Character Setup [ with a focus on game design ]

riuthamus

I have looked everywhere but I cant seem to find a document that explains this process. So I have come to the place that seems to have the best collection of knowledgeable artists.

I am starting to get to part of my game where we need 3d models. My question is in regards to how this is done. I have the desire to make different armor for my 3d models and each armor set will have 5 different parts. Does this mean I need to cut the model up into those parts, do i need to setup the mesh on the bones in a certain way so that the code knows to switch this part and this part only? Any clues or hints would be greatly appreciated.

Abby3D

I assume these are characters with five different sets of armor each? I think you'd model the armor as separate from the characters, and add a physique/skin modifier to the skeleton when the time comes. This depends on the needs of your game engine. Are you planning to use biped?

riuthamus

Yeah, these are biped, and the engine itself is being done with SlimDX, and we are having to create our own model loader/animation loader.

Having never done this before, ever... i am not sure how this would even work. I know games like NWN would cut up each bodypart and would load in a different body part. I look at some of the game models today and it does not seem that they do this. I thought, you could model the armor itself and just attach it, but wouldnt that cost more memory to do so?

danpaz3d

What Abby3D said. You get your base for your character and build the armour as a separate object on top of it.

But it depends on how you're implementing the armour. If a part of the original player model is still visible then you build each object separately. Eg. face is still showing and you have a hat on. But if you're changing entire sections and hiding most of the original player model then you should model that entire part as new. Eg. Dead Space, some armour upgrades are new models from the neck down rather than attaching new object.

But again, it all depends on how armour is used in the game.

riuthamus

Well, i dont have any designed right now. That is kinda why i thought this was perfect to ask now!

So, if i understand you correctly, get the base, nakid ( or loin cloth ) model going. From there you would add the bits and pieces to that model. Where I get lost is... the parts are not just the breast plate. For example:

Pauldron
Breastplate
Leggings
Armguards
Boots

Not all of those will be the same and it is my hope that they could inter mingle. The question then becomes how to make the model where you can do this? Again, in NWN they would cut up the model into parts and you would load that. NWN is rather old, so i was wondering if that tech still existed? or something better replaced it? I know wow just re-textures for their older stuff, but the newer stuff seems to be similar to the NWN concept. Skyrim seems to be placing the armor right over but I dont see any visible seems where they would cut out parts and load in a new mesh from that bone segment.

Thank you for the advice so far, and the help. I really just want to do this right and save me the hassle of having to go at it again from scratch.



Added an image so you can see what the current model looks like. Keep in mind this is not anywhere near done, its just a look at what it might be.

Abby3D

I'm working on a game with a lot of swap-out armor and weapons right now, so I could tell you what's easiest from an artist's standpoint. But our game is pre-rendered sprites, so your needs may be different. I think you should talk with your SlimDX programmer and ask what would work best.

From an artist's standpoint: What danpax3d said. If it's a smaller piece, model it separately. Bulky armor can fit over a base model, if you skin or physique it right. If it's more clothing-like, then you'd swap out parts, such as torsos, arms, legs. If your game will have a lot of character animations, you might want to use just one biped, and make sure all the characters fit that skeleton.

riuthamus

Thanks, ill try that. We will have 3 bipeds, one for the gorgane ( big massive creature ), one for the Human build, and one for the dwarf build. Thanks again.