Tarrackin's Home Scroll (THS) 2009 Junior's Modding Workshop

In deciding to add a new page on Modding, and 3D Modeling in general, I've taken down some prior entries from other pages of THS and more appropriately placed them here.

While the desire to get into 3D modeling came about about some years ago, with the release of several modifications, and specifically weapons packs, for Rogue Spear, and then later Ghost Recon, it has taken this long for me to get some decent literature on the subject. As I write, I've still not booted into a screen of 3D Studio Max or witnessed the origin for real. Still, my brain absorbs the information necessary to make a healthy beginning into this foray of virtual engineering. And speaking of which, I can already say that a prior appreciation of real world engineering allows me to better understand the texts I've been making my way through.

The world of vector graphics permits you to construct anything you might otherwise create in the real world with wood, metal, cardboard or plastic, in virtual space, and then manipulate it to operate as any mechanical device would, through animation.

While my initial interest in modding computer games came out of the pains to discover a particular game was, while great in and of itself, didn't feature my favourite pieces of hardware - more than a decade on it is evident there are far more uses for the skills of 3D modeling than that. Television constantly bombards us with CGI and animations in advertising. Feature films are released where there is no live action scenes at all, and the video games industry now well and truly outstrips Hollywood in making money through the virtual universes its creators produce. On top of that, architecture now makes full use of virtual spaces to depict either proposed or existing engineering feats of the real world to assist themselves in design or to show their works to clients or those they are contracted to.

Technology now allows structures themselves, as well as effects like smoke, water movement, lighting or even weather to be depicted with such realism you wonder if you're not actually in the real world. But to be able to create these sorts of amazing atmospheres and environments starts with the first step. I've done that now, so its just a case of continuing the journey...

Got to work on some modeling tonight. Part way through the set of drawers I mentioned. A few tricky bits but its a case of remembering to follow the instructions to the letter, not assume anything or think you can skip anything due to prior experience. Little steps...

Looking over a tutorial to build up a Galil rifle told had me thinking that it is probably a good idea to practice individual portions of such projects, to learn key processes, such as the idea of in order to bore equally spaced holes through a cylinder (say for a flash eliminator) you put a a couple of cylinders through a tube, by going to Compound Objects and choosing Boolean, clicking on "Pick Operand B", click on the given cylinder and thereby create the holes through the original cylinder at the end of the barrel.

Had a yak to a guy I know who does this stuff professionally - he said he learned to do Boolean operations on the first few days of his degree, but didn't actually use them until four or five months later. He told me to be mindful of them so far as low-poly counts on your model, for gaming purposes. They are a bit intensive, and there are, as I've said in the past, more ways than one to get a particular outcome. Often you can just work with a shape's existing geometry, extrude etc, in order to get the desired look.

Realise that, while most of what I want to learn is based around characters and weapon models for gaming applications, without learning other areas such as animation or other things I'm likely to miss out on a lot, and even forgo discovering easier, more efficient ways of doing particular things. Plus, logically enough, if you want to build gaming type environments, they contain vehicles, furniture, organic features, structures, everything you find in the real world environment so its foolish to get tunnel vision and only be putting together models of soldiers and pistols and rocket launchers alone. You can't get a job rendering up a house based on architectural plans if you haven't ever modeled a house before...

More talk of modding and the suggestion made that introducing a bow might be an idea. Well, I'll be happy just to render one up. Rigging is the problem but that's a long way off. Just getting it into the game would be great. Having it operable regards limb movements might be a trick, might even be impossible, but one can only see by trying. Speaking of which, the thoroughfare software wise in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. land is somewhat disjointed at best, but 3D Studio Max is industry standard and I'll be very keen to get some decent hours under my belt with it. Back to the text books, with a somewhat different flavour to what I am used to.

Note to self: remember that the AEC Extended Primitives have heaps of foliage options and architectural items that can be used for maps. And I can use the Hose primitive under Extended Primitives as a superb base for a under-barrel GL, eg: draw it out and slice it down the middle.

Going to be taking a wee look at Call of Duty 4 - no, not the ongoing saga of this particular franchise but the contemporary version of the WWII FPS. Very realistic I'm told but for those investigating military simulation they can't seem to get trigger groups sorted. Maybe every weapon capable of automatic fire can only fire in automatic. Well, maybe they were trying to replicate the movies... Sad. Some do like the idea of replication of real-world tactics and not just chewing through the ammo for no result.

After sending off a parcel home, and receiving one, I was off to make the most of the labs again. Today I got started on a MSG90. No, its not some horrible thing in your food, but it is one fine piece of German engineering which can be helpful in acquiring a meal. Expensive, but no where near as expensive, and far more robust, than its excessively refined PSG-1 cousin. About half way there, should be able to finish it tomorrow but the results are going to be a bit rough, I can tell.

