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Home ? General Discussion ? Dog really needs new muzzle and new tail

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10/08/2015 05:22:50

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		I want to make a big bad wolf character and without a bushy tail it is hard to pull off. How do you create new character appendages? Is there any sort of 3d template for these?
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10/08/2015 09:12:41

MrDrWho13Muvizu mogulExperimental user
MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220 		With Muvizu play+ you could import a tail in ase format from Google sketch up.
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10/08/2015 10:02:35

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		MrDrWho13 wrote:
With Muvizu play+ you could import a tail in ase format from Google sketch up.


I have Play+ and Sketchup is also installed, Blender too, I made my first prop last night in Sketchup, some little series about a bus stop/train stop/trolley stop or something.



What size would it have to be, how do you define where the rear attaches, etc? I think I could figure it out with a few pointers.
edited by braj on 10/08/2015
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10/08/2015 10:33:29

MrDrWho13Muvizu mogulExperimental user
MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220 		You'd probably have to experiment with the size (Fazz68, ukBerty, and Rebel are the people to ask here), but the attachment point is pretty straight forward. In the appearance tab of the character properties, it's in "tail" and you click the icon that shows an arrow going into a wire box.
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10/08/2015 11:45:54

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		OK, well, I kinda have it figured out, I at least have something sticking out of the right end of the wolf, I still need to figure out what exactly goes where in the original so I don't have to mess about rotating it etc in Muvizu, but I'll work on that and making a real tail tomorrow. Anyhow, I'm on the road to learning Muzizu and I'm getting it slowly I don't know if there is a way to sharpen the teeth, I'll try that tomorrow. Is there some transparency mask color for these skins?

edited by braj on 10/08/2015
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10/08/2015 12:09:04

fazz68
fazz68
(Account inactive)
Posts: 763 		uv maps for all characters.... http://muvizu.com/GetAssets#&&s=1&p=1&c=1&pl=27&q=

as for attachments. trial an error till you find the sweet spot. the attachment points run down the center of the body from the head to the waist apart from arms and legs. as you are using sketchup.... where you need to place objects are around or on the origin point. some above slightly some below, some in front and some behind. again trial and error. theres no guide to show you so just play around till you find the right spot. the same goes for the scale of objects. once you've made a few assets you get used to roughly where things go.

as urbanlamb would say "its not that hard "
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10/08/2015 18:53:31

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		Yeah it really wasn't that hard One question I have, how can I get the output from Sketchup to have the same look with the sort of reflections in the native characters? Adding anything from Sketchup to the characters without matching their style is gonna be pretty apparent onscreen. This was my last attempt at a tail last night, you can see the polygons and it just has a more flat look compared to the dog. Still, it does look more like a wolf now so that's some progress

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10/08/2015 20:21:51

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		To get the tail to match the way the characters handle light you'd need to make it as an FBX type object. ASE is too simple a format to handle reflectivity or anything like that.
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10/08/2015 20:24:27

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		It is an FBX ectually, but I'm guessing that Sketchup isn't including any data to handle this. I need to look into Blender tutorials to do this stuff in Blender instead, Sketchup is great for straight lines but making good looking curves don't seem to be its forte.
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10/08/2015 20:28:30

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Okay, so it was actually Sketchup that was the limiting factor here, but yes, do it blender and you'll get your curves nice
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10/08/2015 20:30:18

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		I'm thinking that 'surface smoothing' isn't used for imported objects by default? In Sketchup you can define this with 'soften edges', but it doesn't get exported, I'm assuming Muvizu does this for its own polygons, so I guess that is a feature request, like a check box or slider for smoothing imported objects.
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10/08/2015 20:55:14

fazz68
fazz68
(Account inactive)
Posts: 763 		if you are using the autodesk fbx converter thats whats causing the roughness. sketchup into blender is better. as you can turn on the specular and diffuse settings and it will keep its smoothed look. i use sketchup for all my model making and have never had a problem with smoothing on my fbx assets.

the relevant information on how export from blender in fbx can all be found on the wiki pages and urbanlambs tutorials. the texture mapping you'll have to learn for yourself. theres not really a quick fix for making things look good in muvizu. you have to put the work into models.
edited by fazz68 on 10/08/2015
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10/08/2015 21:49:33

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		Aye I put some written instructions in the wiki awhile back when fazz was looking for information because I figured others would eventually need it. For base modelling I am sure sketchup is fine I simply am not a fan LOL and I already know blender for modelling so there was no real reason for me to pick it up and use it because basically they both do the same things.

The problem is that the information your passing from sketchup to muvizu for fbx is incomplete. That is why you need to move it over to blender to finish it off.

Otherwise your going to get a bit of a mess.
edited by urbanlamb on 10/08/2015
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10/08/2015 22:29:56

braj
braj
Posts: 286 		Thanks for the help, I'm giving up for the day I feel more comfortable with Sketchup for drawing and at least I can create some more simple, square stuff and get it into Muvizu. I'll need to learn Blender to really do something interesting though, but that will have to wait. I should worry about stories to tell more than the technical stuff anyhow. My brain is just a bit boggled with the Blender shading stuff right now. Too bad Sketchup doesn't have a more friendly output to Muvizu (is native Collada support in Muvizu a possibility ever?)
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11/08/2015 00:14:48

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		Muvizu is based on unreal engine 3 so basically the outputs they use in that is what we use here. FBX is a universal format these days anyhow.
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Home ? General Discussion ? Dog really needs new muzzle and new tail

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