[1918]tibmaker
02-04-2006, 11:05 PM
Note, this is for TotalBF2 only atm. However, you may find a few of my copies out there. Anyways, I found an old tutorial of mine that I made a while back. This one was written for GMAX, but will easily translate to 3dsmax. As you can see, it is not the same format I use now, but it'll work. Have a good read :P
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First off, you need GMAX or 3dsmax.
Install it and continue:
#1 Open up GMAX.
Once you open it up, you notice certain things. The top menu, the 4 inside windows, and the right panel. The 4 inside windows show you 4 viewports of the 3d space; Top, Left, Front, and Perspective. Modelers use all 4 of these to get good and accurate dimensions and the perspective for viewing the model.
#2 Insert a box shape
Look to the right panel. You will see a drop down menu called "Standard Primitives" and below that are several buttons with names of shapes on them. Click the square button. Its now hilighted. Now move your cursor into the perspective inner window and click and drag to create the box shape.
#3 Viewing Commands
Now you have a box. You see it in all 4 viewport windows. Each of these windows has viewing commands. The first and most basic is the mouse. If you have a middle button in your mouse, you simple click and hold that in any of the 4 windows and you can pan the screen. Then you can scroll a mouse wheel if you have one to zoom in and out. The other viewing options are in the bottom right. You can click one of those and use them on the viewport windows. Mainly use these on the perspective window.
Go ahead and try them around a bit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling.jpg
#4 Manipulating Objects
Once you have your view commands done, you should learn how to move, rotate, scale, and do various other things with your box. Look on the top for a set of buttons; A + sign which means move, a rotation, and a scale:
The + sign button (Means move) moves the object, the rotation rotates it, and the scale scales it. Go ahead and click these and then click and drag your box and initiate these commands on your box. Test and practice makes the best.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling2.jpg
#5 Exploring more shapes
You know where the square button is now. Go ahead and drag in all of the other shapes. Move them, rotate them, do whatever with them. Models are made up of many of these shapes in combinations so its just a must know to play with these. Note that the teacup is not one of these shapes hehe.
#6 Starting over with more advanced features
Use your mouse, and select all the shapes in the perspective window. Delete them. Now redraw a box (the only thing you should have is a box). Now you will take a look at the parameters. To do this click your box. Then look at the top panel for a little blue ribbon tab:
Notice Length, Width, And Height, along with the Length Segs, Height Segs, and Width Segs. For now only touch the Length, Width, and Height and set them all to 64 to create a perfect box, Do not touch the segs. This sets all the parameters for this object. The same thing can be done for other shapes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling3.jpg
#7 Vertex and Mesh Editing
So you wonder about what those segs are. For now, leave them all at 1. Click your box in the perspective window again. Now on the most top text menu, look for and click Modifiers->Mesh Editing->Edit Mesh. This automatically puts a drop-in menu to your right panel. Click the + sign to expand it and then click vertex:
Now look back in your 4 viewport windows. You now see tiny blue little dots on the corners of the square. These dots are called vertexes. Modelers manipulate these dots to add even more detail to their models. Go ahead and select a dot and move it. It distorts your box, haha! Go ahead and experiment with this a bit more. Now remember that thing with the seg's? Well you now notice in your right that below the Edit Mesh expand menu is "Box". Click that and your back to your parameters. Go ahead and increase the segs to 2 each. Oops! Now your model is really distorted. If you want to get it back to normal right click Edit Mesh and delete it then reapply it by Modifiers->Mesh Editing->Edit Mesh. Now its all back to normal. You now notice that there are double the amount of vertexes on your box. You can keep on increasing these by increasing the segs. Experiment with this a bit more until you feel confortable going on with the next step.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling4.jpg
#8 Testing your abilities
Well you know all the basics by now. Now to perform a test on your skills. Show them to me! Make me a tank turret with all your skills you acquired. Doesnt have to look good, just make it look decent enough to show off. Remember it took most people weeks and even months to learn modeling. The only good modelers are the ones who show their work.
Okay so that does it for the modeling tutorial, and you now know your basics. Any questions or your work can be shown in this topic. Remember to continue your 3d learning by studying more tutorials and practicing!