As I said in the labs and fixed up my email / login problems the results for the third project came in. A B+ means, after the other two I'll end up with a respectable B average. The comments were moderate, and it seems that too much detail in my concept was my downfall for a better mark, or rather, to much academia and not enough imagination from the other side of the fence. I'm glad of a pass anyway, and hope to do a few more Design papers next year to make up the points needed for the double degree business.

Investigate Magazine were kind enough to send out a couple of complimentary copies of the September issue in which Defence Matters was published. Think I'll flick one off to the old man and see what sort of reception I get. Try to show that my life hasn't been all a misfire, stovepipe misadventure.

Gidday Shakes. Hey man, all the best to your mob ya Aussie bugger, and we'll hook up soon eh.

Of my academic studies, next year, just making up points means it won't be so hard a thing to grind - so the balance of my various studies, including those martial, it is an apt time to return to the Dojo. Today I was in the labs, even though the 104 is now unofficially (officially we have another week) over. I downloaded a few tutorials, one a character model, which I'll begin tomorrow, a 30-30 lever action, and a smoke grenade. It's an M18, but, well, as you can tell from the comparative pictures below, you wouldn't want to give the thing any sort of official designation :) Today a ruff as smokey, tomorrow, a fully textured G36 with a KSK splash sandbox paint job.

Another night in the labs until 2100, but I got 65 of my renders done of my "simple" object. Need 50 by Monday, and 81 (what a beautiful number...) required for the second experiment. Our favourite one will be textured. I think I know which one it will be - classmate reckoned it looked like Batman. And low and behold tonight on the late news there was word that there was a forthcoming comic which will sign the death of the Dark Knight. Super Heroes have perished before. We shall see. But what a franchise.

Solid Works is a pain. The tutorials are hard to follow for a newbie. Have to make sure your menus are set up exactly as required in the tuts. We learned to use it to produce a 3D image from a 2D pic, in order to take it into 3D Max and get onto the good stuff of manipulating things. Glad we can now ditch SW and move on.

Sorted what I needed to do, and to be honest, I could have done it better without the tutorials. Played around with morphing and other manipulations. Have to produce 81 versions of the same initial 3D image. All about learning the design process and appreciating that you don't do just one or two renditions of any given project to come up with a final product. I've learned that in very different creative worlds.

Getting help, helping your mates. I can tell you this, if what the lecturer says about time spent to get a pass is anything to go by, I've got to pass, despite the difficulty and time constraints. Heck, to learn that we learn in a day on Solid Works what a normal semester take in in two weeks... Tonight I was home before dark. Last night, 2100. Gotta make it.

Three of my renders, the green one the original. I like the brown one cause its ended up like a row boat. The image idea has an abstract simple version of Santiago Calatrava's Tenerife Auditorium.

Found out I have to go up the hill to get my access card sussed out. All after a week and a half. Bit shabby really. Especially when we don't have too much spare time to do so much work.

Discovered static meshes in UnrealEd, which are hundreds of pre-made objects you can insert. I used several different rocks to put in place to save trying to build them from scratch. Given a bit more time and effort, producing a pretty reasonable map will not be too difficult.

As old as it is, this program is a good introduction to rendering. I'm seeing it like learning to shoot with an old pig of a .303 jungle carbine, then going onto something far more refined, like a Remmie 700, the 3D world equivalent being 3D Max or Maya. Yeah, like no one should really learn to drive in a late model car, much less an automatic.

Has been really good to help out class mates and share the learning experience. Feel good about achieving so much in such a short time.

Got the first experiment in just in time, along with most of my classmates. Think we all know, given more time, the results could have been far better. I had last minute problems with my lighting - ones for my "normal" room kept rendering red. Deleted them and inserted some new ones. Pretty happy all things considered. So true, lighting goes a long long way to creating the atmosphere and presenting the final product. Doesn't matter if its a promo for a game, a 3D model of a house, or a video for a new product...

Can't believe you've been here for a year D. Hopefully the renewal of the visa won't lead to anything near the hassles of last time round eh. Been good to know ya man, and all the best in finding a new digs.

Managed to get into the building yesterday. Just waited for a friendly student with a working card to turn up. Whole swag of us waiting so I'm definitely not alone. Dunno why its closed on Saturdays but open on Sundays. Maybe the people who own the building are Jewish? Opps, starting to sound like Sgt. O'Neil. Low and behold this morning, I can get in the building. Didn't even have to go and see someone - which it was looking like, for sure.

Was odd too, checked for my results again on Friday, no cigarette... I mean cigar. And checked yesterday and sweet as, there they where. Gave me the energy to work through till 2030. I got the mainstay of my map for this first "experiment" as they like to call them here. After all the other tries, finally getting the hang of the program and sorta know where I'm at with stuff. All in week.

