Odd request, I know, but...

[steve]

Is there a simple, empty zone that I can use with the client for taking screenshots of NPC models? If not, anyone up to the task of throwing one together for me, please? It doesn't have to be huge. Maybe the size of cshome, or so.

A zone with a solid background color, such as gray, with a transparent floor, with nothing spawned in it would be ideal. Perhaps an invisible light source so the zone isn't so dark, too. I'm taking screenshots of models and then taking them into Photoshop. Then I'm removing the background with the magic eraser tool set to a tolerance of 1 so it doesn't erase any of the model and leaves clean edges. This is for a personal scrapbook project that I'm working on.

I plan to use it with an unused zone, such as arttest, that loads with any client. Is this even possible?

[Tabidzukare]

I am by no means knowledgable so please take what I saw with a grain of salt.

If you want a clean render of the models themselves, why go through all that trouble?? You can easily extract the models themselves and render them by themselves. Also, with this method you can style their pose exactly as you'd like though it would take a bit more setup time and it's assuming you have basic 3D modelling skills... (which by the way I don't even have yet.. I can at least assemble a model)

I highly recommend Kaiyodo's Model Viewer available from GeorgeS's website for this task. It allows you to open an S3D, load the appropriate .WLD file within it, and select model components to extract WITH SKINS!! (If you export as .ms). Then you just import the items in Max position them how you like and run a render and take a shot.. you can see a messed up version (prior to me finding this out) in my 'MTL Information' post, also on this board.

As a side note if we can both figure out WindCatcher's DZoneConverter tool.. then I think it would be the best for us both.. it's able to view wires of the animations used in the game, in addition to the static model parts.. brilliant program really, I just can't figure out how to export the actordefinitions, just the spritedef's. Anyway, I probably didn't help much but I wanted to at least share what I knew in case anything might get you going in the right direction!

Best of luck and,
Kindest Regards~~

[steve]

I tried Kaiyodo's Model Viewer, but it showed the model all smashed together... I don't have 3dsmax to try it out...

[Tabidzukare]

Hi there Steve,

I've been digging up dirt on Kaiyodo and his exploits, it's like uncovering an ancient legend or something, quite entertaining! Regardless, this mystical Kaiyodo found out that in chequip.s3d ALL of the games character and NPC models were stored there.. it's a gigantic archive. The newer .s3d's contain those busted up static images and before Kaiyodo left this scene he was working on (but never completed) solving that problem himself. The implosion results from him not knowing where bone structures were stored in the newer .s3d's.

Now, if you'll look, you'll notice you probably don't have a chequip.s3d... Well I've looked around and the reason is because long long ago model data was stored in an unencrypted format by verant in .spk files and textures in .dds files. The .spk files were plain text and easy to manipulate like .obj files, however this old original format of storage only exists afaik in the kunark release of the game.. which is supposedly where you'll find a chequip.s3d file. Because of the ease of manipulating .spk files the model viewer can only display them correctly.. not the newer conversions distributed amongst the .s3d files. This is why Kaiyodo's viewer works off of the chequip.s3d for model viewing.

I'm in the processing of getting a copy of this chequip.s3d myself.

Once you've obtained a copy here's what you do.

1. Open Kaiyodo's Model Viewer
2. Select 'chequip.s3d' from the left-most dialogue box
3. Click 'Load from .s3d' at the bottom of said Dialogue Box
4. Select the .spk file of your choosing to see in the viewer
5. Extract the model to .POV format OR .MS format with skins
6. Load the object in the program of your choice
7. Render the object

That my friend I hope works for you.. in a few hours I'll be posting in my .MTL Information thread some exciting screen shots of zone art that worked using similar guidelines. Also, I could suggest you download the 3dsMax Trial from AutoDesk's site.. it is completely fully featured and you could easily export the .ms file from the model viewer, and load it up with (incredible isnt it..) skeleton and everything in tact for animating if you should choose. That way you'd have a month to get your work done because who can actually afford 3ds who's not in that field??

The beauty of living in Korea is that with a PC Room, every time I go in the install of the trial is fresh, so I have it indefinitely. Either way, if you're not a fan of pirating (as I myself am not generally) the trial is a great way to get some work done now while you work on other things in say.. povRay.

Any more issues let me know.. if I find chequip.s3d I'll let you know what release I was able to get it from and then you could go about acquiring it!

Kindest Regards~

[steve]

I can probably find the chequip.s3d on my Kunark installation CD...

But won't this only include info for that expansion? It certainly doesn't have model data from the more recent expansions...

[Tabidzukare]

Quite right Steve,

While I still don't have access to it, the most that it could include is all PC/NPC models up through Kunark.

I know that this is not a quick solution for you, but I am waiting on a reply from WindCatcher to add export to .POV or .MS into his DZoneConverter, and in the mean time I'm looking for how to add those features myself. I couldn't even estimate how long it would take me to add the features, but it is in the works. The keys are there for us to take, we just have to know how to take them. If you know any sort of programming whatsoever we could try to tackle the problem together.

Kindest Regards~~