-----------------------------------------------
Yep, rather a bit confusing than my others. Just keep working at it and enjoy,
tibmaker
-----------------------------------------------
First off, you need GMAX or 3dsmax.
Install it and continue:
#1 Open up GMAX.
Once you open it up, you notice certain things. The top menu, the 4 inside windows, and the right panel. The 4 inside windows show you 4 viewports of the 3d space; Top, Left, Front, and Perspective. Modelers use all 4 of these to get good and accurate dimensions and the perspective for viewing the model.
#2 Insert a box shape
Look to the right panel. You will see a drop down menu called "Standard Primitives" and below that are several buttons with names of shapes on them. Click the square button. Its now hilighted. Now move your cursor into the perspective inner window and click and drag to create the box shape.
#3 Viewing Commands
Now you have a box. You see it in all 4 viewport windows. Each of these windows has viewing commands. The first and most basic is the mouse. If you have a middle button in your mouse, you simple click and hold that in any of the 4 windows and you can pan the screen. Then you can scroll a mouse wheel if you have one to zoom in and out. The other viewing options are in the bottom right. You can click one of those and use them on the viewport windows. Mainly use these on the perspective window.
Go ahead and try them around a bit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling.jpg
#4 Manipulating Objects
Once you have your view commands done, you should learn how to move, rotate, scale, and do various other things with your box. Look on the top for a set of buttons; A + sign which means move, a rotation, and a scale:
The + sign button (Means move) moves the object, the rotation rotates it, and the scale scales it. Go ahead and click these and then click and drag your box and initiate these commands on your box. Test and practice makes the best.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling2.jpg
#5 Exploring more shapes
You know where the square button is now. Go ahead and drag in all of the other shapes. Move them, rotate them, do whatever with them. Models are made up of many of these shapes in combinations so its just a must know to play with these. Note that the teacup is not one of these shapes hehe.
#6 Starting over with more advanced features
Use your mouse, and select all the shapes in the perspective window. Delete them. Now redraw a box (the only thing you should have is a box). Now you will take a look at the parameters. To do this click your box. Then look at the top panel for a little blue ribbon tab:
Notice Length, Width, And Height, along with the Length Segs, Height Segs, and Width Segs. For now only touch the Length, Width, and Height and set them all to 64 to create a perfect box, Do not touch the segs. This sets all the parameters for this object. The same thing can be done for other shapes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling3.jpg
#7 Vertex and Mesh Editing
So you wonder about what those segs are. For now, leave them all at 1. Click your box in the perspective window again. Now on the most top text menu, look for and click Modifiers->Mesh Editing->Edit Mesh. This automatically puts a drop-in menu to your right panel. Click the + sign to expand it and then click vertex:
Now look back in your 4 viewport windows. You now see tiny blue little dots on the corners of the square. These dots are called vertexes. Modelers manipulate these dots to add even more detail to their models. Go ahead and select a dot and move it. It distorts your box, haha! Go ahead and experiment with this a bit more. Now remember that thing with the seg's? Well you now notice in your right that below the Edit Mesh expand menu is "Box". Click that and your back to your parameters. Go ahead and increase the segs to 2 each. Oops! Now your model is really distorted. If you want to get it back to normal right click Edit Mesh and delete it then reapply it by Modifiers->Mesh Editing->Edit Mesh. Now its all back to normal. You now notice that there are double the amount of vertexes on your box. You can keep on increasing these by increasing the segs. Experiment with this a bit more until you feel confortable going on with the next step.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/Hero_764/Tutorials/modeling4.jpg
#8 Testing your abilities
Well you know all the basics by now. Now to perform a test on your skills. Show them to me! Make me a tank turret with all your skills you acquired. Doesnt have to look good, just make it look decent enough to show off. Remember it took most people weeks and even months to learn modeling. The only good modelers are the ones who show their work.
Okay so that does it for the modeling tutorial, and you now know your basics. Any questions or your work can be shown in this topic. Remember to continue your 3d learning by studying more tutorials and practicing!
-----------------------------------------------
Yep, rather a bit confusing than my others. Just keep working at it and enjoy,
tibmaker