Guide to 2D/3D Contribution

[ArcaneFalcon]

ArcaneFalcon's unofficial guide to contributing 2D/3D to PlaneShift  
(last updated 2/5/06 1530 CST)

Index:  
-1: Beginning notes
(3D)  
0: Glossary/jargon & acronyms
1: Getting the necessary programs
2: tutorials
3: Rules when contributing (recommended polycounts, etc.)
(2D)  
4: How can you contribute in 2D?
5: Getting started doing 2D
6: Effects (spells, markers, etc.)
7: Ending notes

Also take a look at Thenior's guide to exporting to Crystal space!

-1: Beginning notes  

This is for those of you that need help getting started in the 2d/3d area of contributing to PS (PlaneShift). I would recommend reading through it before you begin to do anything just to make sure you still want to give the time and effort to take the dive. Keep in mind it will take some time before you can start making things worthy of being put in-game. Don't despair, just keep practicing! For those that don't want to do modeling, skinning, or animating, but would rather draw stuff by hand or in photoshop, there is still a definite need for you! See section 4!

As a note, the Laanx Wheel of Wishes guide is an excellent supplement, I just wrote this because a lot of people on the forums don't know about the LWoW guide. I took some of my links for tutorials and programs from that guide. Thanks Orogor. <http://lww.demon-host.com/index.php>

If you have corrections (I'm sure there are tons), contributions, want to report broken links or typos, or need more help/explanation please PM me.

0: Glossary/jargon & acronyms  

Glossary/jargon:
A highly recommended, and exhaustive, resource on general 3d terms is the PolyCount glossary <http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/res...ry2/index.shtml>

Acronyms used in this guide:
PS - PlaneShift, the game you will be contributing to
CS - Crystal Space, the game engine
cal3d - the library that PS is using for skeletal (character & creature) animations

A note on the use of cal3d: Cal3d is used for skeletal animations (characters, creatures). Simple animations (opening chests, doors, rotating windmills, etc.) can be done with the CS sprites. Cal3d is for anything with a skeleton.

1: Getting the necessary programs  
First, we need to get set up for making 3d objects, skins (2d textures), and animations. You will need at least 2 programs; one for 3D and one for 2D. Let me just go through some pro's and con's of your options.

3D Programs:  

There are 3 main programs supported by CS: 3ds max, blender (+ wings 3d), and maya.  Some others can be used by converting into common formats, but those are the 3 programs with CS exporters.  For this reason, I won't cover any others (yes, I know milkshape has some exporters too, but I don't think many people use it - get in touch with Orogor if you really have your heart set on using milkshape).

3D Studio Max   <http://www.discreet.com/><http://www.cuneytozdas.com/>
This is probably the most quality program you can get for doing 3d models, animating, and skinning. It comes at a pretty hefty price, however. I would recommend starting with something else unless you intend to get pretty serious straight off. If you get this I would highly recommend getting the texporter plugin (second URL).
Pros:
- excellent tools for modeling/animating/skinning
- has a CS (Crystal Space) and cal3d exporter
- many tutorials available
Cons:
- expensive
Exporters:
CS: download & manual - http://lww.demon-host.com/upload/exporterguide.zip
Also see this thread.
cal3d: download - http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/cal3d..._default=aleron
manual - http://cal3d.sourceforge.net/docs/guide/index.html (general guide for all cal3d use)

Blender  <http://www.blender3d.com/><http://www.yafray.org/>
Blender used to be a bought product, but the free source community bought the program (no, they BOUGHT the program) and so now it is available for free. It has pretty good modeling tools, but a steep learning curve. However, that learning curve can be greatly reduced as the newest version can import wings3d files directly. This means you can make use of wings 3d's excellent ease of use for modeling and texturing, and then take them to blender for animation.  If you want to do any rendering it's recommended you get yafray independently (second url)
Pros:
- good tools for modeling, skinning, and animating
- has a CS and cal3d exporter
- decent selection of tutorials available
- FREE
- can be used with Wings3D (imports .wings files)
Cons:
- steep learning curve
Exporters:
CS: download & manual - ftp://sunsite.dk/projects/crystal/crystalcore/
cal3d: download & manual - http://oomadness.tuxfamily.org/en/blender2cal3d/index.html

Wings3D   <http://www.wings3d.com/><http://www.yafray.org/>
This is a great program for beginners. It is easy to use and learn, in addition to being free. It doesn't, however, do animations. It also requires you get yafray if you want renders (second URL). The latest release of blender has an importer for wings' files. This means you can model and texture in wings (using it's efficient modeling and texturing tools) and then take it to blender for animation and exporting.
Pros:
- easy to learn and use for low poly stuff
- FREE
- can be used with Blender
Cons:
- can't do animations
- no CS or cal3d exporter (but can export to .3ds or .obj)
- tutorials aren't incredibly abundant
Exporters:
Currently there aren't any (to my knowledge). You can, however, export your models to .3ds or .obj and have someone with max/blender export them for you.

