What"s Your 3d Unit Technique?

Neomega

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Feb 9, 2002
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I am curious as to how other people are creating units from 3d modeling programs...... so I was just thinking maybe this could be a forum for people interested to come and read synopsis' of how units makers make their units.

Id like for it to be brief, and fairly un technical...... I am also curious if there is an easier way to do it.
 
1. create the model in Rhinoceros 3d
2. move the model's parts slightly, render in 8 directions, screen capture with Paint Shop Pro.
3. Repeat step 2 throughout the entire animation.
4. Once I have all the steps of the animation rendered out in 8 directions, it's the tedious task of cutting and pasting to the story board created by flicster.
5. If needed add special effects by hand in Paint Shop Pro.

then BAM! new unit.

I read alot of people use animation shop, or skeletons, so if anybody has a simpler way of creating units from 3d models, please enlighten me..... thanx.
 
1. Create the model in 3D Studio Max.
2. Create a animation going through all actions, from Defalut to Death.
3. Render each action in each direction (Rotating the camera) to BMP.
4. Change a FLICster storyboard PCX to BMP, cut and paste in Paint.
5. Fix any problems and Sign it in Paint Shop Pro/PhotoShop.

Done.

More detales in my Tutorial.
 
Well I have exactly the same technique as Neomega since I've been using the same tools !
I just don't screen capture with Paint Shop Pro but I render and save each frame. Same result.

But we seem to have a big additionnal job in doing animations step by step. I don't know if there is a program made for animating 3d models. Do anybody know one ?

I can also add the booooring job of checking the main colors of the unit and customize an existing palette to fit with. That's a big waste of time.
 
I started using a program called OpenFX. It works just like 3d studio max and produces great results. Best of all it's FREEE.

sorry i dont know the url but i think you can get it at downloads.com
 
Well, I use Cinema4d as 3d package.

1. create the model
2. I create another file for every unit anim
3. render a certain anim in all directions, saving single frames as bmp for Steph´s SBB
4. use SBB to create a 24bit bmp storyboard
5. create a storyboard in the neccessary size with flicster
6. load this storyboard into Photoshop, here I set up a palette that gives the best results to convert the 24bit SBB storyboard into 8bit incl. civ colors, shadows etc.
7. paste the 24bit SBB storyboard directly in the flicster 8bit storyboard - colors are adapted automatically

Done.

Sometimes I optimize things or add explosions manually in Photoshop or Photopaint.
 
Well... (what a wacky way to start a post ;) )
I use pov-ray 3.1

1. I create a model with that program.
2. I create an individual file with desired animation sequence for every type of animation I'm going to make (default, fidget, run, fortify, attack, victory, death...)
3. I render the animations in all directions (the default output file type for pov-ray is *.bmp)
4. I use Pedit (palette editor) to create a desired palette from one of the frames.
5. I use SBB to create storyboard.
6. I create a desired flc with flicster and export it.
7. I use photoshop 5 to apply the palette I made to the storyboard -> save as PCX
8. Flicster takes care of the rest.
 
If anyone's looking for 3d programs there is a whole bunch here
 
There is even a program that makes a 3d model out of a scanned picture
 
And does anyone perhaps know a decent 3d programm tutorial, preferably Studio Max.
Those tutorials I find on the web on how to make a glass chesspawn don't really help understand the programm one bit.
I should really need one from the start ...
 
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