3D Ripper DX, my old friend <3
But Halo Online is launched from a .vbs file and 3DRDX and Ninja Ripper need an .exe file :(
Edited by Shockwave on Apr 2, 2015 at 05:05 PM

I have just started to learn how to use substance painter. I have been working on a concept for a non energy knife for an elite. I plan to make them a pair but have not decided how they are going to be different. Color design and detailing I still need to work on, so please let me know how I can improve.

https://trello.com/b/k33JyRiD/images
(trello link because I cannot post images for 7 days. Old account got deleted)
Edited by Dont Cuss on Apr 3, 2015 at 01:26 AM

I'm not the best critic for textures but I'll say they seem pretty good, personally I think you overdid it with the blood though (I would assume no soldier, alien or not, would leave their blade so dirty). My main problem with the knife is, well, the knife. The handle looks like flattened anal-beads and the curve of the blade is probably the weirdest shape I've ever seen a blade (that is supposed to kill stuff and not be some weird living room decor). The blade doesn't really conform to the Covenant design, it looks more like you tried to copy the curvature of Covenant blades but ended up with something entirely different and ineffective. Also what is the point of the two little blade, thorn, things sticking out of it, it just looks randomly placed there for the sake of having pointy things on a knife. My recommendation is to examine known Covenant designs for melee weaponry - ones I can list off the top of my head: energy sword, energy dagger, that metal blade thing in Halo Legends, spiker blades, brute shot blade, and observe real life knives, daggers, and short swords - you might get a better design. As far as texturing with substance painter, I think you have a good start, your improvement really needs to be focused on the overall design of your blade (I'm not sure about your modeling skills because it could just be the problem of poor design rather than modeling skill, basically I have no comment on your modelling ability). Anyways keep working at it, self-improvement is always a good thing.

I wouldn't mind doing it for you. :)







Critique:

Overall I think your design portrays a an interesting design aspect. I like how the whole outline doesn't really resemeble anything much from what we have been given to use in previous halo games.

At the same time I can detect little elements of energy sword riding into the equation which again is a pretty cool feat to pull off.

A couple of things you might want to consider however:

1. The purpulish grip doesn't seem like it would be comfortable or malleable enough for both Human and Covenant species alike.



Taking an example from the image above you can see that although a side to side comparison cannot be made since both weapons are intended for different usage, there are a few base traits which I think would help your model if you study them aptly.

For example the thumb hole grips used in the carbine provide both a solid purchase and provide a certain amount of flexibility. (Perhaps a thumb or finger hole could be used in conjunction with the forefinger?)



Here too in this image the actual grip the palm of the user wraps around is far more curved than what you have currently made. I don't think you should scrap your initial design but added curvature would really help sell the whole feel of the weapon.

This may help:
http://www.halopedia.org/Curveblade
I think there were some instances of Sangheili curveblades in one of the HA10 2 terminal videos, as well.

someone link me to a really good weapon modeling tutorial please

O.O ODK, Gamma and now Hydrogen is back.

Anyway pretty old but: https://youtu.be/f-R6HIpaC-c
I learnt a lot from this when Hunter posted it :P.

I'm not "back" I actually have been reading the forums off and on for little over a year just not posting. I have actually switched over to ue4. Currently working on a fps game idea I have had. sadly because I am a one man team I have to expand my skills from map modeling to many more things.

We have always been, and we shall always be.

(Have always been sneaking around the forums, never found reason to post much. CMT is still yanking me around so I'm still stuck here of course, too)

CMT is basically the only thing keeping me around to check here.

didn't you have a weapon animation tutorial odx? if so please link

Hydrogen is a CMT fanboy.

I am a big fan of CMT yes. I still have all of our multiplayer stuff we did before you decided to kick all of us off and drop the project completely. its cool though, you should hop on steam some time. I have not talked to you in what seems like ages.
Edited by Hydrogen on Apr 6, 2015 at 11:46 PM

*AR UPDATE*

It's dead.

