KNight's Custom Commander Adventure

I work as an engineer using Solidworks and various other programs. It's capable of exporting to most standard 3d formats. What I don't know is what the required format is for pa? Would something like STEP or IGES work to transfer the 3d data into something you can use in game?

Also knight what are you using for your models, 3D studio?

I'm not the guy for ask that kind of stuff because as I said, I know next to nothing about CAD programs. On top of that the stuff for 3D formats for PA isn't perfectly understood quite yet as we're still missing a lot of the stuff for PA modding and such yet.

Mike

In my experience, converting between engineering/cad modelling software file formats and design/animation software file formats is a bit of a tricky business and sometimes requires proprietary 3rd party conversion software. The two modelling paradigms are very different, and the file format reflects this. Engineers don't really have to worry about poly-counts or manifold geometry, while games developers and animators don't really have to worry about sub-millimetre level precision and milling tolerances/limitations.

I've had more success just learning to use design based modelling software, than I have converting between the two. Although I will admit that success here is a very relative term.

In all seriousness. Someone, might as well be you, should model the Power Rangers robot into this game. It'd be so awesomely out of place! I guess it can't be in the game because of copyright issues, but as always: someone will mod it!? Seriously, someone must?

IMAGE URLs:

1. From flickr
farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8183313259_9525fe9141_o.jpg

2. With sword
capeandcowlcollectibles.com/wp-content/themes/shopperpress/thumbs/sh_figuarts_Megazord_super_robot_chogokin_mighty_morphin_power_rangers_loose.jpg

#!%¤ing "%¤#, can't link yet. It would have brought more style to my post if I could.

Hit the nail on the head.

Wish the file types could be converted between the two. I'm on Solidworks/CAD world.

*Converted without 3rd party programs*

As well as a range of engineering CAD solutions, I also use Rhino (which is often used for game modelling and can work in solids, surfaces and meshes). Once you have a fully accurate 3-D model produced in CAD, you can quite easily turn it into a mesh model and control the number of polygons involved in something like Rhino that supports both types of file format.

What I'm not familiar with is once I have a polygon based model what do I then have to save it as in order to use it as a game model? Do you output them as simple STL meshes (as used for 3-D printing) or is there a particular file format that's required? I know Uber have been using 3D Studio for allot of the artwork...

me 2 .. and I used a blender addon to open up my SW models in blender for further editing the last time I did that .. just google it .. it´s been a while since I tried it so I can´t give you much more advise :-/

sorry for abusing your thread @KNight

cheers, moldez

huh ... intresting to say the least ... yeah it definitively fits with imperial ... as in emperor or ceasar ... the centerfin has some sort of crowntouch to it .. imo you should have its shoulders closed though ...

Have you considered that chest piece and a spine are a single wrench-shaped object? Not from model perspective, but from design/construction point of view. The model will probably look better if you make them look more like eachother, and maybe add a bit of separation between this part and the sides... Which would also help with your plan to trick the animation.

So basically a large crescent-ish shape? Might work but I'm not sure I'd be able to get as much verticality out of the spine if I made it more congruous with the torso.

As far as "tricking the animation stuff, that's only relevant for the legs really.

Mike

Sort of. My suggestion was less about shape of the model and more about perception of the model. How different parts are connected to eachother. I really had to draw it to explain in the first place... Here:

Top is your original vision, bottom is mine. Model is the same, but it changes depending on how you look at it.

I don't understand the point yet, all that would do is make it awkward if the shoulder does any pivoting and just leaves the torso quite "anemic" I guess?

Like I said, I'm only concerned about animation tricking when it comes to the legs because I don't like how awkward the rig's proportions are in that area compared to the upper body/arms.

Mike

Okay so decided to try something a little bit different. This is a new variant of the original ArcCore concept and I decided to ditch the spine and try to build it up more of a "backpack" instead, doing lots of tweaks to the Torso to accomplish this. I kinda got a little bit carried away with details but whatever! xD




I'm actually kinda liking this honestly, the head isn't really "inset" as seen in the Armored Core references anymore but it's not exactly sticking out, a bit of a compromise overall. I think I'll put some more time into this one , focusing on the area where the arm and torso connect, I think I can make it a lot more refined once I figure out a bit more about the "mechanics" of the shoulder joint and such.

I'll also need to focus some more on the legs at some point, they're starting to stick out badly compared to the upper half of the model detail wise.

Mike

The 3d model format PA uses is Filmbox (.FBX).

Some extra notes,
Your models need to be converted from quads to tris before export too or PA will make "polygon soup" out of the model.

I've never had that issue, I've always worked like 95% in quads and so long as you don't have anything BUT quads and tris I don't see how anything would get messed up, after all each quad is 2 tris in the end.

Mike

What are you using to model??
Sketchup

XSI.

Mike

Ahh...
XSi and most autodesk softwares use the ASCII .fbx format which seems to be fine when converting to papa, as i have had no issues with my 3Ds max models converting to papa..
But when i was using blender to export models it uses the binary .fbx format which was causing issues during the conversion to papa process....

To other modder out there .. If your using a modeling program that saves in the binary .fbx format (Blender!) you defiantly need to do the tris conversion first before export or paptrans makes a mess of your model...
https://forums.uberent.com/threads/polygon-soup.54459/

Oh and +1 on your commander design . looks Mean and reminds me of a mechwarrior mech...

i like it. but personally i think it needs more of an atlas style look