dragonwolf
Pukovnik
Howling with delight!
Posts: 363
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Post by dragonwolf on Jul 10, 2014 16:49:26 GMT 1
Beautiful! Such incredible detail.
Ciao, John
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kaoz
General
inter faesces et urinam nascimur
Posts: 1,109
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Post by kaoz on Jul 10, 2014 23:33:54 GMT 1
Is there no way to simply replace the necessary files for the Priests? I would really like to keep the skins i have right now. No offence to new textures from VO or Gagarin.
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 11, 2014 3:32:43 GMT 1
Koaz: I tired to do that, but the animation files are specific to those models. There were three reasons I had to rework these models:
1) The base models are similar but each variant was derived from hybrid files rather than the proper master model file. This is likely why the animations failed. Specific parts of the models had animated parts... and those references were not present in the hybrids.
2) The time involved to rebuild each model based on the hybrid files. This would require each variant to be based on a total rework of the animation files rather than exporting animation files from other models.
3) Each variant would require a UV rework specific to that variant due to the missing parts with animated parts.
The quickest and most effective method was to build the new master base model and standardize all of the parts. By doing this, the Kangaroo now becomes a subset variant of the Priest, which was what I had intended in the first place, and which was historically correct.
The only difference in the Kangaroo and the M7 Priest was the removal of the 105mm Gun, and the addition of the plate armor between the driver area and MG pulpit. Some Kangaroos had additional raised side plates above the crew area, but I chose to at this point to not build that version. Perhaps I will later.
Because the models are closely related, they can share the base UV... the Kangaroo can use the Priest Skin and Vice Versa. For the purpose of the guys that skin, they can delete the 105mm Gun UV now placed in the upper left region. MGs are almost always located in the upper right region, as is the case here. The tracks/suspension still resides in the lower left and the soldier lower right. These models will have new soldier parts which will be a bit more nation based, but this also requires a change to the soldier UV.
Because this model is so heavy due to the number of polys, and number of crew members, I really wanted to lower this weight any way I could. The related issues to animation had nothing to do with the weight or size, but to add back some of the parts for each variant was only going to contribute to increasing the file sizes. The model weight with the 105mm is right at 966kb, just short of 1mb. This is before the Driver and Pulpit Gunner are added. The US Priest has a 5 man crew to man man the gun, the UK Priest has 4. Because the Kangaroo, does not require any additional crew, the expected size is around 1045 mb, but I have yet to complete that model. But, the US Priest would total around 1.3Mb with a full crew in the new model, with existing soldier crew.
So I soldier models have been reworked as well. What I'm seeing right now is the soldier body has been reduced from 130 kb to 63 kb, about half of original size. For 7 soldiers on a armoured vehicle... that reduces the model weight from 1.11 Mb to 423 kb. The soldier body is without the helmet or cap, so add about 15kb per soldier for those.
In the very beginning of the Priests that I created, with Generation I, the crew size caused many issues. many players and skinners were upset that the Priest would not display properly in the Tanks Viewer. The Generation II Priest also had this issue, although it seemed to depend on the graphic capability of the system. In my own testing, I found the Priest would not open in Tanks under Win 8 at all; In Win 7 only in XP mode, and XP about 90% of the time. There does seem to be an issue when running Tanks under a 64 bit OS. While you can run under XP, or Virtual XP, the version 2 Tanks will not allow the loading of more than one texture. Under XP (32bit) you can load multiple textures and use the blue arrow buttons to scroll through... If anyone has solved this issue for Win7, please advise all of us.
Soldier Changes
Reduced Poly Count significantly by removing triangles not required or not seen in finished model. This is applied differently depending on the pose; sitting, standing, squatting, etc... Also removed all bones and joints in final models... these are not required for static models. The original soldier models were based on NIF/Blender Models that I had created for two other Game Platforms; CIv5 and RomeII. You might see some of them if you play either of them.
Because the Priest uses several soldiers as the crew... and they were used by various Armies, I thought it might be better to give a proper display of the nationality with the correct headgear...
One the same UV, there are 4 choices of Headgear.
Standard Helmet Tanker Helmet Beret/Cap Officer Cap
Standard Helmets: US = M1 / UK = MkIII / USSR = SSh-39 / Germany = M1935
Tanker helmets: US= M1938 / UK = MK II (A) / French = US M1938 / USSR = M1941 / Germany = M1939
Berets: UK and Dominion Units / French / Africa - Euro Colonies
Cap: Germany = M38 Panzer Cap
Almost always the Driver will be wearing the standard helmet, where other crew are wearing a tanker helmet or cap (beret). The US tank crews did not wear berets, but the UK and French did. The French crews also wore the US tanker helmet, as did some UK units.
Russia: Driver wears the SSh-39 which closely resembles the US M1. Crew gets the M1941 which can textured from the US version.
Germany: Ok, assuming a Priest has been captured, the Driver gets the M1935, crew either gets the M1939 or the M38 Panzer Cap
Images coming...
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 12, 2014 5:43:46 GMT 1
Still touching up....
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dragonwolf
Pukovnik
Howling with delight!
Posts: 363
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Post by dragonwolf on Jul 12, 2014 7:03:37 GMT 1
Looks great!
