[WIP] Type II Conning Tower and accurate scope positions

[postalbyke]

This will be my second project. I am trying to make a reasonably accurate conning tower interior for the Type II U-boat, using a schematic for IIa, as well as pictures from the inside of the Vesikko museum.

I would like to use some parts and pieces from Diving Duck and Flak Monkey work (including the "open conning tower hatch" mod (which is the inspiration for this work)) I will be contacting them soon if I don't hear from them here.

Please be patient with me, my "work" computer and my internet computer are separate, so screen shots will be rare, and my time on the internet is limited, so communication with me may be sparse or erratic.

[Fish In The Water]

Sounds like an interesting project. I'm sure lots of people will look forward to following your progress. Best of luck and good wishes for a successful outcome! :sunny:

[postalbyke]

Thanks, FIW!

And now for my first problem!
I can't see my textures in S3D... any good guesses?
My models (and everyone elses) show up as black blobs in the preview window. I can see vertices and wireframes, but no colors or shadows :yeah:

[Fish In The Water]

What mode is the preview in? Have you tried switching the channel to RGB? :hmmm:

[Magic1111]

Sounds like an interesting project. I'm sure lots of people will look forward to following your progress. Best of luck and good wishes for a successful outcome! :sunny:

Yes, 2nd this! Interesting project, good luck postalbyke! :up:

Best regards,
Magic:salute:

[frau kaleun]

Thanks, FIW!

And now for my first problem!
I can't see my textures in S3D... any good guesses?
My models (and everyone elses) show up as black blobs in the preview window. I can see vertices and wireframes, but no colors or shadows :yeah:

Did you click on the little light bulb icons above the model preview? If not, try that.



I usually just click on stuff in that row until I see what I want to see. I can't tell you how often I used S3D before I even knew you could look at a preview of something in there. :haha:

[postalbyke]

What mode is the preview in? Have you tried switching the channel to RGB? :hmmm:

I remember the buttons you're talking about, but I can't see them... I'm re-installing now to see if that fixes it...

Did you click on the little light bulb icons above the model preview? If not, try that.

I usually just click on stuff in that row until I see what I want to see. I can't tell you how often I used S3D before I even knew you could look at a preview of something in there. :haha:

:D Yeah, I'm just now beginning to see the "true power" of this little tool... I'm a button-pusher, so I found that early on, which is why it's such a shock now that I move to a new computer that I can't just click on the light bulbs and make things appear :(

edit: no dice on the re-install... oh, well! I can see well enough to get things where I want them, it'll just take a few minutes longer for textures :P

edit edit: downloading winXP SP3 to see if that won't help :P

[postalbyke]

I just got a bit of one-on-one time with Skwasjer, I think it's just my computer... I'll try to do textures, etc. on the common computer when I get the time :P :D

[postalbyke]

Working out some kinks, most notably trying to figure out the ambient occlusion layer... with any luck I'll soon be separating and installing some gauges (sp?)...
And hopefully I'll get some pics over for screenshots :D

Thank you for checking in!

[Hitman]

If you just would eliminate the big "standing" periscope and put instead the same model as in the control room, you would already have done a huge step towards a more accurate Type II conning tower :up:

[postalbyke]

I know, right? but the conning tower is also oriented toward the bow of the boat relative to the CR hatch, and the tower itself is only large enough for the scope and a few gauges, so I'm trying to fix that.
I have today off, so I'll try to get some serious progress (between my two year-old and my better half :O: )

So far I have a smaller tower, a floor, and a hatch without paint or shadow.
Next on the list is the scope, taking apart some lights and gauge sets, and installing those.

I'm still waiting for permissions to use the up/down scopes and parts of the open conning tower hatch mod, so I'll install them, but I'll hold off on a release until I receive those (or build an alternate without them)...

