xander2077

well im using a script that i found on neverwintervault.net, it is called neverbelnder. while not as dazzling as NWNmax (not as many options) it does the job when everything is right. as most of the masks can attest. there were really only 5 problem children. the rest exported fine and appear as they should in the game, even with the model adjustments and new geometry i added with new UVs. i am impressed by the plugin, just not sure what the issue is between the ones that worked and the ones that wont. mask 3, mask 10, mask 12, mask 13, & mask 15 were terrible in game. all of them having the same issues with UVs. some of the UVs are intact and some of them are stretched even though the model appears fine in blender. i also had some other issues that i fixed with a few of the models, such as there being two base nodes (the goggle hook was duplicated in some cases when i had to reimport another goggle to get the alignment correct) so i had to delete that in order for some of the masks to appear and they then worked great. now as far as textures go im not 100% sure the ones i think are ok, are in fact ok, i just glanced at them since i cant run the game long with all the programs i have open. i have to get a closer look at some to be satisfied. i did try to export the model as a different name, choosing mask 300, and then read/writing it in mdlops, changing the name back to 003, and then putting it in override, but the UV problem was still there. from reading one of darth parametrics posts, it seems that the islands and seams have to match up 100% and there cannot be any verts together that should not be in the UV window, so by trial and error i am trying to figure out what should be joined and what should be split. unfortunately the interface in blender will not let me split separate islands off very easily without moving the faces in the UV. there is no script or function that will split them permanently unless they are physically moved even the tiniest bit off their coordinates. however when i make new geometry, like a whole new part on this mask (mask 3) in particular, the UV unwrap on that is usually fine. it is the older parts that get messed up and stretched UVs. so i am thinking the best solution is to recreate all the parts, weld the model together, re-unwrap each part, make sure the seams are correct, and then try exporting the fresh geometry, because parts i have replaced map fine while parts that i modified just sightly on these 5 models are screwed. which does not make sense to me because i did the same thing on all other masks and they turned out great in game. even the vaccum mask that i turned into a helmet ( the one with neural band 2 texture) had pristine UVs it just clipped the back of the hair and that was a lot of new geometry. another approach i am trying and have not viewed yet is to pin the UVs and see if that has any effect. i also tried adding custom split normals since the vanilla models seem to have that as well. just not sure if that is one of the fixes yet. the trouble is it is hard to translate what is done in 3ds max to the same theory in blender all of the time. some things you just cant replicate exactly. that has to do with the UI and the controls they have in the program really as well as terminology, and some of the convoluted ways they have to get things done. not everything is bad in the program, but it still has a ways to go before it is up to a higher standard of usability. as far as export goes, by default here is the way it goes:

well, this problem with the percvisor persists to the point that unless i create a new mask from scratch it wont look new at all, just the texture. so, im thinking of going about it another way. the thing is i have no idea what to do. is there a way to write the new model without having the old one? can i just convert it to binary without referencing the old one? then rename it and overwrite everything pertaining to the model in the override? this seems to be the issue, that when it compares the two models it jacks up all the UVs and even if i do everything right in blender, as in making sure vertices are welded in the UV window to their adjoining faces, making sure there are no extra nodes in the tree, and making sure all the seams are present, nothing works. for some reason it still messes up. so i reverted back to the original mask and the UVs work but it is lackluster. so for all those masks that wont work as they are with UV issues, it seems i have to create them from scratch and then unwrap them and create a completely new texture for them based on the vanilla design, just better. so back to the drawing board for some of them. still want to release some of the mod, but i have to sort everything out and isolate the good from the bad.

ok you outdid toasty on this one definitely. nice work. i see you even corrected the scale of some of the weapons.

just downloaded the new improved gui version of mdlops and i will give it a whirl. i made a mistake of not naming the blend files correctly to reflect the mdl original names, so i had to slog through all the files and compare the original model name to the reworked masks to name them correctly. once that was done i exported them all from 1-15 to an output folder. then i used a nifty tool called metamorphose2 and renamed the files in batch to an ascii suffix before the dot and file type. i love that tool. anyway, now i have to install the new version of mdlops and see what it can do. wish me luck. one step closer to this vanilla mask overhaul being released. plus i am busy networking and taking care of emails back and forth with other modders. lots to do. ... edit: well today i learned the meaning of mlops catastrophy. first it was one mask that would not export no matter what. mask_003... so i tweaked and prodded and finally had to reimport the mask and then import my mesh from an obj, and then try and fix it all. problem is now the textures will not show. so it is one huge white model. of course it looks good minus the texture. then the UVs got all screwed up on the helmets. so the sith facemask and the second sith mask were reverted back to vanilla just with new textures til i can figure out how to fix that. tetas headband is doing weird stuf with the UVs on the front of it but the back part is fine. so im thinking of just deleting the bad part and making them some bling glasses. the vaccum mask ( the other helmet) was clipping hair so it got reverted to vanilla as well with new texture. so far the only one that is really screwed up is the perception visor. the model again looks fine, nice and pretty, but no texture. everything placed well on the face, all the textures look good. just a few hiccups. so i will probably release a partial mask overhaul and keep working on a solution. but not tonight, i am beat and i need to take a break.

im about to run my own models through mdlops, but i see here the file is updated. from what i remember you have to put all three files for a model in the same directory. but i forgot which button to push once i choose the model i want to convert back to binary. is it the read/ write? or the replace? never mind, found the instructions on the DL page, and boy is that gui nice! not knocking 3dsmax 8, it was my favorite before i got 9 years ago, and i wish i could still run both in linux. but anyway, in blender i can take it down to 0.0001 for the decimal points for proximal vertices i want to weld, however it jumps in increments of .001 so it has to be entered manually to tweak it just right. by default it is set already to 0.0001... anyway i always use that on import because the faces are all separated. if nwmax or neverblender do the same thing and export them as smooth groups, then it shouldn't matter if they are welded before export or not. i cant remember what it was called in max, but in blender i can select all faces/vertices, and set the faces as smooth material. if that is something that can help the appearance i would suggest it, but to do so the verts must be welded or it wont work. now something i do not know whether it effects the models or not is the sharps. if i mark something sharp it sometimes helps the appearance but im not sure if it breaks the model up or not. im not sure about seams either. i often just leave the original UVs alone unless i add geometry, and then if there is new geometry i only unwrap that portion or the island they logically belong to and keep the rest the same. if you can create seams from island then that is a trick that might help. if not then they need to be manually added. once i export these i will give my models a test in game to see if they suffer from any anomalies, but first to download the updated mdlops.

i seem to remember a really old mod, cant remember the name, where zaalbar was able to equip masks and some armors, but im not sure how it looked since i never got around to playing it and i dont have it any more. if there is a hard coded restriction then i have no idea. only thing i can do is try and see if it works. i think someone did have a mod where item restriction was lifted for another character, but not sure which one.

ok, back to modeling for now. today i decided to whip up a model for zaalbar only. and this time it is a bowcaster targeting interface that doesnt require an implant. highly illegal on kashyyk but easier to aquire on other less restricted planets. i designed it to clip a little so the hair covers some of the model. hopefully it comes off right. future plans or zaalbar include wookie armor, maybe a helmet or two that he can wear as well. im not sure if i want to make a cap for his head but if i do it will tie into his clan powers kind of like a talisman. the armor will more than likely be equipped like a belt unless i can figure out how to open his body slot in which case it will be a new armor model and type.

i will get right on it!

sounds pretty cool. just for kicks im going to make a hutt with Mr.T gold jewelry lol (maybe)

