DP's Droid Foundry v2.0

[JCarter426 1,214]

????

 

I really wonder how that happened, though. He has different body models, but they're the same size as everybody else's. It's like they did his head wrong, then fixed every body to match the head instead of just fixing the head.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

As is my way, I'm jumping between a bunch of different projects, doing bits and pieces as the mood strikes me. I've made two (Edit: now three four) of the alternative astromech heads:

 

 

 

 

Edit 2: Also revised the round flat head one to add some more detail.

 

In hindsight that was a poor choice of location for screenshots. I should really make a test module or something with decent lighting.

 

Btw does anyone have a full list of significant astromechs in either game? Specifically ones that engage in combat. I know in TSL there is that one in the Czerka mainframe on Citadel Station that goes berserk. Any others? Because of the way the animations work, I need make a specific combat model (although I can probably just link the bullethook to the front of that gun looking bit on the top of the flathead one and ignore the animated bits).

[Domino5555 119]

Besides T1-N1, there are two utility droids that engage in combat: T3-M4 and 3C-FD.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

I figured I'd go with one final astromech head variant:

 

 

I think I'll bestow that on 3C-FD as a nod to the original design.

 

Besides T1-N1, there are two utility droids that engage in combat: T3-M4 and 3C-FD.

T3 was a given of course, as is 3C-FD. I guess that leaves T1-N1 as the only non-party member that engages in combat. I'll have to make sure he gets a head with a functional blaster.

[Guest]

You have done in weeks what many cannot do in years.

 

The potential of this is unlimited, and your progress amazing.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

Well it really is the work of years, technically. The T7 body/head, protocol droid, and autotrooper were all modelled back in 2014/2015. I abandoned further work on them at the time because of issues compiling working models, detailed in the original, now defunct, Lucasforums thread.. All I have done recently is UV map the protocol droid, fix some map issues on the autotrooper, and model the variant astromech heads (as well as revise/redo the game-ready setup/export).

[superSzym 155]

I figured I'd go with one final astromech head variant:

 

 

I think I'll bestow that on 3C-FD as a nod to the original design.

 

 

T3 was a given of course, as is 3C-FD. I guess that leaves T1-N1 as the only non-party member that engages in combat. I'll have to make sure he gets a head with a functional blaster.

Does this "one design" thing mean we won't get any of the other models you created?

[DarthParametric 3,782]

One design thing? There's a common body, but six different heads. The plan is for the T7 head version to replace T3-M4, the new T3 head version to replace 3C-FD, and then the other four head variants will be used for whatever various generic background astromechs there are in the games.

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

I'd love to see some of these new droid designs in M4-78 EP but I've lost my avenue of suggestion when I removed the mod from the site.  That'll have to be someone else that does that.
 
Update: Apparently, I'm being too subtle.  (That might be a first.)  Replace the lined out portion above with "Because I removed their mods, they're not going to listen to me" and see if it makes more sense.

[Domino5555 119]

Avenue of suggestion?

[DarthParametric 3,782]

That'll have to be someone else that does that.

You can edit 2DAs and UTCs, can't you?

[Malkior 476]

I'd love to see some of these new droid designs in M4-78 EP but I've lost my avenue of suggestion when I removed the mod from the site. That'll have to be someone else that does that.

 

Update: Apparently, I'm being too subtle. (That might be a first.) Replace the lined out portion above with "Because I removed their mods, they're not going to listen to me" and see if it makes more sense.

If anything, people might listen to you more since you were even willing to disable the biggest mod on this site (and in fact the original purpose for it) to uphold our standards.

 

-If I speak for no one else, then I at least do for myself in this matter. -

 

 

Also, Darth Parametric, if someone can point me toward a droid skinning turorial (Blender or GMax only unfortunately, as I don't have access to 3DS Max) then I'd be happy to add these little guys to my itinerary of textures to make.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

There's nothing really unique to droids (mine or any others) that requires a specific tutorial. Any general texturing practices would apply, bearing in mind that you are texturing hard edged metal/plastic surfaces rather than skin/clothing for characters.

 

As for 3D programs, if all you need is a model to visualise how textures are applied then an OBJ would be sufficient, and usable in pretty much any 3D app. I may make OBJs and UV templates available for texturers once modelling is finalised.

[Malkior 476]

There's nothing really unique to droids (mine or any others) that requires a specific tutorial. Any general texturing practices would apply, bearing in mind that you are texturing hard edged metal/plastic surfaces rather than skin/clothing for characters.

 

As for 3D programs, if all you need is a model to visualise how textures are applied then an OBJ would be sufficient, and usable in pretty much any 3D app. I may make OBJs and UV templates available for texturers once modelling is finalised.

Ah. I should have noticed that you already UVW Unwrapped them (The colored lines to indicate sides are a dead giveaway).. 

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

You can edit 2DAs and UTCs, can't you?

Well I haven't done it before but I suppose there's a tutorial around here somewhere if I really feel the need.  I just wonder if it covers how not to make the new droids cover all of one particular type?  (Only one way to find out, I suppose.)

[DarthParametric 3,782]

Only one way to find out, I suppose.