[postalbyke]

Alright! I found out I didn't find a way to make two raising/lowering peri's, so back to the drawing board on that...
And I've started UV mapping the interior (still deciding whether or not I want a green stripe in my CT ala' Vesikko)
I've moved the moving peri to the CT (since I rarely use the obs anymore) and I'm going to start work on making some gauges work in my new favorite room!
After gauges, maybe some cheap shadows... and some lights to cast them!

[postalbyke]

Screenies!

I'm still working on making both scopes work, and I haven't figured out how to make good shadows... But I've gotten the attack scope to move and turn to bearings :D Thanks go out to Diving Duck and LucaGaeta

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j478/postalbyke0/CT2.jpg

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j478/postalbyke0/CT1.jpg

[Hans Witteman]

Hi mate,

Nice to see you getting your hand dirty in the wonderful world of modding i would really like to help you more on your project but for the moment i am pretty busy with our own.

Keep reading, search every damn post even on other site, send some money to advanced modders some here are pretty cheap to get! :k_rofl:
Just joking eh eh keep it up and one day you will become hook to a point you will look back and say what have i did with my life... I'm getting old and i might not finish my work before i go to Valhalla and best of all i did it without a pay check.

Irony is so fun some time i couldn't resist.

Keep up the good work mate.

Best regards Hans

[Fish In The Water]

...keep it up and one day you will become hook to a point you will look back and say what have i did with my life... I'm getting old and i might not finish my work before i go to Valhalla and best of all i did it without a pay check.

Sounds great! Where do I sign up? :D :O:

But seriously, few people are lucky enough in life to actually pursue their passion. So if you're willing to sacrifice in certain areas to do what you love, who's to say you're wrong? :sunny:

[postalbyke]

I moved the gauges forward and added a shallow depth gauge... I've begun playing with this conning tower installed. :D I still need to fix the texture on the light bulb... Can anyone point me to a good resource for making shadows and implementing them? elsewise, I'll have to make a different texture for every part and hand-paint the shadows on each lol

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j478/postalbyke0/Con4.jpg

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j478/postalbyke0/Con3.jpg

[U570]

Looking pretty good, postalbyke. Can't wait for it to be released

[flakmonkey]

Looking really impressive so far, ive often wished the type IIs had a proper tower interior.
As for shadows, just use your 3d app of choice, whatever program youre making the new geometry in. Light the scene as you like then look for texture baking options within the 3d program, this will differ for each 3d program. You can then create lightmaps for use in game.

[postalbyke]

Thanks, guys!

I'll give that a try, FlakMonkey :D
Right now I'm using Sketchup, but I've been trying to get into... 3ds? lemme look... oh, bother I've lost the durn thing!

Yup, deleted it somewhere along the way when I couldn't import/export models to SH3...
gonna re-download :P

edit: Gmax, not 3ds! I'm also going to be trying a model conversion program instead of just using wavefront files... *crossing fingers*

[postalbyke]

Okay! I'm thinking about releasing without shadows, just gotta spit-polish this thing, maybe someone can bring it to a mirror shine :DL

Orrrr I just got a PM from someone helpful!
Alright, everyone, this might get off the ground! :D

[postalbyke]

I'm a little embarrassed, I can't seem to raise the person who offered the help...

[postalbyke]

Never mind all that! He helped and I can't seem to make it work.

So! I intend to release without shadows or working lights in the hopes that someone else can fix it, as well as my sloppy uving work on the gauges.

Notice: It will use the DivingDuck open hatch/phonograph animations file with alterations, so if you use this with any of those mods, they will be incompatible.

Any input about whether I should include the cameras file? I use it for the convenience of knowing where the "numpad 0" button will send me. (and I've modded it for the MaGui Mod)

[postalbyke]

I know I'm probably talking to myself, but i've released this mod here:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom//showthread.php?t=193263

Thank you.

[Borgneface]

Ok ...I am downloading it now and hope to be able to try is during the weekend....
Thanks for the good work

Amicalement