I get that, it is just frustrating when I am used to the spell check working and I get short on time. But I think it is best if I try and solve that in another place besides this thread To help clarify I have a few pictures of what I am talking about to make a faux Ithorian. First take the head, it will have to be shrunk a bit, position it, and move the bottom vertices down around the chest and shoulders. I also moved the back half of the neck forward because it was hanging out over the back. Then I selected all the verts on the bottom of the neck Then I extrude only the edges together in the z axis direction twice, adjusting it back and forth and also reducing the size of the loop / shrinking it Then I merge the bottom vertices to a point. Then to help conceal the seam between objects, I make a collar that hugs both closely. It can be made out of part of the neck or another collar imported from another robe. For my collar I used the back faces of the neck and then extruded them as one radially (or along vertex normals) and of course it would have to be retextured to something besides the Ithorian skin. The body is only there for reference. In the final export it can be deleted from the model. As long as the other things are still there (helpers/empties, bones) from the original human head it should work fine. I guess a more complex one would be to have the eyes work. But I think those can be from the human model and just moved up to the Ithorian eye sockets. This method can be used on every alien besides the Hutt. I would not want to see a player character Hutt. It would probably end up looking like the Grinch.

never miind

yeah but i wouldnt want to go too far overboard. i was always one for subtlety, even if whatever i do is an improvement on things, i still dont like to depart too much. besides it is really up to SS. its his teams mod.

didnt realize it was dead. last post was in march. not really that necro unless the mod is already done.

i imagine one could make the accessories right in the character model. so say if one had a cybernetic eye, that could be added to the model itself. if one had a habit of wearing extravagant headgear or jewelry, then that could also be added to the model. im not sure how hutts are handled in the game, if they all sahre the same model and just reference a different texture, but if they each have their own model it might make it fun to add certain details like that. i might do something like that and hand it over to you.

i like this, it is pretty well balanced. the star wars part of it is not too loud in this size, and the eye is drawn toward the title of the actual game. i think for the sith lords the lettering could be a bit smaller to underscore the game series, and it can have a line under it as long as that line is the same width as the secondary title. logos are about subtlety, done right they are eye catching. if you are not sure, then try looking up non star wars logos to see what works well and get some ideas from those.

I think if you wanted the neck verts from the human head to match the body it would be better to keep them the same size as on import, and then adjust the Ithorian neck to fit. It looks like the neck was sized up to create a collar, so it will look odd that way anyway. A collar could be created as well, but it would have to remain separated from the movement of the head and neck, and weighted differently and for that i would use one of the high neck robe collars so that it extends just inside the body, but follows the contours of the Ithorian neck. I would also suggest using the Ithorian head and neck instead of chopping the bottom of the neck crook off where it extends to the body, and try extending the neck to just inside the body model so that the open end of it doesn't clip. A good way to do that would be to adjust the lines of it so that they touch just the surface of the chest and shoulders and top of the backbone on the outside of the body model, then grab all the vertices on the bottom of the Ithorian neck, extrude edges only in the z axis a couple of times (just a little bit each time), and then merge all the verts on the bottom most extrusion to the center. This will create a point, and then you can place that point on a pivot somewhere inside the center of the chest up high, just below where the neck is, probably best to try different things out to find the sweet spot where it pivots just right. This will also ensure the head pivots on that spot and doesn't allow the bottom of the neck to clip outside of the body, and there wont be any gaps either. To cover the new geometry with the same texture just use the clone brush and a few others to blend it past the original edges of the neck. A collar can also help hide the overlap between the head and body models. of course it looks ridiculous the way it is, lol, but it was a good proof of concept. proof that this can work.

good work DJ. hope everything works out like you want it. if you need any tips on texturing just hit me up. they look great.

