I don't think it's the promo that brought the "out of time period" items. I mean stuff like the Eyelander was already out of time period. I don't think people used swords to battle in the 50s.
To many of us, Time isn't period isn't the baseline for designs in the TF2 world, it's how it aesthetically fitting the cartoonish style and vibe of the items. This made the WETA and DEX items fitting in the game.
I don't think it's the promo that brought the "out of time period" items. I mean stuff like the Eyelander was already out of time period. I don't think people used swords to battle in the 50s.
Personally I think we should keep the discussion about Valve's aesthetic choices or lack thereof to a different forum - if we're discussing one's posts about their own work, fine, but right now we're drifting away from the intent of this thread, which is to discuss submissions. Not discuss the game or the company.
I'm working on some new hats an I want to incorporate some shaders, can anyone link me to tutorials on how to add translucency,
magnification (like the scope on the bazaar bargain),
scrolling refracting textures(like the combine force fields),
and also @Ronin I love the glowing effect of the pipes on that flamethrower, is that just a phongmask?
I mostly know how to make an animated texture but I don't know how to incorporate it with my model.
I'm working on some new hats an I want to incorporate some shaders, can anyone link me to tutorials on how to add translucency,
magnification (like the scope on the bazaar bargain),
scrolling refracting textures(like the combine force fields),
and also @Ronin I love the glowing effect of the pipes on that flamethrower, is that just a phongmask?
I mostly know how to make an animated texture but I don't know how to incorporate it with my model.
Thanks,
I use $selfillum for the hot parts and phong on the shiny ones.
@Ronin do you need to use a mask for the $selfillum?
Thanks,
$selfillum uses the ALPHA CHANNEL of your BASETEXTURE. So technically, you can have a Basetexture and a bumpmap (phong mask for example) separately. So no you don't need to use a mask for the selfillum shade. My model though, is a bit complex shade-wise so i opted to use a different TEXTURE (not mask) for the pipes with selfillum. Otherwise i will have a single shade on my model with phong and selfillum battling for one single mask.
I used 2 vtf textures for the flamethrower. (one for the body and one for the tubes) They use 2 different vmt's as well since they vary in phong and rim attributes and not to mention that the tubes use selfillum. They do use only one phong mask to guide which parts need to be shiny and not. So all in all i used 3 vtfs and 2 vmts, all the while keeping it at 3mb (unoptimized) The texture will be cut down to 1024x1024px and should cut the size in half making it engine friendly.
Yeah, I feel like Valve will still only accept contributions that are more sanely based in the TF2 universe. Where as they'll whore out anything to promos.
The difference is they are trying to sell games through promos. 9 items for DuesX even though they are the least fitting to date will sell a ton of copies of that game.
With contributed art they are just beefing up the TF2 base items. A random hi-tech set of shades is just that, random hi-tech. No reason no rhyme. @Slider, The T square is great, but SO many polys and the texture really seems like just base colors. No edge highlights, etc..
Honestly I think the threads should be textured on a cylinder. It's a massive poly density on a part that will barely be seen.
@Ronin,
The flamethrower looks cool, and fits with the Dues X stuff
But I really don't get the engine thing. First that's like 200+ pounds way out on a lever. The pyro is a girl? but is wielding a heavier weap than the Hoovy carries. Seems like the propeller would just force the pyro into a spin. What's the purpose?
@Ronin,
The flamethrower looks cool, and fits with the Dues X stuff
But I really don't get the engine thing. First that's like 200+ pounds way out on a lever. The pyro is a girl? but is wielding a heavier weap than the Hoovy carries. Seems like the propeller would just force the pyro into a spin. What's the purpose?
Physics under consideration, the pyro wields a mace that is made of a car battery. To exert such force, you need a tremendous amount of upper body fortitude, otherwise, you cannot achieve an overhead swing like he/she does. If anyone would be nitpicky about that, they can theoretically say that valve is making an unrealistic game with TF2. Since we already have teleporters and cloaking devices in this game, i think that is not the argument that we want to dive into. Nevertheless, the engine i made is a v-twin motorcycle engine that i'm sure an average, well built person can haul on his own with 2 hands. The propeller is there as part of the aircraft engine that acts as a turbocharger to the v-twin blocks. It should also be based on lightweight material that 1960's aircraft have begun using on their fighter planes.
