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Home ? Feedback ? Measuring Stick - Let me explain...

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09/03/2012 19:53:53

DyllyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dylly
Posts: 555 		Please could one of the Muvizu Modelers make us a measuring stick in .skp file format, with the heights of the characters on them?

I keep trying to make such a thing myself but I'm having great difficulty as I need to export an object out of Muvizu to make it accurate. It would be nice to have a means of getting the Muvizu scale accurate as there is a lot of disparity between various modeling programs and the Unreal game engine.
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09/03/2012 20:12:58

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		I second that - I'm trying to make kitchen utensils right now, and they're quite small (in Muvizu terms) and getting an idea of the scale to make them at in Sketchup is a bit hit-and-miss.
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09/03/2012 21:00:02

DyllyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dylly
Posts: 555 		I never thought about smaller props Ziggy, that would be even harder to gauge as the nature of the characters mean that the hands are not strictly to scale...or are they? Whaaaaa?

Here's a site I ran across just now that's been a little useful as it lists things like the height of chairs, tables, doors, ladders etc etc http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Drawing/Human_Dimensions.html

But here's an illustration of the problem, the door on the right is a standard scale UK door 'hole', but Muvizu seems a little out of kilter. I've made the walls 4m tall as opposed to 3 and doubled the thickness to 30cm.

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13/03/2012 14:27:44

barrys
barrys
Posts: 102 		Hello Dylly

Scale is a difficult question to answer because we don't work in real world units. We have our 3D model pipeline set up to use "Unreal units" as required by users of the Unreal engine.

The first thing is that Epic Games, who make Unreal, are based in the U.S.A. so they want an imperial system. The second complication is that they've split a foot into 16 (not 12) divisions. In other words 16 unreal units = 1 foot. Our Male character is 88 units high, making him roughly 5 foot, 6 inches.

So we've got an internal system that starts in Maya, goes through Unreal and ends up in Muvizu such that all objects (and physics calculations) are based on 16 units to the foot.

The trouble you're facing is reconciling Sketchup's scale to match our Maya-Unreal scale. To be honest I'm not familiar enough with the former's units to advise you.

However, I will make some helper objects and have them available for the next release...which is soon.

Barry
PS - Game engine graphics are usually bigger than real life. This is to minimise troublesome collision problems when chunky humans try to walk through regular doors.
edited by barrys on 13/03/2012
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13/03/2012 21:29:32

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		16 units per foot? But I wanted it in cubits
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13/03/2012 23:08:03

DyllyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dylly
Posts: 555 		Hi Barry,

Thanks for answering that question and for the helper objects, but you did realize that as soon as you popped your head over the barricade you would become subject to a barrage of daft questions so get ready:



So this would roughly give me a scale of 2cm to the Unreal Unit and our Muvizu guy will be 176cm in French money?

Is it true that a standard unreal character is a whacking 196cm?

So if you guys are working on a Maya, Unreal, Muvizu cycle and I've got Maya 2012 would a better plan of action to get myself in cinque be to switch to Maya and redownload the UDK?

Oh and is the 16 units to the foot the reason why so many American women have car crashes?
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14/03/2012 04:28:18

clamtom
clamtom
Posts: 15
Oh and is the 16 units to the foot the reason why so many American women have car crashes?


No. There are many other reasons.
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14/03/2012 10:02:16

barrys
barrys
Posts: 102 		Hi Dylly

In the next release of Muvizu you'll be able to spawn little objects that represent a cubic foot and cubic metre.

On the Maya front, if you go to


WINDOW - Settings/Preferences - Preferences


Look for the category heading, "Settings" in the left hand panel and make sure Maya is set to Centimeter.


This means you can read Maya units as Muvizu units. So 1 maya unit = 1 Muvizu unit. Keep in mind that our base characters are about 88 units tall and scale things accordingly. Oh, and seats are usually about 19 units high too.

Barry
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14/03/2012 10:04:31

Luscan
Luscan
Posts: 176 		Just as a little random aside, I like odd measurements. The Beardsecond (the distance a beard grows in a second) is a particular favourite as is the Milihelenth (the amount of beauty required to launch a single ship).

The standard unreal character is 88 units tall or, through the magic of unreals bizzaro units:inches:feet thing, 5 foot 5 inches. Marcus Fenix is taller than this however, partly because you can get away with more stuff like that in a third person game and also partly because he looks like he's bonded at a genetic level with a bulldozer.
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14/03/2012 19:11:01

ScorpyX
ScorpyX
Posts: 17 		well..

- international (Generic) Units or just 'Units' in 3d modeling programs and
Units in Unreal Engine 3 - are the same

- Size standarts in video games (for each) chosen to accelerate
the workflow and to ensure that all models were in the same style

also for optimal work - computer memory a requirement
some square texture size like
2x2 \ 16x16 \ 64x64 \ 128x128 \ 256x256 \ 512x512 \ 1024x1024
or 4x2 \ 2x4 \ 1024x512 \ 512x1024 (its work fine too)

- most of video games choose main size
256x256 Units for Level-Elements (Environment)
but this is not size standard
its just middle point for comfortable and "Fast" work

- for example you need to create
'environment building' in game - you can create all building in 1 model
But it will be slow and will have a low quality texture
or you can create individual pieces of the building as a lego

- and collect them from all the building
- as well as different variations of the buildings
- and use the pieces separately


= All this is things need for Fast work \ optimal quality graphics
united style \ and united Game-play element for example
all doors in game must be large enough that the player can pass

= and this is main elements (Art-design and Game-play elements)
determine why the required standard sizes such as 256 and
other sizes for player hight \ coridor hight \ vehicles size and etc etc

=====================================

+ Сonclusion - Muvizu not have any game-play elements
the size of the model is determined only by art design
and environment scene assembly

- You can choose any size for easy work
and any environment scene assembly

- and i make this image for 'memory tip' (click for full view)


PS. I Hope it will be helpful
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14/03/2012 19:28:38

ScorpyX
ScorpyX
Posts: 17 		forgot some tips about 'Modular' 3d modeling
I dont find some useful snap tool in muvizu and this is mean
- For Easy way you need export 1 full 3d model in Muvizu - for example

- make lego pieces for enviroment
- copy and combine them in full object (castle or wall of castle for example)
- move full object in 0,0,0 (zero x,y,z) coordinate
- export full object in Muvizu

Tip: you can store (and use) all lego pieces and
different variations full object in 1 file (like *.fbx \ *.3ds and etc)
edited by ScorpyX on 14/03/2012
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15/03/2012 01:21:35

DyllyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dylly
Posts: 555 		Thanks Barry & Scorpy...

After much fiddling around I'm in need of someone to do the math (still having troubles with numbers) but..I've got a fixed height to work a scale from in Sketchup.

So for a Muvizu character to sit comfortably on a box the height of the box in Sketchup needs to be 47cm. Now what I'm struggling with is the math to sort out the ratio's for other objects.

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15/03/2012 02:23:27

ScorpyX
ScorpyX
Posts: 17 		Ok i see problem..


All that is needed to solve the problem (in SketchUp)
a switch unit type in document settings on architectural inches

in menu Window - Model info - Units - Format
1'' (architectural inches) = 1 unit : ]


edited by ScorpyX on 15/03/2012
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