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Post by Quintaxel on Jul 12, 2014 9:59:57 GMT 1
Wow!..... Looks great! Detailed to the model of the helmet. Skinning this jewel is going to be a real challenge I guess. Just wonder if the details will be noticeable on the model in the game. The guys with mustache look like twins.
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Post by ariete on Jul 12, 2014 20:33:42 GMT 1
The guys with mustache look like twins. yes it's true
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Post by Churro on Jul 12, 2014 20:50:38 GMT 1
Amazing work MP! The details are really good and the crew has details too which is very well detail and keep up the good work MP im truly amazed with your work also nice M2 BMG on it
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 12, 2014 21:26:05 GMT 1
Thanks for the kind comments... Twins? Not really... looks the images here... Look at the lower right of the texture for the Priest... you can see two different bodies/uniforms and four heads... along with several choices of headwear... as well as the binoculares.. Since the crew size is large, I didn't want all the guys to have the same look... A better image of the interior and crew...
Today I am having to take an ONLINE CLASS to RECERTIFY my meteorology Credentials... I'm on a break at the moment and checked in. So while I'm not able to complete this Series at the moment... I'll advise where it is going when I go back on it tonight... Four Priest Models - US M7/US M7B1/UK M7/FR M7 Three Sexton Models - Sexton I/Sexton II/GPO --> May include both UK and Canadian Three Kangaroo Models - APC / APO / ASV ---> May include both UK and Canadian
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Post by gagarin on Jul 13, 2014 22:34:06 GMT 1
Position (posture) gunner look very real (alive)! Well done Major Pain, it is seen that very diligently did the work. Shell - looks great!
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 13, 2014 22:39:47 GMT 1
Thank you very much my friend...
Although many model details will be missed in the game... it was my hope that the model could be appreciated for the detail involved.
I continue to push the limits of this game... you guys are the final judge on if I am succeeding...
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Post by Churro on Jul 14, 2014 5:16:41 GMT 1
Man... I wish I was you... P.S Major would you mnd making a Roll Royce's Armored Car with the white army Flag logo and an armed Truck?
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 14, 2014 13:17:01 GMT 1
Churro... First of all, you do not wish you were me... you might wish you had my talents, but damn, for the rest of me... it would be very tough to be me... So you do not know how lucky you are to be you. You can be anything you wish to become.. it just takes time to get there. Anyone can learn to create models for BK... anyone. But if you choose that course... don't settle for being just another model builder.. strive to be the best at what you do... In my case, it would be very easy to build junk or rebuilds of someone's work... I just won't do that... yes it takes more time and detail, but the end result is worth it... because what I release is unique and each one is one of a kind. Now if you want to step into the rest of my life... let me warn you... it means lack of sleep, the constant pain of working as a firefighter for over 40 years, commanding over 150 people daily and making sure they don't do something stupid that will get them or someone else killed or injured. Then there is the constant deadlines of reports and reams of paperwork that never ends... I build models to relieve the stress of real life... but there is no way I could not only build models and nothing else... each part has its rewards and frustrations. So which part are you ready to take over? lol Next thing: Rolls Royce? British? Which one and Which Flag? I have already released the Horch and Mercedes in various variants... but I assume you mean German. Armed Truck... Which one? I have released a bunch of those... LRDG, CCKW, Dodge WCs, it goes on and on... Machine Guns, 20mm, 37mm, 57mm, 75mm, 105mm? You have to be a little more specific with request like this... Go back over my pages sine 2009 and look at what I have released or download my work and if you find something I can change, that would be quicker than anything I can do from scratch... I'll get you over that WW1 stuff... just dive into WW2 and look at what is already here...
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Post by Churro on Jul 14, 2014 19:15:44 GMT 1
Ok MP thanks for telling me.
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Post by Major Pain on Jul 14, 2014 21:26:45 GMT 1
darkness: If you can find a model that I can add a MG to, then let me know.
The Rolls Royce 1920 Pattern and 1924 Pattern will be added to my to-do list because of their importance in the African Theater. Fordson also will be added.
Wilki:
1920 Pattern Mk I - thicker radiator armour and new wheels.
1920 Pattern Mk IA - commander's cupola.
1924 Pattern Mk I - turret with commander's cupola.
1921 Indian Pattern - based on the 1920 Pattern. Had extended hull armour to provide extra space and a domed turret with four ball mounts for machine guns.
Fordson - based on a 1914 Pattern. Some vehicles in Egypt received new chassis from Fordson trucks.
A single experimental vehicle had the turret removed and replaced by a one-pounder automatic anti-aircraft gun on an open mounting.
Some cars had Maxim machine guns instead of the Vickers gun.
Members of the Community:
I will be on vacation all of this week. I will check my email and PM here... so if you need to talk to me... please contact me.
I will not have any work files with me, nor have the ability to work on anything major. I may not know an answer to something right away, but I will do what I can.
I will be on the road in a few hours.
I will be back on the 20th ready to release the M7 Priest and Kangaroos for testing. I just ran out of time and could not complete all of the variants on the list.
You guys be safe and create some maps...
Major Pain
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