Psyk0Sith

Which cape would you like to see on that model? Link me a .pk3 with a cape that could fit and i might do it. I won't redo the textures tho, it'll be up to you or someone else.

Bioware didn't own the Starwars franchise, they probably covered their asses in case of a Lucas Arts lawsuit.

@@CaptainCrazy Triangle counts are 3-4k on average models, but i've made a Grievous model at around 9k so that should be around the high limit. Each object should be 500 vertices max.

I did a smudge over, should be clearer than my cryptic anatomy pointers Excuse the crappy nose in front view XD

It's not meant to be a likeness sculpt obviously, just a quick & dirty planes study with tons of mistakes. So basically you start with major bony landmarks, eyesockets, zygomatic, jaw line etc...once you've got the proportions you want you can start adding muscles and flesh to make it human. Your head lacks surface changes, it looks round from almost every angle (aka lack of forms). I pushed the features to really get the point across. I know you are only using a modeling app and can't really carve that kind of details, but you still need to move verts and break down the "ball" shape. Check out Jordu Schell's work for great reference: http://schellstudio.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=220 The same principles apply for low poly:

I'm on the case... Same as above, it looks like some of the UV shells were destroyed on export, they show up as tiny dot in the UV editor (that usually means no UV coordinates were applied). If you shifted overlapped UV shells out of the editor window, it's possible the md3 plugin / md3viewer / JA doesn't know what to do and simply blanks the coordinates. P.S.: a 1024x1024 texture is overkill, could've easily fitted a 512. I guess modern hardware won't have a problem with it /rant off

Lookin' good! I'll try and do a paintover / sculpt examples for some anatomy fixes.

When making LODs, work on separate scenes. Once the mesh is optimized, do an export test. When successful, rename everything with "_1" as suffix, like you did, except for the bones. The hierarchy should remain the same for that LOD level so you don't have to change anything. The last step is to load the un-optimized version (or LOD 0) and merge the new LOD_1 scene, max will ask if you want to skip importing duplicates (bones in this case) and you check the "merge" box, if you don't your LOD level will be missing the skeleton it is linked to and make it useless. It's not a problem to have multiple skeletons.

I guess i should, i've probably missed a few links here and there since last revision.

First and foremost he needs the SDK with carcass compiler and all the other stuff that goes with it. Then he needs to get the XSI export plugin for his max version, recent versions of max will use Archangel's updated plugins, found right here on JKhub. I've written a guide a loooong time ago: http://psyko3d.50webs.com/tutorials/jk2_guide.htm Basic breakdown is this: *1.Import Kyle's Skeleton from .Xsi, or use the one i have on my site. *2.Weight the tags to the skeleton, this part is already done if you used my scene file. 3.Modeling (build your model around the skeleton with previously weighted tags) or fit the mesh around it if already modeled in another pose. 4.UVW Mapping 5.Segment your model (this step can be done after the weighting has been done, you have to split your meshes by cloning the model and keeping only parts you need, repeat for all limbs) 6.Cap the segments (can be done after the hierarchy) 7.Weight the mesh to bones <---- that's where the magic takes place! 8.Link the hierarchy <------ there's an automated script for that, but non standard meshes will need to be linked manually. 9.LODs (they are not mandatory) 10.Export to .XSI / Compile thru assimilate

Have you tried importing the .glm with milkshape?

Looks pretty accurate to me, for an oldschool engine without normal maps, you'll have a pretty strong likeness, assuming your texture will have the same level of quality. Some pointers: -The direction of the nasolabial fold should be inwards (in the vid you have it curving back while it should loop down below the bottom lip) -The width of the eyesocket at the top (where eyebrows end), that area should not be as wide as the rest of the skull. If you grab the top of your eyesockets between your thumb and middle finger and then move your hand back, you'll see the skull becomes larger as you go back. Once you have the whole skull built it might be ok, but you still need to have some forms in that area or else it'll look like frankenstein's forehead -Push corners of the mouth in slightly, it's a common mistake to keep them almost flush with the lips. -The puffy look of the cheek is because you made the whole area pretty much the same volume. If you take a look at a human skull, you'll see the cheekbone is actually closer to the eye and the area below is empty (filled by muscle), so in an athletic person you'd have that bone poking through and very little to no fat on top of the muscle. -The mouth plane might need a bit of volume, looks too "duck" like. -Shrink down the eyelids / eyes a bit. You get A+ for adding lacrymal glands by the way! It's difficult to give anatomy feedback with words, but hopefully i was clear enough that you don't move away from your current path.

