Custom Content Challenge: May 2014: Technomancy

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               

<riding...>

 

Solved: To fake lightning (since I couldn't get either lightning nor explosion type emitters to work on a creature), I used a fountain with random cels of the fxpa_lightning2 sprite atlas. The problem was two-fold; aligning the long axis with the models and sizing it using the size x and size y parms of the emitter.

 

The short version: Use "Billboard to local z". Anything else will bounce bricks :-P

 

 

(Emitter count: 9 and rising ;-)

 

Now I can start animating it.

 

Anyone interested in writing a spell or two for those monster nodes? Something electrical or plasmic?

 

<...the storm>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shemsu-Heru]

               

Thought I'd start fairly simple, so here's an ectoplasmic containment vessel shown in NWN2 ('cause I haven't quite worked out how to port it yet)...

 

 

Is this suitable content?

 

You'ld need a MDB (NWN2 3d format) plugin to import it in your 3d modeling program; like "3ds Max MDB ImporterExporter" or "Blender MDB ImportExport Plugin".


Also you would need a MDL (NWN1 3d format) plugin, to export it, like neverblender or NWMax.


Yo have to be careful because NWN2 models are complex and have many faces. NWN1 engine can't manage the shadows of complex geometries. So you would have to remove shadows from your model. reducing the number of faces from your model by your own, or create a liked simple version of your model, just for shadows....

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               

Anyone interested in writing a spell or two for those monster nodes? Something electrical or plasmic?

okay, I have some idea, but will need to have the creature in hands

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

Yo have to be careful because NWN2 models are complex and have many faces. NWN1 engine can't manage the shadows of complex geometries. So you would have to remove shadows from your model. reducing the number of faces from your model by your own, or create a liked simple version of your model, just for shadows....

 

Thanks. It has just over 900 faces, so hopefully it's not too bad. But I can always decimate it if necessary.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               

<smothers...>

 

I think the Crone had about 5,000 faces...

Somehow I don't think you'll need to decimate :-)

Might need some skull-trickery with the glass and viscous fluid inside... ;-)

Something like what I did on the Homonculus Bottle?

 

<...some giggles>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

Might need some skull-trickery with the glass and viscous fluid inside... ;-)

 

Gah. Well I hadn't planned anything too fancy with the goo. I do have the specularity turned up to 80%, but it's not showing up much, alas. I wanted a shiny glass look, but perhaps I need to burn it into the texture?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <bottling his...>

Nah :-)

We'll help you get it sorted.

Make the glass mesh a separate element of the model and make the cylinder of goo a separate placeable model with an interesting goo texture :-) put a plain white texture with about 20% alpha channel on it on the glass.


I'll walk you through the rest when I'm not on this tiny phone :-P


<...brew>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

First I'll need to modify the export script so I can activate the 8-bit alpha on individual parts. Be back when its ready...

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ia.Pepper]

               

 Seeing the topic of this challenge, I can't resist pitching in a little bit. I am currently working on some magical tech-wings, they are still in a rather primitive stage. I will post images when they are more finished.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ia.Pepper]

               

It's time for me to take a little break, but I got the techno-magic wings to a suitable state for displaying here. Still highly unfinished. They look Tronesque, just a tad, but I promise that won't last once I jump to work again.

 

 

I am considering adding some crystals, runic symbols, or just some shiny emitters in place of the glowy bits you see. My plan is just to give it a much more techno-magic look, and not just techy.  Hope you like what becomes of it so far.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

<bottling his...>

Nah :-)

We'll help you get it sorted.

Make the glass mesh a separate element of the model and make the cylinder of goo a separate placeable model with an interesting goo texture :-) put a plain white texture with about 20% alpha channel on it on the glass.


