant's texture, so that you don't have to make either the elephant or the tower pixelly.

~Zaggy

[weedkiller]

The hint with the animationpanel is good, haven't seen this so far.

I do the frameskip with repeating animations like walking or idle, too. I used 10 frames per animation till now, Glest has sometimes 7 or 12 frames, so 10 should be fine.

In order not to edit all start- and endingframe for every single Export i made several Actions for the different animations (Idle,Attack,Walk etc.)

You can switch the different animation of the active Armature(Skeleton) in the ActionWindow. Just choose the right named animation from the field "AC: Attack(?)".

You let the Archer breath for all animations only not when the archer attacks himself? I Seperated this also in two actions for his Armature:  Archer_Attack_Arrow and Archer_Standart.

Ok, i already started making a new texture for the tower. Do you have a preferred bamboo-texture or something to put on it? Couldnot find something really good till now.
Shell i hang shield on the sides? There we could add Teamcolor. Together with the "carpet" (?word) it should look obvious to which faction the unit belongs.

[ZaggyDad]

I think it should be oak, or some kind of wood like that. And, I think I'm going to add supports to it, too. :wink: That aught to make it look really cool. And, the shields should have a team colored emblem on each shield.

And yes, it's basically just a carpet.

~Zaggy

[weedkiller]

Hi back,
i made a towertex and a carpet, teamcolor is also withit.
I playced a shield on each side since two on one looked not so good.
If you want to change i can send you the xcf.

Ok, as a test you could replace the robot of tech (rename the g3ds and put them in the folder).

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.titusgames.de/viking/units_and_blenderfiles/axe_unit_Baida/elephant_g3d.zip]Elephant_finalv1[/url]

[titi]

Very nice elephant!
My son also played around with the new unit and improved the textures a bit (teamcolor). Anyone wants it?