best & easiest way to make a collision for a static object.

[BlackSampleAdmin]

i do know how to make a collision using another nif. but what about starting from scratch? and also how to get those awesome normals on a 3d object.

[Genzel]

Blender has a script to make a convex hull mesh over your object that can be used as an accurate collision box. Scripts->Mesh->Hull.

The object it makes is like a low-poly form fitting wrap that makes a great collision box. Or you could use cylinders and boxes much like Bethesda does to make a kind of collision field around the object.

 

The best way I know of to get really nice normal maps is to make a very high poly model of your game-ready object and use that as your normal map. I have never done it, but here is a tutorial that should at least point you in the right direction: http://cg.tutsplus.com/tutorials/blender/sculpt-model-and-texture-a-low-poly-skull-in-blender/ . That first image in the tutorial shows what a well put together normal can do to an object. Blender will take a high poly model and bake a normal map out of it, and when you apply it to a model, it looks very high poly.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Genzel

[Nadimos]

thanks for the link genzel. very nice tutorial.

 

concerning collision . this is for blender v249. go to the oblivion site and search for meos. download his tutorial on building a tower. it will show you multiple ways how to do collision boxes in blender.

also there is a nice video tutorial from hammonds over there, that shows how you can do it.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Nadimos

[fg109]

Sorry to bump this, but I can't find the tutorial Nadimos mentioned. Would someone please provide a link? Thanks in advance.

[ub3rman123]

Sorry to bump this, but I can't find the tutorial Nadimos mentioned. Would someone please provide a link? Thanks in advance.

 

 

Reason you couldn't find it is because it was Mr_Siika's, not MEO's.

Download link

[fg109]

Thanks. :thumbsup:

[LHammonds]

Here is my Convex Collision tutorial.

 

Keep in mind that using a convex collision model costs more CPU power over the simple box or cylinder collision models. So only use convex collision if combinations of boxes and cylinders just won't work well. Convex is great for oddly-shaped items...especially when they will be dropped on the ground and need to react in a believable manner.

 

Convex collision will make a model by linking each vertex with every other vertex. So if you have a high-poly object, a convex collision model will be very expensive in terms of CPU required to calculate it in-game. Even though I have not documented it in the tutorial, you can create a quick-n-easy low-poly model of your game model and use it to create the convex collision. Example, if you have a complex shield, you could create a simple box shape and extrude it just enough to cover the basic "form" so you have an extremely low-poly mesh that covers all the major points of your model. Then create the convex from your simplified model...then discard the simplified model and keep your optimized convex model. :thumbsup:

 

Regarding normal maps, it is generally accepted that the best normal maps are generated from higher-res models. However, if you do not have a high-res model, you can generate normal maps from the diffuse texture. It is difficult to get a good-looking normal map this way but it is possible. I typically have to hand-paint some areas or use a modified diffuse texture so my normal map has features that are not in the diffuse (such as a smoothed area for glass or rough leather effect on a solid color of the texture). I use CrazyBump to merge such variations into a single normal map and then tweak the settings as well as generate a specular map which will be copied into the alpha channel of the normal map. :geek:

 

LHammonds