Privateer's Armory and thingamajiggy thread

To keep from cluttering up others threads with my nonsense and WIP things?
I'll place it all in this thread.

Everything I have ever done was inspired by requests or comments from our fine little place on the 'Net.
So feel free to post images or requests of things like better Weapons models or what have you.

I hope this thread also helps to give new modders confidence as they start out.
No one knew it all when they started modding SH and know one knew how far one could go.
We still have not seen the limits fresh ideas can take us to!!

I'll be posting images of different stuff in the works or done in the past as I bumble along.
You'll also see a list of names of all the great people that helped me learn stuff,
or assisted me with thier contributions in SO many ways.
I can't express my thanks to them enuff.

From the way back machine here's an image from my early days here at Subsim.




You probably know it better like this.



ref and JU_88 were far more important to this then I was.
ref guided me to get the damned thing to actually fly and JU_88 did the Gondola work.
My 3D skills at the time were 'lacking' for want of a better phrase.


Close to follow were the Barrage Ballons.



I've never been really happy with them and may re-do them at some point.


The first Ship I ever kit bashed for SH3.
The River Class.


Mush Martin requested it and along with BBW, gave me advise and taught me many different things about modding Units.


The dreaded ASW Trawler!
Mostly a kit bash with some adjustments to stock parts in 3D.


SH4 also had a better version of this type Trawler on release.

[Herr-Berbunch]

My 3D skills at the time were 'lacking' for want of a better phrase.

Really? Looks pretty darn fantastic to me.

No requests, just another thank you to you, and all the modders for any game.

I was REALLY bad at 3D work at the time.

I got better.


The Army Sea Forts.
Better known as the Maunsell's



Sergbuto had done some work on this same subject but never released it.
I found his work fascinating in many areas.
I was pretty bad to him at the time.

I did mend that bridge (I know there may still be some grudge but I deserve that) and highly respect many things I learned from him.

Those forts needed something to fire at.
We always say 'stay out of the Channel' so they get lonely!
The V-1 was created when I had a really bad time going on with my White Huskey.


The amazing DivingDuck helped (Did most of the work) on the flame effect.

Keep in mind that this was all done with Hex Editors!
There was no S3D at that point in time.


The Air Raid Siren was created from a discussion at the GWX Super Secret Hide away.
Better known as "The Lair".

It looks like a standard Spot Light but has a few additional add-ons to get the sound.
It has a gun attached that fires a fake shell.
That's how the sound gets called.
The V-1 and Air Raid Siren share a common thing. Both use actual recordings of the real deal from WWII.

I used Audacity to edit the sound files and adjusted whatever needed to produce the effect you hear in GWX.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Well if you're into forts you should get your hands dirty doing the two that reside in the Humber:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber_Forts

Both a bit derelict now but had times of glory almost a century ago. And it'd spice up this part of the east coast as the ports of Grimsby, Immingham and Hull aren't best represented in the world of SH3. And Grimsby is definately missing it's biggest feature -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimsby_Dock_Tower

Funny you should mention the Humbar Forts.


When working on the GWX for SH4?
We started many new things on Forts and such in the Channel and on the Atlantic Wall.


There's one Old Fort in the Channel that I'm going to buy when I hit the Mega Millions Lottery.


http://www.doctorwholocations.net/lo...nomanslandfort
It's pretty set up now as I understand.

[Missing Name]

I approve of this thread. If only I had the slightest idea on how to do 3D modeling...

Grab any free 3D modeling program and just mess around.
That's how I learned what little I know now.


I started with GMax and for the most part?
It's still an very good program to work with.
Misfit Modeler is another I like.
Wings3D and Blender are liked by many but I could never really get into them myself.

Somethings I never did finish.
Dye Markers.



Shells fired often had this to help adjust range. Aircraft dropped them also to mark where a Sub was spotted.

Udet
Started but never released.


Mikhayl did his own version and release them.

Editing of animations is taken for granted today with S3D as a Tool.
There was a time when they were barely understood.
Working with ref and DivingDuck?
That was changed!
The very first complete keyframe animation change came from a fantastic mod by Mikhayl.

http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n...ated_Doors.mp4

As far as I know he deleted the original Development thread?


Part of the final answers to this problem came from what I figured out doing this for Mikhayl.
ref and DivingDuck were informed and ref wrote the first Tool for working keyframe animations.
He soon followed with a Mesh Animation tool.
skwasjer was working on S3D about this time and he was informed of what We knew.

Somewhere along the line?
Von Dos needed a few custom Guns for his work.
I was glad to take it on.
Released as Guns for his work, they were placed in GWX of course.



Note that SH5 has the same Guns (Different Models) now and even have the Gun skirts!

It may just be me and wishful thinking?
But I kind of like to think they are Thanking me in a way.
If it's not that?
Please don't tell me! It would ruin my whole day.

The Dev's for SH are GREAT Guys!!

Turms Your way.
This also came from requests posted.
TDW did a version that I found convoluted to use.
I'm not saying my way is better. Just different approaches to the same end results.
Mostly I wanted others to take what I did and copy the way I did them.
Then release all the other Turms.
Sadly this did not happen so we only have what I have released to date.
There is not a complete version for every Turm in SH3.
I doubt I will do the rest any time soon.
It just does not interest me any longer.
(This is all Hobby work and if it don't keep my attention? It's scrapped.)

A special name dropping to ANVART.


I can't even begin to explain how much information in many different areas this Guy is the Master of!


He is a hard one to understand at times (It's the translation thing), but well worth the effort involved!


I place him right up there with ref and DivingDuck as the Top 3 Teachers I have ever had the Honor of knowing!!

As the years and Mods roll by? I have become friends of many Great Modders.
Rowi, TestPilot, The Frog, Alex (or Adrian as I like to refer to him), and SO MANY OTHERS!!
One thing I try to never forget is the fact that working together has always improved what We do.
As older Modders with the years and knowledge? We owe it to the newer Modders to assist and teach them so they can grow.
Far down the road? They will thank us in return and the Game will only get better!

One of the biggest issues I see today on many Mods or Mod attempts in the 3D area is the famous 'smoothing issues'.

SH Games have a very weird way of dealing with this so all 3D work must adjust to that.

For the most part? It's detaching objects that solves it.
Take a simple box. It has 6 sides. You need to detach each side for a crisp render in SH.
A sharp box should have 3 objects detached at the very lest.
When you go compound objects? The program you use can affect this rule.

I'll provide the 12 pounder shields as an example of a compound object rendered nicely in SH3 if done correctly.
I usually run My parts through MeshLab to reduce unneeded faces or verts to reduce file sizes.
This DOES NOT WORK for all objects and may cause problems!
You need to check in Game to be sure.

[BUKER]

Hi privateer,
Wow museum from privateer,good theme.
I hope you not going on a pension and will make happy all of us by the new works.