Learning about 3D art: can I look at HZ's dragon models?

[Galdethriel]

As I think I've brought up in a few threads, I am very interested in learning about 3D art, as a hobby (and perhaps a future job, who knows? ) and a while ago, I downloaded a trial of Autodesk Maya. I wanted to try and open the Horizons files but it couldn't read them (and no, I wasn't intending to massacre them, just see how they were constructed XD ).

Sooo I hear that if I was to get something called... Granny 3D... or something? I'd be able to open them and take a look. :P Is this free? And does anyone know a secure site I could get it from?

Any info would be really appreciated.

~Galde

[Zexoin]

the whole Granny 3D thing costs about $10k

But you can get the granny viewer for free at http://www.radgametools.com/granny/download.html

[Galdethriel]

10k of American dollars? Really? o.o Wonder how much that is in quid... XD

Thanks Zex :P

[AmonGwareth]

6827 GBP according to today's exchange rate. Bit pricey.

[Galdethriel]

The true face of dragons! Behold, for I reveal it unto thy tiny human minds!



I think maybe I've done something wrong here. XD

~Galde

[Teto Frum]

Your a block head Charlie Brown.

[Galdethriel]

Well 8 out of 10 dragons may or may not possibly have the ability to perhaps, if so inclined and not uninclined, have the probable or otherwise highly improbable possibility that they may or may not according to choice of either agree or disagree which is possibly in line with what may or may not be their own opinion, or someone else's opinion, find what may be arguably opinionatedly classified as per said opinions that block heads like me are attractive! XD

~Galde

[Galdethriel]

Also, I got it working now.

[StalePopcorn]

What was the trick to getting it to work Galdeth? Wouldn't mind being nosey as well!

[Galdethriel]

I think it was just a matter of loading the wrong type of file. :P I think that box must've been the bounding box (is that the phrase) for something, so I went into the 'mesh' tab and tried a few other files which came up with some neat little dragon models. I took a good look and I think I understand their basic construction now.

Also, like the teeth, the fins didn't look like they were a part of the main head, but like a thin extra stuck on. I wonder if it's possible to colour them seperately then? That'd be nice. :3

~Galde

[StalePopcorn]

I think there was a post on the forum somewhere about modding the head fins and other draggie artifacts - like claws, etc. Not being a draggie, I must admit I didn't pay a huge amount of attention

[Solitaire]

The Granny viewer really is not all that useful for looking at Istaria's models because they are set up in a way that is not quite standard for Granny. The viewer is best used for models where the mesh, skeleton and texture are all exported together as one file. But with our system they are each exported separately as individual files with the texture not really incorporated at all. It was done this way to allow the flexibility of multiple textures to be placed on the same model so that your characters can be relatively unique and customizable when you create them. You can get the skeleton and animation files to work together, but I have been unable to get the gray shaded mesh to move. If you load the skeleton, you have to turn on the "connections" in the skeleton menu to make it visible. Then load the animations and in animations tab along the bottom, click on them one at a time to have the skeleton animate. It can be interesting for a few minutes but that won't last long. The only thing that I use Granny Viewer for is to quickly check to make sure that something that should not have been exported did not get in by accident when a model is not behaving properly when I test it.

[Galdethriel]

You can get the skeleton and animation files to work together, but I have been unable to get the gray shaded mesh to move. If you load the skeleton, you have to turn on the "connections" in the skeleton menu to make it visible. Then load the animations and in animations tab along the bottom, click on them one at a time to have the skeleton animate. It can be interesting for a few minutes but that won't last long. The only thing that I use Granny Viewer for is to quickly check to make sure that something that should not have been exported did not get in by accident when a model is not behaving properly when I test it.

Oh, thanks!

*looks at some animations*

So THAT'S how it's done. :P That doesn't look too complex, but I bet it is really, right? :O

83

~Galde

[Solitaire]

Not complex, but hard to get good realistic movement. Especially because a lot of the earlier models are more..."primitive" in how they are set up. They don't have a lot of the automation and control objects that later models have which make animating easier. Primitive is really not the correct word, but it is the closest that I could come up with. Some of the sharp eyed may have noticed in the Blight patch notes that went up today that there is a new dragon "sit" animation. I happened to open that file randomly when I was investigating another issue and I realized just how much I disliked the original. The changes are subtle and it took me a good half hour or so just to get the tail moving in a way I liked. If there had been some automation built into it, it would have been 5 minutes. I did not build in any automation into the dungpile because it is a simple model and I would have spent more time building it in than it would have saved. Animating is an art form all it's own and one, I will admit, that I'm really just starting to learn. There will be new animations like the sit one from time to time as I get better at it. And down the road this will lead to more new goodness.

If you want to learn it, there are a lot of good lesson packages out there. I've used one called Digital Tutors to learn a lot of what I know and can recommend it for someone starting out.

[Galdethriel]

Thanks Solitaire, for the advice and the info on skeletons.

I'll look up Digital Tutors, too, thank you! X3

I've been looking at all the animations for the dragons. Is it possible to make my own animations in Maya? :P (Or, to be precise, *try* to make animations XD )

~Galde

[Solitaire]

You would have to have the raw assets to work from for that. But they are proprietary files that really cannot be released outside the control of the Virtrium staff. Sorry about that, but the answer has to be a polite but firm "no". I do hope that you understand.

[Vaz]

Quite understandable. Virtrium possesses what may be the best dragon animations ever, even considering the animations' few and minor flaws.

[Galdethriel]

You would have to have the raw assets to work from for that. But they are proprietary files that really cannot be released outside the control of the Virtrium staff. Sorry about that, but the answer has to be a polite but firm "no". I do hope that you understand.

Aww alright. D:

Guess I'll just hafta learn to make my own then.

Quite understandable. Virtrium possesses what may be the best dragon animations ever, even considering the animations' few and minor flaws.

I wouldn't say perhaps the best *ever*, but they're still pretty darn good. I prefer the flying animations, for example, in the PS2 game Dragon Rage, but I don't think Horizons has the right sort of engine for that sort of flight. It would also be near impossible to control just using the arrow keys XD I do like HZ's animations though OwO

~Galde

[Amerelium]

I've been doing quite a lot of modelling in Lightwave 3D over the years. Drop me a line or drop in in-game and we can compare notes..

[Vaz]

PS2 game Dragon Rage

*YouTube searches* Wow. Looks like a lot of fun. Too bad I have no intention of ever owning a console. x)