Texture/Mesh Request

[Deridor]

I made a blade in blender, and i think it turned out really well. Problem is, i can't make handles or textures to save my life. This is a simple request for a better modeler/texturer to use the blade to make a full weapon. You will have total freedom to make it however you want, as long as it looks good :). Only things i ask are that 1) I'm allowed to edit it afterwards, if i wish 2) Don't make it ridiculous. I do not want it made out of corn.

 

Here is the blade model, in .nif and .blend formats. It is not properly uv mapped: http://www.mediafire.com/?cb3faw4fb3xgj32

 

and the image i based the blade on (the black sword, specifically): http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/conceptart/ConArt0807_50.jpg

 

Thank you in advance to all who try

[LHammonds]

Something you might want to consider is taking a hilt from one of the vanilla weapons or modder's resources.

 

If you plan one learning the other basics such as UV mapping, textures, normal maps and collision models, you might want to hold onto this blade as a project to complete. Create other models to learn the basics and once you've gained a certain level of proficiency, come back to this one and get it that much closer to being completed.

 

There are several tutorials on the Nexus Wiki that can help you with those basics...but I really recommend running through the Blender Noob to Pro tutorial.

 

Here is a quickie video I did on the creation of a sword model. If you skip ahead to 2:30, that is where I start modeling the hilt. I basically used a very basic shape, added a mirror and subsurf modifier and extruded to get the desired shape. Be careful with subsurf though, it is rarely the best tool to use since it can produce overly high-poly models but sometimes it is useful for smooth surfaces like the crossguard. Notice how I did not use it for any other part of the hilt.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQfr4ZNom4

 

I looked at your blade and I think the UV Map could use some re-work. With basically flat blades like this, it is generally best to use the "Project from View" method to get the flat sides of the sword. Then select all remaining edges, flip them on their side and do another project from view to get a nice consistent UV that is easy to texture. Typically, seams would be an issue, however, the surface of the blades edges are typically different and thus, an inconsistent pattern on the texture in those areas is actually a good idea. I am not very good with creating textures myself and I like to use the UV mapping process to help me out in this regard. I also like to separate the UVs for the actual cutting edge as well to separate the texture finish even further. For an example of this, take a look at my Day Walker Sword and you will see what I mean. I did this same trick with the metallic rings on the scabbard. Have a look at the texture and normal map while you're at it too to see how simple it looks. The scabbard texture is solid black but I converted a leather texture as my Normal Map...thus giving the illusion that my texture / scabbard has a textile feel to it (picture).

[Deridor]

i've been through the noob to pro site :) my biggest problem is painting textures onto a uv map... kind of pointless on this blade though, considering i traced it from an image. If i have the time, ill just mess around with the image and try to map it onto the blade (which, of course, doesn't perfectly match the original shape).

 

about the handle, it's not that i don't know how, it's that i can't really make handles match the blade (at least in my mind) so i always end up throwing them out. My fault really, never draw or even think things out beforehand

 

thanks for the help, i'll work on getting better. Already know uv mapping, normal mapping (if gimp plugin counts... though i can make true normal maps right in blender), and working with textures to some extent (editing existing ones for example)

 

you have a very interesting way of modeling blades. I never use the mirror modifier, but i think now i will (of course, asymmetrical blades are always fun)

 

wow this post is unorganized >_< but for my first blade, i think ill make the textures in blender too... never really tried baking materials

[LHammonds]

Here's a tips for making textures:

 

1. Grab Paint.NET and install it.
   
2. Grab some metal, leather and grunge textures of your liking from one of the sites in this article.
   
3. Export your UV Map to TGA (or whatever) and open it with Paint.NET (dimensions should be in a power of 2...such as 512x1024 or 128x2048, etc.)
   
4. Use the magic wand to globally select all the white space and delete it...leaving you with just the outline of the UV Map.
   
5. Double-click the layer and rename it to "UV Map"
   
6. Add a new layer, name it "Base Color" and make sure it is sitting as the bottom layer
   
7. Select the Paint Bucket tool, pick a color, select the "Base Color" layer and lay down your base color
   
8. Then use the selection tool to go around your UV islands that need a different color than your base color and use the Paint Bucket to fill in those areas
   
9. Drag-n-Drop one of the texture files you want to use onto Paint.NET and tell it to add as a new layer. You might have to re-adjust your overall image size in case the import image was larger than your working image.
   
10. Name this layer "Texture" and position it between the UV Map layer and the Base Color layer.
    
11. Set the layer blend property to something like Overlay, Screen or Multiply...whatever looks best by default. Then tweak the transparency.
    
12. Then delete the parts of that texture that don't need to show on the UV Map...such as deleting all brushed steel texture from everything except the blades.
    
13. Save the file as a Paint.NET *.pdn file so you don't loose your layers.
    
14. Then hide your UV Map layer (uncheck the box beside it) and Save As DDS Format, Flatten Image, DXT1 + Mipmaps
    
15. See how it looks on your NIF file (or in Blender)
    

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm the sorta guy who would rather teach someone to fish rather than fish for them...although I do like to fish. ;)

 

LHammonds

[Deridor]

i can do all that in gimp... and i know how to do everything you just said :P i'm not totally new to this stuff

[LHammonds]

Oh...I figured from your 1st post that you simply didn't know the basic process. It is not a wasted post however, I have referred several people to those steps already. :thumbsup: