Create units with OpenFX

[TheMorpheus]

You could only import models in 3ds format, but there are some tools to convert a lwo model into 3ds format.
But I don't know if there is a good freeware tool available.

 

[Kenta'arka]

Tnx for that nice tutorial, I used your template (was too laze to setup 8 cameras and targets ) and a dadalus class spaceship model. But for some reason it faces the wrong direction, how do I rotate it to the right direction?

 

[TheMorpheus]

You have to rotate the model in the designer or in the animator.
Another way is the change the settings of the rotation dialog of your animation and to roll in another direction, but I think its better to rotate the model.

 

[Kenta'arka]

actually I wanted to know how to rotate it in animator, I know I can't rotate the gif
But I found the rotate button already, tnx anyway

 

[Golden_Dragon]

Is anyone familiar with 3D Canvas Pro? I DL the freeware edition but the pro edition which is only 70 bucks imports and exports in 3ds, as well as autocad and much more. Is it a worthwile program?

 

[Kenta'arka]

hmm, i rotated it, but the problem stays, the ships swings in the wrong way, instead of to the side, it swings to the front...

EDIT: I think I figured that out, used up/down instead of bank...But another Problem: The Background of the rendered gif files got no plain magenta background. Infacht it's some kind of magenta, but darker, and with a few even darker parts on top of the image...

 

[TheMorpheus]

Load the model in the designer and rotate, that the views are correct with "TOP", "REAR" and "SIDE", then it should work.

 

[MarineCorps]

Originally posted by TheMorpheus
You could only import models in 3ds format, but there are some tools to convert a lwo model into 3ds format.
But I don't know if there is a good freeware tool available.

If there is I will find it To bad about not using lightwave models. Now I either need to find a converter, shell out $80 dollars for Bryce, or find a bunch of 3ds models for B5. None are preferred above the other.

 

[TheMorpheus]

I hope you will someone

 

[Kenta'arka]

Still got the same Problem, after rendering the Default aniamtion I tried to paste the pics into the Storyboard. But the packground isn't just magenta, in fact it's 5 (or more) different kinds of magenta. Do I need to fix the background of every frame in every direction by hand? Thats just for the default anim 160 Frames, drives me crazy when I think about it

 

[Mobzilla]

This sounds just like the problem that I am having in this thread:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82766&perpage=20&pagenumber=2

 

[Tzar Sasha]

Ok Morpheous. I've downloaded and have attempted to create something. First, let me say that I'm glad you provided the template with all the lights and cameras. I didn't have the patience to do all that stuff.

I've created a 3d model in the designer. I don't know where to get pre-existing 3d models at. I figured out how to apply color, texture and maps to the model. (It is no longer a gray blob, but a colored one with designs and texture ) I put it into animator according to directions. I found out how to rotate a single model to face all 8 cameras. Maybe I can do this.

Here is my question. How do you rotate two models (i.e. multi unit) so that they are spaced the same but facing different cameras? If I rotate individually they will face the cameras but stay where they are causing them to go from side by side to front and back. I'm sure it has something to do with the move command, but I'm not that good with spatial judgement...

Here is an image of my multi unit that I want to rotate.

 

[Tzar Sasha]

Originally posted by Kenta'arka
Still got the same Problem, after rendering the Default aniamtion I tried to paste the pics into the Storyboard. But the packground isn't just magenta, in fact it's 5 (or more) different kinds of magenta. Do I need to fix the background of every frame in every direction by hand? Thats just for the default anim 160 Frames, drives me crazy when I think about it

Kenta'arka,
I am going to guess that you are rendering your model straight into gif or bmp format as that is an option. I've done that and gotten the same results as you. So I tried something else. I rendered into a Flic then used th flic to gif that came with OpenFX to write the stills. There is no problem with the magenta background using this method. Plus you get all of your frames in one render and copied into stills in one write. Then it's a matter of cut and pasting into your storyboard from flicster.

 

[Kenta'arka]

I think i rendered it as flc one time, and the effect was even more different magenta colors...
However, I render all frames as single bmps, because it's much easier to use SBB to create the storyboard then cutting and pasting every single frame on my own. Additional I realised I can remove all wrong magenta colors at once with Corel Photo Paint, so it's really work of 10 minutes after rendering the unit to do the flc

 

[Mobzilla]

yes, this is why I was exporting to bmp files too, so I could use SBB. it is a real headache to cut, paste and center each unit manually.

isnt there a way to get openFX to export to bmp or gif without the different shades of magenta?

 

[Mobzilla]

Sorry Kenta'arka, I didn't see the part you wrote about fixing the different shades of magenta in Corel Paint. I use Paint Shop Pro 8, and I can't find a way to fix it easily (only manually which takes forever).

I'm working on my first unit, and all the 3D stuff went through like a peice of cake (thanks TheMorpheus!), but now getting the output to an Civ3 flc file is giving me all kinds of trouble.

 

[Kenta'arka]

Isn't there an "replace color" option in Paint Shop? I think you should look for it, even windows MS Paint got a replace color brush.

 

[TheMorpheus]

Nice work Tzar Sasha

To render the animation with another camera just select the camera and press 'C' so you could render the animation for the 8 directions without rotation the models.

The shadows of magenta are produced by the anti aliasing, you could setup the settings in the render dialog. I'm using the magenta shadows as CIV shadows for a better look of the unit.

 

[Tzar Sasha]

Thanks for the tip Morpheous, however it only caused the same problem with two models. But with one model it works fine.

Question related to rendering/exporting:

If I change the image size to 240x240 instead of 320x240 will that affect the size of the model and/or apperance of the model? Or will it only put the model on that size background?

I ask because I can render individually to GIF & BMP or as a whole to FLC, to be converted to GIF. In either case, the resultant images could be converted to PCX and saved over pre-existing 240x240 PCX cells from Flicster. That would elimate my need to copy and paste into the storyboard.

Even better, do you know of a program that can with a single command convert multiple images from GIF or BMP to PCX using the same palette?

I'll take all the time saving help and tips I can get. Because 160 frames to individually render to BMP or GIF and convert to PCX while applying the correct palette is very time consuming. Not to mention copying each image into the correct frame on the storyboard.

 

[TheMorpheus]

If you change the image size, the result is, hmmmm, bad. I don't know why, but it only works with the original image size, you have to crop the rest of the background with the paint tool.
That's a lot of work, but I have no solution for the moment, perhaps someone has a better idea. I hope so