Anyone interested in Ground Vehicle Design?

[Firestriker]

Just looking to see if there is anyone interested in making scenery ground vehicles like cars, buses and so on.





Drop me a note here if your interested.

Lou

[Felix/FFDS]

low poly spline modelling?

Of course, you realize that whoever goes down this route can end up defecting to the NFS, GPL, "racing" sims...?

[Katahu]

I've already taken that path when I started Project Mercedes.

Those look nice. I saw a scenery model like those when I flew an Oshkosh air show in FS2004. The scenery came as stock. I think it was a SUV.

Anyways, with the kind of work that I'm doing, EA Games might hire me. LOL joke. If that really happens, they'll have to wait because I'm off to the USAF at the start of 2004.

Ok, that sounded a bit off topic. Anyways.....

Right now, I'm busy with my current Project. Unlike those cars in the pic, my car models will be used by the player and not by the scenery.

[Felix/FFDS]

Lou has done a '57 Chevy that just about makes you want to cruise the Sunset Strip ....

Remember that game modelling is a tradeoff between detail and poly count.  I have a friend that's making beautiful 3D models ... currently he's working on a PzKfwIVH .... 60,000 polygons *not faces* and climbing.

Another fellow I know worked in "the trade" making 3D models (for Air Warrior) ... He's made a Ryan ST and P61 for FS2002, and at least I like the way he did them.  Flyable, with details, chrome, and not a misused poly.

[Basti]

Hi. You wrote that the cars will be for the players
and not as scenery.

But I think they look really good and
I really miss something on fs2002:
real ground Vehicle !

Couldn't you make some vehicle you could
use as ground service ?
The bus could come when the engine is shut of
and load the passengers, a van could come at the end of
the runway to bring the aircraft to the park position.
And then there should be a "stair-vehicle" too.
I know there is such a package on simviation.com but it
has a bad design. Your vehicles look very good and
I think you could also make that it works in flight simulator (when you shut off the engines....).

Have you thought about this ?
I would be interested in such things ;-)

[Basti]

Oh...I understood it wrong.
It will be scenery.....
I understood it will be no scenery.

But I'm really interested.
I could help you with designing.

But I'm not experienced with the rest.
But I think designing is okay.

[Katahu]

I'm not good at making these models come to their aircraft to give them service like you said.

I may be a expert (semi) in 3-D modeling, but I'm a total novice when it comes to either scenery or ground service.

Unless there is a tutorial that can help me on that, I won't be able to help.

[Firestriker]

What I would like to do is form some sort a small association of designers to make new scenery objects for the freeware scenery design crowd. Most of the vehicles they have to work with are still of FS98 quality and not up to current standards. My vision would be designing the models in Max and then making the base model avalible in *.X file format for those who would like to tweek the textures and finished models in *.api format for those who don't have the understanding of how to do the tweeking. Also there would be a sharing of meshes between the association members so that if some one made a model of one object and someone else saw an idea for a new model in it, then that road could be pursued. In other words a group that would be to scenery as PAI is to the AI crowd. Does this make sense or just a pipe dream? Can/is anyone willing to share their work in such a way?

Lou

[BMan1113VR]

I am interested in designing ground vehicles. . .but not for scenery. . .i am able to find alot of scenery vehicles out there. . .i am more interested in driving them in the game

i am in the middle of a Ferrari F40 project

[Katahu]

I would like to contribute some time and effort.

If I can design a Mecedes like how I make it, then I can easily make some for the scenery.

For a long time I have worked and studied Gmax, and only Gmax. While doing so, I have already mastered the art of the SPLINE tool that this program has and utilizes. Project Mercedes is based on this tool.

The spline is not as easy to learn like other tools. It takes practice, studying, and skill.

Anyways, I can do the scenery. All I need is to do is know how to setup these models as scenery (which I suck at completely).

[Firestriker]

If you haven't already, check this tutorial out. It should help in the process of exporting Max scenery.

http://www.oregon-coast.net/FS2002/static/static_1.htm

The basic process is the same, only the object changes.

Lou

[Firestriker]

Of course, you realize that whoever goes down this route can end up defecting to the NFS, GPL, "racing" sims...?

Your right about the risk of defection, however, I believe that FS allows for more creative options and is a more open platform.

Lou

[Felix/FFDS]

Very nice and easy tutorial.  I was thinking that it could be adapted to FSDS, but the catch is "capturing" the x-file, and doing a simple text name replace, then compiling the final object.

Rhetorical question - could the same not be done with a compiled BGL, except doing the renaming with a hex editor?  (Note to Inspector Poly: Try it out first before asking the question).  Of course, handling a file with a hex editor is "riskier" to my untrained hands than working with a text editor.

If you haven't already, check this tutorial out. It should help in the process of exporting Max scenery.

http://www.oregon-coast.net/FS2002/static/static_1.htm

The basic process is the same, only the object changes.

Lou

[Firestriker]

Maybe you could put a bug in Louis' ear for that option!