Any further make-shift scientific explanation about my items if virtually moot at this point and all i can say, in a more sane tone, is that i like how it looks and kicks artistic ass in every way i my twisted mind can concoct. Best explanation evah.
@Slider, The T square is great, but SO many polys and the texture really seems like just base colors. No edge highlights, etc..
Honestly I think the threads should be textured on a cylinder. It's a massive poly density on a part that will barely be seen.
You're right, it truly eats a ton of polygons, but what lead me to the decision to model it out was Valve's Wrench, where they basically did the same.
It also, in my opinion, adds to the model.
(Oh, and the texture isn't final. As I've said, I just made a placeholder while my texture artist is drunk, in space and lost, all at the same time.)
The only excuse i can give for promo items not having the tf2 feel is that they supposedly didn't come from the tf2 universe like when Bills hat first came out, they said it fell through a portal into the tf2 universe ergo we could probably assume most promo items come from the universe of the game they represent, ergo the Tf2 universe is practically at the hub of the multiverse. That's the only excues i have for promo items, and all the more reason we should make a pack dedicated to cartoons of the 1980's
Since I can't think of anything good to do with the colors for the coil cannon at the moment, I decided to model another idea I had. It's a corded power drill with a battery pack that attaches to the Engineer's belt. At the moment it's not too visually interesting in first person, but I'm thinking of adding something on the base of the drill to tape on or a second handle. This would be a melee replacement.
A question, for those like me who are petrified of coding, is there somewhere with a run down of the most useful $ commands for VMT/VTF's? along with a complete list of every one with what they do? I think that would come in very VERY handy for those as I said :P
I was wondering if this was possible with the current face animations:
I'm sure it would need a model change or something.
I think it should be fine, you just need to rig it up, and I'm sure the chin probably only has one bone. But rigging and testing is the only way to be sure.
The moustache would be tougher, I bet they have several upper lip bones in use. So you just have to spend more time getting the weights correct per bone.
You can rig a 'hat' to ANY bone, the bone doesn't matter. It'll just follow that bone. Thus most hats are on the stationary head bone.
My Clown accessories use knee/foot/toe/spine 3 and head bones.
A question, for those like me who are petrified of coding, is there somewhere with a run down of the most useful $ commands for VMT/VTF's? along with a complete list of every one with what they do? I think that would come in very VERY handy for those as I said :P
Didn't like where the TP throwable was going, so started this instead. Halloween miscellaneous item for the Night of the Living Update. Continue?
I think I like the idea of it being throwable better. Actually, the throwable item and the wearable one would work pretty well as a pack. Maybe you can add in some throwable eggs with it.
Still not sure about the name. Oh, and sorry for flooding every page with my wrench. Also tweaked the Phong Mask, especially on the wood and the metal.
The Deus Ex stuff has me in two minds - they all fit the aesthetic styling with the models and texturing (and personally I think they make a nice demonstration that the styling works in other settings), but they do seem to throw the 50's setting out of the window... Then again they did that with the earbuds.
On the plus side new item types to work with. Aren't there plenty of un-reloadable Engineer shotguns out there now?
---
@SgtR007: There doesn't seem to be a lot to go on at the moment so carry on if you feel it's worth it. One bit of sheeting like that doesn't really seem enough though.
@GunnyBoy: Having looked at a lot of old drills lately a lot of them have smooth organic shapes, so having a look around might turn up some interesting ones if you feel its a little plain.
@roninsmastermix: Neither decal on your flamethrower really makes sense to me, a shark mouth that points sideways?.. German army?.. The huge front canister on your shotgun seems a bit iffy to me, I'd probably shrink or remove it, though the rear of the gun looks like you have some distinct and interesting features. Maybe a pipe up the barrel instead of having the front canister?
