Eka's Portal

If you want to help make models or characters but aren't quite sure how, here's some info:

1 Get Blender 2.41 (http://www.blender3d.org)
2 Learn Blender using the help on their site (until I post a tutorial) I recommend this though:
http://mediawiki.blender.org/uploads/8/8e/Quickstart_Guide.pdf
3 Make a model with your new Blender skills!
3.1 It can be animated with a skeleton, but the naming of some bones is important. (will detail later)
3.2 Textures are nice, but if you don't feel up to texturing just map it out. Anyone else then can pick it up and finish the texture using your map
3.3 Try and keep Bone / Poly counts low. (Less than 20 bones, Less than 1000 polys)

At this point, you can either give us the model to convert or do it yourself. It won't make a difference either way, since we appreciate ALL help we get.

You will have questions, try my GAim ID first: Izcalli128

There are other free programs out there I have seen mentioned (Wings3D, Anim8or ect...) but none of them are as efficient as Blender. It is hard at first, but stick with it cause the rewards are saving time and frustration, and suddenly you will be able to go from concept to reality in a few hours!

Good Luck!

For a second, I thought this was about my story from writing.com.

http://www2.writing.com/main/interact/item_id/1073817
</shameless plug>

Anyways, what's this about? Is there another topic with more information on this?

Er, that was me...

I've got slight experience with 3D, but by that I mean Hammer like 5 years ago, and AutoDesk at school last year, thats about it. I'll give that program a shot after I reformat my comp tomorrow.

The link to the forum about the MMOVRPG project...
http://aryion.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=79
I don't know if we have posted more information on this yet, but you can PM Kaliera for more info!

Heh, yeah, I'll have to reference your story for ideas now. What a coincidence!

As for using Blender, the first thing to get used to is the lack of idle time. You have to use the keyboard and mouse simultaneously to be fast at it.
Spacebar is an important key, it acesses the quick menu when you are moused over the 3d view.
Be sure you have a numpad so it's easy to switch views.
Be sure to grasp the idea of "modes", depending on what type of object you have selected changes the things you can do to it. (makes sense) Hitting TAB with a selection should switch to/from edit mode.

I really need to write a tutorial this weekend. Be sure to look at that quickstart guide!

I don't have blender(?) but I do have and am fluent in Maya 7. If I can be of any help....it might have to wait 2 weeks for school to let out though. I don't even have anytime to do vore work let alone model and texture something.

I am an excellent modeler and texurer but I HATE rigging and painting skin-weights with a passion and will only do it if paid copious amonts of cash. But I'm sure that someone else can do that...right? It's just not my favorite thing to do...especialy rigging with IK

Also...I just got a new laptop computer and it doesn't run maya as well as my last one. So I may or may not be able to texture...

But If I can be of service I would be glad too.

Here's what I can do:

Modeling
uv mapping
textureing
rigging
rigging FK/IK
rig control wire setup
paint Skin weights
animate
Lighting and light linking
Blendshapes

I do not have premierpro so I can not export anything as video.

Blender: http://www.blender3d.org

Yeah, I know what you mean about school. I got 4 weeks left.

Rigging is piece of cake in Blender. I can do that. IK still sucks though.

I'm not familiar with "rig control wire setup", or "Blendshapes", and I'm fairly sure "paint Skin weights" is optional. Any work you do in Maya can be converted to what we need, I'm think Kaliera has Maya so conversions won't be an issue.

Since you know Maya, you'll be able to learn Blender faster, but the interfaces are pretty different. But learning Blender is totally optional, I just push it cause I know it best.

We'll need all the help we can get, and with that much experience, it'd be great to have you help on this project. PM Kaliera about details...

Painting skin weights is this: When you bind skin, it designates default weight on the skin... All that means is that things will deform according to the default weights: This can have an odd effect. Sometimes elbows will do "spaghetti arm" or a knee will collapse in on it self if you bend it.
Painting weights is just a way to make things deform the way you want them too.

Blend shapes are used to create facial expressions or morphs. Ex: I once animated a fox woman...I created a blend shape of (thin) tail exploding into a big poofy tail.....I also did one secretly(for myself) of her having an expanding belly. Ya...My teachers never saw that one.

Rig wire set up is for animation. You are not supposed to animate the bones directly so you set up influnece wires and you animate those.

Model Parameters to try and be consistont with:

Unit scaling:

4.6 units = 6 ft. = 1.8288m, so:
5u = 2m ?
So, 10 units of space = 4 meters?
Note we can convert it by scaling, just give us your unit base so we can calculate the scaling factor.

Required bones:

1. Head
2. Chest
3. R_Shoulder
4. L_Shoulder
5. Pelvis
6. R_Forearm
7. L_Forearm
8. R_Hand
9. L_Hand
10. R_Shin
11. L_Shin

//Example minimal bone heirarchy (Generic biped)
//
Pelvis
- L_Shin
-- L_Leg
--- L_Foot
- R_Shin
-- R_Leg
--- R_Foot
- Chest
-- Head
-- L_Shoulder
--- L_Forearm
---- L_Hand
-- R_Shoulder
--- R_Forearm
---- R_Hand

//Animation list (Pending)
//
Idle
Walk
Run

Yawn
Look Around
Sit

Default Attack
Right Hand Attack
Two Hand Attack
Staff Attack
Ranged Attack
Death 1
Death 2
Death 3

Textures need to be a power of two. 64x64, 128x128, 256x256. anything larger than 256x256 will be resised later. (all units in pixels...)

ImaginaryZ wrote:There are other free programs out there I have seen mentioned (Wings3D, Anim8or ect...) but none of them are as efficient as Blender.

I strongly disagree, if used correctly wings3d is more efficient than blender on modeling and texturing. However it does not have bones, thus can only be used for static objects. Or for charecters to later be boned/weighted into blender.

BTW: What format are you using for the characters?

We can only use 1 format, the .b3d format, aka the Blitz Basic format.

However, I wrote a converter that converts a OGRE XML format to a .b3d, so if your model is built in a program that has an OGRE XML exporter, then you can export it and have us convert it or you can try to find another way to make a .b3d. (Wings imports really nice into Blender btw)

Here are OGRE XML exporters:
http://www.ogre3d.org/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=57&func=selectcat&cat=5

Honestly, to prevent problems, we should use formats that translate flawlessly, but of all the classics (.3ds, .x, .lwo, .obj, .max, .m2d, .m3d ect...) OGRE XML is the only format I have proven to work, so make sure you can generate those at some point with your modeling program.

Ok, scaling models is one thing, we can fix that no problem, BUT
Make sure that your models are oriented the right way, IE:
+x = Left (Character's left faces in the direction of the +z axis)
+y = Up (Characters up,)
+z = Forward (Character faces in the direction of the +z axis)
Also, your character should not have any verticies below the X-Z plane (negative Y components). Be sure to center them to the origin, otherwise they will look odd when rotating.
Other than that, if you adhere to the bone naming conventions, everything should be OK. Double ckeck your model BEFORE rigging it, or else you'll have te redo animaitions.