[Model Submission] Gravity Well Generator

Hi guys!

I have some had an idea, so i bring cake... actually the cake was a lie... but i do bring goodies...

First off i would like to point out, that i am the noob of all noobs when it comes modding... I did leader a small unpopular mod project for X3 Reunion 6 years ago, and more recently about 3 years ago for Homeworld 2... My primary issue is that i do not have the time, skill or "faf" about patients for texturing... Well, the only way i know how to texture in 3Ds max makes my head spin and my eyes cross! And the tutorials and general learning curve is just too steep for my type of head...

As for things like scripting... It scares me a bit... I'm dyslexic and when i see lines of code filling page after page i turn into like a rabbit in the headlights and freeze up. (the Irony is that my chosen career in life is to be a writer of sci-fi and fantasy... feel free to lol at my ineptitude )

However what i can do, and do well is use a little program that i used as an Engineering student called Autodesk Inventor... its the same program they used to to design things from tea coasters to nuclear reactors... No joke...

So this got me thinking... Since i can churn out models at a good pace, why not see what others think? I might even do requests later on, as well as submitting my own ideas.

(I can also do a little Photoshop to, but I'm not that great at it.)



OK my idea... [Some others may have come up with the same, idk...]
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~The Gravity Well Generator!!~​

Basically put, i and a few others (guys i have talked to on the steam community) hate how station blocks, don't sheer off or float off when physics says yes, but the game is saying no!

Personally i think this is a little daft... SO with that in mind i came up with a little fix. Why not have a large "prop" [component block] that anchors your "Large/small (yes small to for satellites etc) ship blocks" in one point in space?

It would have to use X amount of energy to be on all the time, and i would suspect it would use a fare amount as well, far more than a simple gravity gen. If you was to assemble it as well in the in-game crafting system it would use 5x more components maybe?

Depending on the "work around" to make it work, i would like it to be deactivate-able to you can up root it and move somewhere else.

It could also if "ON" force "OFF" any thrusters you have like it was a station to help save energy.

Other "Maybe" features i thought about is whether or not it would have the same physical effects as a normal gravity gen on the surrounding area?

If this is all imposable however i thing it would make a good prop for your internals maybe?




Here are the files (i hate Mediafire but i have nowhere else i can go):

www.mediafire.com/download/kn27wc6ek09btbk/Grav+well+generator.rar << 24k Poly original

www.mediafire.com/download/u7nj5lucefn8p2u/Grav+well+generator+v1.2.rar << 13k poly count version, needs verifying but someone who knows what they are doing.
In there you will find a .rar file containing sample images of the model, the .max, .FBX, a folder containing blender comparable .OBJ and subsequent materials file and finally the .ipt [Inventor source/part file]

And for you guys out for the eye candy (Photobucket) -

ISO Side view (where you can see all neat lines and stuff )


ISO Top, <em style="line-height: 20px;">cuz why not? </em>-


An Angled view -


Solid view 1 -


Solid view 2 -


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If anyone can assist my in texturing and scripting it out to work, i would be most appreciative.

The scale for it at the moment i think if i read the forum right is for a small ship block (standard small armour cube is 500mm right?) so it is meant to fit a space of 2x2x3 where the attachment areas are top and bottom (This might have to be scaled up for large blocks, and a simpler model made for small). I would like some sort of glowy light emission coming off... i will later on do a Photoshop mock up of what id like it to look once rendered.

The inspiration for it was sort of like a warp-core and a large computer mainframe all in one, and the tactical implications for this i think are epic! I mean, imagine designing your station with this in its engineering room, and you would have to defend it at all costs! If its a large station to, you might need more than one, giving reason from an economic point of view to for needing and supplying all those power stations i see in some peoples designs.

Ok build time for putting the model together was about 3 to 4 hours (including tea break), and the issue with it now i think is poly count... The trouble with Inventor is that like vector art, you can't control certain factors... in this case its poly count when importing to max... i personally cant remember how to lower the count in max (i know the function for it is there somewhere). Either way it needs to be reduced as i think its at the 25k mark at the moment.

Another thing i can't remember to do (an i read here on the forums is important) it to make sure, the centre point, is well... centre... and although this is doable when you <em style="line-height: 20px;">start</em> a part build in inventor, its imposable once you are half way through, for the simple reason that Inventor modelling is "procedural" or rather, one thing comes after another and is dependent most of the time on your last action (think stacking a "change" one after the other, take away the middle of the stack, and the top will fall over (be deleted)... same principle here), so the centre point being the base of your construction stack, is imposable to move or change without having to start over...
~#~#~

Ok so that is basically what i've done, what i have been working with, and what issue i face... but considering how fast a workflow i get, its a good trade off...
If anyone has inventor, and wishes to use it for making models for modding (it wont do character modelling for sh*t however) the feel free to ask me and i'll help out where i can

 

I would have to agree that the main problem is the poly count. And I'd have to say the most reliable way to lower polygons and keep detail, is by doing it manually. Either delete edges and vertexes where they are unnecessary on your current model, or use your current model as a base, to "trace" with shapes that have lower polys. It is tedious and annoying, but in my experience it produces the best results. I find computers don't always know what edges and vertexes to delete to keep to most appealing shape.
As far as texture, Seeing as how you want this to be a rather large part for both small and large ships. you shouldn't bother mapping out the UVs until you get the model to the poly count you want. deleting edges and verts after mapping the texture can result is texture streaking and other visual artifacts.
Edit: If you get the poly count down, I would be more than happy to help with texture mapping (mapping the UVs).