well thats fine, i dont expect everyone to like everything i did, however i may also release some alternate textures for little things like that. im also brainstorming on creating some wookie and twilek specific/restricted headgear. which should actually not be that hard to pull off. i was also thinking of adding the head-dress of jori daragon just for that reason. anyway, here is a sneak peek at something else i am working on as well. i took the suggestion to crack open the kotor comic books and tried to get my head around rohlan dyres helmet, and the trouble with that is there are several different interpretations of it even in the comics, so i decided to go with certain details i thought stuck out and i liked. and also try and make it so it was not too foreign to a standard head model. im not sure yet on spikes or no spikes, but i think all that road warrior stuff is kinda cliche, so i might not put spikes on the helmet. i am however going to put some decals on it that add a really nice touch that anyone can see in issues 18 and on the cover of issue 42. i may modify the overall details on tha back as well but i have to brainstorm. getting complex shapes to translate to 3d is not always easy. it took me 3 tries to get the cz droid head to resemble the correct details on the head in ANH, and it all begins in starting with the correct shape to build from. pro tip: one thing i do like is that you can use the knife to cut new topology, and then correct it with a geometric shape. so for instance if i need and arc, i can always cut a new line and then generate a circle, use that by moving it into position close to where i want it, and then use the vertices i need from that circle to correct the arc shape just in case the knife didnt quite turn out right. but that is in extreme cases. another way to correct things is to delete offending faces and then extrude edges only until you patch a hole the way you want it. another tip is you can rotate the edges on two faces to put a crease where you want it or orient it better so the lines are cleaner. also i try to refrain from making really high poly models for kotor, so i start off simple and build slightly on that, instead of building a high poly model that i have to dissolve to knock the poly count back down. im noticing a lot of models i have viewed over the years tend to be built high poly and then dissovled, or they are a huge mess from using bevel and extrude without cleaning them up afterward to make sure there is surface cohesion. another mistake modelers make for games is they relax the vertices to smooth the surface without making sure the vertices are welded together, or rather after they have already separated the faces into tris that are not connected any more. it is just a lot harder to make the model behave unless the vertices are welded together until completion. and relaxing vertices is one of those things you have to be selective with. for instance on this helmet, if the dome was round like a sphere, but somehow not quite right, relax would help smooth the dome, but will also shrink it, so it would be better to relax just the dome if needed, and not the whole helmet. its easier to make small changes than huge ones that take longer to fix. another way to fix unclean lines on a helmet dome is to align the vertices. in blender we have something called flatten. now in max flatten would be along certain hard parameteres by default, either on the x,y, or z axis, and in order to put it on another plane it had to be spceified. in blender by default it is set on the best plane between vertices so it doesnt really alter it too much, just cleans it up a bit. this can make an arc a lot cleaner if things got moved a bit. to force it along a global axis is a bit more difficult but can also have nice results. but to avoid all of that i try to start with the right shape first and i am careful not to mess with the basic shape of things where the important details are. to make certain details pop out, i also use the mark sharp function on key edges. so if the faces are rendered smooth materials, the sharp corners still stay sharp without turning into blobs. sure it may not look all that great in the 3d program, but once textures are on it kind of hides some of the imperfections created by material inconsistencies between faces. finally one of the best functions to remember is symmetry. to get a nice clean look symmetry is a must. this can have its own quirks too though. if for some reason the center line is not right in the middle, it can have bad results. this can be caused by a lot of things, not applying the rotation and location, not having the model center line directly over the y axis, or having a skewed center line. but it is simple to correct. if there are a few