Rooxon's WeaponsHD

[Bek]

Guys forgive me for multi-posting please! I just want to present a new saber with each post, which keeps you all updated and the whole forum can see when I post something new... some people have been writing to me if I gave up already heh that's not the case.

 

Anyway, today is a good day. I found time to do one more saber, and this one in particulary is my favorite! I'm kinda oldschool, you know.

 

Luke's Lightsaber

 

 

Mine:                                                                                                                      Original:

 

In-game:

 

 

 

You did fantastic work right here!! the only thing I would suggest is that you make the top of Luke's saber more cylindrical, but besides that I can't think of anything.. I would have to test it out in -game to find any bugs or whatever. Great job!!

[Circa]

@@Rooxon great work. I'm wondering if the better option here would be to make the saber more like the one in the movies, rather than making it look like the one in the game. The developers did an awful job recreating it. I like the JA version (aka your version) but not as a recreation of Luke's saber.

[Rooxon]

@@Rooxon great work. I'm wondering if the better option here would be to make the saber more like the one in the movies, rather than making it look like the one in the game. The developers did an awful job recreating it. I like the JA version (aka your version) but not as a recreation of Luke's saber.

Well, no problem, really. I'll do an alternative version.. or better said, movie-like, it will be optional in the pack does this work for you or do you think I schouldn't include this recreation at all?

 

@ you're my mate, don't worry... when I have all the sabers test-ready, you'll be the first to get them before I release them, as per usual.

 

@@Circa just to be clear, you mean something like this, no?

 

 

[Circa]

@@Rooxon yeah. Although there already have been a few excellent ones made. A good one I like is in this pack:

 

https://jkhub.org/files/file/1711-star-wars-hilt-pack/

 

 

So if you want to make your own movie version, go for it. But I guess it wouldn't be necessary since we have many great ones already.

[Rooxon]

@@Circa You know what, I agree. This pack's saber is quite good, only my texture would differ, I'd make it a bit worn out. But all together, it's a bit of detail work, nothing too hard. I bet my model would look somewhere the same as this. Might try, but now that I've seen this, I don't think so. Do you have any other input on my ongoing plan? I'd really like to hear what you think.


When I looked at the picture of the movie-saber, I got an idea and added a neat detalied enviroment map to the saber... this is the result, Luke's lightsaber (JKA version (as per wisdom of Circa )) 

 

[Circa]

@@Circa You know what, I agree. This pack's saber is quite good, only my texture would differ, I'd make it a bit worn out. But all together, it's a bit of detail work, nothing too hard. I bet my model would look somewhere the same as this. Might try, but now that I've seen this, I don't think so. Do you have any other input on my ongoing plan? I'd really like to hear what you think.

I still think you should wait to release them all in one pack, don't split them up. Not sure if that's still your plan or not.

[Rooxon]

I still think you should wait to release them all in one pack, don't split them up. Not sure if that's still your plan or not.

Oh no, you misunderstood. Of course I plan on doing and releasing 2 packs, I wrote so a few posts back, the Dual Sabers pack and the Misc Sabers pack, also wrote what they include. I'm saying I would add the movie version as an optional file to the pack... so anyone who downloads could try my version or the movie one. That's what I meant before.. you know... like an addon, which I already featured in some of my mods. The misc saber pack will contain an additional PK3 which adds some of the sabers to the SP menu with a modified string file, which means that it will become kinda incompatible with some other mods that add sabers to the game... that's why I'll add that optionally in a map inside the zip file when I release it.

 

 

Concerning Luke's saber, I've even further corrected shaders, this time the spec map. I turned the saturation almost to the top, to gain this... beautiful effect:

 

 

 

This one is fully done now. ^^

 

One more thing, now all that's left for this pack are the Sith sword and scepter. Any ideas or wishes even before I start drafting them? This is a question to ANYONE.

Oh, and I heard there's a limit to how many sabers you can add to the menu.. is that true? and what is the limit?

Edited May 6, 2014 by Rooxon

[Barricade24]

Wow...

[Omicron]

Having the scepter as a staff hilt could be pretty cool

[Rooxon]

Heyaa well it's finally weekend and today I've got some time for my dear JKA mods. Those of you interested, I've already started working on newer Kyle's saber and I've added a control box and two buttons to the reborn's stinger, I'm playing with the textures to get out the most of it, trying different shaders, you know... I'm trying to use the whole potential out of JKA's engine, I'll probably use anything it allows for my sabers to look good.. well, it's not like my options are that wide, heh

Anyway, keep checking back, I'll edit this post with further progress pics, @ possibly you'll even get a pack for bug-search before I release it! maybe two! though I still haven't got a good idea on how to do the sith sword and scepter... gonna draw some things now and maybe post here for you to decide which way I'll remake them.

