[WIP] Ship Silhouettes - Modder's Resource

[DanielCoffey]

FotRSU Model Query : NCVW.dat


Please can someone who understands the position of vessels in the water have a look at the NCVW.dat and let me know if you think it is correctly positioned in the water? When I look at it in Blender there is a LOT of the hull sides texture below the waterline before you get to the red anti-fouling paint line.


If the model is positioned correctly and is intended to sit that low in the water then the UV mapping of the model may simply be incorrect. Alternatively perhaps the origin 0,0,0 of the vessel is positioned to low?


Here is an enhanced example that I have lightened to show the paint better...

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by DanielCoffey

If anyone could write down a step by step list of how to export an OBJ from S3D into Blender then put it back in again, that would open up the doors to model optimization. Many of the vessels have what I would consider grossly excessive triangle counts and there are plenty of models with dead parts hidden or placed inside them. A drydocking and thorough scrubbing is what these vessels need!

I did try it myself and although I can get the model into Blender, I just cannot get it back into S3D without huge numbers of complaints about indexes and unknown parameters.

Once we have a working method it could do with writing up and illustrating in its own thread which I am happy to do.

Send me a link to the problem files you are getting the errors on.
I can then see exactly what your doing wrong.

[DanielCoffey]

Cheers - I will set up an example file where I will just export from S3D, import into Blender and immediately re-export without editing. It will be later this PM (UK time).

[DanielCoffey]

Regarding my query about the NCVS.dat above, I think it may just need a new paint job as the NOL_Nippon is also very low in the water by about the same proportions but has a correct waterline in its paint.


Disregard for now but maybe consider the NCVS for a repaint?

[propbeanie]

You can tell DanielCoffey, from where the asset's main "node" is positioned, as to whether they will sit high or low in the water. When you first open the NCVW dat file, notice that "9:Node" and the ship are both high on the sides, so the ship sits low in the water. Other ships, you'll see that the node might be above or below the "grid" in S3D, and you might see an off-set then in the Node Positioning "Translation" X, Y, Z settings... The ship might have originally be a "loaded" clone of another ship... ??

[DanielCoffey]

Oh my goodness! I hope that Blender has been putting the hulls at the correct position or else all my depth and height calculations will be wrong as well as the silhouettes!

If I understand you correctly, the game will "float" the vessels at the offset position of the hull instead of its 0,0,0 (assuming a given vessel has an offset).


EDIT : Phew - Blender has been behaving properly. The NCVW sits exactly the same in Blender as it does in S3D. In fact you can clearly see the waterline is high above the paint line in S3D too.

[Jeff-Groves]

The draft is controlled by the cfg file and to some extent the sim file.

[DanielCoffey]

I have just checked a few models and it does indeed look like Blender follows the same S3D origin for a vessel so, barring any variations introduced by the cfg files, my draft and height are true for an "average" vessel.


Phew!

[DanielCoffey]

I have updated the following Packs to reflect what I hope are accurate Depth and Height figures. Every vessel in these packs is affected by about 0.5 to 1.0 meter so I am sorry but the .cfg files for these vessels will also need updating.

In addition new silhouettes have been created (for all vessels in these packs except the submarines which didn't need them) using the high quality Blender Cycles renderer rather than the preview Eevee renderer. It will be hard to spot on these small vessels but shadows under the superstructure will now be more accurate.

Updated to Version 2.0

Merchant Pack 01
Merchant Pack 02
Submarines Pack 07

Download links are in the first page of this thread. The other packs will follow shortly.

[Jeff-Groves]

I'd say if things are not 100% correct?
Blame it on the Fog of War.
If that ticks people off? Play Minecraft or something.
SH3/4/5 in ways is a mind Game.
They all require you to use a small amount of brain cells!

[Moonlight]

No errors to report on the Silhouettes Version 2.0

[DanielCoffey]

Updated to Version 2.0

Small Vessels Pack 03
Liners Pack 04


All new silhouettes and corrected draft/height values for all vessels.



Download links are in the first page of this thread. The other packs will follow shortly.

[Moonlight]

Are these going to be the final edits to these units?, if it is I'll wait till all 7 packs are redone and then I'll repackage them all into one pack instead of 7.

[DanielCoffey]

I really hope they are final, yes.


I am working my way through Misc 05 at the moment replacing the silhouettes with the better ones and getting the accurate measurements.


Once I have redone Misc and Carriers I will carry on with Escorts and make my way up the ship classes.

[DanielCoffey]

Quick question when picking the Draft of the carriers...


The NCV Akagi has a draft for the entire vessel of 8.6m which reaches the bottom of the propeller shafts whereas the actual keel itself is only at 6.9m because the shafts protrude below it.


Which of the two measurements will be the most useful for us? The "real" draft or the draft that is "depth to keel"?


It only appears to be some of the Carriers so far that have "deep" propeller shafts although I wouldn't put it past some of the capital ships to share the same design.