Character Pack -- Normal Map Tests
by Will Harrison · in General Discussion · 10/14/2004 (9:57 pm) · 127 replies
Update
Color/Hair tests:
End Update
Some of you may remember me from this guy:
Anyway, I was thinking of making some RPG/fantasy type characters to put together into a pack.
I thought I would make this set for the pack:
- Male Fighter (swordsman)
- Female Fighter (archer)
- Male Townsperson
- Female Townsperson
- Mage
With 2 or 3 skins to choose from for each character, and as a bonus:
- swords
- shields
- some misc. items
Also, they would come complete with skeleton, animations, fully textured, collision mesh, LOD, and scripts...
...and then I would sell the pack for $25-30.
I was thinking I could sell the source art (e.g. Milkshape editable) as part of another pack with 2 extra models for ~$40.
Characters could be fully customised to suit your game if you're concerned about having that "one of a kind" look. This can be done by editing the textures and making your own weapons and components (e.g. helmet) and attaching to the model. Also, with the source art you could have an artist modify the mesh or create a new one. Either way (whether you customise it or not) you would save alot of time not having to make characters completely from scratch.
So that's the idea. Some questions:
- Would this be useful?
- Are these good prices?
- Is RPG/fantasy a good genre to start in?
- I listed some possible characters. Are there any others you would like to see?
- Would you buy it?
Any thoughts or comments are welcome. :)
Color/Hair tests:
End Update
Some of you may remember me from this guy:
Anyway, I was thinking of making some RPG/fantasy type characters to put together into a pack.
I thought I would make this set for the pack:
- Male Fighter (swordsman)
- Female Fighter (archer)
- Male Townsperson
- Female Townsperson
- Mage
With 2 or 3 skins to choose from for each character, and as a bonus:
- swords
- shields
- some misc. items
Also, they would come complete with skeleton, animations, fully textured, collision mesh, LOD, and scripts...
...and then I would sell the pack for $25-30.
I was thinking I could sell the source art (e.g. Milkshape editable) as part of another pack with 2 extra models for ~$40.
Characters could be fully customised to suit your game if you're concerned about having that "one of a kind" look. This can be done by editing the textures and making your own weapons and components (e.g. helmet) and attaching to the model. Also, with the source art you could have an artist modify the mesh or create a new one. Either way (whether you customise it or not) you would save alot of time not having to make characters completely from scratch.
So that's the idea. Some questions:
- Would this be useful?
- Are these good prices?
- Is RPG/fantasy a good genre to start in?
- I listed some possible characters. Are there any others you would like to see?
- Would you buy it?
Any thoughts or comments are welcome. :)
#2
10/15/2004 (12:09 am)
@Will: I'd be very interested in a pack like this. I'd be interested in as many fantasy models as you can throw at me actually.
#4
10/15/2004 (2:32 am)
Not bad at all. I'd probably pick it up, too. I'd be willing to pick up the source if you could include a format other than MilkShape. Perhaps in OBJ format with the UV points included? I don't mind rigging the skeleton up myself.
#5
if you need any help with the content creation, animation, exporting dont hesitate to ask :)
cuz i would love to help!
10/15/2004 (2:35 am)
Hey Will, if you need any help with the content creation, animation, exporting dont hesitate to ask :)
cuz i would love to help!
#6
If the animations are good, I would probably buy something like this. Heck, I would even go for the more expensive "source" version you mentioned. I have no love for animating in Milkshpae, so a great example like that would be a godsend.
10/15/2004 (4:24 am)
Will,If the animations are good, I would probably buy something like this. Heck, I would even go for the more expensive "source" version you mentioned. I have no love for animating in Milkshpae, so a great example like that would be a godsend.
#7
I am sure it do well as many people still tend to have problems with characters and having a good example would be very conveneint. I would personally like to see a pack of models similiar to the one you posted. I also had a question for you regarding your character that you did post. Did you do the skinning in 3DS? In the readme it said you exported in Milkshape but I do not see how you could have done weighted vertices in Milkshape. I am curious as skinning continues to elude me.
