Wouldn't it have been easyer to just tell be what to click? after all, i dont realy want to go looking thro pages and pages to tut's to find a bit where it sayes to make a group click...

lol if you know please tell me.

Edited by - Weeman0000 on 11/25/2005 5:54:20 PM

Um... if you aren't familiar enough with 3D applications to select polygons and then re-name them, then there isn't much I can do for you.

Really- if you're at that basic of a level, then you need to read Drizzt's Tutorial, where he talks about things like that. This tutorial assumes that you know 3D modeling techniques and how to use Photoshop, GIMP, or other graphics programs- it covers skinning, which is neither graphic editing nor modeling, but a little of both, and quite confusing to people who are good at the other two things.

Maybe after I get done with the next Toolkit release, I'll sit down and make a ship-modeling guide that's a little easier for people, and gets their feet wet with 3D and the specific issues of modeling for FL. AluminumHaste was going to make one, but RL issues seem to have sucked up his time. But Drizzt's Tutorial covers all of this stuff. Don't complain because the Tutorial's long and involved- if making 3D models for a game engine was really easy, everybody would do it. The fact that so many people succeed says to me that the current instructions, while not perfect, are teaching people what they need to know. I know you just want to make some kewl ships... but it's not quite that simple, and it's going to take time to learn what you need to know. I've been working with this game engine for about a year now (sheesh, has it been that long?) and I'm just now at the point where I'm fairly competant, so just keep that in mind...

I know what to do its just im useing milkshape 3d for the first time and iv done everything you sayed but i cant get past the group bit :s, if you are making a tut on 3d modeling can you make it useing 3ds max? and im a pro at paintshop pro9 so theres no probs there.

If I do a tutorial, I'll probably ask people which freeware app. they want me to do it with. I will not make a tutorial that involves 3DS, because 99% of the people around here who're using it are using pirated versions, and I'm not going to pirate it myself just to make a tutorial

Not going to pirate it? its freewear, Or if you do make a tut without 3ds max please make a rar with the plugins ect that i would need if i were to use 3ds max .

<sigh>

3DS Max is made by Discreet. It costs a lot of money. It is not, remotely, freeware. In fact, it's one of the more expensive pieces of software around. Which is why so many people pirate it.

GMax, which is also made by Discreet, is freeware. I am probably not going to make a tutorial with it, though, because there are plenty of available modeling tutorials for it.

Argh

Thank you for all of this hard work. I just posted in the "Welcome" forum for a brief intro and to say hello. My computer skills are very rudementary so please bear with me.
After modelling my new ship from Drizzt's tut, and after much trial and error I came up with a design I am (for now) satisfied with. I decided to go with your tut for the texturing, because, it seemeed to be the most comprehensive (remember my lack of coputer skills,lol) and I love your work.
Once again, after much trial and error, I have made it to the part about using the NVIDIA plug in and have run into a snag. I downloaded it into my Crog files and I don't know what to do with it. I can't find an exe, and I can't find it in milkshape (at least I don't think I can, maybe just don't know where to look).
I hope I've explained my problem adequately, if not, let me know. Once again, thank you all.

The Nvidia DDS plugin is an EXE file that will install the plugin to your Photoshop directory. If you don't have Photoshop, you can try it with any graphics application that is compatible with Photoshop plugins (Paintshop Pro, for example). Just install it like you would any other program- download it to your Desktop, double-click on the icon, and follow the directions. It will automatically look for your Photoshop installation directory, but if you're using other programs, you will have to point the installer to the directory manually.

If you don't have a plugin-compatible graphics program (say, you're using GIMP or one of the other freeware applications out there), there is a standalone DDS converter application made by nVidia's great rival, ATi. You can find it on ATi's website in the Developer section. You'll have to look around a bit to find it, though- ATi has not been as good as nVidia at keeping the developer "market" informed about its technology projects (some of which, I should note, are really quite neat).

Argh,

Whoa, how did that smiley face thing get on my post!?!?

Thank you for your prompt response. Sorry to bother you again.

I'm using PSP7 for my texturing, so I don't think there is a problem with that. I removed all from the nVidia DDS plug-in (Add and Remove Programs) and re-downloaded everything into my Program Files. The link was: DDS Utilities Installer Version 7.83 (.exe) [9.4 MB. After IDing it in Windows Explorer, the entire program looks like this:
[NVIDIA Corporation
[NVIDIA DDS Utilities
--detach (App File)
--Liscence (Adobe Acrobat Doc)
--nvdxt (App File)
--nvDXT (Adobe Acrobat Doc)
--nvDXTLibrary (Adobe Acrobat Doc)
--readdxt (App File)
--stitch (App File)
[LIBS
[inc
[dds
--ConvertColor (H File)
--dds Types (H File)
--nvdxt_options (H File)
--tPixel: H File
--tVector (H File)
[dxtlib
--dxtlib (H File)
[lib
[debug
--nvDXTlib_Sd (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibd (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMT_Sd (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMTd (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMTDLL_Sd (LIB File)
[release
--nvDXTlib (LIB File)
--nvDXTlib_S (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMT (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMT_S (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMTDLL (LIB File)
--nvDXTlibMTDLL_S (LIB File)
[TOOLS
[src
[Photoshop
[testDXT
--testDXT (App File)
[release
--testDXT (App File)

I'm still looking for an EXE, but as you can see, there is none. I cannot find a way to open this program?? I am at a loss...

Please remember, my "puter" skills are very limited.

A huge thank you from Xelex71

Ah... you've downloaded the wrong thing. That's not the plugin...

Ah!! I really am... an idiot.

O.K. I got it now. Thanks Argh.

Still having trouble though. I downloaded this: Adobe Photoshop Normal Map and DDS Authoring Plug-ins Installer Version 7.83 (.exe) [3.8 MB directly to my Desktop. The images on the site looked exactly like the ones in your tutorial. Now I have a new icon on my Desktop, but it is just a folder, with files as follows.

[Plug-ins (this is the new Desktop icon. It is just a folder)
--[File formats (another folder)
----dds.8bi (8BI File)
--[Filters (another folder)
----NormalMapFilter8bf (8bf File)

Still no .exe...



Edited by - Xelex71 on 12/1/2005 4:18:58 PM

heres the link to the site. this is the plug-in for it. im sure, cause i used it. just install the exe and ur good to go.

dds plugin

also, the hardCMP...where can i get that?...or is it another one of those things that i like have to know how to do like how to import skins and things into ms3d

Lol... go here... type HardCMP