Maya  
I don't have any URL's for this one yet (I'm lazy, sue me) but Maya is an excellent (if not expensive) 3d app. It is a viable option and has CS exporters, though I'm not 100% sure they work (probably do). I'm still checking out whether it has a cal3d exporter as well. I'd imagine it does. Basically, if you already use Maya then continuing to use it for PS shouldn't be a problem. If you aren't familiar with Maya then don't worry about it.

Other 3D programs  
I really wouldn't recommend using any other programs than these. Programs like gmax, maya PLE, lightwave, etc. really aren't useful in that they can't export into the correct format (and in the case of gmax and maya PLE, can't export at all). I would really recommend simply sticking to 3ds max and blender (and wings3d for modeling) as they both have the necessary tools and can get into the correct formats for in game use.


2D Programs:  

There are really only 3 options for 2d: Photoshop, GIMP, and Paintshop Pro.  Sure you could include Painter too, but I don't think that's really necessary for simple texture painting.

Photoshop   <http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html>
The ideal program for doing 2D work. The industry standard, but also kind of expensive.
Pros:
- can do everything 2D
- tutorials EVERYWHERE
- completely awesome in general
Cons:
- kind of expensive

The Gimp   <http://www.gimp.org/><http://plasticbugs.com/index.php?p=241 >
This is a free source program similar to Photoshop. It is almost as powerful, not quite as intuitive an interface, and not quite as well known. I would highly recommend it for those who are just beginning and don't want to invest a lot of money. The second URL leads to a GIMP hack called GIMPshop. It makes the GIMP feel much more like photoshop. It is highly recommended as the interface is not only a bit more intuitive, but will help greatly for those of you who ever decide to switch to photoshop.
Pros:
- can do everything 2D
- some selection in tutorials, though nowhere near the selection for Photoshop
- FREE
Cons:
- interface isn't quite as intuitive as PhotoShop's (unless you use GIMPshop)
- require GTK+ for installation and use (not hard once you've done it once, not sure if you need it for GIMPshop, I already had it, someone let me know)
- weird name

PaintShop Pro  <http://www.jasc.com/>
Pretty good 2D program. Not free, but pretty much a close in quality to the other two previously mentioned programs. I would rank it, in my opinion, just below the gimp.
Pros:
- can do everything 2D
- pretty good selection of tutorials, more than gimp, less than PhotoShop
Cons:
- not free, cheaper than Photoshop though

Microsoft Paint  
Umm...nevermind 


2: Learning to use your programs  
Here are the basics of what you need to learn to do in your programs:

Modeling:   There are many different styles, you need to find one that works. For simple (and if you get good, complex also) low poly models box modeling is the way to go. There are fancier ways that can save you time (splines, NURBS, etc.), but if you just can't get it right, you can always come back to box modeling. The idea, when you are doing this, is to keep the poly count low. The first, second, and third rules of modeling for video games (and PS especially) are to keep the poly count low. KEEP THE POLY COUNT LOW. Simple objects should have no more than 200 triangle faces (make sure you are counting triangle faces and not square/quad faces), simple creatures or more complex objects should be around 400-800 polys, and characters should have 1k-2k polys (2k in some extreme cases, aim for 1k).

Skinning:   Simply put, adding color to your model. First, you need to apply uvw map coordinates and flatten your model into a 2d plane. This is often the most tedious step in the whole process. You then need to export this plane to a 2d image format , create your skin in a 2D program, and throw it back in your 3D program and apply it to your model. Make sure you spend plenty of time on the skin as it will make or break your model.

Animating:   You need to be able rig all your characters with skeletons and then export them to cal3d for use in the CS engine. All simple animations can be done with the CS exporter.

Exporting:   All objects and things with simple animations need to be exported using the CS exporter. All complex moving objects (characters, monsters, complex moving objects) need to be rigged and exported using the cal3d exporter.

It will take a long time to learn all of this but it really is essential. You probably won't be contributing very much if all you can make is a badly skinned table. The key is simply to keep learning. The more you learn, the more of an asset you will be.

