Requesting help skinning elf model

[Windcatcher]

For quite a long time now I've been quietly working on a mob/player model that OpenZone can export to either a zone or as potentially part of a new client. It's a simple wood elf model, and one at a time I've been making all of the animations required for it (for a player model there are about 75 of them). I'm nearing the halfway point for the animations, but one thing where I could really use some help is in skinning it. The model is uv-mapped and I've made the "bare" skin for it (no armor), but it would be really nice if a decent artist could make the other three skin variations for player models: leather, chain, and plate. Faces also would be nice, but I did the face with CorelDraw so it's fairly easy to tweak it to make variations. If anyone has CorelDraw 8 or greater and wants to work on faces, post here and we can work out a way to get the CorelDraw file to you (the idea is to select the face and export to .BMP).

OpenZone 6.7 can already export the model to the point where it's visible in-game, and a screnshot is posted below so people can see what I mean. It's almost usable as a mob model (needs a few more animations), but not yet for a player model (only a few emote animations are in yet). I've been at this for too long already and I'd like to see if the process can be sped up.

The model is stored as an Anim8or file, and my OpenZone 6.7 beta reads Anim8or files directly: the idea here is that, once the model is finished, all that's needed to make other humanoid models is copy the Anim8or file and change the mesh, skins, etc., but the animations will already be done. Basically the work is all in making the first model since the animations have to all be created once. I'm not a decent modeler so I don't plan on making any more models after this one, but if anyone is interested in making player or mob models this is a good time to start. The anim8or file is ready for skinning and copying to make alternate models, and since it's a text-based format any animations I add can be merged afterward. I'm considering making a small tool to make this job easier when the time comes to start merging animations.

For this particular wood elf model, the only rule I have is to not move any vertices or change their uv coordinates. I use Ultimate Unwrap 3D to do the uv mapping, which I then merge into the Anim8or file. The UV coordinates should be pretty good anyhow. For any models you make, however, there are of course no restrictions. For this elf model, I could really use some help skinning it. There is still a lot of work to do, such as getting OpenZone to recognize and export variations, and in working on head armor variants (leather/chain/plate), but I'm at the point where I can announce what's in the works and yell for help.

http://img495.imageshack.us/img495/2883/elfmodel3ku.th.jpg (http://img495.imageshack.us/my.php?image=elfmodel3ku.jpg)

Some more shots:

http://leetninjas.com/xabob/EQ000016.jpg
http://leetninjas.com/xabob/EQ000017.jpg
http://leetninjas.com/xabob/EQ000018.jpg
http://leetninjas.com/xabob/EQ000019.jpg
http://leetninjas.com/xabob/EQ000025.jpg

[cofruben]

Hey WindCatchy, sorry I can't offer so much help, just wanted to tell you that you have done a very good work. Keep the good work and eqemu servers will be much more customizable :)

[Sakrateri]

Hey Wind , nice work Ive got Coreldraw 9 if you want me to try and work on those faces, My son is a great artist and would probably like to have a try at them too.

[Ghost Fire]

Wow! Great work there Windcatcher. :)

[Windcatcher]

All: Many thanks for the compliments. It's been a lot of work to get to this point, and hopefully it will only get better if we can put together a decent content team. Once this elf is done with all the necessary variations one of the next things to be done will be exporting everything with OpenZone, to .S3D and eventually .XWF (though XWF might be in 6.8 instead). I'll probably implement something like .XWZ also that will simply be a glorified .ZIP file that will contain the .XWF files and skins...once we can export zones, mobs, and items to our own format, from a legal standpoint there is no reason at all why we can't make our own client (assuming a few other odds and ends, like item and spell icons, our own spell list, and item database). I don't suppose anyone is interested in making, say, a couple of dozen spell and/or item icons in the meantime so I don't have to do everything :).

Sakrateri: you have mail :)

[Sakrateri]

I Got it , Have it back soon :)

[Windcatcher]

How's it going? Skinning with CorelDraw might not seem all that intuitive at first, but it makes creating variations really easy once you get the first one done.

I don't need the skins yet, maybe in another month or two. I've passed the 2/3 mark with the animations, but that means I still have about 25 more to go. Still, one at a time, I'm getting there. Once it's done 90% of all necessary animations for humanoid models should be done, with only race- and gender-specific ones left out. Then it will be time to make alternate head and body meshes (head: bare, leather, chain, plate; body: normal, robed) and then start the skinning.

One thing I hate about the .wld format is that for everything except faces it only supports the four armor types (bare, leather, chain, plate). It means that all of the skins have to have the same general skin tone, which limits how much variety is available (e.g. if you want a darker-skinned elf like a desert elf you have to create a whole new race).

[Windcatcher]

Just a little update...

The full animation set for my elf model is DONE!

Combat, movement, casting, even emotes...the works. The next steps:

- make the other three head armor variants (leather, chain, and plate), which I'm doing right now (leather is almost done)
- make a robed body variant
- make 6 more face skins (I have 2 done and player models require a total of 8)
- test weapon, shield, and helmet placements

After all that I just have to make some minor changes to OpenZone 6.7 and it will all be ready for release. Body skins (leather, chain, plate) are already done, and with the 70+ animations I'm now over the biggest hurdle.

[wize_one]

your a machine WC! keep up the great work..

[Windcatcher]

Another update...

- head armor variants are done (leather, chain, plate)
- weapon and shield placements are done
- face types are done (for a total of 8), but I can't test it because my 0.5.5 server doesn't support alternate faces

I'll tackle he robed variant some other time, since it requires seven (!) skins (there are seven robe patterns). At this point, the model is usable both as an NPC and as a player model (since it has the alternate faces).

At this point, barring some unforseen circumstance, I'm planning on releasing OpenZone 6.7 sometime in the next couple of weeks (making the documentation will be the hardest part and might make it take longer--making mob models with Anim8or relies heavily on using some naming conventions I've created). OpenZone 6.7 will include the elf model, which is stored as a native Anim8or (.an8) file. As such, anyone who knows how to use anim8or (available at http://www.anim8or.com) will be able to make their own models with it. The 70+ humanoid animations are done so all that will be necessary is the occasional tweaking to fit future models. The export process is such that there are no restrictions when you export...I tested with race 106, but you can export as any race you want merely by typing in the appropriate prefix at export time (e.g. "ELM", "FEM", "GOB", "ORC", etc.)

[Sakrateri]

Hey there WC , Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you but I have moved away from EQ and have started a project that I have more control over. If you would like to check it out head over to www.fatesdestiny.com and see whats up. Thanks for everything you have done here as working with Openzone has helped me to be able to learn more things to attemp to make my own game. I am actually trying to figure out how I can still use openzone with the program I am using now, RealmCrafter. Take care and keep up the good work . Thanks Sak.