Possible to create 3D leaderheads yet?

[Putmalk]

Title says it all, really. Has anyone ever been able to crack the code on creating a custom 3D leaderhead yet - or more importantly - has anyone actually tried yet?

 

[Androrc the Orc]

Title says it all, really. Has anyone ever been able to crack the code on creating a custom 3D leaderhead yet - or more importantly - has anyone actually tried yet?

I took a look at it - and it seems that it should be possible. The model file format is the same as units and etc., but there is one important issue - the textures are not exactly in the same format. So the easiest way to experiment with creating custom 3D leaderheads - retexturing existing ones - is unfortunately not possible, at least until someone finds a way to meddle with the textures.

 

[Putmalk]

Okay. I feel like nobody has tried to do this since 2010. Maybe if we can raise some awareness, some soul will attempt to do it and *gasp* succeed.

 

[DonQuiche]

Hello.

I suggest you provide more details on the problem, probably include attach a texture here under png in order to illustrate it (or, if not possible because the original file is not readable by any software, a zipped copy). Most of us have no idea of what you are talking about. If I understand you correctly, this is a coder's work and coders love to solve mathematical, logical or computer sciences problems. But not other people's practical problems.

Provide details and you may attract someone. Maybe me, who knows...

 

[Putmalk]

DonQuiche I am merely asking if anyone has looked into being able to model and animate custom 3D leaderheads that would work in game. 3D leaderheads that would function the same as all base leaderheads (not static images) already present in the game. I don't have technical details so I can't actually provide a specific problem...I just wanted to know if the concept was possible and if anyone was looking into it. >.>

I'll just link the original 2010 thread which they attempted to model and animate leaderheads but left.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=385851#LatestDevelopment

Some of the images aren't working properly, but that's pretty much what I'm getting at.

 

[DonQuiche]

Well, ok, sorry, I think I am not going to read and understand and summarize 248 posts of 3D artists' talk (as much as I wanted to add my own comment regarding Boudicca's breasts symmetry).
Isn't it "just" a problem of file formats conversion?

 

[Androrc the Orc]

Hello.

I suggest you provide more details on the problem, probably include attach a texture here under png in order to illustrate it (or, if not possible because the original file is not readable by any software, a zipped copy). Most of us have no idea of what you are talking about. If I understand you correctly, this is a coder's work and coders love to solve mathematical, logical or computer sciences problems. But not other people's practical problems.

Provide details and you may attract someone. Maybe me, who knows...

The issue is that although leader models make use of .dds files as their textures, files aren't normal .dds files... but rather, they have a .fic counterpart, and neither file seems to be readable. Here's an example: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1732902/Civilization V/catherine_body.rar

I'm guessing that the .fic file contains most of the actual texture information, complementing the .dds, and that the .dds and the .fic should be opened together somehow.

 

[DonQuiche]

Thank you Androrc, it makes sense now.
Since FIC did return no result in Google, I wondered what it could stand for. "Firaxis image compression"? Gotcha! Here is a research paper from a visitor researcher at Firaxis : Variable bit rate GPU texture decompression.

Maybe we can find a source code from those authors. At worst, the paper provides enough information to remove most of the guessing task. Maybe I will give it a try.

 

[Jabberwockxeno]

Couldn't we just animate and render it, then have each animation to play in a simple "If - then" form?

Like, If AI is hostile, play video A1, if hostile and asks for trade that isn't acceptable, play A2...

 

[bernie14]

as an artist, and with all due respect to Boudicca's breasts , i think the main hangup is in rigging and animation.....the meshes can be imported into blender (and probly into 3dmax as easily), sculpted and textured (as demonstrated by the bismark mesh below, with a clinton texture...looks a little like glen beck )

but these meshes have no bones, no assigned vertices....so how do we get them onto the proper skeletons?

 

[Jabberwockxeno]

as an artist, and with all due respect to Boudicca's breasts , i think the main hangup is in rigging and animation.....the meshes can be imported into blender (and probly into 3dmax as easily), sculpted and textured (as demonstrated by the bismark mesh below, with a clinton texture...looks a little like glen beck )

IMAGE SNIPPED


but these meshes have no bones, no assigned vertices....so how do we get them onto the proper skeletons?

We do it by hand, and set up the rig the old fashioned, pain in the BLEEP way?