Swamper's Garage

[Swamper77]

Welcome to my garage. Here, you will see some of my works in progress. Most of my work is automata conversion, where I take a detailed model and simplify it for use in SC4. Occassionally, I will create new vehicles that are not conversions. So without further delay, here's what I have in the garage right now:


The car has a custom headlight model as well. The logo on the hood is a separate image. The fire chief's car is done, but I can't seem to get the UDI mission script to work at all. I'm thinking of discarding the UDI script and just having it as an additional vehicle that is just simply driveable by the player. The current scripting routines for it are set to spawn 1 fire chief's car per fire station, Maxis or custom made ones. The UDI script is a separate file that I will probably discard, since many people don't use the UDI mode anyways.


This is my current project, a rescue truck. The vehicle modeling is complete and ready for exporting. The bumpers and the front fenders are 3D, meaning they actually have a shape to them and aren't just clever UV mappings. It still needs a hedlight model for nighttime driving and a model for the flashing lights/light bar.
The fun part will be creating the frames of the animation for the flashing lights. The lights on the rear box and the bumpers will flash slowly (pulse) while the light bar will have spinning lights. Once all the frames are created and exported, then I will compile them in the Reader and start the modding of the vehicle so it will be functional.
Now a few notes regarding the automata conversions:

1. I know the colors don't match Ripptide's prop models exactly. He creates them in 3DSMax and sends me the .3DS models, which I use in GMAX.
2. The models won't match Ripptide's exactly because I have to simplify the models for automata purposes.
3. A lot of detail is lost when models are converted to automata. To make the skins, I take several screen captures of the models Ripptide sends me and compile them in Photoshop CS/Corel Draw 12. The screen captures I take are 1024x768, but I only use parts of these large images. The compiled graphics are then UV Mapped to my simplified versions of Ripptide's models. The final skins are 128x128 or 256x256 images.
4. It can take up to a month or more to finish one vehicle. The process is very time consuming and I have school and other tasks to take care of.
5. This is not a request thread. All requests made in this thread will be ignored. I don't want to seem rude, but I have enough to do as it is, both in the real world, SC4, and in my personal life.
6. I will take questions about the vehicles and answer them the best I can.
7. Feel free to ask questions and make comments about my work. If you need to post pics to explain something that needs to be changed on my models, go ahead and do so.

-Swamper77 (Jan)

[jeronij]

Hi Jan , nice to see you here opening this showcase 

I never played with automata skinning, and I have to say you need  a special character to deal with it 

[Swamper77]

You just need to be patient and have an eye for detail. Having knowledge of UV mapping helps as well. I build all my automata models in GMAX and then export them via a particular process that I use.
After working for several hours today, I finally got the animation for the flashing lights done:

The animation is faster ingame. There is a total of 24 frames running at 30 FPS in the game when the lights are triggered on the truck, in UDI or if it gets dispatched. It is ready for release, but I want to convert a few more models to automata first. I'd like to have a set for release.

-Swamper77 (Jan)

[sebes]

Very good result. Thank you for making me realize that this a very time consuming art. It must also be very frustrating that details where you spent so much time on get lost in the transfer. Thus thanks for making them and showing them here    and 

[jeronij]

You just need to be patient and have an eye for detail. Having knowledge of UV mapping helps as well. I build all my automata models in GMAX and then export them via a particular process that I use.

That is what I meant when I said "special character" 

I was wondering...how big can an automata model be ?¿. For me the biggers are ships. Is this OK?¡
Also, do you have some suggestion about how to create extra working planes ?¿. Fukuda told me he has been able to make some, but he was not very explicit when it came to explain how he did it 
I mean working planes 

[Swamper77]

@Sebes: Just for reference, I did not make the base models that I do the automata conversions of. Ripptide made the detailed models in 3DSMax and sent me the .3DS files of his vehicle models. So the only modeling I have done is the creation of the automata models, not the actual detailed models that are in his prop pack of emergency vehicles.

When I start an automata conversion, I remove various extra objects such as mirrors, interiors, and small objects that won't be seen in the final model. I also lose details when I take several screenshots and compile them into a skin image, so I'm used to losing detail.
@Jeronij: There really isn't a size limit to automata. The UFO mother ship is huge, but it is also controlled via the game's Effects Directory. The largest automata I have seen is mainly the cargo and cruise ships.

