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