Personally, think I've done really well, never having been near the program before. Unreal Editor is okay, if not a bit dated and not meant as a professional tool, even in Game Design as such, but once you get the hang of it, the fundamentals stand you in good stead if you don't go straight to the likes of Maya of 3D Max.

Got the result for Scriptwriting a wee while back. Nice and quick that was, especially with a course which had so much paper work. Got an A- for Asian Cinema... rapt. Better second essay, my Blade Runner one, and a kick arse presentation, which is perhaps the best one I've been involved in. Entertaining too people reckoned. Always a bonus. And a B+ for Popular Music. Wanted to have a A- to sit next to the 200 level course, but with being crook just on when the first essay was due there are no surprises.

Anyway, better bug out for my first Design lecture of the new week. Then at least five or six hours in the labs...

Today I was nailed for thinking about too many aspects in regards the designer I'd chosen as my influence for the first project (experiment we're calling them). Must be the fault of three years straight study. Oh well, rather have too much info to run with than not enough. Can't be done for not doing my homework. And, apparently, if you come every day, do the work, do the self-directed stuff and are seen to put in the effort, you'll pass. Well, if yesterday is anything to go by...

And today I actually solved a few problems, got my first proper map together - in the prescribed manner - two rooms joined by a corridor. Sweet as. I'll right more on it on the Modding page soon I think. Getting the hang of it as we work our way through UnrealEd, for UT2004.

Hopefully experience with Dreamweaver (we present our work on a website of our own design which must reflect the themes of the virtual environment we've created) and Photoshop will help to balance up with my lack of knowledge here, and I can spend more time concentrating on my newbie status. Seriously looking forward to 3D Studio Max.

Another day and my access card doesn't work. No after hours time in the lab for me, still. Better be sussed by tomorrow...

In what ended up being the early hours of Wednesday the 10th day of September I did my first, quite ordinary render. It is the results of a somewhat disfigured cube. Yes, one does always start with a cube. Was a bit tricky remembering keys and commands, but as with all things, practice makes... ummm, well, a more efficient worker bee. That brings me up to about page 29 of the file mentioned below, and being as I have a meeting tomorrow with skool mates and it is now 0040hrs I better bug out and get some zzzzzz...

And now it be 0252hrs on the 11th... Just flicking through the file I see I get to make a die (singular for dice) which includes the pits in the cube shape to denote the numbers on each side. Further on to that, I was quite surprised to see what looked like a mutated RPG (rocket propelled grenade) launcher, as if it was part of a snap together toy. Well, I get to build the entire Jeep, RPG included. It is broken down into steps, unsurprisingly: seats, tires, mud guards, fuselage... I mean car body thingy. Wicked.

Additionally there is a wee project where you render a wolf, based off a photograph, linking a .jpg file as a basis for a model. Basically, this is how you'll start out with a weapon for a game from what I can gather. Just at the moment, I'll be quite rapt just to make it though this tutorial.

The following document goes from the very basic to advanced methods in Blender. Much of the material is transferable to other packages and is a very good starting point.

This is the key reference to start out with when using Blender. I've made my way through the first twenty pages. The first few sections are on finding your way around the interface. At 140 pages I should hopefully be done by the time I start Summer School. Deeming they use it in DESN 104 this probably wasn't a silly idea. Many of the terms and techniques are totally compatible with the industry standard 3D Studio Max so there shouldn't be too much double handling during the learning process of the latter. Will be back once I've made some headway on the modeling side in the document. I'll drop in some screen dumps of what's been created.

It took a while to click, but eventually I investigated the Victoria University's School of Design in regards what they had to offer in the realms of 3D modeling. My initial correspondence reminded me of Blender, a open source 3D modeling program which is well worth looking into if you're running Linux etc. I'm going to explore that angle myself in time. Much of the terms and methods are the same as the industrial standard 3D Studio Max. Asides that, I still have to find out what the textbook is for DESN 104, so hopefully I can preempt some of my learning before Summer School starts. If its theory, and not hands on computer lab work at the 100 level, then I'm likely to give it a miss.

The URLs below provide some idea of the output and course content offered at . While the courses offered in Auckland are more the atmosphere I'd prefer, I have to weigh that up with the city in which I'm studying, and my capacity to study successfully.

In my break between Scriptwriting and my Film tutorial headed into town - after a steak and cheese pie and a Cookie Time, and grabbed this 3D Studio Max book. Another look over the shelves ended up convincing me to invest in a different book from the one I had first had my eyes on.