Extra working planes are easy to make, but they won't appear parked at the airports or landing/taking off from the runways. Those planes are controlled by the game's Effects Directory, and I have no idea how to access that and make edits. The ones Fukuda has mentioned are probably just additional planes that fly around the city, the ones that don't actually touch the ground. These ones can be done and are just extra planes, just like the extra road vehicles I make. If Fukuda has figured out how to get into Effects Directory easily, I'd like to know too.
The batch of vehicles when released will likely be American styled vehicles. I'm still looking through my collection of 3DS models to see what I have.

-Jan

[vester]

This looks really cool. 

[Swamper77]

I found another model in my collection of Ripptide's models to convert:


The base model that Ripptide sent me


After my cleanup of the model


The form for the automata model

Currently, I am building the skin and getting ready to do the UV mapping onto the automata form. This one should be a bit quicker to finish because it is very similar to the other rescue unit, so I can borrow parts from the other rescue truck to speed up the process.

-Jan

[Swamper77]

Rescue Unit 1 is now done:



I have also completed the flashing lights animated model for it, but I did not feel like compiling an animation for it. I'm also working on another fire unit, this new one is based off of a Dodge Ram pickup truck. I'll get pictures of it later....It's 2:45 am PST as I am writing this post.

-Jan

[Serkanner]

Looking great Swamper ... 

I know this isn't a request topic, but have you ever thought of making an "animal rescue" vehicle? That is a civilian type we don't have yet in the game.

[bat]

Wonderful cars you have designed there!

[Swamper77]

Looking great Swamper ... 

I know this isn't a request topic, but have you ever thought of making an "animal rescue" vehicle? That is a civilian type we don't have yet in the game.

I'll think about it after I am done with the collection of American fire units. The only problem is that there currently isn't any animal shelter type building/lots for the game

-Jan

[Serkanner]

I'll think about it after I am done with the collection of American fire units. The only problem is that there currently isn't any animal shelter type building/lots for the game

-Jan

... will see if I can convince one of the great Batters around here to make a pet shelter for us ... and or have to build one myself, but that will take at least a year as I can not BAT even if my life depended on it.

[jacqulina]

awesome work you have done the detail is amazing

[Swamper77]

As promised, here are the pics of the small fire unit so far:



These are before the exporting

Finished and ingame:


The flashing light model is also done for this model.
While I was browsing my hard drive, I realized I never took any pictures of the Fire Chief's car I did awhile back. So here they are:



These will be released with the pack of American fire units that I am assembling. There are two units left for me to do, and then I will start packaging them, getting the readme together, etc. There will also be a replacement version of the small fire unit, for those that prefer to play in rural/mountain environments.

-Jan

[Colyn]

Great stuff ... I will wait patiently

[Adept2Rock]

Your creations are beautiful!!!!I want to ask you...Can you create french car police, fire, ambulance????Thank you very much!!!

[Swamper77]

@Adept2Rock: I do have some European emergency vehicle models that Ripptide sent me awhile back. I'm considering doing them after I finish this collection of American emergency vehicles.

The vehicle I have been working on in my spare time is similar to one of the rescue units I did earlier:

This particular unit is a pumper truck with a lightbar in the front and rotating lights at the back. I need to finish checking the UV mapping and then compile the animation for the flashing lights. I don't have any development pics because I didn't take any. I borrowed the cab from a previous project and then worked from there with the detailed model that Ripptide gave me. It was a simple job for the modeling of the automata model, but the UV mapping was a bit of a nightmare.

Before I release the pack of American emergency vehicles, I need to go through my files and clean up the images for the skins. Many of them are blurred because I had to resize the images before I started UV mapping the automata models. It will be awhile before I can release these American emergency vehicles

-Jan

[Adept2Rock]

Ok, Do you want some pictures???I can find that!
Thank you swamper!
Your US collection are very very beautiful!What a pity because i build French city, but if i build US cities i will in use!
PS:I hope you understand my English, because, it's not very good, i think!

[Adriano57]

Very good job Swamper !!! 

"Your English is not bad Adept2Rock ! lol"