Videogame modelling
My question is specifically about importing custom 3D assets into the Source engine, as I'm currently working on a HL2 singleplayer mod (in pre-production atm).
Has anyone got any experience in importing models and textures with Hammer?
Any tips or pointers?
Has anyone got any experience in importing models and textures with Hammer?
Any tips or pointers?
Replies
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SDK_Docs
I wish id would do somthing like that, its a pain to have to look up every single question or post it on a message board and wait.
http://www.iddevnet.com/
http://www.modwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page
http://wiki.splashdamage.com/index.php/Main_Page
etc.
http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/
Home of Nem's Tools, lots of great stuff.
- GCFScape for exploring and extracting Valves packed content.
- VTFEdit for viewing creating and editing VMT VTF files (materials)
http://www.wunderboy.org/
Home of some more great tools.
- 3dsMax SMD exporter, I think theres one out there for Maya too but at a different site...
- GUI StudioMDL, StudioMDL can be a bit annoying because it lacks a GUI, this is kind of nice. Personally I use the shortcut method to compile models.
- VTF shell extensions, allows windows to view and create thumbnails for VTF files, really handy for browsing textures.
- 3dsMax VTF plug-in, lets you use VTF's inside of 3dsMax. Not needed but kind of nice.
Tips:
Collision meshes can be a bit hard to get working but here are some rules that help.
- Build your collision mesh out of CLOSED primitives, and assign each primitive their own smoothing group.
1) This is what happens when both collision boxes are separate objects but share the same smoothing group.
2) This is what happens when they have unique smoothing groups. This is what you want.
- Bake AO into just about everything.
- Spec maps normally go in the alpha channel of the normal map.
- If you use the shortcut method to compile models and you get an error about p4lib.dll add, -nop4 to the shortcut's target line. GUIStudioMDL has a check box for this, does the same thing.
That should be enough to get you started. Theres a ton more stuff but some of it you might never hit and we can cross that bridge when you get there. I'm mostly talking about materials. I can write a book about VMT, VTF and .QC files but I don't want to drown you in text, I think I already did =P
Those are cool, but too bad that they are all tech 4 and not tech 3, but I could still get some use out of them