Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

I started this over on the "Open Jobs" thread, but there are going to be enough models (9 at last count) to give them their own thread. Since I'm actually doing an interior for the first time, I've realized that there are several touches to the interior of the old MW shacks that I had neglected in getting the structures done. The first omission dealt with fire; we ain't talking southern Elsweyr here, folks Winters can get cold in northern Morrowind, I gave the poor shakkies a firepit so they don't burn the house down and a frame to hang their stewpot from. However, no stewpot yet; if anyone knows of a good pot-n-chain model I can put there, it would be appreciated.

Included are the models and screeners with & w/o nightsight. Ignore the tinfoil look for now; Razorwing has fixed the normal map for the upcoming release.

If you have thoughts, I'll hear 'em,
Steve

EDIT: With Photobucket:

It looks good, but it doesn't look safe indoors. Those Dunmer are resistant to fire, though, so they probably don't care.
I think it would work very well as an outdoor pit.

An argument could be made that another layer is needed, but the Dunmer do not appear very safety-conscious in ST:TES3 either. The screener is taken in Mindrele Tolos' shack on the outskirts of ST proper.

EDIT: My rationalization with plank floors, BTW, is that a thick layer of dirt is put down first, but in the model that is hidden by the ash.

Later,
Steve

It does look a bit dangerous. Perhaps you could add a sheet in the middle of the fireplace textured to look like coal (with a glow map) instead of an open flame? Just a thought.

How about a third tier of stones and a smaller fire (the fire is a separate object)? And Razorwing, how would an ember glow map work? 'Cause I was thinking that Sparrow should bank the fire before going to bed and restart it upon getting up. So disabling the fire object at bedtime and activating at awakening would be cool and the embers would fit right in.

Thanks,
Steve

Quote:Originally posted by SACarrow
How about a third tier of stones and a smaller fire (the fire is a separate object)? And Razorwing, how would an ember glow map work? 'Cause I was thinking that Sparrow should bank the fire before going to bed and restart it upon getting up. So disabling the fire object at bedtime and activating at awakening would be cool and the embers would fit right in.

Thanks,
Steve

Sure, that could work.

Perhaps my lampposts in Reich Parkeep is a good example of how one can do that. If you examine them in the CS you'll see that the lamppost is made up of two separate objects, where one is the main lamppost and the other is just a bulb that goes on top of the lamppost. The bulb has the streetlightscript on it, enabling it during nighttime and disabling it during daytime. The bulb has a glowmap-enabled texture, while the dull bulb of the main lamppost model does not.

An ember glowmap... hmm... I'm not sure, but I think there are two ways of using a glowmap. One is to set the emissive color to the color it should glow and then make a white-and-black mask for the _g file. Another is to set the emissive color to pure white and add the color right in the _g file. I think the first way is the best since it enables you to modify the glow color without changing the texture file or creating a new one.

I think I'm done for now with shack accessories. I've made 10 new models, though the ropes weren't hard. Here are thumbnails of all the models in Sparrow's shack, which is not fully cluttered yet. Clutter completion should happen tomorrow. Also so the models could be seen I put basically an arc light in the middle of the shack, so the real ambient will be a bit dimmer.


One of the things that I realized when I revisited the ST:TES3 shack interiors was how space was conserved. A lot of stuff was hung on walls and ceilings; my guess is because 1) shacks are small and space is scarce, and 2) they're mostly on the Bitter Coast, which is so damp you don't want things on the ground anyway. So I did 3 rope models designed to be stauck in the ceiling.


With the whole dampness thing in mind, the preferred approach would be to recreate the BC hammocks. But unless Saiden does a "sleeps in hammock with hands behind head" custom anim , that ain't happening. Next best approach was to make a short platform to keep the bedroll off the damp. This also provides a hiding place for the "hiiden" compartment, which is a container using a shrunken version of my trapdoor model with some levelled goodies (also usable for access to secret caves and slavers' hideaways).


Above is an improved version of the firepit (which could conceivably work) , along with the frame that still needs a stewpot and a new basket. I also liked the hanging baskets in ST:TES3, but the current models did not seem to hang well. With a hook through it, this one will hang just fine.

The outdoor table I used at first was about the right size, but was a little blue for the shack, so I went ahead and made a large rough-looking work table thing. Also I made general-purpose shelves that go on the wall, saving more of that highly desirable, damp, miserable BC floor space.

Let me know what you think,
Steve

Looks excellent so far. I'm glad you added rope models too, those were one of the things missing that could have made the interior shacks a lot easier to create.

I like the idea of a raised bedroll, and the whole damp floor scenario makes sense. Although, and I know this is probably just personal taste, but it looks a little strange to me, more like a bed on a bench- I don't mean to sound as though I don't like them though, because it looks excellent and sounds like a great idea; like you say, the next best approach from hammocks.

The outdoor table and shelves, along with the idea of the Bitter Coast being, not the best place to have household objects on the ground with, I like, and make a change from the standard looking tables. I'm sure they will be very handy.

I like your work so far. :goodjob:

-Dave

Thank you, kind gentleman from the UK. And I agree with you; the bed-on-a-bench look is not great, but the idea of a bedroll on the ground in the BC region seemed a bit dampish to me. If anyone does do a "sleep-on-hammock" anim and can incorporate it into the KF catalog, I will make a hammock for the BC. Does anyone, particularly from ST, VV or BM have ideas for other shacked-up pieces? I'm thinking of using the style of the table to do a stool and bench, if I can figure out furniture markers. But for now, I have an interior to finish. Sanpicture had made me look like molasses in January.

Later,
Steve

Very, very nice. I'll be sure to make Ebbedin better with this. Next thing we need would be that lighthouse eventually, and then, possibly, a boat. You don't have to do it SACarrow, someone else can, and it will make Ebbedin look better/worse.