Apropo of nothing in particular, but...

[Hauksbee]

There's been a rumor that I was getting into the WOFF modding biz. With RAF_Lou, specifically. I am here to confirm that those rumors were/are true. It has not been an easy trip. Modeling for PC games runs counter-intuitive to just about every rule I've ever learned for models destined for animations. So many mistakes, so many blind alleys, questions posed on Sim Out House, answers given, which only pose new questions. An exercise in frustration. But, now, at last...a breakthrough. I got a model built and exported in the right file format, which RAF_Lou introduced into WOFF. (his mod of Boistrancourt) It's about 300% life sized. 'Don't know why that's happening, but at least WOFF recognizes my model. Great rejoicing in Wisconsin!

 

That building is a first rough-cut on building a French Chateau for BOC members. No texturing on it as yet, but that will come.

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[JFM]

*cough* Roucourt *cough*

 

[rjw]

Hauksbee;

 

Congratulations on your progress! You are a better man than I sir! I took a run at the task and failed dismally. It seems I need some really formal training at minimum  .

 

Keep up the good fight! It seems you are getting there

[Dutch_P47M]

Thanks mods are always welcome. 

[RAF_Louvert]

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Hauksbee, I hope you can get all the tweaks sorted out and we can move ahead with finishing up Boistrancourt, and move on to a new project -  like Roucourt.  

 

But I still think that the photo give the impression that Disney is building a new theme park.  

 

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[Hauksbee]

But I still think that the photo give the impression that Disney is building a new theme park.  

I agree. Though I think Disneyland's castle owes more to Neuschwanstein in Bavaria.

[Olham]

*cough* Roucourt *cough*

 

 

Haha, yeah - ditto here!

I also thought about trying the 3D modelling - but your first post rather turns me off of it, Hauksbee.

I hate anti-intuitive programs.

[Hauksbee]

Olham: it's really not as bad as you fear. It's just that when you learn how to model and animate for a movie, there's a lot of things that are different when you want those models to be read by a PC Flight Sim. There's a lot of books on animating 3D cartoons, but very little on PC games, less still on CFS3, and none on OFF/WOFF. All PC games are different.

 

As far as Boistrancourt goes, I'm coming into the home stretch. I still don't fully understand how to set the scale. I expect to hear from Sim OH on that soon. In  the meantime, I'm practicing my G-Max modeling skills. I'm signed up for a course in 3D StudioMax in early February. (that's the big brother to G-Max)

 

Here's a small attack fighter. It started out as a Drone (it's drone-sized) but I later decided to put a robot pilot in it. I went with the pilot to get familiar with the G-Max bones' system and basic animation. The model will need moving flight surfaces and spinning props. The robo-pilot will need to walk. The colors here are just those assigned in the G-Max program. I'll build the final camo pattern and associated bump maps in Photoshop.

 

The notes in the pictures were for a buddy of mine who's watching the Drone take shape.

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[Olham]

Wow, all those rounded parts are looking great, Hauksbee!

I guess you could build a 3D plane model for WOFF already.

I wonder: can you build parts bigger first, and then scale them down to a desired size?

 

What is the "scaling problem" with Boistrancourt?

[Hauksbee]

What is the "scaling problem" with Boistrancourt?

Take a look at the picture of the BOC Chateau at the top. It's enormous! Rather like the Giant's Castle in Jack and  the Beanstalk. (and check the SE-5 pic. below. That was the first building I made for Lou)  I had been building things on the assumption that one square on the modeling grid equaled one meter in the Sim. That's not necessarily so. But there is a place where you can set it to be so. I think I may be close. 'Waiting to hear back from Sim OH.

 

Rounded parts are  not difficult. You just start with a sphere and modify/deform/cut into it.

 

Yes, I could build a WWI plane for WOFF though I might not be able to get the degree of realism in all the parts. Particularly when it comes to the cockpit. But that's just a matter of time and having lots of good research photos to work from. Then you have to articulate all the moving parts.