Indeed.

 

TSL already has provision for 3 generic astromechs and 6 (if you include the "lite" versions) generic protocol droids (not including the unique Telos one). M4-78 may add in its own appearance rows on top of that, not sure. I plan to replace all the vanilla appearance.2da entries, and add a couple of new ones to accommodate the various model/texture combinations. I'll probably make a couple of UTC edits for unique appearances for some vanilla droids. It would be easy enough for someone to make an add-on mod that does the same for M4-78 or indeed the whole game.

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

Actually the droids I'd be looking to replace wouldn't be the astromechs but the escort droids and war droids on M4-78 that use the Sith war droid model.  Might be a bit tricky.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

Might be a bit tricky.

Not at all. Either they are using one or more of the five existing war droid appearance rows, or they add their own new ones. I already have the autotrooper as one war droid option, and I may look at other possibilities in the future. Changing appearance.2da and/or UTCs, if required, to customise M4-78's war droids would be fairly trivial. Not sure what an escort droid is. I am guessing just a protocol droid.

 

On to other matters, does anyone know how exactly "lip sync" works for droids? They have LIP files, which seem the same as those used by meatbags. Presumably somewhere must be something that tells the game to alter the self-illumination of specific meshes based on the different phonemes. I couldn't see anything obvious.

[bead-v 251]

On to other matters, does anyone know how exactly "lip sync" works for droids? They have LIP files, which seem the same as those used by meatbags. Presumably somewhere must be something that tells the game to alter the self-illumination of specific meshes based on the different phonemes. I couldn't see anything obvious.

 

Hmm, I just checked some videos on YT, couldn't see any lipsync-related changes on the model for any droid. Any self-illumination changes you see (actually, where do you see them?) could be part of the 'tlknorm' animation that animates the body.

 

This is completely unconfirmed and just a hunch, but I always thought the movement of the lips for the different phonemes was defined in the 'talk' animation. But I never looked into how the .lips work and how the phonemes would connect to the keyframes in that animation. If that is true though, the question is if you could add a working 'talk' animation to droids to do lipsync, likely by way of lights lighting up rather than parts actually moving...

[Kexikus 995]

Hmm, I just checked some videos on YT, couldn't see any lipsync-related changes on the model for any droid. Any self-illumination changes you see (actually, where do you see them?) could be part of the 'tlknorm' animation that animates the body.

 

 

You see them on The eyes of HK units when they talk. No idea how they Work though.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

This is completely unconfirmed and just a hunch, but I always thought the movement of the lips for the different phonemes was defined in the 'talk' animation.

No, neither HK nor T3 have any self-illum keys in the talk animations. It's definitely tied to the lip sync mechanics, as originally the HK factory section of TSLRCM had no eye flashing for HK until TSLRCM added the lip files in a patch. Maybe elements of it are hard coded.

[bead-v 251]

No, neither HK nor T3 have any self-illum keys in the talk animations. It's definitely tied to the lip sync mechanics, as originally the HK factory section of TSLRCM had no eye flashing for HK until TSLRCM added the lip files in a patch. Maybe elements of it are hard coded.

 

T3 does not have a 'talk' animation. HK-47 does, however, and it has 16 selfillumcolor keys on Mesh01. Looking at T3 talking, it doesn't seem to have much relation to the sound, unlike the HK's eyes. So I would guess that comes from somewhere else. I think you meant that they don't have any selfillumcolor keys on 'tlk*' animations, which is true, and it's curious because that'd be the obvious thing to look at for T3's animation. I'm currently out of ideas where that is coming from for T3.

 

EDIT: T3 does have selfillumcolor keys on the listen animation though.

Edited June 8, 2017 by bead-v

[DarthParametric 3,782]

Ah, I missed the talk on HK, I was looking at tlknorm. Maybe I will try killing the keys on T3's listen animation, see if that has any effect. Although it's interesting that HK's talk is purely just the self-illum, whereas T3's listen has a lot of orientation keys for other bits.

 

Edit: Testing some animated textures out.

 

 

Seems like I should have put more forethought into the aspect ratio of those polys, but I can probably squeeze in another row to square things up.

 

Edit 2: Playing with some of the other lights:

 

 

I'm not sure I really like the PSI (processor state indicator - the round thing going from red to blue), but it's hard to pull off a decent transition without adding a bunch of extra animation frames. I wonder if I should go for more of a fade in fade out type of thing rather than a wipe. Modern fan built R2s with LEDs do the soft fade, but the original ANH R2 was using incandescent lighting presumably, along with some sort of mechanical rotation component, that gave it more of the wipe effect. Of course ANH R2's hardly moved at all, and was often stuck halfway between red and blue. Maybe I should just put it on a super slow frame rate. It seems like 3 frames at 0.1 FPS is a good compromise. I'll have to watch ANH again and see what goes on with R2's lights.

[DarthParametric 3,782]

Throwing down the base textures on the T7 astromech:

 

[VarsityPuppet 1,085]

Throwing down the base textures on the T7 astromech:

 

It looks so good it hurts my soul that I can't have it right now