@Slider: Nice distinct wrench there, but I'm at a loss as to how the model has such a high triangle count...
---
I've been being a bit slow lately, here's a concept for the wrangler I thought up:
If anyone was wondering, yes they did have cordless power tools in the period, and the dish support structure is meant to be based on an oil derrick.
A few guys thought oil staining was needed? I actually thought about that myself with the original concepts but didn't get around to testing it, so there's some experimentation here too. I'm not completely happy I've figured this out yet. I have an ever-growing reference collection of oil stains so I'll be playing with it more, it might also get easier to figure out if I get something to the texturing stage.
It's just a shame they don't have custom animations. The Widowmaker, that is, Short Circuit work surprisingly well with the pistol animations!
Also, I just love how you made the Short Circuit's color scheme represent Engineer's glove, that was really clever!
Keep up the good work, and give Engineer more love!
The DiamondBack looked pretty badass in its own right, but seeing that you've adapted it from an existing Deus Ex is just wow.
I am utterly flabbergasted (is that rude?) at how you manage to "convert" a weapon concept from one artstyle to another while preserving everything that makes it recognizable in the original concept. This is seriously amazing. Congratulations sir!
Some shots of my Deus Ex items, that was one tough month!
Oh yeah, larolaro. What's the story on the Widowmaker's killicon? It looks like they smushed it or skewed it off proportion. Pictured is the shotty killicon, a new killicon I whipped up and the old killicon. Can you see if you can submit my fixed icon to valve?
Oh yeah, larolaro. What's the story on the Widowmaker's killicon? It looks like they smushed it or skewed it off proportion. Pictured is the shotty killicon, a new killicon I whipped up and the old killicon. Can you see if you can submit my fixed icon to valve?
I'm really not sure, this is what it looked like before it was sent to Valve.
Maybe an intern was trying to get it to fit in the height requirements for the icons and it was their first time using photoshop. Can you pleaaaase jump on contacting them about a fix, or resizing it for them? They may be able to fix this relatively quickly!
It is a twin-jawed wrench, so why not call it the Texas/Texan Twin Jaw
@Larolaro, as has already been mentioned, you did a great job translating the designs of the models over to TF2. Your work always has impressed me, especially your beautiful unwraps/textures.
Also, regarding your blog, does that mean that the Short circuit is not Deus ex inspired? Its style of design looks quite a bit different than that of the other items. Of the promo items, I did like it the most.
Maybe an intern was trying to get it to fit in the height requirements for the icons and it was their first time using photoshop. Can you pleaaaase jump on contacting them about a fix, or resizing it for them? They may be able to fix this relatively quickly!
Ah, THIS is why, there is no space left. They don't want to make a new d_images.
I don't know which class I want it to be for yet, and I figure I should decide before I go into any small details or styles. Engie just got some love (thanks larolaro) but I'd be satisfied with any class except soldier. Any suggestions or C&C is appreciated.
Ah, THIS is why, there is no space left. They don't want to make a new d_images.
There's a lot of wasted space on there, such as a lot of headshot-related icons that could be simplified by changing the way headshots aredisplayed ingame, ditto on airblast kills. either way, valve will need to rethink the next d_images version and i'm amazed the whole sheet got filled up already. i remember seeing it when it was mostly empty space.
Remade the skull mask for pyro because the old one looked like shit. This one's a bit better. Looks good with a lot of his hats but there's still unavoidable clipping with a few of them. Texturing it's going to be a bitch though. Hard to get the cool patterns looking right when they get all stretched by the shape of the skull.
I think the old one looked better. Could you do a side by side comparison between them?
Remade the skull mask for pyro because the old one looked like shit. This one's a bit better. Looks good with a lot of his hats but there's still unavoidable clipping with a few of them. Texturing it's going to be a bitch though. Hard to get the cool patterns looking right when they get all stretched by the shape of the skull.
Replies
Blu = Shark mouth
red = baron
Thoughts?
