helmet as hair

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               Ok reading last 2 days tutorials and searching through vault give me answer that it almost impossible (at least nobody know how) to make phenotype models with dds/tga textures not PLT. But i need TGA copz i need alpha channel for hairstyle.

So i decided to make hair as helmet. Now i need export some helmet model, work with it and move to override. I find here ResRef of helmet here, but how to find it mdl? is it's name same as ResRef? 
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zwerkules]

               Helmets replace the whole head. So if you make a helmet that is only some kind of hair, you'll get the headless horseman or the invisible man with a wig.
I haven't tried this, but isn't it possible to make the hair as as separate mesh and link it to the head without it using the plt texture of the head?
You should ask Old Time Radio about this. I'm sure he knows a way to use TGAs as textures for body parts.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               

Zwerkules wrote...

Helmets replace the whole head. So if you make a helmet that is only some kind of hair, you'll get the headless horseman or the invisible man with a wig.
I haven't tried this, but isn't it possible to make the hair as as separate mesh and link it to the head without it using the plt texture of the head?
You should ask Old Time Radio about this. I'm sure he knows a way to use TGAs as textures for body parts.

Never heard of that. I read all Old Radio blogs but dont find anything in them, will try to PM him '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Head aligned VFX. But the hairstyle would have to be substantial enough to cover any hair that the PC head would already have.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               

henesua wrote...

Head aligned VFX. But the hairstyle would have to be substantial enough to cover any hair that the PC head would already have.

Damn my english.. Didnt understand at all what u said '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               He means VFX like these '>

Head Aligned VFX




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                     Modifié par Carcerian, 25 mai 2012 - 08:39 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               still cant understand '> for what i need it?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               VFX are one way to do it.

The problem with custom VFX hair is that standard heads already have hair, so unless you use a bald head, you must make hair large enough to cover existing hair on a head.

Notice how large the helmets are, for exactly that reason...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 25 mai 2012 - 09:03 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               hm.. And what if i will make custom head which hasnt hair, just face? will it work?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               A bald head and custom VFX hair is one possible route, yes '>

It is a lot of work, as you will need a seperate VFX for each race and gender.
Thats a total of 12 VFX Mdls scaled and positioned for each hairstyle.

Also, VFX must be scripted, on module enter, rest and death.

But if your end result is better than what is normally possible for hair it could be worth the effort..

Often the toughest part of a new project is getting the first example working, once you do making more of the same thing can be a lot easier one you have established your "workflow" '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 25 mai 2012 - 09:12 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               Wait wait wait.. For what i need VFX?

I making face, exporting it in game, than make helmet-hair - wearing it in-game, and playing '> for what i need VFX?

Or even more simple story - making 1-pixel head, and making helmet which looking like full head, no?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par GianniAgn, 25 mai 2012 - 09:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               About textures - is it has to be 512x512 or i can take more? 1024x1024 for example?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Carcerian]

               I think I have seen people use texture sizes above 512, but it is not recommended, as they can cause undue lag, and some video cards cant display them...

The Best Texture to use is a DDS, as it has different samples of an image, based on how close you are to the object.
TGAs still will work just fine in most cases, esp for development, but for a final package DDS are nice...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Carcerian, 25 mai 2012 - 09:25 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy__six]

               Why not to do hair helmets:

1. Helmets replace the entire head model when added, they cannot just 'add' to it. So the only option is a head-attached vfx, as helmet hair would result in you having hair but no face.

2. Objects in NWN can only use alpha for shinyness or transparency, not both. As helmets use PLT (not TGA, note, though there are a couple of tricks to get past this), and furthermore because they use shinyness to allow metal helmets, you could not make a helmet with alpha.

However you could use OTR's trick with emitters to add alpha'd hair onto the head model itself. But you'll have to look up OldTimeRadio's thread for that.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par _six, 25 mai 2012 - 09:30 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_GianniAgn]

               How hard its all:) why i just cant make helmet-head and use it '>

Yeah all i need to find that OTR thread..