Question on graphic modification

I have been working on my plug-in Titan for a few months. I created a post on the Nova board for people to downlaod it, asking for responses. One of the responses is that it could use some better graphics (I whole-heartedly agree). My goal is to take the Leviathan graphics and remove a ring from its structure, thereby creating a shortened version. I use Graphic Converter to do this with the existing frames by cutting, pasting, and filling in space. The result is a slightly choppy and inconsistent animation. I know that the renderings for Nova have not been released, and seeing as how my graphics skills are extremely limited (I once opened up Mechanisto...), is there anyway for me to create a modified version of the Leviathan graphics that could be within my ability and give me better results?

This post has been edited by erikthered : 14 May 2005 - 11:34 PM

The Leviathan is a case in point of something that is very easy to make in Mechanisto (animations included). If you want to go and edit the individual frames then you're almost certain to get a not-too-good result. It would probably be a lot easier if you tried your hand at modeling the Leviathan sans one ring, or even created your own new ship to fill that role, than to go and edit all like 189 or 256 frames of the Leviathan... Plus move the flares...

He's right. It's actually not too hard to make something like a Leviathan. Make your own slightly different ship for it.

Maybe I was not clear when I said I once opened Mechanisto. That is about all I can do with it. The reason I asked if I could modify the existing Leviathan graphics is because the Titan is an alterred Leviathan. I want it to look like a Leviathan, only with one less ring and no spinning. I cut the front and moved it back so I would not have to worry about changing the engine glows.

Hey erikthered. Have you looked at my Mechanisto tutorial? Follow the link below.

When mine is finished I'll cover nice things like spinning parts and altframes in my tutorial. But it may be a while... Kemet has priority.

So, after several hours of being confused by the tutorial and screwing around with it myself, this is what I have:

Mechanisto scene
Render pic

I cannot seem to view the rendering from any other angles, and I have no idea what to do about texturing. Perhaps if it were not so late I would understand better. I just want to have some graphics that are better than what I have. Unfortunately, I do not think I will have the time or know-how to do that.

You've gotten farther than many

And certainly not bad for a first effort!

I'd say the best thing to do is to find some very basic tutorials on whatever 3D program you are using, stuff like cups and chairs and the like, because a lot of the ships in nova are very basic, they are just textured very well, and you can find tutorials about doing that too. That's the way I started out, years ago on Rhino and now I'm using Lightwave to make outfits pics that look nearly if not as good as the ones already in game.

This post has been edited by Asmodean : 17 May 2005 - 10:51 AM

What did you find confusing about the tutorial?

3D modelling can be hard to get your head around the first time you do it, and that's the case with any program. Take a look at Mike's manual if you haven't already - it's surprising how many people ignore this document. Our tutorial's assume you have that understanding of the program.

Take heart and keep it up - you'll get there, and quicker than you think

This post has been edited by tycho61uk : 17 May 2005 - 10:19 AM

I am shifting any direct discussion about Mechanisto over to the forum that is listed in RMX's signature. I would still love to here comments and suggestions here though, and I will likely continue putting progress reports (if any is made) here.

I really hate to do this for a few reasons: 1. I really wanted to take care of this plug on my own; 2. I know you guys are really busy, 3. I never wanted to have to ask for help because I know it is kind of frowned upon, but I really need some help with graphics for Titan, largely due to time constraints which keep me from learning how to do some more complex things and actually doing them. I already have most of the raw modeling done (see the link earlier). The additional work would involve adding an engine array, texturing, engine glows, and converting to sprites. I understand if there is little or no interest, but that will mean that new graphics will be pushed back indefinitely. This is not a big plug-in project, which means that there will not be the notoriety of a project like Arpia, but it also means that there is not a large number of graphics. The only thing I can offer is massive amounts of gratitude. PM or email me if you are interested (elutjen@vt.edu). Thanks.

Never be afraid to ask questions

We all started the same way, and we're still figuring new stuff out as we go along.