Wanted: Decent model/texture work, scripting tutorial

[WhiskeyRiver2]

With the GECK hopefully arriving within a month, I've started planning/brainstorming for reviving CaliberX in FO4. My plan is to basically start from scratch, but I have no idea how different 4's scripting system is compared to New Vegas. Does anyone know of a good, basic "how-to" guide for FO4 scripting?

 

On top of that, I'm not sure I can legally port over the meshes/textures from the New Vegas version (no idea who made 'em) - and even if I can, odds are they'll look like s#*! anyway, so why bother. To that end, this is an open invitation - if you've got the skill to model and/or texture ammo boxes, loose rounds, spent casings, etc etc, I could really use your help. I'll be compiling a list of everything I want/need over the next couple of days, so if you're interested, shoot me a PM and I can give you one or two things to get started on as a sort of trial run. If I like your samples, then you're part of the crew.

[WhiskeyRiver2]

Bumping this. I got into the GECK beta, so work will be starting as soon as I can get that to work (my access code is invalid, and I'm not the only one...).

 

I'll be starting with adding to the vanilla ammo types - .38, 10mm, 5mm, 5.56, .308, .50, .44 and 12 gauge, so right now those assets take priority. If you're willing to help, then for the love of God, PM me. I can't do this alone, y'all.

[fhurtubise]

I think I might be able to help. I've recently gotten into hard surface modeling and have actually just made a couple bullets for a gun. Making different ammo types and boxes for them shouldn't be too hard, especially if we can work from previous references (either in FNV mods or the Fallout universe in general). And it sounds like fun.

 

http://i.imgur.com/X9lVqGQ.png

 

Would this sort of work be acceptable?

Edited April 10, 2016 by fhurtubise

[WhiskeyRiver2]

....... "Acceptable"? I've seen real-world pictures that aren't that good. What sort of references would you need to get started? For the various boxes I was thinking of either doing a quick Google image search or taking some pictures next time I go to the range (my phone has a 16 megapixel camera, so they come out nice and clear), but if you've got a better idea then I'm all ears.

 

To be perfectly honest, model/texture work is way the hell outside my wheelhouse, so sorry if I seem a bit scatter-brained here.

 

On a related note, that's an awesome looking pistol, even if it's got the markings of an airsoft gun :3 That for an FO4 mod, by any chance?

[fhurtubise]

It's okay, I'm by no means a modeling/texture expert myself. IMO, the two most important things for discussing models is how good (realistic?) they look, and how well they fit (stylistic) within the game. Not everyone might know the exact reason why something looks off, but as long as you can tell something does, and point the general area where it does, you have an excellent basis for criticism.

 

For references. I'm actually not that big of a Fallout buff, but I have general design experience and my recommendation would be to stick closer to the game than to real life. Basically, if one of the Fallout games has a prop relatively close to the one you need, you're better off building off that prop (and adapting as you need) than starting from its real-life counterpart. For example, ammo boxes aren't that difficult to "get right" in the Fallout world, but one thing I noticed (I think?) is that none of them seem to have real life photos on their packaging - cartridge pics aside - , only printed patterns and designs. For any ammo types that already exist in a prior Fallout game, then their previous instances would provide an excellent ref (I can look for those). For those that don't, well... we can go wild and create a mashup of Fallout-style designs and real-world designs. That's where photography could come in handy (though Google is also a decent starting point).

 

******

 

For what I'd absolutely need: a list of ammo types you want and their states (Full cartridge? Bullet? Expanded casing/shell? Box types?) The rest is technical details, which we might be better off discussing via chat (I'll PM you my messenger, let me know if you have a preferred communication method or would prefer to keep it to PMs/this thread.)

Good looking box designs are easy to make (and something else I should be able to do), it's simply a matter of spending a bit of time in Photoshop.

Funnily enough, I've never modded anything, and I kinda came here to do models for people who need them (I have more fun working with others anyway). But that means I'm going to need help figuring out stuff like maps (and extracting data from the gamefiles, if we can), because I'd have no idea where to get started on any of that.

[EmissaryOfWind]

A thing to remember when making models for the game is that you have to keep a low vertice count, so you need to do some of the detail work in normal maps rather than the mesh. I suggest looking up brainpoof's tutorials on YouTube, it's for armor but you can just watch the stuff that's in common.

[fhurtubise]

These are already optimized low-polys :P

 

Bullets not so much, but... meh. We can fix that.

[EmissaryOfWind]

Great! Your work looks fantastic, I can't wait to see it in game :P

[WhiskeyRiver2]

Heh, neither can I. He might smite me for it, but you could give Millenia a run for his money, IMHO.

 

Anyway. Fhurt, I'd prefer keeping this on the Nexus, just for the sake of having everything in one place. I'm working on compiling a list of exactly what I want for the initial release - even with just the vanilla calibers, it'll probably end up being a lengthy list.

[fhurtubise]

Even if you give me an incomplete list, I can start modeling some stuff in the coming days (it's final weeks and I'm finishing up another model, so I might be a bit busy). Ideally, I'd like to start with a single caliber to test the pipeline, see how everything looks in the engine, and give us a chance to react to issues we may encounter without having to redo 20-30 assets at once.

Do you know what Fallout 4's texture requirements are? (Gloss or roughness, metalness or reflectivity, any additional maps like occlusion?) And can you tell me how you guys bundled your UVs in the FNV mod? (I'm assuming it'd be one texture set per cartridge type, plus one texture set per box, but just to be safe.)

Edited April 10, 2016 by fhurtubise