Additionally, I have a question. Something's been bothering me. Today I found out JKA doesn't allow normal maps, though I'll be damned if it isn't true that once I KNOW I had a mod that used them... dunno if it worked, though, It was quite a few years back, can't remember.

 

 

Having the scepter as a staff hilt could be pretty cool

 

Well seeing as it schould look, I totaly agree. Actually it would look wierd any other way, to me at least.

[AshuraDX]

your work reminds me of some of my older hilts , I think you should try to use the famous noise + motion blur combination in a more subtle way , so far the brushed steel effect is to strong and blurry, the later could be fixed quite easily ,just try this :

1. open your PSD in photoshop

2.go to : edit/copy merged

3.paste your copy as a new layer

4.use filter/sharpen/sharpen on that new layer

5. adjust opacity to your liking

[Rooxon]

Your work reminds me of my working style also, you know I read your whole thread about the starkiller model, you're just the same as me. You were posting mid-progress, asking for opinions, move verticles around... you can look it up here, I was doing the same and I haven't known about your work yet then


Yeah a sharpened layer does the trick, but if you looked at the arbiter, it's like that because I've mistakenly downsized the texture to 512x512 and lost the original PSD. That's why it looks awfull in the pics on the first post. Anyhow I'll try to redraw it again, maybe looking a bit more toned like the original... the upper part silver and not black like mine is.

... AAAAND I'll show you what I do to get sharpness, it's one of my own routines I've come up.

1. I need everything I've drawn on one single layer, which means I merge them.
2. I apply filter/sharpen/sharpen (same as you, now I'd need to play with the opacity)
3. I apply filter/stylize/emboss at 2px height and 150%
4. I set the blending of this layer to overlay (or soft light, depends on which looks better)
5. if needed I use image/adjustments/levels so that details don't stand out too much

Et voila! Try this out, it gives really a special realistic feel to the tex and it makes the sharpness a bit better than the classic sharpen filter.

[AshuraDX]

I just do copy merged and paste that as a new layer to get everything on one layer which keeps the other layers intact and allows me to do quick changes

I have to say I dont reallyl ike the result your method delivers that much , but it mgiht work in some cases

[Rooxon]

Oh I'm sorry @@AshuraDX I use it only on my own drawn textures, it does add realism that way. It looks hideous if you use it on any other pictures, anything that isn't drawn by hand.  For example, things that you've drawn with simple techniques, like lines... undetailed metal, such things. Or an upsized picture of anything gets the part of detail the normal sharpen filter lacks. I forgot to mention you need both layers, the sharpened one, copy paste it when it's sharpened and THAN use emboss and so on. But in case of an upsized pic, I also copy-paste it once more (under both layers, the sharpened and emboss one) and give it a facet filter. Makes image seem sharper, lines are nicer... you probably know what I mean

Guys I'm sorry I had a major accident and I can't really see good with my left eye. That's why nothing's come up even though I said I will.. well today and tomorrow I get to stay home because of it, I hope I'll finish both my planned packs and send them over to @ by the evening tomorrow for testing.

[Barricade24]

How serious was the injury? Nothing too bad, I hope.

[AshuraDX]

damn , get well buddy

I tried your method at my skiff textures that are 50% painted and 50% baked - did not look too great as embossing every little crack and such certainly doesn't work too well

what I like to do with handpainted ,that are supposed to look painted, textures is using the find edges filter at a merged copy, desaturate that layer and set its blendmode to multiply which gives a neat AO effect

here's an example on hwich I applied said trick :

sadly I dont have the PSD anymore , this is a tileable rock texture I made for Minecraft , ingame

the grass overlay at the dirt textures there is temporary

 

[Rooxon]

Yeah I'm slowly seeing again... @@Barricade24 It was nothing too serious at first, I was grilling for dinner and got a bit too much smoke into the face... the eye was still more or less ok then, the problems started yesterday when I suddenly couldn't see on the right eye, everything was blurry and also, when I woke up, my eye was... like glued together.. I'm a bit better today, went to the doctors immediately, he treated the eye perfectly and I also got eyedrops I have to use 3 times per day, control check in 1 week but I think there's no reason for panicking, soon I'll be tip-top okay.


