Creating VWeps (VWeaps?)
Alright, after I finally got off my
lazy butt and created VWep for Paintball
II, I found out it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would
be. I thought I'd write a nice little easy-to-follow tutorial for
anybody else desiring to create vweps of their own.
The Tools
You'll need to grab a copy of Q2
Model Editor. You don't need to know how to use it, as it's all
explained in the tutorial :)
Let's Go!
The first thing you need to do is
load your model. I'm using the ground weapons (I assume that's what
g_ stands for, heh), and in this tutorial, I'll be using the SpyderSE from
the paintball mod.
Now you need (well, don't NEED, but I
recommend) to choose a reference model - whatever player model you want
to create vweps for. I'm using the male model (players/male/tris.md2)
Now merge your model with an existing
weapon model for the player. I'm just using the shotgun. Weapon.md2
is the standard visible weapon.
Next switch to face mode (see arrow),
and invert your selection (you can just hit "i").
You'll want to align and scale your model
to be as close as possible to the original one. Use the move/scale/rotate
modifiers - pretty self explanitory.
You can also use the Pan Views button
to scale/move your view so it's easier to work with.
Using the reference model helps a lot
in getting the model lined up correctly. Make sure the gun is in
contact with both hands. Note how I also made it look like his index
finger was on the trigger :) I find the flat shaded 3D view is easiest
to work with.
Once everything is lined up to your satisfaction,
switch to a different frame (circled). This isn't necessary, but
it makes things easier. Switch to vertex mode, and select four verticies
on the existing vwep model (in this case, the shotgun). Spread the
selection out as far as possible - if they are too close, your final result
will be wobbly or look funny. If you mess up on your selection, press
the "\" key to deselect all the verts.
This is a good point to save (the next
step is not undoable). Switch back to the first frame (or whatever
frame you aligned your weapon in), switch to the bone (B) tab, and click
align. Your weapon should now be aligned nicely with the other one
through all of the frames - try it out (move the frame bar).
Now you need to get rid of that 'ol shotgun
(or whatever you used). Switch back to Face mode, press "I" to invert
the selection, and click on "Del. Selected" in the "M" tab.
Now hit F2 to go to the skin editor and
delete the leftover skin vericies (click the Delete Sel. button).
My skin looks all messed up because Paintball II uses a different palette.
:)
And last, but not least, you need to save
it. Export it to MD2, and name it w_<whatever>.md2. You
will also be asked for a skin name. Since Paintball II is a mod where
everyone obviously has the model skins, I just used the skins from the
weapons directory, but if you're creating special weapons for specific
player models, you'll probably want to copy the .pcx files into the player
model's directory and use those.
And the final result...
Problems?
I try to make these tutorials as easy
to follow as I can, but if there's anything you're unclear about, contact
me and let me know. |
