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** Tutorial ** - Making a new ship from scratch

Here you can discuss building custom ships, texturing and 3D modeling in Freelancer

Post Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:44 am

Interesting, I can save with underscores...
Check your .mat file for any errors. Try naming the tga file the same as the texture name. If nothing works, texture your ship in milkshape.

Post Mon Sep 01, 2003 9:37 pm

did u make the tutorial? when u do can u send ti to me please [email protected] thanx

Mess With the Best Die lIke the Rest

Post Tue Sep 02, 2003 12:53 am

To [HellraiserMike - I had a problem with the ship being invisible also but discovered that some of the Hardpoints on my ship were named incorrectly and when I changed these my ship became visible.

Also I though I'd just post a list of the steps involved through all this...

1 - Make 3d model in Milkshape using triangles as hard point markers.
2 - make a picture file 512x512 pixels and draw the surfaces with nice color.
3 - break the ship up into different groups; wings, etc. leaving the first as the name of the ship.
4 - press Control T and map the parts to the picture.
5 - Export to .CMP.
6 - Create the .MAT file with the UTF Editor and assign the picture (upsidedown)
7 - Copy the .MAT, the .CMP and the .TGA(picture) into the data/ships/{yourshipname} directory.
8 - Change Shiparch.INI to make one of the other ships to look at your files.
9 - Test and see if it worked.
10 - copy one of the .SUR files from a similar ship to your directory and rename it to yourshipname.

And that is all the steps to get your ship into the game.

If there is anything I've missed can someone add it? Thanks.

In the world of space it becomes more difficult to follow the way of the sword.

Post Tue Sep 02, 2003 1:51 am

SwordMaster: It looks like HellraiserMike got his ship working

Post Tue Sep 02, 2003 9:31 am

I'm making a ship with Rhinoceros 3.0. How can I export it to Milkshape ? I think I've tried all the formats both programs supports but none of them seem to work

My idea is to make a kind of motorised spacesuit, with one class-3 turret on each side and something like 850 armor and a very good manoeuvrability but i'm no good at editing INI files, i need someone to do it for me.
Is someone interested ?

--
TaL

Post Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:38 pm

Nah I've kinda given up getting it in game for now :-
As far as I can tell nothing is physically wrong with the ship...it simply doesn't seem to wanna work...

Meh

Post Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:12 am

talvecst: Rhino! Hardcode 3d modeling. Try dxf format. Import in milkshape by going to file:import:AutoCad dxf. If you need help getting it in game, best bet would be to finish up the model, and post a request in the general editing board along with a pic.

mike: damn, that ship looked pretty nice too. Have you tried re-texturing it?

Post Thu Sep 04, 2003 12:49 am

I had same problem of invisible ship.
It was a combination of two things.
1. The mat file was corrupt - just made a new one from scratch.
2. The ship had some faces that needed to be reversed ( actually quite a few
faces needed to be reversed -lol ).

Post Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:01 am

No I have not tried retexturing it...as I cannot texture ships lol...

I have rebuilt my .mat file multiple times...and when i use the fl model importer it can import the model fine and the texture is the same one i put in when i ask the importer to save it...so I dunno...

Post Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:16 am

Hellraisermike,

It is frustrating to complete a ship only to find it wont work, if you want to email me your .ms3d file and your .mat file, I'll take a look at it and see if I can find out where you are going wrong, and if necessary fix the problem....

Harrier.

Retreat[![! ---- I'm too badly messed up now[![!

Post Fri Sep 05, 2003 3:31 am

Sent...

Post Fri Sep 05, 2003 10:48 am

hellraisermike,

reply:

mike,

I think I may have found your problem:

1. you only need one entry per material in your material file - don't know if that would cause the ship not to show though but I suspect it does not help. Your material file exports ok with utf.
2. in your ms3d file your texture 1 - default does not match with moncals.tga as listed at the bottom - I know that is a problem - I have had it occur to me, all over one bloody "-" instead of " _" , if you follow me. you may find you need to reset the texture to the ship.

Btw it is a good if unusual texture - nothing wrong with it as far as I could see, mind if I borrow the basic pattern?

I have re-done your texture and your .mat file, suggest you try it - let me know if it still does not work.

Harrier.


Retreat[![! ---- I'm too badly messed up now[![!

Post Sat Sep 06, 2003 6:37 pm

Zousug
Recruit
Posts:2
posted 20-08-2003 23:04 CET
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello.

ok.. thanx.. i would start but as i have no time atm because of Tafe and other stuff i cant..

what i want is for the ship to look like one of the giant battle ships that are floating around the planets and stuff.. (the biggest one you can find )

--------------------------------------SOS-----------------------------------------------------

below are the details i would like.

nanobots / shield batteries : 100/100 (if there is another ship with more then 100 add 50 on to what the other ship has.)

armor : 20000

10 gun mounts (5 along each side) / 6 turrents (360 degrees (3 along the top and 3 along the bottom))

3000 cargo space

2 torpedo tubes (on the front if possible)

2 misile tubes (on the front if possible)

4 thrusters..

(i think thats all)

and call it U.S.S Crusher

make it about $99,999 (because of the stats)

make it so it can be gotten in manhatten

--------------------------------------EOS-----------------------------------------------------

if thats all possible it would be great.. (if the gun mounts and missile tubes cant go in the areas im after then just put them where ever it is possible to put them)

thanx.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me point out Zousug,That haveing 4 thrusters on your ship will cause it to fly all over the place.I reccomend only 1 Thruster

I want some Taqitos-Simpsons old man

Edited by - StalkingJaguar2539 on 06-09-2003 22:35:26

Post Sun Sep 14, 2003 12:09 am

Bleh my ship still doesnt work...

On a side note spent almost a week trying to figure out why something else I did was crashing the game...

Post Sun Sep 14, 2003 1:30 am

Post your files and I will give it a try.

I have seen a lot of strange things in milkshape and would like to check out your files. Compared to mine that is.
I still have a couple invisable faces in my ship and would like to see if yours are the same as mine.

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