These are some references to tutorials that will get you started. Remember, if you need more tutorials or help google is your friend (and so am I, if need be).

A good place for some video tutorials on any program mentioned here (minus blender) is <http://www.3d-palace.com/videos_free.php>. They have max, wings3d, maya, photoshop, and even concept art tutorials.

3DS Max  
The included tutorials are actually the best for pretty much everything (this applies to the texporter plugin as well). If you still need some help then do a google search. Here are some links, though, for some of my favorites:
- http://waylon-art.com/uvw_tutorial/uvwtut_01.html - good uv mapping tutorial
- http://www.virtualpartners.com/3DMAX6freeTutorialLinks.htm - good selection of modeling and other tutorials
- http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/3DS-MAX/4 - another good assortment, watch out for ads

Blender 
The tutorials on their website will help with basic use.
- [http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=26870.0]http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=26870.0[/url] - a beginner's tutorial on the PS forums by Cherppow, great stuff
- http://thrall.nakednorsemen.net/~bjorn/C...3dTutorial.html - a tutorial on rigging a character for the CS engine in blender, excellent
- http://biorust.com/index.php?page=tutori...il&tutid=85 - a uv mapping tutorial
- http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Blender-3d/Materials/1 - a good selection of tutorials, again, watch out for ads
- http://www.ingiebee.com/Blendermania/Lan...with%20Gimp.htm and http://www.linuxgraphic.org/section3d/bl...didac1-ang.html - 2 tutorials on using heightmaps (for making landscapes)

Wings 3D  
I think their site also has the best tutorials for their program.
- http://www.planeshift3d.com/wbboard/thre...595410958604adc - a thread on this here forum regarding uv mapping and unwrapping, explanation is about 2/3 down
- http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=280096 - a cgtalk thread with a linky to a uv mapping video

Photoshop  
Shnikes, there are tutorials everywhere for this program. There is no set way to make skins, so just learn the program and use any and all skills to make your skins. If you simply play around with the program you will learn some of the obvious tools, but you will miss a plethora of excellent tools that make PhotoShop as awesome as it is. Do some tutorials and when it gives you values to put in for filters or something, play around with them to get to know what things do what. Highly recommended tutorials to look for are blending modes (!), quick mask, layer mask, channels (will save you a lot of time), brushes (!), and filters (lighting filter comes in handy for shading, requires knowledge of channels).
- www.freepgs.com/falcon/textures.html - a tutorial I wrote for making seamless textures in Photoshop/Gimp

Gimp  
Their homepage has some tutorials.
- http://empyrean.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/~nem/gimp/tuts/ - some general tutorials
- http://gimp-savvy.com/BOOK/index.html - good exhaustive gimp resource
- www.freepgs.com/falcon/textures.html - a tutorial I wrote for making seamless textures in Photoshop/Gimp

PaintShop Pro 
I'm not really a big fan of PSP, and google gives plenty of options.
- http://www.psplinks.com/ - a good exhaustive PSP resource (and is up to date, as opposed to a lot of the google results)




[Formatting fixed --Santiago]

[ArcaneFalcon]

(did you know a post can only have 12345 characters?)

3: Rules when contributing  

1. KEEP THE POLY COUNT LOW
2. KEEP THE POLY COUNT LOW
3. KEEP THE POLY COUNT LOW - Simple objects should have no more than 200 triangle faces (make sure you are counting triangle faces and not square/quad faces), simple creatures or more complex objects should be around 400-800 polys, and characters should have 1k-2k polys (2k in some extreme cases, aim for 1k).
4. The CS engine has problems rendering intersecting faces. It doesn't light things correctly when the faces intersect (this is actually a problem in all game engines, not just CS).  For small things like spikes or handles it's not a big deal, but in general models should be kept air-tight.
5. Please make sure you do spend a good amount of time making at least a decent skin to go with your models. The skin will make or break the model. If it is the latter, I wouldn't be too hopeful on seeing it in game.
6. Skins can be any size, so long as the dimensions are a power of 2. 64x64 pixels, 128x128 pixels, 64x128 pixels, etc. are fine.
7. If you want a 2-sided face, then you need 2 faces sharing vertices facing opposite directions (faces are 1 dimensional objects)
8. Don't take constructive criticism personally
9. Don't be rude when giving constructive criticism
10. All your base are belong to us

4: How can I contribute in 2D?  
The 3D people only have so many ideas, and it is often hard for them to translate ideas directly into a model. A mid-way state is highly useful, especially if it gives reference and/or inspiration. Simply put, draw stuff, and post it. It makes the job of getting it ready for in-game use sooo much easier. Even if it isn't the best art in the world, it definitely has its place. It's called concept art, not perfect art! Stick figures can be part of concept art (so long as it communicates something visually useful)!

