[key0p]

Frankensteins Chop-Shop

I made an infantry tutorial which shows you how to 'cut and paste' parts of existing Generals infantry to create a new "Frankenstein" hybrid model.

You do not need any moddeling or skinning ability to make new infantry this way.You just have to choose the parts you want.You do need gmax and renx and a w3d importer installed.

The downlaod contains a gmax file with 42 skinned human models from Generals, as well as all the required textures, which make it nearly 1.5 meg zipped(the gmax file is nearly 5 meg unzipped).

Even if you dont need help with infantry, the gmax file with all the models is a useful resource when you want to see how things were done.

Download 1.45 MB

[Eradicator]

Heh, interesting. I just used it cause its the only good tut I could fine on how to animate infantry using the wwskin One flaw in the tutorial though. It doesn't tell you what vertices in the general area go with which bones. One more step with a pic would be nice cause its pretty anoying as is now. I don't know exactly which verts go with spine or upper a or thigh or what. I'm just guessing in the General area and it causes some weird stuff so I'm forced to do it trial by error which is irritating. Also, does auto-link work well with the Generals models and skeletons? Because that would be a lot easier if it was accurate.

[key0p]

Ill update it with where exactly it should be bound for the ranger, just let me eat dinner

More complex skeletons like burtons have slightly different bindings.

For the Ranger, head and neck vertices get bound to head.Gun to the gun.

The vertices of the hand get bound to hand, all other arm vertices(save the four in the pic) are upperarm.

Foot vertices bound to foot, knee vertices bound to thigh, the two front hip vertices(left and right) get bound to their respective thigh.

All the rest, the torso, waist, and groin, get bound to the spine.

Hope that helps out

[key0p]

I dont think Auto-link is a good idea...I believe it simply binds vertices to the nearest bone.It would be good for aniamting a scene with lots of simple objects, but you would probably ahve to go over everything manually anyway.

To check the vertex binding of existing generals units, best way Ive come across is to export the model under a different name, and in PlayerTemplate give yourself one of the original units and one of the modified units.

Stand them side by side in game and watch their anims for inconsistencies.Take a couple of screenies and then back to gmax.

Ive added pictures of the vertex binding steps.

Updated tute 1.66 MB

Patch 233 KB

[Eradicator]

Thanks for the update. I'll try the boning the model again.

[key0p]

nps, anything else you think it should need let me know

[HorseAss]

Thanks keyop, that really helped. Now all i need to do is figure out the muzzleflash thingy.

[Eradicator]

I understand you need to use the Renegade material editor to set the texture to additive blending, but my RenX is acting up and I can't open it :S

[key0p]

Yeah renx is really buggy.

If you have done any UV editing, then the material editor keeps dissapearing when u click on it.I usually save, exit, restart and reload before using the material editor.It still disappears this way, but I can bring it back up and access buttons.

If someone gets the muzzleflash to work properly Id love to know too

[key0p]

woo got muzz flash too work

Yep set the Shader to "Add".In the Vertex Material tab, change Ambient to black, and set your opacity level depending on how see-through you want the muzzleflash to be.

You also need to separate the two sections of the Muzzleflash object, in order that a separate texture may be applied to each - muzzflsh_side and muzzflsh_front.

WHen you have applied the textures join the two objects back together with the attach button and select "Match Material to Material IDs".

Ill update tute a little later today.