leot486 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 (edited) Quite simply I am trying to take this: http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/mods/images/40634-1-1298878106.jpg Into this: http://images.wikia.com/metalgear/images/a/ae/Snake_.45.JPG I have made posts of this before, but since no one replied I took it up on my own to attempt. I have 0 experience with blender, really have no idea what I am doing, so far all I was able to do successfully was stretch the barrel out, couldn't figure out how to give it a threaded appearance. Also managed to square off the frame where the rail should be in a slightly more complicated way then I probably had to but I managed, but that is as far as I managed to get. I have been trying to make vertices to edit to give the appearance of the barrel having threads, or the frame shape for the rail, that won't work, tried subdividing, can't seem to get that to work either. the vertices wouldn't divide the way I want, even when I attempted to knife subdivide. that is when I tried to make vertices along the barrel but that wouldn't work either, I made vertices, in big circles instead. I have been using this website: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Main_Page but it isn't helping me to much with this kind of thing, which is probably just me not understanding or applying what is said in the wrong way. Anyone with blender might know what tools or features I should be using to do this? All help appreciated, thanks. Edited June 29, 2012 by leot486 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prensa Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 leot486 - Hello! I'm sorry but the couple of times I've tried Blender it made blood come from my ears. :) I do all my custom model work through Nifskope. There is a really detailed guide to Blender here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro In case someone does not know how to help you here. "so far all I was able to do successfully was stretch the barrel out, couldn't figure out how to give it a threaded appearance." "I have been trying to make vertices to edit to give the appearance of the barrel having threads," You mean the threads for a silencer? To be honest I wouldnt bother making it really threaded, more work than is needed for such a small detail. You can easily achieve that threaded look with the texture & a normal map. I have all kinds of details on custom models that look like they are raised or grooved but in reality are flat all thanks to normal maps. I've got books where in game you can see all the in & outs as if there were individual pages due to the normal map but the model is actually smooth there. If you've extended the barrel just add threads to the texture & then make a normal map to go with it. For editing textures I use Paint.net as it's really easy to use (it's also free!): http://www.getpaint.net/download.html The Normal Map plugin is incredibly easy to use & can be found, under Optional files, here: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/11909 You want Normal Map Plus 1_0 Instructions on how to install are included. You could use GIMP or any other program you prefer too, it's just that I know Paint.net & it's so user friendly. :) Hope this helps! Prensa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leot486 Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 Thank you prensa at least you responded :D I actually use GIMP, and with gimp I made black lines to kind of simulate threads, but I don't really know how to make a normal map so I didn't try that. Know any guides for GIMP? and I still need blender to make the frame railed, and hopefully find some way to make the grips normal instead of the wrap around, oh so much work it seems :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prensa Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 leot486 - Hello! "but I don't really know how to make a normal map so I didn't try that. Know any guides for GIMP?" Very Detailed guide for creating Normal maps & where to get the plugin for GIMP here: http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php/GIMP:_Quality_Normal_Maps Youtube video guides here: Also: If that makes Normal maps seem complex, don't worry! They are really easy as most of it is automated. In Paint.net, with the Normal Map plugin I can click the button & convert the texture into a normal in seconds. More often then not that will work great without tweaking. Good luck with your model! Prensa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leot486 Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 do you have to do the blender part it showed in the first one??? :O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prensa Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 leot486 - Hello! "do you have to do the blender part it showed in the first one???" No, that first video also covers some advanced techniques as well. :) I was worried it might make it look more complewx than it is. :) The second one covers the steps with GIMP. With Paint.net all I do is take a texture, use the Normal map plugin which makes that purple version of your texture & save the new version of the image as whatever you named the texture but with a _n after it: Original texture: ExampleTexture.dds What you save your Normal map as: ExampleTexture_n.dds You then set your model to use it either in your model in Nifskope. In Nifskope the second listed texture is your Normal map. Hope this helps! Prensa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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