Blender project help...

[Pax-raider]

So I'm finally going to do it. No, not the Pantera, but a car I need for a special car/track combo I'm planning. So, any gotcha's I should be aware of if I'm going to do it in Blender? I'm going to use the mirroring system to make one half of it, any other tips like how many tri's is a good number to aim for these days? Things I can do that'll make texturing easier later??

Any advice much appreciated...

[Valentin K]

For the complete car including wheels and interior? With about 5000 triangles in total you should be fine.

[djpimley]

Seems to vary a lot, but 3000 for the body is a good ballpark figure (so more or less in line with Val's suggestion). You're going to need to learn about smooth vs. solid surface types and how to split surfaces to maintain hard edges.

Good luck!

[DonaemouS]

yes, but u can push up to 7000! =)

What I can suggest, is moving all your polygons count to the body model. Interiors are hard to be watched.

I'm here for any help u would need... Not for blender... I bought the NFR Cinema 4D

[Pax-raider]

You're going to need to learn about smooth vs. solid surface types and how to split surfaces to maintain hard edges.

*cough* thanks, but can you say a bit more? On the smooth vs solid are you talking about "set smooth" that then gets automagically smoothed if I choose "generate normals" in MI, or something different?

The "maintain hard edges" sounds like an extension of the former, if I want to have the edge of a door be evident in the finished model I have to put in a recessed groove otherwise it will get smoothed out?

Are these or ...???

So, its either 3000, 5000 or 7000 triangles, that part is clear, anyway.

[Kenners]

You're going to need to learn about smooth vs. solid surface types and how to split surfaces to maintain hard edges.

*cough* thanks, but can you say a bit more? On the smooth vs solid are you talking about "set smooth" that then gets automagically smoothed if I choose "generate normals" in MI, or something different?

Yes.

The "maintain hard edges" sounds like an extension of the former, if I want to have the edge of a door be evident in the finished model I have to put in a recessed groove otherwise it will get smoothed out?

Say there's an edge that runs along the middle of the car door. Select all the polys on the lower half of the door, then hit "y" and confiirm "split". That will leave the door with a definite edge... Get it? The body seams I think I'd do the same way..

K

[Pax-raider]

Say there's an edge that runs along the middle of the car door. Select all the polys on the lower half of the door, then hit "y" and confiirm "split". That will leave the door with a definite edge... Get it? The body seams I think I'd do the same way..

I guess I'm not fully getting it...
Wouldn't that make a hard edge through the middle of the door as well?

Just to confirm I get some of this, the point of the split is so the smoothing doesn't "cross" the split?

[Kenners]

Say there's an edge that runs along the middle of the car door. Select all the polys on the lower half of the door, then hit "y" and confiirm "split". That will leave the door with a definite edge... Get it? The body seams I think I'd do the same way..

I guess I'm not fully getting it...
Wouldn't that make a hard edge through the middle of the door as well?

Just to confirm I get some of this, the point of the split is so the smoothing doesn't "cross" the split?

That is exactly right.. I think of the "y" command as nothing more than a way to make a sharp edge.. Another example is using "y" to separate the polys in the wheel well from the body, so those weird shadows don't show up on the quarter panels...

K

[djpimley]

Just to confirm I get some of this, the point of the split is so the smoothing doesn't "cross" the split?

Yep. You want the body of the car to be smooth instead of lumpy and you have sensibly decided not to leave such an important task for Model Importer to puke all over, so you set smooth on the polys. But now you have a problem, because some edges (Kenners example of the edges of wheel arches is a good one) should not be smoothed, but should be sharp edges.

The split (Y) command in Blender was/is (?) the only way to do this. Wings is able to set certain edges to hard or smooth, but in Blender a polygon and all it's attached edges are either hard or smooth, period. Select a group of polygons that should form a single smooth surface with a hard edge (for example, the inside of the wheel arch) and hit the Y key. Those faces will now be split from the rest of the model - they are separated and if you move them you will see that the selection has been unstitched from the rest of the model. Although the selected faces have been separated, when MI imports the model it will merge any vertices sharing the same location, essentially restitching the model BUT preserving the hard edges. The process is a lot simpler than it seems from this explanation! ... except when you want floating hard edges (for example a hard edge inside a much larger smooth surface) in which case you will have to do a split and then merge certain verts by hand until you get the desired result.

EDIT: I can send you a Blender example to unpick if it helps. Oh, and don't model the door sills. That's what texturing is for.

[Pax-raider]

EDIT: I can send you a Blender example to unpick if it helps. Oh, and don't model the door sills. That's what texturing is for.

OK, its beginning to make sense, thanks. I think it might be very useful if you could send me an example, muchas gracias.

[Pax-raider]

I've got a near complete body model, but with some fiddly stuff to do like wing mirrors. I'm at ~2,000 triangles now, thinking I can get the rest of the body and interior done for a total of around 3,000. I'd like to do some tyres that look nice and smooth, would it be nuts to use up 500 triangles per tyre, with a texture using transparency for the rim? I tried a test tyre with 32 sides and it looks great, but it means I'm at about 500 to get it how I want. If this is a no-no for good gameplay then I might spend a few more triangles in the body.

Thanks for any advice...

[djpimley]

I think that's a reasonable number, certainly not an FPS killer. Opinion is divided on the benefits of alpha transparency vs. totally modelled wheels so don't ask about that!

[Pax-raider]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll be pushing this thing onto the tarmac soon and I'll have to face that byzantine thing known as a .car file.

[DonaemouS]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll be pushing this thing onto the tarmac soon and I'll have to face that byzantine thing known as a .car file.

Do u have the latest Tomte's physics .car configurator?

[Pax-raider]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll be pushing this thing onto the tarmac soon and I'll have to face that byzantine thing known as a .car file.

Do u have the latest Tomte's physics .car configurator?

I don't, is that the same as the thing Brook made? Just tried to find a link without success, can someone guide me to the right spot?

EDIT: never mind, I think I have it from the Volare thread. Hadn't bothered to read that until just now.

[DonaemouS]

EDIT: never mind, I think I have it from the Volare thread. Hadn't bothered to read that until just now.

yep, you find it. For any help, just ask me. I would happy to help you. This "application" must be used within the Brook's dotcar.

[Pax-raider]

EDIT: never mind, I think I have it from the Volare thread. Hadn't bothered to read that until just now.

yep, you find it. For any help, just ask me. I would happy to help you. This "application" must be used within the Brook's dotcar.

Thanks, I didn't grab that yet, and the link on the ASW forum points to a Legacy file that doesn't exist. Searching in the Legacy "others" page also shows nothing. Where is it?

EDIT: Anyone help me out with a link for Brooks .car editor?

[DonaemouS]

EDIT: Anyone help me out with a link for Brooks .car editor?

Sure,

Here the file.

[Pax-raider]

EDIT: Anyone help me out with a link for Brooks .car editor?

Sure,

Here the file.

Great, thanks. No doubt I'll be back for advice soon.

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