I'll walk you through the rest when I'm not on this tiny phone :-P


<...brew>

 

8-bit alpha only seems to work with .sef files in NWN2. I tried setting the alpha blend flag on a glass textures, but the functionality doesn't seem to be implemented. So, other than to find some better textures, at this point I'm probably not going to spend much more time on this model because I'd like to work on another. Thank you for your advise. '>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               

<practicing the zen art...>

 

By all means work on another model :-)

 

But don't give up on this one, either :-P Get as much done as you can and pass it along.

 

Getting the glass working right is tricky.

There are several keys to getting it to work in NwN1:

1. The placeable has to be classified as "Tile" type and the glass mesh linked to an 'a' node parent.

   
2. The mesh itself must have an alpha (or "opacity") setting, preferably pretty low (transparent) like around 0.4 or 0.5. This lets us see through the glass, but does nothing for reflection.

   
3. A very bland, all white (or light-colored) texture with an alpha layer. The stronger the alpha, the stronger the reflection. This has to be juggled with the alpha of the *mesh*. Too much alpha on the mesh and you don't see the reflection. Too little alpha on the mesh and you don't see through it :-P

   
4. Create a ".txi" file with the same name as the glass texture that names the reflection map with "envmaptexture myenvmapname" (I highly recommend dlag__ref01)

   
5. Specify the reflection map in the placeables.2da as well (used for non-static placeables).

 

In fact, here is the txi I used for my bottle:

# Specify an environment map for static geometry.
# Dynamic geometry uses the environment map provided on
# the model.
#
# Default is no environment map

envmaptexture dlag__ref01

downsamplemin 0
downsamplemax 2

alphamean 0.5

All of these things you can do after the mdl is exported and in ascii format, so it really shouldn't be a blender issue :-P

 

For the goo, I'd make that a separate placeable without a pwk. I'd probably give it an "Arturo" procedural txi and I'd even add a nice, slow bubble emitter to indicate viscosity and... er, liveliness :-). Being a separate placeable would allow adjusting the z of the liquid via script so the containment vessel might be full, half-full or barely full. :-) (depending on how much wiggle-room the end caps give :-P

 

Edit: Here is the txi I used for the Aquavitae

bumpyshinytexture ttr01__env
bumpmaptexture shinywater
#envmaptexture tno01__wtenv03

proceduretype arturo
channelscale 4
0
0
0
0

channeltranslate 4
0
0
1
0.5

distort 1
arturowidth 32
arturoheight 32
distortionamplitude 3
speed 5

defaultheight 64
defaultwidth 64

downsamplemin 0
downsamplemax 2

alphamean 0.5

 

I really think a good glass texture and a eerie/disgusting goo would make your containment vessel "Pop" (er, hopefully only figuratively :-)

 

<...of being as clear as mud>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

Technomancy? Rocket-propelled flying broomstick with a kitty sidecar... '>

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_PLUSH HYENA of DOOM]

               

Awww, Fester Pot thought of me. That's nice...

 

Hm... And it IS borderline Undead Animal...

 

With only a few hours online time per month these days, through someone else's limited broadband, I don't have the time to figure out why the hell I can't post images or links or anything to posts on this weird new BioWare site. Just keep getting incomprehensible rubbish about "no anchorpoints", whatever those are. HELP!

This leaves me feeling a bit cut off and unable to fully and properly participate in the CCC. I wanted to do much more for the "Crypts..." month but the image difficulties put me off. (I'm glad the madness of Dark Sun happened before the site went upside-down.

 

But it IS borderline Undead Animal...

 

And I am doing a Cyborg Giant Rat in gmax at the moment anyway...

OK, I'll see about doing a Weird Technomantic Cyborg Undead Animal Thing for this month which may, or may not, look a bit like Fester Pot's picture. A bit.

 

Because it IS borderline Undead Animal and I have a certain reputation to maintain...

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

Is the icon panel above the input area active? Or do you have it set to raw text mode? If there is a little down arrow to the right above the input box, try clicking on that. You should then be able to click on the picture icon on the lower row and then enter the URL of your graphic.