 

There if i remember a POV thing in Max (like how you need lower polty mods for distances in games... i used to have to play with it for X3 modding, but that was years ago...).

I know what you said that the auto way ain't the best, but if it can reliably shave of a few xK in ploys, then surely it'd be worth it right? I mean the thing about Inventor imports i think, is that Max tries to make it as smooth as it can as Inventor is used to extremely precise CAD work to then be transferred to a CAM system for manufacturing.

I will "Tweak" around... i mean there could be an option in the import to lower the quality right from the start.

 

Ok just tested it out...

Here is the deal, i can reduce the quality on import... but it does not alter the poly count all that much... however, i did use quadrify (thank you youtube!) on it as an editable poly (normal import settings, no reduced quality) and it has reduced the poly count in half to 13k and it seems by looking at it that its ok...

What ill ask is for anyone who know better than i will ever know, as to whether or not this is legit... Ill edit my first post and place the link to v1.2 of the model.

{on a side note, it didn't like me for exporting it to .FBX... i did it but with a warning.}

 

Ive opened your model, and have to say it looks very good, your scale is slightly off, when opening the fbx at least, I can fix the model for you pretty easily and even do a lower poly version to make life nicer for texturing and fps

you said its meant to be 2x2x3...do you mean 2x3x2 - X Y Z

Update ------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a 11k version... But i can easy take off 2.3k faces by changing the central glowing section to be a simple cube, that is then textured to look like the modelling. Bringing it down to about 8.5k faces.

I tried to stick as closely to your orignal design as possible.

 

Nice work, I'll have a go at the poly shaving later today. Low poly contest on this item?
Edit: Just had a look at V1.2. When you reduce the amount if faces you don't always reduce the amount of polys, quardratics is used when you want each face to be a square(its useful in programs like mudbox or Zbrush), it does not triangle out the faces, but it still leave 2 triangles per face. While you have reduced the faces on your model you have kept the poly count at 24136.

 

The width was meant to be a little bit thinner, but still be up to the 2x2 at the base and top...
SO yeah, WOW, thank you guys! I'm glad you like it... Ill be making the mock up asap...

by the by... is this idea possible? function wise that is?

 

Of course! you can already kind of do this with rotors and stations, so i dont think this would be that hard to implement.

 

I was able to cut the poly count by half(12464 tris, 6232 faces), and keep most of the detail. with proper normal maps it could be well under 6000 triangles. even on this current model if i spent more time i could get it down to around 9000.
After looking at the model for a little while i figured out i could recreate the entire outer model with only a 1/16th section, and a 1/8th section for the middle.



I put some blue on it.
I'll put up the FBX shortly
If you are good at texturing in photoshop, I could UV it and send you the proper files.
If you like it or anything let me know, I would be happy to make more of your pretty complex machines more game render friendly.:thumb:

 

As it happens, iv cooked up a new model already (i'm currently sleepless and couldn't do anything about it, so i blasted up Inventor for a relaxing session and have made a new model in about an hour and a half

As for the UV, yes, i can make them. i've done it before... don't know if ill be any good, but chuck me the .DDS or whatever image file that is needed with the settings for it you would require and i can get right on it I use photoshop soo.

And yeah i do Should that be enough to load alright ingame?

 

So...where is it?

 

https://forums.keenswh.com/post/reevers-model-requests-inventor-faq-and-model-submission-6714970

 

"Sorry! The specified topic could not be found." '-.-

 

I dont see how? Its the only other thread i own in the modding section

 

Result: polygon reduction!

 

So thinking about all of this, so that i know, i'm gunna ask a noobish question...

Although i know "More poly = slower game" there is one thing a really neglected to ask, and that is, for the "vanilla" game (i saw your poly reduction mod jakejud, nice work) what is the "ideal" poly count for 1 block, and there for for that matter, a block of this size?

With the level of technical knowledge i have, all i know is that i get the feeling that this question is a little bit vague, since it depends on the power of the system, but it inline my work to the game standard i think its important to know.

 

Thats a tough question, it really depends on your modeling skill/ computer power. But if you want me to ball park it, for a very detailed item (not the stairs or ramp) about 1000max perblock. Non detailed items could be from 4-100. but then there are items like the assault rifle, its abut 2200 polys, and thats perfect, because of how close it is to your face all the time.
But that's me, i was in schol for low poly modeling, so its what I'm comfortable with.
No matter, high or low poly, poly counts can vary dramatically from item to item.

 

Ok, so the closest 2 items in game in terms of size and eye candy detail are the large ship antenna, and the refinery (i quote them right now as that will also go on large ships as well as small...), how many polys dose either of those have? Since we're talking about an object of similar size