Tutorial Request (Carwash - please read)

reaper2040 · Post by **reaper2040** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 3:23 am

I'm really struggling with building a custom cockpit. MetaseQ is very easy to use, as well as SketchUp and a number of other fee/shareware programs. I also have a huge investment in professional modeling programs for my buisness (building design), yet for the life of me, I can't seem to get anything into the game that looks like what I create in the modeling program. Mostly, I see a white wall or a white circle?

Can someone send me a simple sphere with a window in it and two textures (grey and glass), about the right dimensions for a cockpit that I can open in MetaseQ or SketchUp or a .dxf?

If I could just get a starting place I can sort out the rest.

I really want to make a 'pit that is the antithisis to Carwash's "Industrial" and the the new "Dark Pit" by Ali Fish. Carwash has made an incredible model with superior views (more visability) and Ali Fish has a great idea with the texture work he is doing. I want to make something with the visabilty of Carwash's pit with a clean, white "Space 1999" look, but all organic, curved surfaces. Something you might expect in an expensive yacht.

Finally, a question for Vice: Is there a way to assign different cockpits to different ships? I would love to jump into my expensive Leviathon and see my "yachtpit" and then jump into my my old Hunter and find Carwash's "Industrial" pit. Now that we can store ships (thank you!) that would be really cool.

Post by **Vice** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 3:41 am

Finally, a question for Vice: Is there a way to assign different cockpits to different ships? I would love to jump into my expensive Leviathon and see my "yachtpit" and then jump into my my old Hunter and find Carwash's "Industrial" pit. Now that we can store ships (thank you!) that would be really cool.

Yes, use the \\hudX naming system where X is the number of the frame you want to apply a custom cockpit and/or HUD for. Keep in mind that it's an all or nothing system, so you'll need to use custom cockpits for each ship frame if you want to use the ship specific system. If you just want to use a few cockpits, just put copies of the same one(s) in each \\hudX folder as needed. Also, the cockpit may not change when you switch ships until you exit the game reload. This is being changed for the release build though, so cockpits will update in-game when you change ships.

Carwash · Post by **Carwash** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:36 pm

Hiya

here you go mate.

The Cockpit (working in EL)

The Sketchup model.

Bear in mind this is a quickie. No lights or Reflect differences in the meshes.

It's worth noting that the texture files in the hud folder are bmps EVEN THOUGH the ccpit.x file refers to them as jpgs. Open the ccpit.x file in notepad and search for jpg to see what i mean. For some reason you have to use bmp texture files even if the source file you used to texture with is a jpg... i dunno why...

feel free to do whatever the hell you like with this

reaper2040 · Post by **reaper2040** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:46 pm

Thanks a million Carwash.

BTW - How do export/convert from SketchUp to .x?

Carwash · Post by **Carwash** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:39 pm

http://www.scriptspot.com/sketchup/scri ... sxexporter

reaper2040 · Post by **reaper2040** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:46 pm

Carwash,

Thanks for the plugin link. Works like a charm. I'm still battling one odd issue before I can jump in to the modelling phase: It seems like I'm looking through a tube where all cockpit textures outside the tube are invisable. M test model has an even more pronounced effect. Looking down the effect is minimal and gets worse as I look up.

Any idea what's causing this?

[img][img]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6393/evochronlegends20090308.th.jpg[/img][/img]

[Edited on 3-8-2009 by reaper2040]

Carwash · Post by **Carwash** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:26 am

I think that if parts of the model are too cose to the 'camera' then the game clips them out. Try scaling up the pit to test the theory.

reaper2040 · Post by **reaper2040** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:58 am

Thanks Carwash. That did the trick, although I was suprised to see my test shell grow to 20' x 15' (somewhat egg-shaped) before the clipping went away!