actual modifications of buildings possible, with Blender and Niftools!

[vbraun]

yes, except (at least from what I've heard) it will allow customization of all aspects of the game except the graphics engine and network code. This would suggest that it would provide some means of editing models, either through a plugin or a utility.

3d models is a graphic engine thing, so the SDK will most likely not do any such thing. Infact I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the SDK will not give anything like that.

This is probably going to be the only way to add models.

 

[Kael]

I got it to work!

My model was just a little bit simpler, and I overestimated how small it would be. Also you never mentioned you had to join the Yahoo Group and download that file.

AHHHH!!!! The borg are invading Civ!

 

[Déja]

3d models is a graphic engine thing, so the SDK will most likely not do any such thing. Infact I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the SDK will not give anything like that.

This is probably going to be the only way to add models.

Then the SDK will not allow the creation of new units (only the reskinning) which would be a horrible mistake on the part of Firaxis. I HIGHLY doubt they would make so foolish a move as to provide tools to modify virtually every aspect of the game except the 3D models. I, personally, give Firaxis more credit than to do something as idiotic as that.

 

[vbraun]

Neomega, Could you post a screen shot of your materials/textures panels from the model you show in your screenshot? My textures always come out really really bright.

 

[A Silly Goose]

I've got to say, it's got me real excited that a way of putting in new buildings has been figured out. Once the terrain contours and stuff are figured out, it'll only be a matter of time before we see things like valleys and undersea volcanoes on smaller scale mods, and really cool stuff like space mods that make sweeping changes, with various clusters of stars as base terrains, nebulae and asteroid belts as forests and hills, black holes as mountains, and so on.


As for if any graphics tools will be released with the SDK, I imagine Firaxis will most likely supply a simple (as possible) tool for converting files to NIF 20.0.0.4 explicitly.

 

[AngryPants]

Then the SDK will not allow the creation of new units (only the reskinning) which would be a horrible mistake on the part of Firaxis. I HIGHLY doubt they would make so foolish a move as to provide tools to modify virtually every aspect of the game except the 3D models. I, personally, give Firaxis more credit than to do something as idiotic as that.

I agree, Firaxis is not capable of such stupidity. At least I hope not, such an error might ruin everything. That horrendous kind of mistake would be Sid Meier's "the little black girl ninja-kicks that velociraptor in Jurassic Park 2, thus ruining everything" moment.

 

[vbraun]

I'm curious. What software would Firaxis make the converter/plugin for?

 

[Déja]

I imagine it'll either be a stand-alone converter or a plugin for one or more of the three "main" 3D modeling programs:

3DSM, Maya and possibly Blender (simply based on their use of Python and apparent support for open-sourceness)

The simple fact is that firaxis employees do monitor these boards. Anyone who so much as glances at these boards will know that the single most anticipated feature is the ability to add new models. It would be Civ Modding suicide NOT to release SOME method of adding new models, and Firaxis knows this. If Firaxis releases an SDK without new model support in one form or another, I can guarentee the modding community will lose a large proportion of the population (some frustrated by the lack of model capability, others turned off by the idiocy of Firaxis, and still others by the apparent misleading statements made about the SDK)

 

[vbraun]

3DSM, Maya and possibly Blender (simply based on their use of Python and apparent support for open-sourceness)

There is already a plugin for 3dsmax and Maya. And the plugin for Blender is what you see here.

I highly doubt Firaxis would make a plugin for Blender, just because they probably have no experiance with the .blend file. Sure they could learn, but it would probably be to much work.

I agree, it would be stupid for Firaxis not to come up with some way to get models in game, but getting that tool out the same time as the SDK? Thats probably not going to happen (though I am hoping for it).

 

[Déja]

there are plugins for Maya that export v20 NIFs?

 

[vbraun]

They don't have to be v20 to be in game. 10 would be good enough I think. Heck the ones you see in this thread are 4.2.2.0, its just the animation that might be a problem...

 

[Déja]

right, but the question still stands... there's a plugin for Maya that'll let you create models/animations that could be used for CivIV units?