He does need bigger arms. Also, this should help, if you haven't found it already. Additional artwork here

Import the stormtrooper model in your modeling app and keep only the helmet, it's quite easy to do. I'm pretty sure milkshape and blender have proper .glm support. You'll find the .glm file in one of the "assets" pk3, just open it with winzip and look under players folder...if i recall correctly.

All major 3D packages can simulate cloth for any number of frames you'd need, but i don't think it would be possible to pin those pre animated objects onto the model. Then you'd have to match the frames on both objects and have a smooth transition between them.

Sorry for late reply. In version 2.1 double click on the "humanoid:" folder and you'll see the options.

Check the filepaths are correct in the .skin file (and show us the content of the .skin file) check which textures are assigned in the exported .glm, you can open it with notepad or hexa decimal editor to verify.

...and the most important aspect of character modeling is understanding anatomy.

Alpha maps: do you see any error messages when you bring down the console (after loading the model)? It could be a shader issue, if you used any. Was the png file saved in the proper format?. Apply a texture without alpha to make sure everything shows up correctly, you need to isolate the problem by doing changes one at a time, you probably tried most of these but you never know. Shading errors: the seams or shadow issues are caused by the split meshes, just like using different smoothing groups in max. JA doesn't support custom vertex normals done in max so that approach won't work. Try the options in assimilate called "smooth all surfaces" and "remove duplicate verts during compile", try one at a time and see if it helps. The glm importer in max imports geometry based on UV splits, that is how most game engines work. It's a lot more obvious with engines that support normal mapping, but it's been this way for a while. So think of smooth all as using 1 smoothing group, while the other method is based on UV shells / manually split edges. So what you import doesn't matter, it's how you choose to smooth it that defines how it will look in the game, if you don't touch the mesh expect odd shading.

Your topo could be optimized a lot, your edgeloops would be more suited for cinematics facial rigs, where you need a predictable subdivided model (and lots of geo depending on how realistic you want to get), but for JA the rig is so simple you don't need complex loops. It's not a bad thing, but wanting to keep all quads everywhere is just a waste of polys (especially the side and back of the head, even the ear could be simplified). The forehead is too wide, if you look at a human skull you'll see it's not one big chunk, but more like a cube with beveled edges...planar-ly speaking. Also the eyelids should not be symmetrical, they have "opposite curves" Another issue is the flesh between the nose and the tear duct, that should be pushed in. Also, make your poly distribution evenly spaced, you've got areas with tightly packed edges that don't serve any purpose for the silhouette/deformations. Also missing nasolabial loop and a proper jawline. It's on the right track just keep fixing stuff!

Actually the top of the ear lines up with the brow and the bottom lines up with the bottom of the nose (basic proportions for pretty much all humans). You cannot rely on photos all the time because of perspective distortion, a subject shot too close without proper focal length will create distortion, factor in head tilt, camera height, distance etc...and you get differences everytime.

@@AshuraDX I could test the max scene file if you want (or the XSI file). If the problem is not plugin related: it's possible the bone pivot points are not being exported correctly because of how they were created in max, i've experienced this in earlier max versions.

Rotate the ears forward, it's a common mistake to make them too flat on the head.

Haha maybe, altho request section is awfully quiet and sometimes weird.

Keeping track of current issues & testing (tested under XP with Max 9 and Max 2010, x64 versions): Max 2010 x64 / Max 9 x64: Possible "file contains cubic scale keys" error - this apparently wasn't present in the recompile for max 6 / 7. It somehow fixed itself, or changing the decimal symbol to a period instead of a comma fixed it (under regional settings). This error might pop up for non U.S. residents, don't forget to reboot or at least restart max after you change your regional settings. Max 2010 x64 - export dialog box hangs when exporting animations, a simple glitch that won't create problems. Max 9 & 2010: Player model & vehicle / animations test successful.