Now before you roll your eyes in typical satirical fashion allow me a few moments of respite so I may inform you of my reasoning's.

First of all I have no problem with the weapon from an aesthetic point of view. Nor do I lack any 3d design capacity.

Simply put this weapon was a product of the failures produced by the VKMT team, i'm not pointing fingers or making a mockery of mega-sean and co, I just could not sleep at night knowing that I was producing an asset from a failed source.

Perhaps rather dramatically I deleted the creation report which I assign to nearly everything I create which is directed to halo and I shifted the necessary files over to a backup HDD.

I can go further into my reasoning's for abandoning the AR but I'd hate to bore into your skulls with my passionate dismay.

(If anyone wants the files let me know)


Wooo!


Feels good to get crap that's been bothering off of my chest! Credit to all of you for being such great listeners.

I guess now I should give you a pre-view into the cake I've sunk my fangs into, so here goes.


PRESENTING THE HALO 3 M7 SMG Series line.














FAQ:

Q1. What is it?
QA1. This hopefully is going to be my attempt to create a halo 3 SMG from the ground up and ingame it for Halo and OSHalo.

Q2. But we can already rip the original smg model durrrr!
QA2. Correct but I have always wanted to re-create certain assets in a high resolution pass.

Q3. Will you rip?
QA3. NO. I have taken snapshots of the model assets I want to re-create inside 3ds and
occasionally I'll use the original assets for sizing purposes.

Q4. What are your workflows.
QA4.

a) Detail Blockout. (A full recreation of the original low poly asset and it's details in quadrangle form.

b) Highpoly pass. ( I'm experimenting with different High resolution options. For instance I have stumbled across a technique that allows you to skip the use of control edges. O.o!

c) High to low definition re-construction. (I could use the initial detail blockout to speed things up or I could draw directly upon the high res mesh)

d) Texture space bake. (Projection of highpoly normals onto the lowpoly mesh via a texture. This will be OS only)

e) Misc bakes. (AO, Cavity bakes to follow)

f) Texture stage. (I'm fairly confident about this stage. I have a lot of idea's buzzing about my head as to how far I want to push realism.)

g) Animation satge. (My skills are slightly crabby but I bought a few one on one tuition thingies for maya.

h) Ingaming......(let's just leave this as our first goal FTM)

Smoothing groups?

That is the agreed workflow among many who are involved in the CG and 3D industry, however if it's one thing I've learned about myself it's that I can't instantly replicate what someone else shows me as soon as they show me. I have to convert it into my own form of understanding and then tweak the techniques to suit me.

Hence the reason why my work flow is different.

I also disregarded the plan to quadrificate bungies model because creating something from scratch is far less hassle then fixing something pre-made and then starting the actual process of highpoly. + it's a little cheaty.

To add to that I absolutely hate modelling and fixing mesh pieces in the highpoly stage, it just drives me crazy which Is why I modelled everything that will be in the HP before the HP stage. This way I can just focus on controlling edges and tension building/relaxing in the HP stage.

@Spartan314 the blockout stage requires no smoothing group since the high dynamic ranged poly tools will add additional polies creating smoother looking surfaces thus eliminating the need to edit how the light interacts with the objects surface.

Eh I find it to be useful on occasion, or perhaps I'm not doing it right.
I like the Non smooth option though, it' pretty much what wireframe is only to normals.

Oh and I started 3dsmax in God mode and unlocked turbo-smooth-pro @ Staff sergeant level W/69,060,69 credits.

It;s very useful and allows the user to set smoothing groups around the mesh and then crease those interceding groups with a scalar. Also you can use edge weights too.

10/10 no swiftloop madness.



It's also easy on the ram since having next to no control edges means they won't be iterized in the mesh too.

(Highpoly is just a test and not final.)

first time modeling a gun. I know its not much but any comments before I continue?

Not a bad start with that M1928. Your on the right track with your edge to edge plane modelling method. That is pretty much the way to go when you hard surface modelling.

Which reminds me I modelled this a few months ago.











