Constructor Pipeline (I)

Constructor Pipeline

I know a lot of things were left out in the initial Guide so I decided to go into more detail. Some people may consider common features or keyboard shortcuts as tips and tricks. They are, in a sense, but the term is inappropriate. I am yet to discover many things but so far I found it working with Constructor easier with each day. Introduction, then:

Introductory lesson for Constructor users and level designers

This study will show you step by step how to create detailed architecture in Constructor, how to create and add dts shapes as details using Softimage XSI, Constructor specific texturing rules, extended texture panel tips, creating proper staircases and more.
To avoid mission clutter we will create only 1 interior file and 1 dts file. The finite model will contain 5 buildings. One building will be open so the player can get in, climb to the second floor.
For the constructor detail meshes we will use XSI, importing the rough interior file into a scene and creating every dts detail shape to scale and in the right place. This is also a good opportunity to introduce xsi2dts exporter (beta).
This guide will also show you how to create Ambient occlussion maps in XSI.

There is also something most people don't really know about/take into account: the interiors, or dif files, need a bit of help to really shine in Torque. The devil is in the details. Many people give up - every job is tedious at some point - but if you can cross that line and take your time, the result will be satisfactory. Once you got through this pipeline it's a matter of how much you want the same results again and next time it will be faster - and better :)

No blog without a screenshot:


This shot features rough settings for SSAO pack, developed by UbiqVisuals.