As a side note: If any would be willing to skin my model with weighted vertices and such in 3DS Max 4.2....I would be willing to pay. You tell me how much. If interested, please contact me at jason@toubia.org
Looking forward to seeing the pack Will!
10/15/2004 (4:41 am)
Will,I am sure it do well as many people still tend to have problems with characters and having a good example would be very conveneint. I would personally like to see a pack of models similiar to the one you posted. I also had a question for you regarding your character that you did post. Did you do the skinning in 3DS? In the readme it said you exported in Milkshape but I do not see how you could have done weighted vertices in Milkshape. I am curious as skinning continues to elude me.
As a side note: If any would be willing to skin my model with weighted vertices and such in 3DS Max 4.2....I would be willing to pay. You tell me how much. If interested, please contact me at jason@toubia.org
Looking forward to seeing the pack Will!
#8
@Zik, Great. I hope to do as many as I can. I mentioned fighter, townsperson/peasant, and mage... if there are any others you feel would be necessary to start off, please let me know.
@Firas, Thanks.
@Scott, Re source, the great thing about Milkshape is two things: 1.) It's affordable and useful so alot of indies here probably have it or use it, and 2.) You can use it to export to OBJ format with UV mapping. Not too mention all the other formats available to export to in MS3D, including game engine formats. Of course, I could just have it in OBJ format as well, for convenience.
@Synditech, Thanks!! Great to hear.
@Robert, The animations are going to be a big focus for me, because I will re-use them for some of the characters. So they should be excellent.
@Jason, So you mean, you are interested in FPS type models? I will being doing those too, after the RPG set... At the moment, I'm thinking RPG/fantasy characters would be more popular with the community.
Re skinning, the unfortunate thing about Milkshape is there is no built-in support for weighted verts... I painted the weights in Maya. I had a skeleton and everything was bound and ready to go, but I had problems getting it to export (to dts) initially, so I did a weighted idle pose in Maya and then exported him in that pose to OBJ and imported to Milkshape... and then re-bound him to the orc skeleton there and exported to dts. So it *looks* like he has skin weights in his idle pose, but actually there are none.
That was just a rough way to make some working results in Torque. For this RPG character pack, I would make everything as perfect as I can, without cutting corners like I did with the soldier model.
....
Thanks for all the comments so far. If there are any other comments, views, opinions on this, please post, I'd love to hear them.
10/15/2004 (10:42 am)
@Josh, I'll send you an email with the details. :)@Zik, Great. I hope to do as many as I can. I mentioned fighter, townsperson/peasant, and mage... if there are any others you feel would be necessary to start off, please let me know.
@Firas, Thanks.
@Scott, Re source, the great thing about Milkshape is two things: 1.) It's affordable and useful so alot of indies here probably have it or use it, and 2.) You can use it to export to OBJ format with UV mapping. Not too mention all the other formats available to export to in MS3D, including game engine formats. Of course, I could just have it in OBJ format as well, for convenience.
@Synditech, Thanks!! Great to hear.
@Robert, The animations are going to be a big focus for me, because I will re-use them for some of the characters. So they should be excellent.
@Jason, So you mean, you are interested in FPS type models? I will being doing those too, after the RPG set... At the moment, I'm thinking RPG/fantasy characters would be more popular with the community.
Re skinning, the unfortunate thing about Milkshape is there is no built-in support for weighted verts... I painted the weights in Maya. I had a skeleton and everything was bound and ready to go, but I had problems getting it to export (to dts) initially, so I did a weighted idle pose in Maya and then exported him in that pose to OBJ and imported to Milkshape... and then re-bound him to the orc skeleton there and exported to dts. So it *looks* like he has skin weights in his idle pose, but actually there are none.
That was just a rough way to make some working results in Torque. For this RPG character pack, I would make everything as perfect as I can, without cutting corners like I did with the soldier model.
....
Thanks for all the comments so far. If there are any other comments, views, opinions on this, please post, I'd love to hear them.