I'll send you the file if you want dude.
Edited by SS Flanker on Apr 11, 2015 at 05:00 AM

I would love to see

https://mega.co.nz/#!AJ91FT7Y!dMSQsoamvvkSMGE-LYYYYDfMfYeEE1oPwakMBqNiZP8

Alrighty. There you are.

It's one of the first highpoly-esque things I ever made so some of the control loops are way to tight, so if you intend to bake it down you'll need to relax some of the edges especially on the upper receiver and the ejection port.

To quote another patron of the forum, "OMG ORGAMS".

Keep going
Edited by Sergeant 1337 on Apr 12, 2015 at 07:51 PM

Been some time since I visited here. To my dismay it seems everyone is either protecting there files for CE3 2015 or all weapon interest has been lost?

In any case after suffering a recent HDD crash (do not buy seagate) I've decided to re-consolidate all my own and foreign files onto a massive 1TB SSD, since the consolidation I stumbled upon a mass of unfinished weapon models of my own.

One in particular has taken up my wavering attention and I would very much like to finish it, however I am having trouble figuring out a specific part on the weapon which is a 3d High definition replica of the commonly used M37 "ithaca".

Here are a few varied screen grabs:







In total I would say the weapon is 85% complete, I have a few safety/loading port mechanics to add but what I really want to understand is what this particular part which seems to be intrinsic to pumps action is:




My instinct informs me that it may have some role in ejecting spent shells but I cannot be 100% confident in my theorem, and research hasn't turned up many results either.

One last qualm which I want to settle is a 3dsmax query.

How do I bulge a mesh object? Is there a specific modifier which is useful for this operation?



As you can see in red is the pumps current silhouette which in my opinion is very linear and unrealistic:



As you maybe able to discern in the picture above, the pump is actually at it's fattest at the crux, from there both ends taper out which is the effect I am looking for.

Perhaps If I had payed more attention whilst bevelling and blocking out the mesh I may have been able to achieve the result in the photo but it is far to late, in addition I don't won't rework the current geometry as I am happy with it's current standing.

I'm relatively sure another approach does exist but I am at this point in time perplexed as to the method required to actualize what I have described above.

In any case thank you in advance for reading and for any replies.

- Flanker/WarWolf

just use FFD cylinder modifier to change the shape of the grip. Apply it before turbosmooth (if you use it)

Would you mind posting a capture or picturiol of some sort? The FFD modifiers confuse me to no end!

It's an operating rod. It connects the pump to the bolt, that way the bolt goes back when the pump goes back, which is what allows it to eject the spent shell.

It seems I was correct. I'm ever grateful to you echo for your near limitless bank of thought pertaining to all things which shoot.

It's most definitely not limitless, but I'm glad I could assist.

saw some of that barrel off and slap it under an MA5. i'd love to see that.

“The only thing I can think of that would make the (MA5C) any sweeter would be an under-slung shotty or a forty mike mike.”

IKR it would be so chill to see an underslung on the ar, except for the fact it would look damn weird with the palm grip.

Unless you replaced the flash light with your desired attachment which I am sure is embedded into the grip itself.

I am trying to learn of better ways to get detail into my model and was wondering how you did the indents on the high poly. Is it Boolean subtraction or did you subdivide it until you had the geometry to build it. I have been using floating geometry but that only work in some instances.
Edited by Dont Cuss on Jun 12, 2015 at 01:04 PM

Back from the dead, eh? I spent about a year in anonymity just learning how to do stuff from tutorials and threads, lurking everywhere. I remember a lot of your stuff inspiring me early on. Good to see you back in the Halo world (assuming this is the same dont_cuss)

Floating geometry?

@Don't cuss: Would you mind highlighting certain portions of the picture so I can understand a little better as to what part of the shotgun you are referring too?

Floating geo was really only used near the front section of the weapon. Namely the gas tube, unless you count into the screws and bolts which sit on the sides of the receiver.

By the way, I don't mind sending you the model, it would probably be easier to see for your self what I did and how I did it.

@Cheddars: http://eat3d.com/free/floating_geo