To many of us, Time isn't period isn't the baseline for designs in the TF2 world, it's how it aesthetically fitting the cartoonish style and vibe of the items. This made the WETA and DEX items fitting in the game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill :poly118:
Those look great. I think the shark mouth is always a good choice for weapons, the red baron idea is great too. Great colors.
I'm working on some new hats an I want to incorporate some shaders, can anyone link me to tutorials on how to add translucency,
magnification (like the scope on the bazaar bargain),
scrolling refracting textures(like the combine force fields),
and also @Ronin I love the glowing effect of the pipes on that flamethrower, is that just a phongmask?
I mostly know how to make an animated texture but I don't know how to incorporate it with my model.
Thanks,
I use $selfillum for the hot parts and phong on the shiny ones.
And to get back ontopic, I made a crappy preview of the Texas T-Square. Thanks again, Grimbodan, I really like the name.
Thanks,
Do you have multiple VTFs and VMTs then ?
Yes.
I used 2 vtf textures for the flamethrower. (one for the body and one for the tubes) They use 2 different vmt's as well since they vary in phong and rim attributes and not to mention that the tubes use selfillum. They do use only one phong mask to guide which parts need to be shiny and not. So all in all i used 3 vtfs and 2 vmts, all the while keeping it at 3mb (unoptimized) The texture will be cut down to 1024x1024px and should cut the size in half making it engine friendly.
The difference is they are trying to sell games through promos. 9 items for DuesX even though they are the least fitting to date will sell a ton of copies of that game.
With contributed art they are just beefing up the TF2 base items. A random hi-tech set of shades is just that, random hi-tech. No reason no rhyme.
@Slider, The T square is great, but SO many polys and the texture really seems like just base colors. No edge highlights, etc..
Honestly I think the threads should be textured on a cylinder. It's a massive poly density on a part that will barely be seen.
@Ronin,
The flamethrower looks cool, and fits with the Dues X stuff
But I really don't get the engine thing. First that's like 200+ pounds way out on a lever. The pyro is a girl? but is wielding a heavier weap than the Hoovy carries. Seems like the propeller would just force the pyro into a spin. What's the purpose?
Physics under consideration, the pyro wields a mace that is made of a car battery. To exert such force, you need a tremendous amount of upper body fortitude, otherwise, you cannot achieve an overhead swing like he/she does. If anyone would be nitpicky about that, they can theoretically say that valve is making an unrealistic game with TF2. Since we already have teleporters and cloaking devices in this game, i think that is not the argument that we want to dive into. Nevertheless, the engine i made is a v-twin motorcycle engine that i'm sure an average, well built person can haul on his own with 2 hands. The propeller is there as part of the aircraft engine that acts as a turbocharger to the v-twin blocks. It should also be based on lightweight material that 1960's aircraft have begun using on their fighter planes.
Any further make-shift scientific explanation about my items if virtually moot at this point and all i can say, in a more sane tone, is that i like how it looks and kicks artistic ass in every way i my twisted mind can concoct. Best explanation evah.
You're right, it truly eats a ton of polygons, but what lead me to the decision to model it out was Valve's Wrench, where they basically did the same.
It also, in my opinion, adds to the model.
(Oh, and the texture isn't final. As I've said, I just made a placeholder while my texture artist is drunk, in space and lost, all at the same time.)
I'm sure it would need a model change or something.
Base color tests
A question, for those like me who are petrified of coding, is there somewhere with a run down of the most useful $ commands for VMT/VTF's? along with a complete list of every one with what they do? I think that would come in very VERY handy for those as I said :P
I think it should be fine, you just need to rig it up, and I'm sure the chin probably only has one bone. But rigging and testing is the only way to be sure.
The moustache would be tougher, I bet they have several upper lip bones in use. So you just have to spend more time getting the weights correct per bone.
You can rig a 'hat' to ANY bone, the bone doesn't matter. It'll just follow that bone. Thus most hats are on the stationary head bone.
My Clown accessories use knee/foot/toe/spine 3 and head bones.
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Vmt
Didn't like where the TP throwable was going, so started this instead. Halloween miscellaneous item for the Night of the Living Update. Continue?