#9
2. Excellent. I love the OBJ format.
10/15/2004 (12:54 pm)
1. Yes, it's a nice program but it's Windows-only. I'm on a Mac, so my choices are more limited. The Blender exporter isn't 100% completed. The Lightwave exporter crashes LW after exporting a DSQ. The Maya one isn't supported on OS X. Bummer.2. Excellent. I love the OBJ format.
#10
10/15/2004 (12:56 pm)
Actually, the Mac Version of the Maya exporter is currently in beta. Danny Ngan was using Maya on the Mac to demonstrate the DTS export process at IGC last weekend.
#11
10/15/2004 (1:01 pm)
I'd love to get my hands on it! Maya is a great tool! I feel like it's going to waste on my box.
#12
Later...
10/15/2004 (2:04 pm)
Your best bet would be to email Danny, he might have a fairly stable copy of the exporter he would be willing to send you. You'd have to ask to find out or wait till its avaible through the normal channels.Later...
#13
10/15/2004 (2:32 pm)
I've sent him an email. I certainly hope there's a stable version available. I don't mind be a guinea pig about it.
#14
email me if you like - shard@shard.f2o.org
10/15/2004 (2:37 pm)
@Jason Toubia, I would be happy to set up the weights for you in max 4.2email me if you like - shard@shard.f2o.org
#15
I also had this LightWave crashing on DSQ bug. But I figured out that we just don't need DSQs, if you export everything in the .DTS you don't even have to bother with the 3Shape datablock
10/15/2004 (6:23 pm)
@Scott,I also had this LightWave crashing on DSQ bug. But I figured out that we just don't need DSQs, if you export everything in the .DTS you don't even have to bother with the 3Shape datablock
#16
10/15/2004 (6:30 pm)
That's great news! I'll definitely keep that in mind (still hoping to get the Maya exporter, though)
#17
...
I plan to make the models in Maya (and texture), import into Milkshape where I'll setup the bones, animations, and then export to DTS/DSQ from there. (I'll use Milkshape because its easier and faster to work in.)
I'll provide the models in the OBJ format as well, for convenience.
After the basic RPG characters I would probably make an "RPG Beast/Enemy Pack".... and after that an "FPS Pack."
10/15/2004 (8:08 pm)
@Bruno, if you export everything to DTS I believe there is the disadvantage of not being able to blend animations....
I plan to make the models in Maya (and texture), import into Milkshape where I'll setup the bones, animations, and then export to DTS/DSQ from there. (I'll use Milkshape because its easier and faster to work in.)
I'll provide the models in the OBJ format as well, for convenience.
After the basic RPG characters I would probably make an "RPG Beast/Enemy Pack".... and after that an "FPS Pack."
#18
10/16/2004 (9:01 am)
Very good :D
#19
It would be quite a bit of work, but you would make a LOT of money from it.
Also, if it turns out really good, don't be afraid to charge anywhere from $50 to $100. People will pay a lot for good content. And also, keeping the price high will stop too many people from using the same models in their games.
I will be buying this as well, BUT, I have only one request - I would like for you to include a generic male and female model which you used for the characters so I could make my own and still have them look consistent with what you sold me. That's a VERY important precondition for me.
But other than that, it's all solid gold, and is _exactly_ what Iwould do if I weren't mainly a programmer.
God speed.
10/16/2004 (4:40 pm)
Great idea!It would be quite a bit of work, but you would make a LOT of money from it.
Also, if it turns out really good, don't be afraid to charge anywhere from $50 to $100. People will pay a lot for good content. And also, keeping the price high will stop too many people from using the same models in their games.
I will be buying this as well, BUT, I have only one request - I would like for you to include a generic male and female model which you used for the characters so I could make my own and still have them look consistent with what you sold me. That's a VERY important precondition for me.
But other than that, it's all solid gold, and is _exactly_ what Iwould do if I weren't mainly a programmer.
God speed.
Torque Owner Josh Williams
Default Studio Name
I posted in your .plan with some thoughts. In short, I'd like to see where you go with this, it could be very cool. If you are serious about it, email me sometime, it'd be cool to chat with ya (I know I owe you an email from before.. still trying to dig out from IGC. Thanks again for the RTS art submission :).