Getting a character into UDK - Modular Pawns

This event I have been putting off - I'm not sure why, as it is pretty useful.  Anyway the main idea is to put my own character over the supplied UDK one.

Check out the page on UDN

For information see "How to create a Modular Pawn" on UDN
There is a dude called Dave Saxon who has a fantastic youtube channel which covers this, and other areas like User Interface which I want to learn after too.  Basically a modular pawn is a character with interchangable parts, like the shoulder pads on the lady above.  This would be a typical way to have different armour sets and creating NPC variants.


*Due to the fact I have to add folders and alter UDK's script files it makes setting this up to see in front of the class impractical.  It would be possible to make the alterations before hand, and to prepare a PC for the final show - But not have the character work "off the bat" as it were.

* Object has to have skin modifier to qualify for skeletal mesh in UDK
* To "cheat" you can copy over the skin modifiers from the UT3 template as a basis to skin your own mesh
* Even better is the "Skin Wrap" modifier which is made for transmitting envelope data to similar meshes

The Skeletal Mesh must be split into appropriate groups to match the Unreal rig
*HEAD *SHOULDERSx2 *ARMS *TORSO *LEGS/THIGH *BOOTS

By using the preset UDK rig and animation sets you circumvent the need to animate and work out a whole load of other crap.  Ideally I would have access to MoCaps (motion capture files) to help animate.  It would be awesome if the animation course had such facilities and shared them with our Game Art course in the future.  Anyways.

[WIP] Un-rigged, un_UV'd but learning how to do the complex bits
Here I'm making a custom pawn Archetype

After I have completed these pralimanary processes I should be able to complete my character (detailing and correct rigging) without any further issues.

The main problem now is altering the elements so are better to rig - This may not even be needed with correct rigging, but would ease the process - ie more arm under shoulder pads and no holes in geometry where I have split my single mesh.

This whole process is helping me to understand important facts about character modelling.  From now on I have a better idea of how and why to split objects.  I'm also learning to change to the needs of the Unreal system of animating, which also means I can learn others too!

I got impatient and pushed everything through any way.
I did the minimum in covering the holes and allocated very little UV an polys

Splitting the objects actually makes Zbrushing a lot easier and manageable too.  So a bit of regret from not knowing this before.  I can see how this could be applied to different armours for each element & change equipment in game.

I actually rushed the UVs and adaption from single mesh to many - This is not advisable, but is done now and most people wont know.  What I basically did was reproject the separate elements and guessing their location - This created a lot of miniature imperfections in the armour.  Can you tell from most screen shots?  Will the player notice much from using the third person view?  Not much.  I know though and its annoying.

My other option is spend more time creating nice geometry to fix it up properly or to add other elements to fill the holes.  Never mind :D

Double Checks & Cleanup

Well, it's coming towards the end of this project and I have a lot of files, images, meshes, textures, reference and crap I'm not even sure that I'm using or not!.

So I have started to go through my files and folders to finish off stuff and delete or remove others.

 I have over thirty different 3DS max files, most containing layers of items, some named properly, others not so much.

Here is a low poly asset I used to block out the level a couple of months back.
Now I'm adding vertices and fixing UVs to add variance and finalize

Before the end I intend to have a decent break down of the assets and files to help the assesor find and understand the information.  One problem is that I use Outliner Max Script to create folders in 3DS Max files, which are often badly translated without it.  But the main problem is my back ups - I have loads which have to be cleansed before hand in.

I'm pretty confident I'm getting good at UV'ing - Simple is usually best

Some files will get scrapped, and I will simplify the organization of everything.  I have WIPs which are now dead, duplicates of unused items, back-up files... This is one reason I lose marks - The tutors can't see my work.

Here is a WIP I have gave up on - I no longer project in 3DS Max 

In a different folder in the same file I have assets I will keep though.
I can also still use these to create further objects also

Naming objects - WOOOO!
Anyway, using a prefix of the file name will improve chances of finding said item later on.

SyncToy
Thanks to SyncToy I don't have to worry about loosing anything permanently - I have set up an archive function as well as sharing info on my USB & portable hard drive so I never forget anything for university when I do go in.  This will be good for my clean up today in case I remove the wrong object!

CLEAN UP
Very-very boring, but has to be done.  spending the whole day deleting objects and unused layers (even my set & lighting systems as I'm sure these will confuse and baffle.  Also deleting unused scene materials - these crop up from importing items which incorrectly have material information attached (not sure how to stop this from Zbrush to be honest)

I found this in a file called blocks! Is actually a 3D block out but only took a few moments to push into UDK
The UVs are horrible, and there are no textures for it but it still works - 15 Mins for a "free" background object.
a quick way to improve would be unwrapping and quick detailing in Zbrush - maybe another day

Too Many things!  Thanks to checking though I know how to clear & consolidate them better

Retopology with 3D Coat

Today I'm trying to retopologize my character.  For this I use 3D Coat.  3D Coat is excellent for many things that Zbrush is not so good at.  Unfortunately I haven't done much more than retopo and UV'ing in 3D Coat so far.

