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+---- Thread: Redoran Buildings Progress Thread (1) (/Thread-Redoran-Buildings-Progress-Thread-1)
- Razorwing - 05-17-2006
Perhaps the attached images can be of some use.
Do you have TES3: Morrowind? If not, then in theory I could supply any NIF you want together with the whole collection of Redoran textures. They could then be opened with NifSkope, .obj and .mtl extracted, imported into 3d studio max, and then you could use the dipper tool to bring the materials into the material editor. Then, still in theory, you'd see which textures are used where on the model, and assuming the textures and .max scene are in the same directory, they should display as they should. I've used that method myself a few times to glean clues on which textures I should use when mapping a custom model and it's a real timesaver compared to trying to judge with my eyes which texture should be used. (then, of course, I use your textures or textures from MVP instead of the originals)
- Zarf - 05-17-2006
I've got Morrowind, so that will help. I'll take a look at those momentarily.
However, we have a new problem. I render all this stuff to a texture... so the roof will be one texture, and have skylight style shadows imbedded in the bitmap, not the mesh. However, the border on the top of the roof, which I mapped as you suggested I map the border on the bottom, is not affected by skylights in the same way as the rest of the roof - rather, it is, but I can't render that data to texture. I need to figure out how to get the border rendered on top of the roof, using the roof's UV coordinates on the roof, while using the border's UVs on the border. The only way I know how to do this will render them as seperate maps, but I want one rendered on top of the other.
Screenshot comming...
EDIT: Remember that border texture I made way back? Not the tiled one, the one with the ridges. I can still use it! I knew I made it for something, it is almost a perfect recreation of the stair texture! :-D
EDIT 2: I'm putting the final touches on the roof. I guess the border texture doesn't look too bad, but it would be nice if we could just put it in with the other roof texture. Oh well...
EDIT 3: Well, here's my results. It's almost done, but some of my metods need refinement. You will see the biggest problems in screens 2 and 3. 4 just showcases how good the textures look up close.
![[Image: redbarracks1.jpg]](http://www.zarfstudios.com/ob/obj/redbarracks1.jpg)
![[Image: redbarracks2.jpg]](http://www.zarfstudios.com/ob/obj/redbarracks2.jpg)
![[Image: redbarracks3.jpg]](http://www.zarfstudios.com/ob/obj/redbarracks3.jpg)
![[Image: redbarracks4.jpg]](http://www.zarfstudios.com/ob/obj/redbarracks4.jpg)
And yes, I agree, the tiles need to be desaturated a bit.
- Opaqe - 05-17-2006
I love these colours that you are using. It just seems so much better than the ones in Morrowind...those just seemed...depressing. I can only hope that the ash lands are this pretty. Keep up the good work
- Caligula Superfly - 05-17-2006
Yay! :banana: NOW we are getting somewhere!
In my mind I had thought that you could actually try and paint the details (boarders, ridges and such) directly onto the main texture rather than map them separatly (except for the bottom thing of course). Were you thinking of doing anything like that? It would make the transitions smoother, and you could get the shadow detail stuff on them too. I think some manually painted details would look especially nice on the entrance.
Not to say this doesn't all look awesome :goodjob:, but if we can take things from :dance: to :eek:, I would like to try. :yes:
- Zarf - 05-18-2006
I was trying to paint the borders on top onto the texture below. That would have the distinct advantage of letting the border be affected by the skylight style shadows. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to do that. Also, I can paint smaller, procedural shadow details. Not sure they would show up very well or not. I'll attempt that building again tomorrow.
- Caligula Superfly - 05-18-2006
Isn't it just a matter of taking the image into photoshop and doing some painting? I agree that it would be tough to copy, paste, and bend your old border onto the texture like that, but what about just painting new ones on?
- Razorwing - 05-18-2006
I'd have to agree that one whole skin would probably look best, if it would let the painted shadows blend in with the border textures.
- Axen - 05-18-2006
Hmm... I liked the other skin better.
- Caligula Superfly - 05-18-2006
It does seem that the placement of the light sources are key when doing the shadows, and although the first one Zarf did looked nice with the dramatic shadows and such, it would turn out really odd in game since it would be so unevenly lit. I think the aproach that is being taken now is the right one, making the shadow detail subtle so as not to interfere with in game lighting.
I finished another one of the maps. I know you don't need it now, but I will be gone on a long weekend so I want to make sure you guys have enough to work with while im away.
- Razorwing - 05-18-2006
Perhaps an alternative to a lot of shadow detail could be variations in the texture? For instance a 'hole' in it that shows a different layer beneath the 'crust', like broken plaster on a cement wall (to take a modern-day example), or just variations in the pattern. If it's not too much trouble I think that could play into the effect of lessening the repetitious impression of a tiled texture in the same way as painted shadows does. But I'm not saying I think shadows isn't needed at all, they definitely are, the texture variations would just work together with the painted shadows in that sense of lessening repetition.
Hmm... then again the normal map would break up a lot of the repetition too... so it might be something that solves itself once we can get the normal map onto the imported model?