Geezer

Progress shot of rural and village objects. I want to make a few more of each, and will then send them to Baffmeister.

Got some more 1938 buildings done. Most of them are only 256x256 artwork, so - hopefully - they won't have a negative impact on frame rates. Buildings with snow covered roofs will be sent to Baffmeister for his SF Bulge map.

Good idea. I've started doing that to my new models, though I'm not gonna revise the old ones. Too much work!

Been working closely with Baffmeister on new or improved ground objects suitable for both SF and FE. Shot below of some rural buildings, plus a test article for an urban block.

Threw together a test big city facade that could be merged with other similar models to make an urban block like shown above. Theoretically, the blocks - given enough time - can be made very large and complex. The big question is can the antique TW game engine handle this much detail. Back when TK was answering questions on the TW website, he once said that - short of ridiculous extremes - poly counts were not a big problem. Instead, it was the graphics load that slowed down the frame rates.

I found a shot that could be used as a starting point for the kind of LARGE urban block that gterl is proposing. Everything would have to be simplified, but it would be possible to approximate the square and surrounding buildings in one model. Can you guys post more shots? Understand they would have to be low level shots that are similar to the one shown below.

Sure, its possible to make urban blocks that large. It would also be possible to design the layout of the block to look more authentic. Better still, a street grid matching the building layout could be painted onto dedicated tile art so everything matches. Would there be any problems placing a model that large on a game map? For example, suppose the geographic location is not entirely flat? Shot below shows what is finished or nearly finished. Baffmeister and I overcame some initial confusion when we discovered that SF objects are full size, while FE objects are 63% of full size. Shown are just habitation objects, not military or industrial objects.

It will take several months of intense effort to produce Baff's models, but they should roll over into SF and FE nicely. Shots below of first test articles in SF2, plus shot of rough un-skinned models yet to be done. Will also make more urban blocks for towns, but probably won't make big city stuff.

These are still WIPs. The vehicle you marked is an unfinished Dodge WC51 weapons carrier, and will be a LOD for use in SF2. There will also be a small range of horse drawn wagons for SF2 and FE2.

The WW2 winter stuff is intended for SF2, while the 1930s summer stuff is intended for FE2. Baffmeister and I have only just begun to experiment so I don't yet know if there is any difference in the production process. I'm guessing there is no difference so the models should be usable in both sims, but I don't know for certain - yet. There's a lot of file-related grunt work in addition to making 3D models and then skinning them. Once the 1930s FE2 objects are complete, I'd be happy to send them to an SF2 guy so he could make releasable SF2 objects.

Thanks. All my stuff is intended to be viewed from very low level, that's why I put more than usual detail into the models and skins. For the 1938 "what if" I hope to include a lot of light flak guns, similar to my WW1 flak pack.

Been working with Baffmeister on a series of ground objects for Battle of the Bulge (SF2) and a 1938 Vosges (FE2) "what if." There is a fair amount of commonality to the 3D models, but they often need revised skins.

Stephen1918 did similar experiments in FE and found that artillery engaged more reliably when an enemy observation balloon was located near/over the targets - that apparently gave a direct line of sight. Dunno if this still works in the latest versions of SF2. If it does, maybe a "special" model of just one tiny poly - that gamers don't see but the game DOES see - could be placed over targets? Below is WIP shot of your new ground objects.

Here's some links: https://www.google.com/search?q=3ds+max+aircraft+tutorial&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 There are still a fair number of Gmax tutorials on the internet that MIGHT be of assistance. Gmax is an old, truncated version of 3dsMax but most of the basics remain the same.

That IS puzzling. One way to confirm the problem lies in the model's mapping/skinning is to view the models in Mue's LOD viewer. If the little white rectangles display in the viewer, then the problem is likely to be in the model. Also, have any other guys seen this problem?

Yes. I have worked on several stealth aircraft programs. All stealth technology does is DELAY detection by radar, it does not make an aircraft "invisible." Also, stealth technology mostly works against high frequency radar - the types of radar that were in wide spread use in 1980-2000. Recently, new radar systems have been developed that use lower frequencies and these systems can detect stealth aircraft at greater distances than high frequency radar. It is still difficult to detect stealth aircraft with low frequency radar, but not as difficult as high frequency radar.

After schnapps und schnitzel, Helmut decides to buzz some German grunts. If time, motivation, and the game engine permit, I hope to add LOTS of rear area targets - such as supply depots - because modern armies usually have more guys in the rear than trigger pullers at the front. If properly defended by fighters and flak, this should make for lots of interesting missions.

After a little cheese and wine, Gaspard buzzes some French grunts...

With gterl's blessing, I intend to make a hi-res version of his excellent mod, just to see how far the old FE2 game engine can be pushed. It will include new ground objects as well as aircraft. Shots below of German and French ground object progress.

Downright beautiful.

Looks like there is an RTS game in-work, based on the Scythe board game: http://iron-harvest.com/

Yodeling skills?

Link below to work by Polish artist Jakub Rozalski. He is a "painter" in the true sense of the word. He does excellent landscapes, populated by war machines and werewolves. Go Figure. But...he's good at it! http://designyoutrust.com/2016/12/bizarre-paintings-of-mecha-robots-attacking-east-european-peasants-of-the-early-20th-century/

It probably won't be "soon" but it will be "eventually." 3D models and skins are only 50% of the effort needed to release an aircraft, so it will take a while. Shot below of progress on the B4Y Jean. Concurrent with aircraft development, new pilot figures and bombs will also be needed. Shot below of new pilot pack WIP. Already released RAF and Italian pilots are in the back, while new WIPs of Chinese, Luftwaffe, US, and Japanese pilots are in the front.