This is the basic retopo section in 3D Coat

Here some basic 3D Coat tutorials

The tools I would mainly use for retopo in 3D Coat are;
Points & Faces - This allows you to quickly place dots, which then turn into verts and create faces
Quads - This is a more reliable way to force faces and locks to pre-existing geometry and dots
Brush - With this you can move geometry and relax areas (relax makes everything look more pro)
Delete - Obviously for deleting stuff as I change the topology & loops
Add/Split - Often used with delete to fix areas and get a decent line flow
Stokes - Not as reliable as I want so didn't use much - seemed awkward to fine tune, but god for making loops

Comparing the 3D Coat retopo & Z Remesh

The Zremesher function in Zbrush is excellent - I mainly use it for working on the fly and managing the polys better.  In the above example I didn't even bother making guide-lines of paint its density.  On the whole it is always better to manually do this for important meshes.

After retopology. I use 3DS Max to "STL Check" and tweak/fix the geometry.  I think the reason I do this is that I am comfortable with 3DS Max and it is more, er "sophisticated".

I'm quite happy with the result - I will maybe want to split into objects/elements for easier Skinning/weighting.
But now I have the updated base mesh in Zbrush so I can texture and rig separately as needed

Another great feature in Zbrush is its projection... It can push my new low-poly mesh tightly into the form of my original mesh.  After that you can sub divide the new mesh and project the details too - Lubbely-jubbly.

I spent a lot more time than I originally thought it would take to retopo the armour.  I'm actually quite happy with the results, which have retained much of its details and forms.  I would hope this for current generation - One way my model falls short though is that it currently is a single mesh.  Ideally each element would be a complete part, like the pauldrons and plates of the mail.  I could go further into it and complete each of these, but due to limitations I think I will do my best to finish quickly.

Today I was trying to find the original Unreal Character template which had a mesh and rig - It's not in my FMP project folder as far as I can see hehe.  Ideally I should put all the parts into a single folder and get the bugga rigged & in UDK (which may be harder and more complicated than I like)

Colossus - Rigging

Yeah rigging! (false enthusiasm)
CAT rigging rules - Screw creating bones from scratch, and screw manipulating the Biped

I did make a rig with bones from scratch

CAT rigging is the way to go!

CAT rigging is nearly fun!  It is a lot more logical to use and has improved functionality over other methods.  In a way it is a lot hard to go wrong, and needs less effort.  You can also layer animation sets - which has untold uses.

I have working low poly version which is rigged and moves in engine.  Here it is greyed out so I can
"re-fill" it with updated & detailed objects

The way I am going to rig is by splitting my colossus into multiple objects/groups.  These can then be assigned wholly to any bone in the rig - which is convenient as my model is "rigid" - each part will move separately and the joints are synthetic.  I was hoping to add more parts (like vines) which can also be rigged as muscle/fat and should wobble if I get round to it.   Anyhow, by splitting it into different object it means in a way the envelopes are massively simplified - If I only add a single bone to an object it will move fully attached to that bone.

Here I have my "parts" layer visible, with different types nested in folders within this

It is a massive pity the flow between 3DS Max and Zbrush isn't as practical as I would like - there are many little things like shared UV space doesn't work (have to offset instance of UV islands), world location of objects, temperamental scale issues and the like.  To do this I will need to go between these applications many times.

Through polygroups in Zbrush you can split object and elements easily
Here I only want to work on one or two of the ledges for example - I'd then use array in 3DS max to finalize.

For the above example I can use radial symmetry in Zbrush and work each ledge at the same time - then change the symmetry/arrray count to change the ones I work on to add variety.  In the end I only want one or two to save UV space.  PS this object is a "bracelet" or some sort of limb bracing.

My plan for today is to get the links working for each object - making sure I have every object where I need it and a mirror in Zbrush to texture & tweak.  I can carry on using my low poly mesh to create cut-scenes and animation in UDK, which I will spend tomorrow or another day on soon.  I got the walk-cycle in UDK a while ago and need to learn more about triggering animations in Kismet.

Workflow - Little Details/ AKA Boring

I have found it a challenge to work on the colossus - It is quite hard as there are a lot of detailed parts, which are to be animated and tested on the fly.  It is most difficult for rigging - I am adding and changing elements as I am going and the rigging envelopes automatically know how to pull the vertices.

Here are examples of object management - Using instances, groups and references to help the workflow

Using groups and references/instances I can minimize the amount of reworking I have to do.  For the example above I can attach elements into my "Master objects", which are then updated in each instance.  By using groups I can combine objects, and by making reference groups I can add modifiers such as skinning/envelopes.

Outliner & Schematic
Outliner is a Script I have come to love!  It is basically an improved manage layers tool.  The Schematic View is also very powerful and useful - especially with complicated scenes and rigging.  At the moment I am not too concerned about having a lot of hidden objects - This does ruin the schematic view but as is low poly does not impact saving times or performance. - If I was baking in 3DS Max it would be awefully slow -especially for large & detailed scenes.