strays then symmetry will duplicate the center vertices three times and create a bunch of unnecessary faces, simply selecting all three vertices and then collapsing them to the middle point of all three vertices fixes that and makes it easier to build the UV profile once texturing is started. and lastly, it is easier to work with quads up until the UVs are set and the texture is in place. my final two steps are usually the texture, UV tweaking, and then converting the model to tris for any game engine to have an easier time rendering. occasionally i break this rule, but i pay for it later when i build the texture and use the UV template. with most of the vanilla masks i was able to get around that by simply using the texture as the template and then adjusting the UVs to fit the model better once the texture was done, but on a new model it is better to just make the UV template then texture from that, and then apply tris to the faces and tweak the UVs if needed. two things i have not done in blender yet, are using sculpture for anything but rocks, or using the so called built in paint function. sculpting takes too much memory for my computer so i avoid it, but paint i have not got working yet to try it out, for some reason there is data missing and i have no idea what blender means when it says that. i tried following the tutorial on how to use it, but it is no use, there is still something missing, and no external plugin helps either, otherwise i would have another set of tools to make a good base texture and speed up things. so i have to do textures the old fashioned way. by using the UV template, and hoping it turns out all right. the last picture i uploaded for the rohlan helmet is just about where it should be for the back details, and i also converted it back to quads to make texturing easier. once the texture is applied i will convert it back to tris and adjust any skewed UVs. it may not look like all of the comic book helmet variations with the spikeyness, but i tried to retain the overall look and incorporate it into the overall art style of star wars and make it fit the art style of kotor as well. hopefully it comes off right in the final redition. there are some other mando helmets too that are supposed to be from the expanded universe that i have not really got a chance to research yet, but i will asap. there are a few i really would like to do, but im not sure if i will make them as alternates to another mod or as new helmets on their own. but i think there are plenty of types in the comic to cover both ideas. ... like this one. a femal mando helmet in the comics that i tried to replicate in about 20 minutes or so. hopefully it wont clip hair, but i still have yet to try it on other female heads besides the modified juhani head. ... another helmet i figure would be good for low level is what i call the arkanian surplus helmet. used by security forces this is one of the many low level helmets available by the dozens in local shops due to its cheap expense and proliferation on the surplus market. it is equipped with a very rudimetary targeting aid and head lamp. classed as light armor it is about a generation behind in the latest technology standards. as a result of it being so prolific, this may be a good helmet to have some republic forces use for new recruits since it would be cheap to equip them with, and just paint them in republic colors. which makes sense if the republic were trying to hurry up and build its forces up quickly and equip them fast. these could be found anywhere in a variety of colors and origins. ... example of mission specific headgear is this interpretation of joris headband, based on the design of the headgear worn by jori daragon. the headgear is made to fit over top of missions default headgear and hide it. im not sure if that can be substituted or not but if it can then it will later be modified so it doesnt need to be as bulky. ... also for mission, a twilek pilots helmet. this isnt really intended to be used on the ground, but it offers some ballistic protection and it is designed for twileks. found in various junk heaps and shops around the galaxy. as an added bonus, it interfaces with the twilek lekku and adds a bonus to missions senses. the blast shield is there to conceal the hood ornament on the top of missions default headgear. MUCH later: while i was waiting around for help with a 2da i was confused about and ktool was burning up my CPU for me, i decided to read the forums a bit and as somewhat of a joke i decided to go ahead and make two additional hutts in celebration of SithSpecter and company's Sleheyron mod. so without further adue, i present the ancient gangsta hutt, and the repulsor hutt... for obvious reasons i dont want to hijack the Sleheyron thread.

