Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:51 pm
FL Modeling in Gmax Help....
Whats good ppl? I have a few questions pertaining to creating my own ships for FL in Gmax.
I have a ship that i am working on that is just a geosphere stretched out and flattened a little with extrusions and outlines for detail. My objective is to make a ship for FL that is very alien in looks and not with too many parts. Mind you, i have only been using Gmax and modeling for a couple weeks or so and i find it easier to model in Gmax compared to other FREE programs like, Milkshape, Wings3d, 3Dcanvas, Calimax Modeler, e.t.c.
The main problem i have is texturing my ship in Gmax. I have tryed to Texture my ship in Milkshape (using alot of tutorials), but i just cant seem to get it right. In Gmax i kind of figured out how to add textures to my ship by dragging and dropping them to the selected faces of my ship. I also figured out how to change the gloss , tiling and such by picking the texture (thats on my ship) with the material editor . What i cant figure out is how to add a bump map and use it on my ship, then add the texture i want over top of it for a more realistic effect. I'm thinking more in the line of painting a car (Primer then paint, the bumpmap is the primer and the texture is the paint). So far i have been through alot of tutorials on this subject, but none seem to hit the nail on the head for ME. I have quite a few mesh models and poly models that i would love to add life to ,but i'm stuck on this texturing bit. Any help is appreciated on this subject.
Still pertaining to Gmax:
Whats the difference between an editable poly and an editable mesh? And how does that relate to texturing?
What is texture mapping and how do i use it?
What is a poly-count and why do they matter in FL?
Do i export my file as a mesh or a poly for milkshape?
I have a few other questions, but i will save them for another day or when these questions get answered.
Heres a list of things i do in Gmax in order. If there is another process that i may be missing, please clue me in. since i am a newbie to modeling i depend on the knowledge of Pro's or veterans. Please have patience with me on this.
1: I choose Geosphere and adjust the segments to around 18 or so and check "Generate Mapping Coords."
2: Taper/twist/bend the geosphere to my liking.
3: I select the new shape, right click and select, "convert to editable mesh/poly"
4: I give a very small extrusion to what i want to be the windshield.
5: Extrude and outline different places to give the shape more substance (Hood, trunk, hatches, etc).
6: create engine ports, gun, thruster, torpedo, mine, etc ports.
7: drag and drop textures to certain areas of the the model, adjust, tile, etc.
8: Exhale, scratch head, grunt, scream, etc.
9: now what?
please feel free to add anything i should be doing to avoid #8 and make a cool loking ship, details and all.
Thanks
Better late than never........
Edited by - undun357 on 6/5/2005 7:52:33 PM
I have a ship that i am working on that is just a geosphere stretched out and flattened a little with extrusions and outlines for detail. My objective is to make a ship for FL that is very alien in looks and not with too many parts. Mind you, i have only been using Gmax and modeling for a couple weeks or so and i find it easier to model in Gmax compared to other FREE programs like, Milkshape, Wings3d, 3Dcanvas, Calimax Modeler, e.t.c.
The main problem i have is texturing my ship in Gmax. I have tryed to Texture my ship in Milkshape (using alot of tutorials), but i just cant seem to get it right. In Gmax i kind of figured out how to add textures to my ship by dragging and dropping them to the selected faces of my ship. I also figured out how to change the gloss , tiling and such by picking the texture (thats on my ship) with the material editor . What i cant figure out is how to add a bump map and use it on my ship, then add the texture i want over top of it for a more realistic effect. I'm thinking more in the line of painting a car (Primer then paint, the bumpmap is the primer and the texture is the paint). So far i have been through alot of tutorials on this subject, but none seem to hit the nail on the head for ME. I have quite a few mesh models and poly models that i would love to add life to ,but i'm stuck on this texturing bit. Any help is appreciated on this subject.
Still pertaining to Gmax:
Whats the difference between an editable poly and an editable mesh? And how does that relate to texturing?
What is texture mapping and how do i use it?
What is a poly-count and why do they matter in FL?
Do i export my file as a mesh or a poly for milkshape?
I have a few other questions, but i will save them for another day or when these questions get answered.
Heres a list of things i do in Gmax in order. If there is another process that i may be missing, please clue me in. since i am a newbie to modeling i depend on the knowledge of Pro's or veterans. Please have patience with me on this.
1: I choose Geosphere and adjust the segments to around 18 or so and check "Generate Mapping Coords."
2: Taper/twist/bend the geosphere to my liking.
3: I select the new shape, right click and select, "convert to editable mesh/poly"
4: I give a very small extrusion to what i want to be the windshield.
5: Extrude and outline different places to give the shape more substance (Hood, trunk, hatches, etc).
6: create engine ports, gun, thruster, torpedo, mine, etc ports.
7: drag and drop textures to certain areas of the the model, adjust, tile, etc.
8: Exhale, scratch head, grunt, scream, etc.
9: now what?
please feel free to add anything i should be doing to avoid #8 and make a cool loking ship, details and all.
Thanks
Better late than never........
Edited by - undun357 on 6/5/2005 7:52:33 PM
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