[WIP] Star Maps Revamp

[DarthParametric]

For the arms and the base? Personally I'd just start from scratch. Bioware's meshes are typically not worth saving. They can be useful templates to model around/over though, depending on your preferred method of modelling.

[CarthOnasty]

17 minutes ago, DarthParametric said:

For the arms and the base? Personally I'd just start from scratch. Bioware's meshes are typically not worth saving. They can be useful templates to model around/over though, depending on your preferred method of modelling.

Arms, base, legs, pretty much all of it. Would it be difficult to relink the animations? I have no idea where to even start with that.

[DarthParametric]

I'd just remake the map geometry and then you can transplant all the emitters and so forth back into it afterwards (literally just copy and paste it into the ASCII).

[JCarter426]

As for the arms and floaty ball thing, it's possible to copy the animations over. I'd suggest that you create dummy objects for each mesh, placed where the pivot point is, and then copy the position and rotation animation controllers over. Then after you model your replacement, you only need to parent the objects to these dummy objects, similar to how the lightsaber throw animation is set up.

[CarthOnasty]

Working on a thing.

[Sith Holocron]

Looks like you're forging something. 

[CarthOnasty]

On 10/29/2020 at 2:33 PM, Sith Holocron said:

Looks like you're forging something. 

Oh you. Here's where I'm at thus far. I imagine this being the arms.

 

[CarthOnasty]

I've been playing around with adding some detail to the geometry of the piece:

Gonna keep the star forge in my back pocket for something else. I feel as if it's too complex for something of this size actually. I know what I want to change about the base and the "orb", but anything I do with the legs has been kind of meh. Something will come to mind eventually I spose.

[CarthOnasty]

@DarthParametric You mentioned something like this before:

 

[DarthParametric]

Just make sure that if it is just planes that (after UV mapping) you duplicate it and flip the normals, since Odyssey does not render backfaces.

[CarthOnasty]

Been doing some work on the base today. I added some details so it's not so boring as well as lined up some of the polys so the arms, legs, and pyramids fit better.

[CarthOnasty]

K, I think I have the model to where I like it now. I just need to do some remaps and then back to texturing!

 

[CarthOnasty]

New UVs for new model.

[CarthOnasty]

Playing around with some textures. I think I made the sphere too detailed. It feels out of place now.

[Sith Holocron]

3 hours ago, CarthOnasty said:

Playing around with some textures. I think I made the sphere too detailed. It feels out of place now.

Hard to tell without seeing animated in the place where it's supposed to be. 

[DarthVarkor]

I know this is all still work in progress, but I'm liking this new slightly different take on a Star Map. Been using your original mod for my previous films, hoping to use this new version for the final star map in my next one!

[Mephiles550]

21 hours ago, CarthOnasty said:

 I think I made the sphere too detailed. It feels out of place now.

A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE STAR MAP

[CarthOnasty]

On 12/18/2020 at 6:34 PM, Sith Holocron said:

Hard to tell without seeing animated in the place where it's supposed to be. 

Here's Dantooine and Tatooine:

 

On 12/19/2020 at 9:26 AM, DarthVarkor said:

I know this is all still work in progress, but I'm liking this new slightly different take on a Star Map. Been using your original mod for my previous films, hoping to use this new version for the final star map in my next one!

Great! Thanks for grabbing the original too!

 

On 12/19/2020 at 12:29 PM, Mephiles550 said:

A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE STAR MAP

This is pretty cool, what is this from?

[DarthParametric]

You ditched the open sphere and made it solid?

[CarthOnasty]

3 hours ago, DarthParametric said:

You ditched the open sphere and made it solid?

Not necessarily, just trying another idea.

[LDR]

3 hours ago, CarthOnasty said:

This is pretty cool, what is this from?

That, my friend, is Meridia's Beacon from Skyrim.

[Zhaboka]

I like the sphere as is! But would also be curious to see the one with openings in-game.

[CarthOnasty]

@DarthParametric You seem to have the most experience with gmax as far as I know, wondering if you could help me with an issue?

I had some wonky smoothgroups in gmax that I fixed but when I exported and imported into Blender, the smoothgroups were wonky again. Any idea why those weren't preserved?

This was my process:
1. Decompiling the model with MDLOps 1.0.2, I had Compute smoothgroup numbers and Weld model vertices (Remove doubles) selected.
2. Import into gmax, default settings.
3. Fixed wonky smoothgroups.
4. Exported.
5. Imported into Blender, had Import smooth groups selected.
Smoothgroups wonky again. I tried deselecting Import smooth groups, but same result.

Any ideas?

[DarthParametric]

I'd imagine that's a Blender script issue, not Max/KMax. As long as you don't compile to binary and then decompile, the smoothing you defined is stored in the ASCII. I don't really follow the status of KOTORBlender. You'd have to ask @ndix UR about it, but perhaps you can try the version on Github if you are still using an older version - https://github.com/ndixUR/kotorblender

[CarthOnasty]

Some update pics. I've been working on some new runes since aurebesh basically did not exist when these would have been built.

I've also been playing around with the idea of adding some light to the base and then to the interior arms. I was thinking that'd work in the sense of "projecting" the actual map.