Great Graphics!

Hey! I just downloaded the Eleejetian and Obish pictures in the Ares addon section and the graphics are great! Viper made them and I was wondering how he did it. What program did you use?

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Do I talk too much?
DoItalktoofast?
Do I ask too many questions?
I wonder...

Well i used strata 3d its free and you can download it from (url="http://"http://www.strata.com")http://www.strata.com(/url)

I allready have it, but how did you rotate the ship the 15 degrees (or whatever)?

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Do I talk too much?
DoItalktoofast?
Do I ask too many questions?
I wonder...

(This message has been edited by MikeMTL (edited 05-06-2001).)

You mean 45 degrees well in the window that controls the animation drag it to 15 frames and then turned the ship 45 degrees and then move the frame thing to 30 and so on but on the last that woud be 60 put it on 61 instead or the ship will stop for a sec every time you turn.

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Quote

Originally posted by MikeMTL:
**I allready have it, but how did you rotate the ship the 15 degrees (or whatever)?

**

My method for creating 36-frame sprites:

1. After modeling the ship, move the main window to "top" view using the pop-up menu.
2. Create a new camera from the view using the pop-down menu in the top right of the main window.
3. Set the camera's aspect ratio to 1:1 in the pop-down menu of the camera window.
4. Is the ship facing straight up in the camera view? If it is, then skip to step 6, otherwise go to step 5.
5. Select the whole ship. If it isn't grouped together, group it. Using the "Properties" floating pallette, rotate it until it is facing straight up. Ungroup it and then regroup it.
6. Now set the animation to have 36 frames. Go over to the "project" palette. click on the number inside the parentheses next to the film strip icon and change it to 36.
7. Time to actually make the animation! If the ship isn't selected, select it. Set the "properties" window to rotation properties and make sure the "rotate relative to world" radio buttion is checked.
8. In the project window, change the current time settings(clock) so that the number next to the total number of frames(the number in parentheses) is 10. Now rotate the ship -90° using the "properties pallette.
9. Now change the time settings so that the number next to the parentheses is 19. Set the ship's rotation settings to -180°.
10. Now change the time settings so that the number next to the parentheses is 28. Set the ship's rotation settings to 90°.
11. Now change the time settings so that the number next to the parentheses is 36. Set the ship's rotation settings to 10°.

Now when you hit the play button, you should see an animation of your ship spinning 350°.

You'll need to have a black background, so set that now.

Now to get the animation into a Hera readable file:

1. Open the Camera window again by double clicking on "camera 1" in the project window.
2. In the pop-down menu in the top right hand corner select "render"
3. In the render settings dialogue set the mode to RT Best
4. Set it to render "all"
5. Hit "Render" and save it using the default compression settings.

Okay, you now have the sprite file in .mov format.
Now to convert it to .pict for Hera.

1. Download m2s from: http://www.sutherlan...o_software.html
   2)drag the .mov file onto m2s
2. If you don't have Graphic Converter, download it from http://www.lemkesoft.de/
3. Open the sprite file created by m2s with Graphic Converter.

Quote

From Hera Reference
2. If the image is already 8-bit but not using Ares' color table, select Picture->Colors->Change to 32768 Colors.

3. Select Picture->Colors->Options

4. When the Options for Color Reduction dialog box comes up, check the Use Custom Color Table option, then click the Open... button.

5. Select the Ares Color Table file included with Hera.

6. Make sure the Dither option is not checked.

7. Click OK

8. Select Picture->Colors->Change to 256 Colors.

9. Save the image under a different name (like "my sprite 8-bit.pct") in case there was a problem.

Now you need to fill the black in with a different color from the ares color table. Save and you have created a new sprite!

...I hope I didn't make a mistake!

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GR Name: Patrick Cavanaugh
The Next Big Thing:
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Ares TC

I would add that you should try to limit the perspective-distortion as much as possible by narrowing the camera's view angle in Strata.

In other words, the camera should be zoomed in as much as possible (and moved very far away from the ship you are rendering), otherwise the rendered ship will look somewhat distorted within Ares. There are some ships in Ares which I made which suffer from this problem, I think.

Viper finnish your new add-on to Ares

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"we dont carewhat anyone else thinks...we do what we want"

Why?

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x x
L
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Because i wanna test it

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"we dont care what anyone else thinks...we do what we want"

I'd just like to point out my graphics for Earth Quest are better than the ones in Obish vs Eleejeetian.

Credit where it's due.

I think the obish vs ejeeltian and the earth quest graphics are both good. I like the obish vs. ejeeltian graphics better as a whole but i like the earth quest destruct sequence.

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Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it little friend.

Quote

Originally posted by Count Altair El Alemein:
**I'd just like to point out my graphics for Earth Quest are better than the ones in Obish vs Eleejeetian.

Credit where it's due.**

It's entirely subjective, actually.

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I knew I'd get stung for saying that actually, so disolve your jealousy and simply admit that mine are the best.

Quote

Originally posted by Count Altair El Alemein:
I knew I'd get stung for saying that actually, so disolve your jealousy and simply admit that mine are the best.

mmh? I challenge you to a duel of graphics.

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Time is the best teacher, yet it kills all of it's students.

First I'll have to learn how to put pictures into a post, but not withstanding: I accept.

(This message has been edited by Count Altair El Alemein (edited 07-06-2001).)

I would like to suggest that after each contestant in the duel has posted 7 images, we should have a vote of non-contestants to see who wins. Anybody that wants to place bets, begin now.

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"Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword was on something."
(url="http://"http://www.MSPlugDevelopment.n3.net")My Ares Website(/url)
Plug reviews are appreciated...

Unfortunatly, 20 schintak on Slug.
I'm afraid Altair's got his work cut out for him.
Slug knows what warships should look like.

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Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

Quote

Originally posted by 21st Century Drug Lords:
**I think the obish vs ejeeltian and the earth quest graphics are both good. I like the obish vs. ejeeltian graphics better as a whole but i like the earth quest destruct sequence.
**

I think the destruct sequences of WITV are better, actually.

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'Is that what I think it is?'
'What?'
'A big orange swirly thing in space!'

• Red Dwarf

No. Better than the ESF/Union self-destruct sequences. Every single race in SETR has a different self-destruct sequence. You may find one like the WITV one, but with original explosions this time.