PSK Mesh help

[Argol]

I opened up a PSK model in blender and since I learnt how to use 2.49 the 2.55 UI is alien to me. Not only that it can't be edited, it has no vertices or the like.

[LHammonds]

PSK? As in Unreal? That is not an import option for the default 2.4x or 2.5x

 

Please post a link to the custom import plugin you are using. It would probably help if you also post a link to a PSK model you are trying to import.

 

LHammonds

[Argol]

PSK? As in Unreal? That is not an import option for the default 2.4x or 2.5x

 

Please post a link to the custom import plugin you are using. It would probably help if you also post a link to a PSK model you are trying to import.

 

LHammonds

 

Actually it is in 2.55. http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/blender/blender-2.5-psa-psk-add-ons-import-export-tool.php i followed this guide and didn't have to install anything

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?63r6m9w6fud795g This model started as a .Brres and the BrresViewer only converts to either PSK or MD5

[LHammonds]

FYI - If you are using Blender 2.5 to import the model, saving as .blend, and then opening in Blender 2.49, it may not be a good idea since many of the internal workings of the format have been changed and loading a new .blend in an older Blender version may loose quite a bit of information...and it is guaranteed anything to do with animation is going to be hosed.

 

EDIT:

 

I just imported the model and it looks OK to me. The textures will probably have to be re-associated so Blender knows the correct path to them but it looks OK to me.

 

When Imported, it looks like this:

 

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/Conan_Lon/Blender/PSK-Import1.jpg

 

 

Then, I have to exit EDIT mode by pressing TAB which puts me into OBJECT mode. I then select the armature and delete it which I then end up with this:

 

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/Conan_Lon/Blender/PSK-Import2.jpg

 

 

It is obvious that it contains two meshes...a high-res and a low-res mesh...so I then separate the models and move the low-res mesh into a separate layer. I also move the helmet located at 0,0,0 (at the hip level) and move it up over the head. Now I have the high-res model in layer 1 and the low-res model in layer 2:

 

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/Conan_Lon/Blender/PSK-Import3.jpg

 

 

I then select that model and press TAB to enter EDIT mode and as you can see, I can edit it like any other model:

 

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/Conan_Lon/Blender/PSK-Import4.jpg

 

 

EDIT #2:

 

Just for giggles, I save the file as Model25.blend and closed Blender 2.55. I then started Blender 2.49b an opened the Model25.blend and it squawked about it being a newer file but went ahead and opened the file. Layer 1 and Layer 2 still have the same model and both retained their ability to be edited.

 

I did not see any "Vertex Groups" which is typical of rigging info but I'm not extremely familiar with 2.5 yet so I may just not know where to look. I am familiar with 2.49b but it does not show any such Vertex Groups and I doubt it would since that is related to the "animation" stuff that cannot be back-rev'd.

 

LHammonds

[Argol]

In other words I have more studying to do. I have been going through tutorials for the past few days, learning how to use 2.49. I have made a few basic models and thought that basic knowledge would bee all that was needed to edit existing meshes like that. With my already busy timetable It is going to take me awhile before I get any better.

[LHammonds]

It does take time. Some can breeze through faster if they have dedicated time to churn through tutorial after tutorial and get lots of practice. It takes longer the less you do it (can forget some of the more recent stuff you learned and have to re-learn to get back into the swing of things).

 

But if you are editing models, the easiest thing you can do without much hassle is just pushing around verts...not adding or deleting anything that would cause the need to create/modify UV maps (and rigging if armor or clothing).

 

I have a tutorial on how to import a NIF, make the necessary adjustments to "prep it" for eventual export as well as the export process.

 

If you add new geometry, that opens a whole new ball of wax where you then need to create UV maps for the new faces and either attach it to an existing material/texture and overlay the UV on a usable part of the texture or create a new texture and material. And if you are working with something that uses an armature (clothing / armor), then you will need to rig it to the skeleton...that process is called rigging, skinning or weight-painting.

 

Some tutorial links:

Blender Import and Export Armor

Blender Rigging / Skinning

UV Maps: An Explanation

 

LHammonds

[Argol]

Well thanks for the help. Hopefully I can get some time of work this week and learn some more. quick question though. I tried following what you said but could not figure how you separated the two meshes and the helmet, they are all connected. How did you go about doing that? Edited February 20, 2011 by Argol

[LHammonds]

As you have noticed, the entire thing is a single "object" so when you select it and press TAB to enter EDIT mode, it is all jumbled up. A trick I use is the L key (as noted in Blender Shortcut Tips).

 

You hover your mouse over one of the low-res objects and press L (typically hover over a specific vertex) and it selects all connected geometry. Once it is selected, press P to separate it from the object. Then TAB out of edit mode, select the separated object and press M, 2 to move it into the 2nd layer...and if you only have layer 1 selected, it disappears. Simply pressing 2 will show everything in layer 2. Then press 1 to go back to the 1st layer.

 

You can hold down SHIFT when you press L to select more pieces at one time (keeps adding onto the current selection) and then press P but sometimes you can add the wrong objects to the selection and have to start over. It depends on how comfortable you are with it. It can also help to be in wireframe mode when doing this so you can see all of the geometry easier.

 

LHammonds

[Argol]

You have helped me a lot, I am learning how to use Blender pretty well. Your advice is wonderful, I feel like am am asking too much. I am at the next step. I reassigned the texture and imported the base body for the rigging. However I also need to edit the suit to fit the body, and this is where I am stumped. What is the best method of matching the Suit to the body?

 

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2420/40011816.png

 

Also, I just noticed an oddity with the texture. from a frontal view everything appears normal, but as I rotate the model the legs and the arms go crazy and become transparent by the looks of it.

 

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9159/97345657.png

 

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7042/36426242.png

[LHammonds]

What is the best method of matching the Suit to the body?

Find tutorials on how to use a "lattice"

 

Also, I just noticed an oddity with the texture. from a frontal view everything appears normal, but as I rotate the model the legs and the arms go crazy and become transparent by the looks of it.

The "normals" on the face are probably pointing the wrong way. While in EDIT mode, select all the verticies (press A until everything is selected) and press CTRL+N to recalculate normals to the outside. This typically forces the faces to flip so they are facing outside the model rather than pointing in. Sometimes, due to how the model was made, you might need to physically select some faces and flip them individually. While in Face Select mode, select a face, press W, then select Flip Normals.

 

You can also turn on "Draw Normals" on the "Mesh Tools More" panel which visually shows which way the faces are pointing by adding a line protruding from the texture side.

 

LHammonds