dude, i would gladly donate my hutt boss protocol droid model for this mod. that is if you dont mind straying just a tiny smidgen from the original content. great work. i read this thread and the old one, and i have to say you have come a long way to making this module appear very very close to the original. the only thing i might suggest is tweaking the colors a tiny bit, but that is not really a major issue. btw, are there any screens of the different hutt crime bosses that were supposed to be in this module? has anyone ever tried making hutt accessories before to help distinguish between the different ones?

not yet, there is so much i forgot about the comics it is ridiculous. of course that takes time, since not all the best frames are posted on the web and you have to go through page by page to find a decent detail shot. but i used to do that for ships once upon a time. this is similar. the idea is not to get a huge imbalanced power up right away, but over time as the items are discovered and once combined the effects will be pretty comparable to some of the very late items in the vanilla game. of course they wont be just given away, and they could be in a location that would normally be overlooked. i had thought that maybe i could even turn some of the prop containers into actual loot chests, since there seem to be many of those scattered through the game just waiting to be converted. of course i may also be a little devious and put them in a cluster of containers that are usually just for show to throw someone off.

actually im trying to stay away from ToR content on purpose. the reason being it would look like a rip and conversion rather than new content. so the models will be different, so will the weapons and armors/robes. most of them will be sourced from dawn of the jedi and tales of the jedi respectively to predate the events in K1. some will coincide with K1 and 2 and ToR but be new or different. they will be more like easter eggs of a sort than trying to make K1 or 2 into ToR. now granted some of this has already been done before, but im trying to break new ground or put my own interpretation into the models and textures to hopefully make things look better as well as fit in with the art style of K1 and 2, and ToR stuff would kind of clash with that. so beyond my own interpretation of two of the helmets, (the arkanian and mando above) i probably will not include anything related to ToR. im struggling to find source material (concept art) ,to get ideas from, that would fit, but i have a bit of a collection of Ralph mcquarrie drawings that i can get ideas from, as well as some of the cover art and comic book art for robes and armor that is more realistic. so it is pretty much just a matter of finding additional drawings of masks he did to fill in some gaps. therea re a couple more i have found but like i said i need a break. somtimes it is hard to turn a drawing into a model that doesnt look out of place. somtimes that involves complex problem solving related to geometry. anyway, stay tuned. more to come later.

thanks. i think im going to take a short break from this for a little bit. i need to recenter. but when i get back i should have some new stuff to post. i want to do some new "robes/armor" models, and i also want to figure out how to get these models exported properly for the vanilla masks, and any other models im cooking up using the tools i have. on the future agenda i will have some very cool stuff. i want to drag some new content in based on some very old SW history that predates the republic. and seeing as how it ties into the infinite empire of the rakata, it should be a lot of fun. 1. a force sabre. 2. various stuff from the same time frame of both je'daii and sith. (masks, robes, weapons etc...) 3. some of the early tales of the jedi masks, robes, armor, etc. (sith, krath, and jedi) 4. a new set of gauntlets. im not sure how i will incorporate all this stuff, but i think i know how it would work best. since each piece of the "hero" costumes can correspond to various articles of clothing, i think it would be best to make them the various parts, mask or helmet, robe, armor, armbands, gauntlets, belts, etc... and the combination of synced items would give an enormous power boost or combination of effects. some will be restricted to certain alignment, some will be restricted to certain class. and some will be cross class but with a penalty. at first i wanted to do disguises but that actually seems more complicated than piecing things out properly. i also have some other masks to modify/retexture, but they are player made. i do not know when i will tackle that either. the droid was kind of a natural stopping point for the moment. im getting to a place where its kind of like writers block, and i have to step back for a while. i also have to focus on finding a reliable way of getting things in game using linux. as long as it is only a model or texture replacement, it wont be as bad, but if it has anything to do with scripts, or modifying the 2da, or uti, or i think gff, or anything like that, it will be a huge learning curve on command line tools i have never used before. so i will need to consult the tools creators for some insight. since this is uncharted territory for me, and they have more experience obviously, i will have to lean on that for success.

new model. this time it is something a bit different. i replaced all the body parts on a standard protocol droid with new ones that are kind of a mish mash between the droids of the era and some from ANH. this one is what i call an earlier model of the CZ droid. i figured it would be a good stand in for the protocol droids for crime lords or maybe for a new quest add on with another hutt crime boss. or some other species? i dunno. anyway the mdoel was rerigged because the symmetry was skewed on teh right upper extremities. joints were fine tuned, and the thing has to be textured. but thats for later. i may give it a pieced together look simply because it does look pieced together. after all a crime boss probably doesnt always have a perfectly pristine droid.

ubese scavenger. i think i want this one to increase loot somehow, but im not sure. im starting to think some of these will end up being part of a bunch of small side quests ralph sure did like his tubes and cylinders poking out of helmetes, i wend sort of tusken on it but called it ubese simply because it reminded me of their style a bit from the drawing. of course it was supposed to be a robotic bounty hunter but im taking creative license. ... calo nords goggles reworked into the low light goggles. these are manufactured by Ziko and offered at various vendors but it will be hard to figure out who sells them since they probably wont be at any Czerka vendors. a special unique version will be available as either a drop or a chest loot item. calos personal goggles were probably a unique commission similar to his armor. of course his were more to his liking and customized to give the appearance of an unassuming pair of sun goggles. i may do a retex of some to resemble his goggles so they can be added to K2 as a drop once he is finally confronted.