RTS Thug - Efficient replacement model
by Thak · in RTS Starter Kit · 03/02/2008 (7:41 am) · 20 replies
Hi all
I recently made this thug guy:
He has less bones and shorter anims than the stock models. Is 540 some polygons (Showtool always add some to the count) and has the 4 animations like the rifle man.
Feel free to download him here:
www.spellcraft.biz/RTS/thug.zip
rename the dts to rifleman.dts and overwrite the rifleman in the demo of the rts kit, also place the textures in the rifleman folder for quickly testing the model ingame.
He's License free use him anyway you want :)
heres another guy I was working on:
I am considering making some content packs. MiniMobs, MiniThugs and similar for rts games and am also available for custom work.
Cheers
Marc
I recently made this thug guy:
He has less bones and shorter anims than the stock models. Is 540 some polygons (Showtool always add some to the count) and has the 4 animations like the rifle man.
Feel free to download him here:
www.spellcraft.biz/RTS/thug.zip
rename the dts to rifleman.dts and overwrite the rifleman in the demo of the rts kit, also place the textures in the rifleman folder for quickly testing the model ingame.
He's License free use him anyway you want :)
heres another guy I was working on:
I am considering making some content packs. MiniMobs, MiniThugs and similar for rts games and am also available for custom work.
Cheers
Marc
About the author
#2
Heres a little pic to go with the entry if ya want
03/02/2008 (9:27 am)
Thanks Novack, thats cool... umm... not so wiki savvy meself, feel free to add it to TDN at your convenience.Heres a little pic to go with the entry if ya want
#4
The page is here: tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/RTS/Artist/modelResources
James, I modified the page a little (to put the new model), as soon as you can access TDN normally, look there and make any proper modifications.
03/02/2008 (11:07 am)
Its done =)The page is here: tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/RTS/Artist/modelResources
James, I modified the page a little (to put the new model), as soon as you can access TDN normally, look there and make any proper modifications.
#5
03/02/2008 (11:35 am)
Thanks as well guys. As noted in the other thread Ill add a LOD-ed version of him sometime soon for people that are further along in their projects and have turned level of detail back on for the kit.
#6
Edit: maybe you are confusing it with another feature?
Edit 2: more posibly, your confusion cames from the stock models, which doesnt have LODs. But actually the kit support it.
03/02/2008 (11:42 am)
I saw your comment on the other thread. I dont think the RTS-SK has the LOD feature turned off.Edit: maybe you are confusing it with another feature?
Edit 2: more posibly, your confusion cames from the stock models, which doesnt have LODs. But actually the kit support it.
#7
So LODs work for you?
03/02/2008 (11:57 am)
Hrm when I loaded my model with LOD into the rtskit demo game it dint change :( Stayed on the low lod even when fully zoomed in.So LODs work for you?
#8
Do you see the LODs in Torque ShowTool Pro?
Do you tried them in TGE? (I mean not in the RTS-SK, but in standard TGE)
03/02/2008 (12:12 pm)
Thak, it can be other problem. Do you see the LODs in Torque ShowTool Pro?
Do you tried them in TGE? (I mean not in the RTS-SK, but in standard TGE)
#9
Ill have it in a few and link it you can test it on your end :)
03/02/2008 (12:19 pm)
Yeh in tsp no problem, when zooming in it swaps, I use tsp to get the best distance so the swap is not as noticeable. Dint test in tge since the model doesnt have all of korks anims.Ill have it in a few and link it you can test it on your end :)
#10
www.spellcraft.biz/RTS/thuglod.zip
Cheers
EDIT: *squints* I think I'm just daft heh... lods do seem to work, dunno why they din't appear to last time... just not enough coffee *mutters* that must be it :p
03/02/2008 (12:51 pm)
Allrighty this one has lod4 and lod32 the lower lod uses a smaller texture as well. I noticed that I dint cull the neck in the prior version, so this one also has a bone less. :)www.spellcraft.biz/RTS/thuglod.zip
Cheers
EDIT: *squints* I think I'm just daft heh... lods do seem to work, dunno why they din't appear to last time... just not enough coffee *mutters* that must be it :p
#11
Happy to know the LOD problem wasnt something more problematic ;)
03/02/2008 (1:55 pm)
Great Thak! really great work, I'll be updating TDN wiki asap.Happy to know the LOD problem wasnt something more problematic ;)
#12
03/03/2008 (9:18 am)
Nice work Thak!