 

Scaling parts: You don't scale parts up and down. You build them over a grid. One of your tools is a Magnifying Glass. Click on it to select it, then LeftMouseDown and drag downward to the bottom of your work window. Everything gets smaller. Want it smaller still? Do it again. Bigger? Put the cursor at the bottom of the window, LMD and push up. The part and the grid move together, but the part doesn't change size; you just get closer to it or farther away.

 

Go to turbosquid.com and download a  copy of G-Max. It's free. Check out YouTube for some quick and easy tutorials.

.

 

 

Edited January 11, 2016 by Hauksbee

[+Erik]

If you guys need anything please let me know.  I have been known to help with collaboration work space (ie ftp space) and other needs you may have that I can help with.  Don't hesitate to reach out and have fun with whatever you decide to do.

 

E

[Olham]

Thank you for your generous offer, Eric. I may come back to it, once I should start modelling.

How do you mean "work space" ?

[+Erik]

Things I have provided in the past are collaboration space basically an ftp space where you can store and share files with a team, forum space (private or otherwise) for keeping records, files, sharing ideas, planning, etc. In general whatever we can help with or we can offer we'll do, that's why we're here.

 

E

[Olham]

Wow! Hauksbee, that sounds great, doesn't it? We could work together on a project.

Thank you, Eric. If I decide to start my modelling attempt, I'll come back to you!

[Hauksbee]

Very kind of you, Eric. Once I get my skill set improved (I still feel I'm fumbling around in G-Max) I, and hopefully Olham, will be looking in to this.

[Olham]

I'm still not so sure if I will ever get into modelling, Hauksbee.

I'd love to have a Roland D.VI in WOFF, but would I love to BUILD one?

All I read on 3D modelling, rather turned me off, to be honest.

I am rather unpatient.

[Hauksbee]

The trick is to download a copy of G-Max from turbosquid.com and play with making shapes. Don't start with a Roland D.VI because you'll just make yourself crazy. If you want to build a WWI airplane, think in terms of Red Baron models. Keep it really simple.

[Olham]

Here is a picture from a site about advanced modding of the old "Battle of Britain II" -

is that a way you work, Hauksbee? Looks like he builds half an aircraft.

Could it later get mirrored?

 

Here is a link to that site:

 

http://www.simhq.com/daily-news/battle-britain-ii-wings-victory-update.html

 

[Hauksbee]

Olham: The technique shown in your post is called "skinning". You can arrange a series of full cross-sections and 'skin' the whole fuselage, or do half cross-sections. In the latter case, you make a mirror copy and join the left and right sides together. But it's not a true 'copy', it's an 'instance'. I don't know the mathematical difference between copy and instance but, if you made a copy, then made a change to the original side, you'd have go to the other side and do the same thing if you wanted symmetry. But with an instance, any change made to the original side immediately happens on the other side. This is invaluable when modeling living things (like people). So far, I have not had occasion to use skinning.

 

It is possible to import a picture of your desired model into the work windows. In the case of an airplane, you'd use a 3-view (front, side and top) and put the proper view into each window. I have not done so in the model below, but we'll assume the fuselage is box-shaped. We'll also assume that the actual drawing is there too. When your model is in wire-frame mode you can see right through it and select vertex points and size them to conform to the drawing. If the fuselage is like an Albatros, or the Pfaltz D.VI, you'd create a cylinder and adjust all the cross-sections.

 

[Olham]

Is that with GMax, Hauksbee? Looks almost easy...

They said though, that the big parts like fuselage and wings were rather easy to build.

Did you ever build a rotary engine to the detail? Or a working instrument?

[Hauksbee]

Is that with GMax, Hauksbee? Looks almost easy...

Yes, that's G-Max in action. Download your copy and give it a shot.

 

I've built rotary engines. You build one cylinder and duplicate it 5, 7, or 9 times. I've never built a working instrument, but there are tutorials over at Sim Out House.

[Hauksbee]

Still honing my G-max skills. Tackling texturing now. Tricky.

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[Olham]

Seems you are getting distorions?

 

Your props are looking great to me though!

[Hauksbee]

Seems you are getting distorions?

Where are you seeing distortions?

[Olham]

It looked to me as if the number on the right wing was distorted.

But it might just be a trick of the eye.