Easy way to make helmets with existing heads

[Destructavator]

First off, this is *not* a finished helmet that I would propose to use in the game as it is - this is just a start, and at this point mostly to show a texturing technique I learned.

I struggled for a long time trying to find a painless way to make a helmet for the new soldier models, one that could use faces from the existing heads, without having to labor long and hard on multiple versions for each head, rebuilding them based off of the existing heads.

The procedure is now simple - I build just one helmet model, and for the "face" part of the helmet I use a custom texture inside blender that doesn't generate its own part of the skin by itself, but instead grabs pixels from a simple 2D plane mesh in front of the helmet.  The 2D plane has a front head-on shot of the head, taken with an orthographic camera in another Blender scene.

Once the custom texture is prepared and the plane aligned properly, it can then all be baked into a regular skin and exported with the helmet as an MD2.

For different faces, all that is needed is to swap out the 2D plane and tell the custom texture to use a different mug-shot of a different face.

Virtually no mess, no fuss, once the initial helmet is made and everything is set up.

EDIT:  Darn, the image upload folder is full again...  Hang on a few minutes...

[Destructavator]

As stated in the IRC, I can use this to make helmet-wearing versions of any of the game characters - as well as civs, scientists, and the female soldiers, etc...

I did some more playing around with the mesh and a few quick ideas, although it (the helmet part)  has quite a bit to go IMO before it looks attractive enough to be used in the game.

[Destructavator]

I think it is starting to turn into something with potential.

I dunno - what kind of stuff should be added?  Not only that, but keep in mind the game setting of some ~80 years into the future.

[H-Hour]

I think the model looks good as-is and I wouldn't add any more polys to it. If you wanted to add more details I think they're best painted on.

[Winter]

Heh, the first thing that came to my mind about this, especially the mouthpiece, was 'FINISH HIM!'

Regards,
Winter

[Destructavator]

Heh, the first thing that came to my mind about this, especially the mouthpiece, was 'FINISH HIM!'

Yeah, I kinda got that same idea too, after you mentioned it.


Here's some more work on it, so it doesn't hide too much of the face, but still offers good protection.

Part of the idea is that when approaching aliens, there should be some safeguards against airborne alien biological and other unknown not-from-Earth crap, as well as protection for the face, not too mention gear for tolerating smoke and gas.

Later I plan to paint (no extra polys) a small sensor on the upper visor, for a camera and electronic recording system, for recording what a soldier looks at during a mission.

I almost put a slot on for IR goggles, but then decided it would be better to eventually use a TAG for a model, something that could slide down over the eyes, or be slid up and back when not in use.