#13
Yeh LOD works as it should... I'll be accepting donations in coffeebeans if you happen to have some spares :p
03/03/2008 (9:35 am)
Thanks Guy and NovackYeh LOD works as it should... I'll be accepting donations in coffeebeans if you happen to have some spares :p
#14
I profiled some real-game performace of the two Thug models, and compared them to the Torque Orc. The results were surprising!
Honestly, I expected the Orc model to do best, since it has fewer polys at its lowest level-of-detail. But both thugs beat it. In fact thuglod.dts beat it by 55%.
I did the profiling in Orcs vs. Martians (Orcs vs. Thugs?) at 1024x768. Each test had 102 unit models running around. System was an Athlon 64 4000 laptop with ATI x300 video.
03/03/2008 (10:01 pm)
Hey Thak,I profiled some real-game performace of the two Thug models, and compared them to the Torque Orc. The results were surprising!
Model LODs Min. Polys FPS ===== ==== ========== ==== orc.dts 8 109 7.6 thug.dts 1 755 9.8 thuglod.dts 2 446 11.8
Honestly, I expected the Orc model to do best, since it has fewer polys at its lowest level-of-detail. But both thugs beat it. In fact thuglod.dts beat it by 55%.
I did the profiling in Orcs vs. Martians (Orcs vs. Thugs?) at 1024x768. Each test had 102 unit models running around. System was an Athlon 64 4000 laptop with ATI x300 video.
#15
I'd then say that the few bones (I think about half of what the orc has) plus shorter animations helps more than fewer polygons :)
I put eye, cam and unlink nodes on the thugs (since I assumed they are required like in stock tge) if anyone can tell me if we need them for the rts kit or not I can remove them, thats essentially another 3 bones/nodes less.
Cheers
03/04/2008 (3:32 am)
Awesome Geom, thanks alot this is a great test and sweet screenies man.I'd then say that the few bones (I think about half of what the orc has) plus shorter animations helps more than fewer polygons :)
I put eye, cam and unlink nodes on the thugs (since I assumed they are required like in stock tge) if anyone can tell me if we need them for the rts kit or not I can remove them, thats essentially another 3 bones/nodes less.
Cheers
#17
Yes indeed Thak, I read somewhere overhere that some of those nodes are not needed and can be removed (as far as I can remember someone tested this). So, I'll be looking the rts forums for this info asap.
03/04/2008 (7:12 am)
Good work Geom! Looks like a D-Day (Counter Strike style) just happened on OVM territory!! XDYes indeed Thak, I read somewhere overhere that some of those nodes are not needed and can be removed (as far as I can remember someone tested this). So, I'll be looking the rts forums for this info asap.
#18
Cheers for the stats - just goes to show how important it is to use optimized models.
Orcs vs martians looks sweet. I've not seen any screenies before.
I've just taken a look at redbrickgames.com too, awesome work!
03/04/2008 (8:42 am)
@ Geom -Cheers for the stats - just goes to show how important it is to use optimized models.
Orcs vs martians looks sweet. I've not seen any screenies before.
I've just taken a look at redbrickgames.com too, awesome work!
#19
I'm hesitant to believe that bones matter more than polys - especially on my laptop's lame video :) But who knows? I guess it would need more testing.
@Novack ha - I'd love to see a game where you fight Orcs with Ak-47s. That'd be hilarious!
03/04/2008 (12:24 pm)
The slowness of the Orc also might be due to it rendering at a mid-LOD, rather than its lowest LOD. I don't know what the average LOD was, I just set the camera to what I thought was a reasonable height for RTS play, and recorded the stats. (but I did use the exact same camera position for all three runs, otherwise that would've really skewed results)I'm hesitant to believe that bones matter more than polys - especially on my laptop's lame video :) But who knows? I guess it would need more testing.
@Novack ha - I'd love to see a game where you fight Orcs with Ak-47s. That'd be hilarious!
Torque 3D Owner Novack
CyberianSoftware
Some time ago, James inaugurated an 'RTS Model Library' label on the RTS-SK TDN Section for this kind of contributions; would you like us to help you put your model there? Otherwise, feel free to make yourself a TDN page for your RTS work!
Your model, Thane, also looks pretty good!
There has been a couple of projects around RTS models lately, its fairly awesome to see such movement!