Mob Models

[Dr Zauis]

Hi..Im wondering if it would be possible to use 3dsmaxR3 to animate?
Right now I dont understand how the models are made but if a program could be made to create models and animations with 3dsmax and import them into the game then all I would need is a few models to use as examples and I could create many new models and animations..I dont understand too much about bones structures so technical answers wont help me..I do know how the bones structure for TombRaider models are and it consists simply of a bunch or separate meshes with mesh_0 being the hips and all other meshes
as a tree to that..There is no "stretching polygons" as it seems to be in EQ.
In other words..If a model(say a man like a guard)bends down as if picking something up then one can see that the hips and body meshes are separate
where as in EQ the polygons or faces are connected and stretch in some manner..Im nor experienced with that so Im working on it! LOL.

Also Im sort of a beginner Delphi programmer but have not been able to compile any of Wind Catchers projects..There seems to be some files Im missing and it seems the way he programs is unfamiliar to me as I have been using Delphi project and .pas files created by another programmer. I probably
have a trillion questions but Im not ready to ask them yet! LOL.. Im using
Delphi 6.0 here and if I could say..Get a simple project that uses wild.pas
or something.(Say it opens a wild file and shows on a label something like
# of meshes or rooms or whatever?)And I could compile it then I could
take it further and familiarize myself with using the .pas file..

Well right now Im a total noob and need to study much more to even understand this game as its so unfamiliar to me compared to TombRaider..
I dont even have a clue as to how collision works or how a wall or ceiling
or floor is defined..

BTW..Here is a program I am working on..It is like a direct animation editor
where a level file is loaded and animations are edited directly. Its not complete yet but it is one of my very first projects wich was modified from a much simpler program..
http://www.larashome.com/forums/inde...showtopic=9436

Thanks and Im in the background around here..Im lurking and learning..But Im sure it will be sometime before I get the big picture..Someday a light will come on in my head and maybe I can do something useful!

[Windcatcher]

To compile my projects you'll first have to install a bunch of components. I probably forgot to include the newest GLVisir stuff in the latest OpenZone, and there are other components you will need as well. I get on IRC from time to time -- If you find me there I can try to walk you through it and I'll try to be more diligent in what I include in OpenZone for the next release. I use Delphi 6.0 Professional to compile OpenZone, which you will need since it uses the TActionManager class. The other projects will probably compile with the standard version of Delphi.

I sent an Anim8or .an8 model to KhaN hthat has an elf model I made, that is rigged to a skeleton that meets the requirements of in-game models (i.e. it has the necessary bones). Basically, for monster models there is usually only one polygon mesh and you can texture it any way you want. For player models (models that can have different kinds and pieces of armor on) the model should conform to a specific format:

- 4 separate head meshes, one each for plain, wearing leather, wearing chain, and wearing plate, respectively
- At most 2 body meshes, one for plain and one for robed, respectively (though races that never wear robes can get by with just one body mesh)
- Skeleton conforming to the one I sent KhaN
- Separate texture files for each bone/body part. For instance, though there is only one body mesh, the bicep and forearm use different texture files. This is how the game allows players to mix and match what they're wearing. A tint is then applied to the polygons at rendering time to create more variations. Textures are usually uv-mapped using standard cylindrical mapping, which allows just about any texture in the game to be used.

Basically the client looks at the material settings for a player/mob and selects the appropriate head mesh, body mesh, and textures. As for animations, once we have a model of a certain type (say, a humanoid of normal proportions) and a full set of animations for it (there are about 30 in total) then we can just copy those animations to any other models we make with similar proportions and skeletal structure. The major hurdle for me has been getting source material to convert.

Some mob models deviate from this in that they have different head meshes like player models, but not for the purpose of showing different kinds of armor. The cyclops/hill giant/fire giant is a good example: they use the same body mesh, but have different head meshes and texture sets. The "texture" and "helmtexture" are what select the meshes and textures for NPC models, whereas for players they come from their equipment. In this vein you can really have as many different head meshes and texture sets as you want for NPC models, one for each variant that you want, but apparently only one body mesh.