Okay and now off of my medical record, tonight I'm starting doing the two sith weapons.


@@AshuraDX Yes that's why I play with the levels... and It looks gorgeous, I'll try to show it to you today as I'll be doing the sith sword and scepter. And yes, if I wanted to make textures seem painted, I also mainly use the find edges filter on a merged copy But the dust&Speckles is a nicer choice, as the effect is almost the same and you can customize it any way you need. If I need a quicker choice of dust&speckles, I use filter/stylize/facet

Now you wonder why I'm telling you that. Explanation: I found that trick I initially told you about this way; I upsized the textures of the sabers to 1024x1024, zoom set to 66,67%. I first copyied the whole layer, sharpened and embossed it + desaturation (doesn't really matter, the effect just looks a bit cleaner). Than after that I made a copy of the original layer and applied the facet filter to it. At this point I went to compare the layers, and after a while I left the original layer, the facet one set to 60% and the emboss to 70%, also leveled the lightness a bit.

The look of the effect was simply gorgeus and the pic looked like it was perfectly upscaled and sharpened. I'm gonna show you what I mean, of course at first it looks hideous, you gotta make those outstanding cracks/folds disappear.
 

[Omicron]

Good to hear that it will be getting better

[Bek]

Something similar  like that happened to me once, though it wasn't as bad as that, glad to hear your'e better 

[Bek]

damn , get well buddy

I tried your method at my skiff textures that are 50% painted and 50% baked - did not look too great as embossing every little crack and such certainly doesn't work too well

what I like to do with handpainted ,that are supposed to look painted, textures is using the find edges filter at a merged copy, desaturate that layer and set its blendmode to multiply which gives a neat AO effect

here's an example on hwich I applied said trick :

sadly I dont have the PSD anymore , this is a tileable rock texture I made for Minecraft , ingame

the grass overlay at the dirt textures there is temporary

 

Minecraft on a Jka modding website @@AshuraDX, shame 

[Rooxon]

Hehe well he/she's just given an example, let it be @ Though you're right too on the other hand... I never really played minecraft, I like the concept but... Dunno, it's just not appealing. Damn boxes everywhere.

Anyway, a few screens today... These are just the models, I'll keep this and the scepter's textures a surprise for the release as I'm really going to put effort into it... this means also time, which I have a lot due to being home because of the eye. For now I have finished the sword, awaiting texturing, and modeling the scepter. I'll update as soon as I have something though I'm feeling a bit tired -.-


Sith Sword:

Original (Recolored)
 This is the way I'll reference the texture I'm going to draw. I just think that this is more suitable for a sith than the original colors, though I may do that as an addon.

 

New model:

 

New top of the model:

 

Sith Scepter:

New model

 

 

 

Guys, I've been thinking. Maybe overthinking, anyway... You're all probably experts as to how the engine in JKA works, is it possible that some people could have lagging because of my models and high-res textures? It's just something I'm utterly eager about. Also, any chance to bypass the polycount limit?

[AshuraDX]

oh please dont go by the "the sith are evil so I should make it black&red" clichee , PLEASE !

stay closer to the original scheme or atleast dont use such a bright , strongly saturated red , go with a copper tone or something , or reddish brass

offtopic : I'm a guy

 

and also @

 

[Rooxon]

Allright I guess I can't argue that.. It's true black&red is quite a stereotype choice. Hm, now I need serious help. The two models are texturing-ready, but now I saw in the folder 2 md3 files, sith_scepter and sith_scepter_hand. Now, I can't look at how the tags are positioned and how to turn my own saber so it'll work together nicely... Those two are probably needed only in cutscenes, right? Like when Tavion is shooting out of the scepter or at the final battle light side, as she pulls the sword out of the scepter... has anyone any advice how I could easily do that?

[AshuraDX]

get noesis and convert the md3'S to something else

[Rooxon]

I've just compiled them to gml and looked at the positions of the tags there (sorry I even asked what to do, didn't think of it sooner), though this is gonna take a few retries, I'll do it this way. I think I have to make the saber face left with the top, the right spike being on the tag_weapon tag and flash being where it is for the scepter.

Update: Models are texture ready. Today I'm going to a huge party here in our country, tomorrow morning I'm going to start texturing those.

Model comparison; you can clearly see what I changed, what is downsized... and so on