Not only this, but it also gives game enthusiests something to look at. It's always fun to look at other's artwork for the games you are following (at this point I am drooling over the "TES IV: Oblivian" concept art).

5: Getting started doing 2D  
You need three things to get started doing 2d stuff. Paper, a drawing utensil, and a way to get the drawing to the internet. That's it! Just pick up a paper and pencil, and draw something. Then put it some place others can see it, accept constructive criticism, make necessary changes. Lather, rinse, repeat until people start drooling! If you can add color that is even better. If you can scan it into photoshop and give it that nice "computer art" feel, even better. No idea is a dumb idea, just draw it! Concept art is an essential foundation to the overall direction of the artwork in a game though it is often largely disregarded. It is also a good way to make friends. 

6: Effects  
< http://www.andrewrobberts.com/eedit/tiki-index.php >
One piece of PS that is very easy to mod is the effects. These are the pretty flashes and animations that accompany things like spells. The target marker and the mouse-run marker are both effects also. To make your own you will only need a few things. You'll need a 2d program (covered above) and you'll also need a program called eedit which you can get at the above URL. You can actually make effects without eedit, but it is a royal pain in the deuce. If you know basic html then this will come easy to you. The effects are made using xml files which is very similar to html. The easiest way to learn is simply to read the wiki documentation and to look at effects already used in PS. Once you are decent at making effects you can submit them to www.ps-mc.com and if you get really good you may even see a couple in PS (make sure you read the "Before You Begin" section in the eedit manual).

7: Ending notes  
I hope this helps answer a lot of those general "how can I help? how do I help?" questions. Seriously though, if anyone has anything to add, any corrections, or any comments, feel free to PM me.



[Formatting fixed --Santiago]

[Taruk]

Hey Falcon
I use blender to do my models do u know someone else that use blender?(for PS models)

[Taruk]

How can I export to a file that can be used to CS?
I didnt have the CS exporter where cdo I get it?

[acraig]

A good tutorial on going from blender to CS world file:
here

[ArcaneFalcon]

Acraig: Thanks, I replaced the guide I found with the one you just linked there.  Yours is much better.

Taruk: In section 1, under the blender section, there are links to the blend2cs exporter, the manual that Acraig just linked here, and also the cal3d exporter & manual.  You might also take a look in the blender part of section 2 for some other tutorial links.

[Boldstorm]

Wow great post.
Think this needs to be a sticky. Actually just got a copy of 3dMax from work and was thinking about trying it out but didn\'t evn know where to start lol. Maybe with all this info I will see what I can do

[Moogie]

Deservedly stickied, fantastic post Arcane.

[Zeraph]

Nice Guide ArcaneFalcon!

If you are using 3DsMax(5+ I think) there is a great tool called \"Render to Texture\". It can render a texture of what the model looks like in the veiwport. This is extremely useful if you have reflection Bumpmaps & other sort of textures you can create in 3DsMax but cannot be exported.

I will probably be making a tutorial on how to use it for Planeshift, but for now you will have to figure it out using the 3DsMax tuts. It is a great tool for making a texture or even making a based for a texture (detailed shadows & reflection etc.) If you set the UVW maps up correctly you can even save space on an existing texture or add the Illusion of bumpmaps etc.

Check it out, I\'ll maybe make the tut but I have been busy testing CB @ the moment, I\'ll probably get some time soon...

[Krahan]

i can\'t get gimp to work installed it and everythimg....but i can\'t find the program.....

[ArcaneFalcon]

First, make sure you also downloaded and installed the GTK library (the download should have been on the same page).  Second, you need to get in the habit of installing programs to known places.  If you really can\'t find it, try doing a search (Start>search).

:emerald:

[Adeli]

Very nice guide Arcane, something like this was direly needed... bravo.

OT: Oh, I actually played Zero Wing ages ago, and saw it there, not from the \"All your base\" video, so nerrr... I was part of the inside joke... My phone says \'move ZIG\' when I turn it on.

[Frarda]

Can someone post a color palette for skinning in Crystal Space please? Or does a standard like 256/16k work?

[ArcaneFalcon]

If you\'re using photoshop, PSP, or gimp just set it on 8 bits/channel RGB.  Any higher than that and the programs will lose functionality, any lower and it will look bad.

:emerald:

[Frarda]

tnx for answering