Heres my CAT rig & the schematic view of the bones

The Zbrush problem
Working with complicated scenes and zbrush can hurt - Zbrush seems to reset the scale and xform on a whim.  The GoZ plugin seems to always break, and thus I no longer use it.  I have been exporting as OBJs from 3DS Max and splitting the object in Zbrush if needed.  There is a function in the deformation sub-pallette in Zbrush called "unify"  which resets an object to a set scale to function best in Zbrush.  I have been using this and baking within Zbrush, which allows you to do multiple objects if you desire and is no need to "explode" the objects to bake.  I have had a twiddle with "RTT" (render to texture) and "Tex Tools" Max scripts.  These are actually pretty good and have decent functionality and some tools which are otherwise unavailable.  It is after experimenting with these and other techniques that I have come to end up with my current process.  I think with a little more practice I can nail some great workflows and throw out a lot of work quickly & with more ease/confidence.

Folder Layout and naming format.
Yep - Very boring but important for workflow again.
At the top of my folder I have many 3DS Max files and other folders.  These are layed out to simplify whatever plugins/scripts I am using to export.  For example my Texture folder contains PSDs & the related TARGAs - This is as I use a script so I can export maps there at a single button press.  I have an "FBX" folder at the top also because I can export multiple objects from 3DS Max ready for UDK at a click.

I think there are a hundred or so objects and these can get lost easily so we need proper naming.  For this I would like to be using 3DS file names as pre-fixes.  For example any colossus object will come from a file called "Colossus", then have a more descriptive name to follow.  I may also use another descriptove word after to help define the object further if are others similar.  IE cave_wall_corner_000.  I have found that numbers are not needed unless repeating within 3DS max (game engines auto assign unique identifiers/numbers as you repeat objects)

In general it is a good idea to name the objects properly from the get-go.  If I name something as I want it to appear in the finality, & keep its file-path, then I can very-very easily update it within the game engine at a single click.  From working in offices I can see file management and naming could be very important, as well as a place where people get lazy/make mistakes and problems arise.

Workflow - Alphas n Modelling

At the minute I'm texturing and modelling the colossus.  I have already put an animation set into UDK and got the colossus animated via triggers within the Marquee.  I will also add in cameras and more appropriate animations.

Of course I haven't completed the modelling!  But with a bit of practice I have sorted a work flow where I can easily update my model.

Zbrush Alphas
Alphas (grey scale images) are very useful in Zbrush.

Here I am using alphas to create a carved/embossed effect. - It's very hard to hand draw somethings

I have been experimenting a bit and have found that if you save Alphas as 16Bit TIFFs you get clearer & more precise results.

By saving these alphas as custom shapes(vectors) it gives me a way to repeat the pattern
anytime easily at any resolution.  Only certain formats can be previewed and used in Zbrush

Here is a pillar, which are 3 objects that I can use to make different configurations - and even use on my colossus

Using stacked "turbo smooth" & "edit poly" mods is a nice way to create objects -
It means LODs are very easy to make as well as sculpting meshes

I'm using 3DSMax & Zbrush a lot.  I am projecting and baking in Zbrush.  I'm doing this instead of 3DS Max and Xnormal for a few reasons.
1) Can see and manipulate high frequency details (normal map), and the base mesh at the same time.
2) I don't need different instances of the same mesh - the shell is always "perfect"
3) Zbrush is very good for painting with photoshop, and exporting different maps easily

Classic problems with using Zbrush is re-importing meshes, projecting, and retopology.  This can be avoided if you either get lucky or have a bit of experience.  Lots of people may project & bake using different methods to circumvent this technique all together.  This is bad in my eyes as it will involve decimating a mesh and "ending" the process.  When projecting in zbrush you can always continue to work and make changes - possibly designing as you go.

Foliage

 I made some foliage to fill out the level.

Using non-square texture sizes is handy for long plants

Its simple to cut the parts out of a plane to create elements/objects to kit-bash plants

I made a few variants from these maps, and can make more very quickly with the texture sheets now made

Using the foliage function in UDK makes planting very quick

I have added a "breeze" effect to the foliage material, putting a controller on the breeze amount for different plants/grass.
Where I have painted red there should be no movement

Quick Cave

 I made a cave for my start area.

Here I used "bend" and "noise" to create modular parts

I made some simple panels to create the cave interior.  This was very easy - a case of a few simple modifiers.  While these parts may seem dumb for using so polygons it is actually ideal for vertex painting and adding height variance.

Here is the view from the start - I may leave in the pillars (which were originally place holders)

I'm planning on having some sun rays coming through the sky light & have the starting position dappled in light - Should look ok in a video sequence.

Here is the original idea - An ancient abandoned valley /village

I had to refine the idea a lot I can see from reviewing some original ideas.  I maybe could of made this if I didn't have my focus on the Colossus and it was more environment focused.