(Redo) WIP of new Soldier Model

[Destructavator]

2) I thought that we werent allowed to do individual fingers. If we can, then HECK YEAH!! I'll gladly add bones for fingers and the joints

Now that you mention it, I remember Mattn saying something about how the old models weren't set up to use fingers, with their "mittens."

I guess we'll have to wait for Mattn to make a decision on this - but for what it's worth, I'll say this: The new models support it, it sounds like you are capable of making the fingers work for all the animations and are willing to do it, and with the way the tags can attach the weapons to the palms I think it would work fine - great, actually, and look much better in the game than the mittens - and I don't see any issues, at least not that I can think of, that would prevent fingers from working with new animations.  As far as coding goes, I'm guessing it wouldn't require any substantial changes, as long as the game engine attaches the tags together OK.

It certainly would be nice to see pressing buttons and other special animations that use fingers.

I'd almost say "I vote for including fingers in the new animations," except that this isn't really a democracy.

As I said, I guess it's now in Mattn's hands, as he's the boss here, so he'll have to decide (unless he delegates that decision to one of the other primary developers).

'nuff said, I've made my case on the matter.

[vedrit]

I just hope it doesnt turn into "its in his mittens", heheh

[Mattn]

it's only a matter of how the modellers can make this lock good in-game - there is no restriction code wise. it's just heavier to make it look good and nobody will ever zoom that close that it really matters to have single fingers imo. but if you can work with lod models, please add your fingers - they will allow us to create higher res cutscenes. and if you don't waste that much tris for the in-game model and the animator can make this look good - they go and also add them to the game.

[Destructavator]

I'm glad you mentioned LOD models again, because I've been doing a little research on them and I think I can make more than one version of this soldier model (for both male and female) that have different levels of detail.  First, I'd like to tweak a few extra fine-tuning points to this model as it is with the texture, and make that (with fingers) a high-detail version for cutscenes and if the player zooms in to look at something or for any other reason.  (I actually zoom in temporarily for various reasons during gameplay myself, I'd imagine others also do this from time to time.)  Once that's done, I think I can make a lower-detail version without too much trouble for when the player zooms out to look at more of the map.

Question: Does the MD2 format in the game support LOD models in any special way?  Or do I just make more than one version of the model to export, and let the code swap models when the player zooms or the camera's distance from the models changes?

[Mattn]

there is no support for lod models (yet) - if you can provide different lods i will gladly implement it.

for now we have to export different files