 

[AngryPants]

The simple fact is that firaxis employees do monitor these boards. Anyone who so much as glances at these boards will know that the single most anticipated feature is the ability to add new models. It would be Civ Modding suicide NOT to release SOME method of adding new models, and Firaxis knows this. If Firaxis releases an SDK without new model support in one form or another, I can guarentee the modding community will lose a large proportion of the population (some frustrated by the lack of model capability, others turned off by the idiocy of Firaxis, and still others by the apparent misleading statements made about the SDK)

Unfortunately, the fact that a company's employees monitor the boards doesn't guarantee not-dumber-than-a-drunk-monkey-bashing-it's-own-head-with-a-brick decisions about their product. I offer you Star Wars Galaxies as proof. It would be very wise/cool of Firaxis to say something on these boards before we all work ourselves up into a tizzy. Since the SDK is scheduled for late January or Early February, this means that hopefully its reasonably close to done. So Firaxis knows what, if any, model-making/importing capability the SDK will possess. Now might be a good time for that information to be shared.

 

[Neomega]

Neomega, Could you post a screen shot of your materials/textures panels from the model you show in your screenshot? My textures always come out really really bright.

I think it may be the ambient color getting exported with the texture.....

under the world tab, my zenith and horizon colors are 0.42 0.42 0.42 gray, and mine is really dark. See if yours is 0 0 0 white, if so, then that's probably the problem. I haven't experimented with the tools since I posted this thread. My ambient is 0 0 0... but as you can see, the material recieves .5 of it... not sure right now why mine is so dark, and your is so washed out.

RE: SDK

I think, Firaxis may not be allowed to release any tools, under the contract they have with Gamebryo. I also do not believe there are any plugins for .nif tools unless you buy the gamebryo engine. There is very little information about .nif tools on the net, and what information I could find said gamebryo is pretty proprietary about them. This is not uncommon for th eindustry, and the only attemtp ever at bridging modders, games and 3d software was gmax, for 3ds max, which was cancelled.

That means open source may be the only hope. And right now, there are no max tools, but niftools also has a maya exporter, allthough it is not as advanced as the Blender exporter.

I really would not consider this "hackery", since it can't get much simpler than a 3d program and an export script. (except maybe if blender supported .dds files, so its 3d program, export script, and dds convertor).

 

[The Great Apple]

RE: SDK

I think, Firaxis may not be allowed to release any tools, under the contract they have with Gamebryo. I also do not believe there are any plugins for .nif tools unless you buy the gamebryo engine. There is very little information about .nif tools on the net, and what information I could find said gamebryo is pretty proprietary about them. This is not uncommon for th eindustry, and the only attemtp ever at bridging modders, games and 3d software was gmax, for 3ds max, which was cancelled.

That means open source may be the only hope. And right now, there are no max tools, but niftools also has a maya exporter, allthough it is not as advanced as the Blender exporter.

I really would not consider this "hackery", since it can't get much simpler than a 3d program and an export script. (except maybe if blender supported .dds files, so its 3d program, export script, and dds convertor).

With the implementation of 3D graphics, it becomes more complicated for modders to work on the graphics. The tools are really more difficult to handle, however, we plan to release some 3D plug-in tools that let modders work on Civ IV graphics in the next months. But we also want to help people by teaching them step by step how to handle these tools, like there is on Apolyton and Civfanatics. It will be definitely possible to design new graphics in the future...

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=143101&page=2

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/articles/SidSorenInParis.php

I'm pleased to say that I'm pretty sure you're wrong. This was said in November.

 

[Neomega]

OK... well then ignore this thread, and wait for the SDK. I can't wait, myself.

 

[The Great Apple]

OK... well then ignore this thread, and wait for the SDK. I can't wait, myself.

Fair enough - I see no reason to wait either, the sooner the better.

Also, I think the tools will only be for Max (I seem to remember it being mentioned somewhere).

 

[Déja]

Please tell me that Firaxis had nothing to do with Star Wars Galaxies... I thought that was just Lucas Arts (which is stupid enough to do the aforementioned idiocies)

 

[vbraun]

I think it may be the ambient color getting exported with the texture.....

under the world tab, my zenith and horizon colors are 0.42 0.42 0.42 gray, and mine is really dark. See if yours is 0 0 0 white, if so, then that's probably the problem. I haven't experimented with the tools since I posted this thread. My ambient is 0 0 0... but as you can see, the material recieves .5 of it... not sure right now why mine is so dark, and your is so washed out.

I tried everything, then I noticed your Spec slider is all the way down. I did the same and it works!

The texture is suppose to be that dark.

 

[WildWeazel]

Also, I think the tools will only be for Max (I seem to remember it being mentioned somewhere).

from the release chat:

Gaias: What kind of 3d application whould be used for unit creation?

SorenJohnson: Studio Max

http://www.civfanatics.com/chat/civ4releasechat_firaxis_QA.php