I think I like the idea of it being throwable better. Actually, the throwable item and the wearable one would work pretty well as a pack. Maybe you can add in some throwable eggs with it.
On the plus side new item types to work with. Aren't there plenty of un-reloadable Engineer shotguns out there now?
---
@SgtR007: There doesn't seem to be a lot to go on at the moment so carry on if you feel it's worth it. One bit of sheeting like that doesn't really seem enough though.
@GunnyBoy: Having looked at a lot of old drills lately a lot of them have smooth organic shapes, so having a look around might turn up some interesting ones if you feel its a little plain.
@roninsmastermix: Neither decal on your flamethrower really makes sense to me, a shark mouth that points sideways?.. German army?.. The huge front canister on your shotgun seems a bit iffy to me, I'd probably shrink or remove it, though the rear of the gun looks like you have some distinct and interesting features. Maybe a pipe up the barrel instead of having the front canister?
@Slider: Nice distinct wrench there, but I'm at a loss as to how the model has such a high triangle count...
---
I've been being a bit slow lately, here's a concept for the wrangler I thought up:
and here it is in game so far.
If anyone was wondering, yes they did have cordless power tools in the period, and the dish support structure is meant to be based on an oil derrick.
A few guys thought oil staining was needed? I actually thought about that myself with the original concepts but didn't get around to testing it, so there's some experimentation here too. I'm not completely happy I've figured this out yet. I have an ever-growing reference collection of oil stains so I'll be playing with it more, it might also get easier to figure out if I get something to the texturing stage.
More shots, development and concepts on my blog
Also, I just love how you made the Short Circuit's color scheme represent Engineer's glove, that was really clever!
Keep up the good work, and give Engineer more love!
How many items have you got in now Laro?
welp time to finally do them lods(damn you lazy self!) than off to submit later. thanks everyone for your crits and help!
So it was you! i guess the secrets out now. Congrats man!
The DiamondBack looked pretty badass in its own right, but seeing that you've adapted it from an existing Deus Ex is just wow.
I am utterly flabbergasted (is that rude?) at how you manage to "convert" a weapon concept from one artstyle to another while preserving everything that makes it recognizable in the original concept. This is seriously amazing. Congratulations sir!
Oh yeah, larolaro. What's the story on the Widowmaker's killicon? It looks like they smushed it or skewed it off proportion. Pictured is the shotty killicon, a new killicon I whipped up and the old killicon. Can you see if you can submit my fixed icon to valve?
I'm really not sure, this is what it looked like before it was sent to Valve.
They squished it for some reason.
Maybe an intern was trying to get it to fit in the height requirements for the icons and it was their first time using photoshop. Can you pleaaaase jump on contacting them about a fix, or resizing it for them? They may be able to fix this relatively quickly!
It is a twin-jawed wrench, so why not call it the Texas/Texan Twin Jaw
@Larolaro, as has already been mentioned, you did a great job translating the designs of the models over to TF2. Your work always has impressed me, especially your beautiful unwraps/textures.
Also, regarding your blog, does that mean that the Short circuit is not Deus ex inspired? Its style of design looks quite a bit different than that of the other items. Of the promo items, I did like it the most.
Ah, THIS is why, there is no space left. They don't want to make a new d_images.
Oh yeah, I like Texas Twin Jaw better than what I suggested or the Alabamajimjamma. RedSheep's idea has my full support.
Solution: Swap the Enforcer and Widowmaker. The Enforcer really doesn't need that long of a spot for it's icon.
I don't know which class I want it to be for yet, and I figure I should decide before I go into any small details or styles. Engie just got some love (thanks larolaro) but I'd be satisfied with any class except soldier. Any suggestions or C&C is appreciated.
There's a lot of wasted space on there, such as a lot of headshot-related icons that could be simplified by changing the way headshots aredisplayed ingame, ditto on airblast kills. either way, valve will need to rethink the next d_images version and i'm amazed the whole sheet got filled up already. i remember seeing it when it was mostly empty space.
Did the same kind of thing a while back.
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb43/padfoot7726/DelosMuertos.jpg