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[tomoose]

I've just started playing around with gMax and kinda got carried away.  It's a lot easier to use than Blender that's for sure.
Anyway, I've taken a couple of images of an RAF Fuel truck and created my first object (see below).  I would like some advice on texturing please.
1.  The truck cab is one "block" at the moment.  Is it better to cut out the windows or simply to 'paint' the windows on (I'm thinking about what would be easier and what is better from a poly count point of view).
2.  I'm having trouble 'texturing' in that (as you can see by the cab) I can't seem to tell gmax where my borders are (i.e. only the top of the cab is supposed to be yellow).  I'm quite happy to 'paint' in the details (door edges, handles, RAF text etc) but I can't seem to get the 'paint' aspect to work and haven't found a tutorial that gets into that.
3.  Assuming players would like this vehicle in the game, is there a tutorial that describes how to 'scale' the vehicle and also how to actually make it an object in the game???

Any and all advice is appreciated.  Thanks.
Here's the image I used for reference.........


and here's what I've got so far......


quick update......(not sure why part of the spare tire is now white, d'oh!!)


windows "cut" out....

[just champi]

Hi tomoose, your Bedford truck looks just fine so far. About your questions (just my opinion):

1) easier and better from polycount --> painted windows
the other options are:

-cut the windows with alpha layer in the texture.
This needs you make also the glass for the windows (at least for the windshield, both sides, outside and inside, but it would be just a planar and rectangular mesh) and an interior to be seen from the outside, with maybe a driver at the wheel. Higher polycount than before. (more meshes, needs use of a 2side material and texture with alpha layer)

-modelling the actual frame and glass windows in the mesh.
This makes the mesh more complex making the polycount go up. As before, also needs an interior to be seen from outside. Doesn't needs necessarely a texture with alpha layer. This would be the option with higher polycount and maybe more work for you.

Personally I would give it a try to 2nd option, (cut the windows with alpha, simpler model but good looking) so you can have a taste, see what fits you better and decide if you prefer other options. the reason is that you will be learning or practicing useful things while messing with this option without going too much overboard. Think that many stock objects are made this way.

2)wich method are you using for texturing? Look for unwrapping tutorials, there is something around in the tutorial section  from you can have an idea about it. (and take a look a some paper plane model booklet, unwrapping is very similar to that)

3) sorry, Im getting late and these are two questions that need some time to write an answer... and only can answer the first one, look about setting up units in Gmax, you'll need to use meters as system unit for mesurements, more later if I can. keep going!

[tomoose]

Thanks for the help Champi.
As you can see I've cut 'holes' in the cab to make windows but I'm fumbling along as I'm having trouble finding out which vertices is 'front' and which is 'back' and I end up manipulating the wrong one!!
Slowly getting there though.  What do you mean when you refer to "cut the windows with alpha layer in the texture".  I'm not familiar with using 'alpha' layers.

[tomoose]

Further to my last, is there not a method that permits "drawing" on an object instead of texturing.  I'd be quite happy with that method as it would allow small details etc.
I've tried painting vertex but that is not for any kind of detail at all just for covering surfaces.

[just champi]

sorry I was too tird yesterday to write anything.

I'm having trouble finding out which vertices is 'front' and which is 'back' and I end up manipulating the wrong one!!

Some options and tips that maybe of some help for the issue:
-use Edit Poly modifier instead of Edit mesh modifier. you can change it later before exporting, but it will give you a lot more options than edit mesh.

experiment with these options:
-"ignore backfacing" (only vertices and faces facing the camera will be selectable)
This is a check/uncheck option bellow "Selection" in the right control panel.

-"backface cull" (only vertices and faces facing the camera will be visible in the viewport, but still selectable, good for eliminating some cluttering)
You can find it in "Display" tab, "display properties" section, and also in the menu that appears when you right click with the mouse over an object, in "objet properties".

If you use Edit Poly modifier you will have also available:

select by element (good for selecting big surfaces in one go)
and hide/unhide vertices, polys or elements sublevel (good to hide from view, and from being selectable certain parts of your mesh when they get in the way)

is there not a method that permits "drawing" on an object instead of texturing

Not that I know, but I'm by no means an expert, for sure. Maybe someone else knows something else about some other application, but I don't, sorry.
Gmax is like a stripped version of 3dsMax, its bigger brother. Later versions of it have a feature that allows you to paint a texture "on the fly" directly from the UVw Editor window, but to get there you'd have to go through the usual steps, modelling-> mapping (unwrapping) and then texturing using that option. Not exactly what you'd like, maybe. And Gmax don't even have the option, I think. This is the closer thing I can think of. I'm afraid that you will have to take more conventional routes.

About what you asked, have you taken a look about how setting up your units in Gmax? Or do you know wich units are you using for mesurements? (As I mentioned earlier Il-2 uses meters as a unit).That would be first step.

Next, you need to know the dimensions of your model, and the actual dimensions of the real thing. This way you can calculate how much you need to scale up or down your model to get it right.

If you're unsure about your model having the correct dimensions/shape to make this equivalence valid, (most often drawings with ortogonal views are used when modelling objects to eliminate posible distortions due to perspective when using other sources) you can follow a more visual approach. (the box method)

For this you build a box with the correct dimensions of the real thing, then you select your whole model and scale it (using uniform scaling) till it fits the better you can, the dimensions of the box used as reference. But for this to work, you need to set up your units correctly, first.



To know the dimensions of your model you can use the measure tool, (utilities tab in right Control Panel)
There under "Dimensions" section, you will find the widht,lenght and height values for your model.



We can see more in detail about the box method tomorrow if you need it, for now I need to go to bed real soon.

I let you some images so you can have a good idea of what unwrapping is. As you can see, you can cut flat pieces from a sheet of paper, and stick them together to make a 3d model:






Unwrapping is like the opposite, you cut your 3d model into pieces and lay them down flat in a surface in such a way that most of the surface is covered and the less distortions are present. you will use the unwrapping layout as template for painting your texture.
Once your model is mapped (through this process of unwrapping) you can apply this texture you made to your model and see the result of your efforts. That's the method used to assign textures to your mesh models in Il-2.

 Oh, i forget aboout the alpha layer question. alpha is used in 3d graphics to refer to the transparency value of pixels. A grey scale is use to determine transparency level, white being solid, black fully transparent, grey values are semitransparent pixels. A layer that stores pixel transparency info is an alpha layer. Il-2 makes use of a grphic format that makes use of alpha layer: 32 bit .tga format. you can think of it as a layerd image file: the top part stores color info and the bottom transparency values for the color pixels.This way you can paint the bottom layer to define transparency in the areas you want to be like that when the texture is applied to an object. These areas fully transparent will be "cutted" from the "solid" texture above. Take a look to some .tga in the stock game to better see what i mean.

[tomoose]

Champi;
merci beaucoup!  This is a lot of help.

[duffys tavern]

Great idea!