Introducing 3ds MAX 2008
Darviush Derakhshani and Randi L. Munn.
Publisher: Wiley Publishing Inc. (2008)
ISBN: 978-0-470-18494-3

This volume starts out with the very basics and deals with the full spectrum of modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering. The whole nine yards is covered. The other book, which featured the development of a character model based off Hicks from Aliens, and the building of a Pulse Rifle, was labeled as a Intermediate to Advanced level focus, which, at this stage, is just a bit too advanced for me. Anyhow, the one I did get is some 600 pages, and with a student discount ended up being under $60. For a full on text like this, not a bad price.

On the way to Uni I went into Borders to look up their computer books pertaining to Maya and 3D Studio Max. They had a text on Maya for $50, where most are approaching or exceeding $100. I think because this one was done by a publisher who does educational based text books - the same people who did the text I got for (X)HTML and CSS for COMP 101, it ends up being considerably cheaper. Still, flicking through the pages is a bit daunting, but that just translates to challenge. You just take one step at a time, working from the basics, building confidence and not jumping the gun. Things like seeing how much is involved in constructing a hand or a face for a character model for example...

19 days for the world wide release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, the much awaited prequel to Shadow of Chernobyl. All those things of the original vision now realised by the sound of it. We will soon see. There is a tin box SE version being released once more, and I'll be up for that.

The only reason I can see for owning a PC... these fine games, and the capacity to work with Autodesk 3D Studio Max so I can learn this modding business. I'll be picking up my first book on the subject next week, and have been downloading plenty of tutorials. Real skill sets too, in 3D modeling, texturing and lighting, to get involved in some serious projects. From what I can tell so far, its going to be a long hard road, but one well worth it. Got a prospectus from the Auckland (ick) based Media Design School in regards some training in this area so I can get more skills for realising my vision - taking my world into the virtual...

But that won't be for a couple of years. Have to train up myself to have the skills to be accepted, plus working for at least a year and saving to pay my own way through it all. Hopefully by then I can get into a similar course here in Wellington, rather than have to go up there... Looking into the technical nature of this stuff, whether you play on your old original Playstation, are a hard core PC gamer or have a PSP in your bag, it really opens your eyes to the skills required by the artists who create these games. As for the programmers, I can't begin to even entertain that route! More about my thoughts on this on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. page.

Beginnings of the Modding Mission...

While Kryton makes some headway in understanding the cryptic nature of code, from the programmers angle of the modding world, I begin my journey of the 3D artist. This entry is simply an initial statement of intent. A motivator... With that in mind I've looked into things enough to know that it will be a long hard, but very rewarding, road to get to the point of confidence. As we have begun with altering weapon names to their real names, and modified trigger sets to their real world options, I will begin with equally basic models, such as the tutorial I discovered on how to make a round... rather than the rifle :) There are about two dozen steps, and then the texturing (which produces a object with realistic surfaces, rather then a bland structure).

Eventually, there will be a dedicated page for this side of things, as we intend to take this to its fullest extent and produce a complete conversion. This is early days, but there is enough in the detail of such a mission as to justify a separate entry page for everything that will go on. This will include, as a result of experiences, so basic tutorials to help others on their way. As others help you, you pass on the knowledge and benefit of experience.

Next week I get my first book on the subject, with a trial version of 3D Studio Max to get started. It features the modeling of a US Colonial Marine Corps character (of Aliens fame), and I think the modeling of a M41A Pulse Rifle... There will be investment of some serious text books as time goes by. Quite involved, but a very worthy mission, in order to gain some real, practical, tangible vocational skill sets. The fun and games come at the end of some very hard work.

Below is an example, from Oblivion Lost a few months back, of a rendered Faction Leader from Clear Sky, one the model, the other completed with textures. This gives you some idea of the process and what can be achieved.

Faction Leader model

[without texture] [with texture]

Below is a link for the modeling of a US MAC-10 machine pistol, often mistaken for the Israeli Uzi. It gives some idea of the building blocks in constructing the weapon. Then comes the texturing, to give it that metallic look on the surface, or, for example, wooden stocks. The effects of lighting on those surfaces comes further to that.

http://www.planetfortress.com/tf2models/tuto/tuto_MAC10.htm

Some sense of direction might be in order, so I've come up with a list of initial projects, more or less in order of difficulty:

crate
sandbag
barbed wire (there is a tutorial out there which I need to find again)
round (rather than the rifle - I have the tutorial)
baseball bat
staff weapon (from Stargate SG-1)
Kabar USMC combat knife

retexture the bandit model
retexture USP Compact pistol model
retexture MP5 submachine gun model

Sterling SMG

SAS trooper in CRW kit

But before I get onto that...

Useful Links

http://www.3d-resources.com

http://www.3d-tutorials.com

http://sdk.stalker-game.com/en/

One will need the Developer's Kit [SDK] to get their works of art into the game... It is a bit over 300Mb.

http://stalker.filefront.com/file/STALKER_Multiplayer_SDK_Beta;79029

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