05-14-2005, 03:27 PM
Kindly skip down to "version 4" and continue reading from there for current information.
Hlaalu Council Building, v1
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Posted: 11.05.2005, 00:25 C.E.T.
- from the "Drawing and farewell for a little while" thread
The attached pic shows how far I got on the base of the building tonight. It's not done yet, as I plan to mold it so the base isn't as wide and long. The hole is where I figured the door was going to be later on, but I figured I'd make the door and steps separate models, as they're heavy on detail (and could be used elsewhere too).
The hole is a bit complicated as I think I'll have to edit the vertices a lot (I think a vertice is a connection point between polygons, kindof like the map grid in Morrowind), but seeing it take shape before my eyes is a helluva lot of fun. I really regret that I didn't spend more time on this while I was modding for Morrowind. Though I'll need support from a texture artist later on, I think.
Hlaalu Council Building, v2
I started over on the Hlaalu Council Building, but I picked up a few tricks along the way so it wasn't a waste. Included in this post are some screenies and a zipped NIF file. As I'm unsure if the scale is accurate, perhaps someone could help me and check out the model from within Morrowind? I have a hunch Oblivion will use the same scale as Morrowind did, so I'm reasonably sure that if the scale I use works in Morrowind, it'll work in Oblivion as well. Or maybe the model will turn out to only be suitable for knee-high leprechauns, but that's a risk I'm willing to take :o)
Anyway... I exported the NIF with the option of including the textures inside it. I hope it works. If anyone could take some screenies while testing it, I'd really appreciate it.
I haven't paid any attention to the textures as I need to wait until I'm happy with the way the mesh looks, and getting feedback on the scale is a big part of that. So, without further ado...
Hlaalu Council Building, v3
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Posted: 13.05.2005, 03:51 C.E.T.
I think I screwed up the polygons around the "mouth", which is the reason the textures look so horrible. I kept tooling with it for a couple hours tonight, but I think making an intricate model like that - one that caves in on itself - is way over my head. Making dentures on the other hand, like creating a window sill, isn't that hard, so I'll start fresh tomorrow I think.
Hmm, might make a decent fireplace though... I'll hold on to the model just in case.
But I'd really need to know if the scale is accurate before I start over. If I can get some nice screenies, I can compare them to the numbers in 3DSM and adjust the size.
I'm still hoping to create a caved-in building model in the future, because it'd be so damn cool to be able to break the window and jump through the hole and kill the guy inside >: -) ...I wouldn't mind playing such a building myself, actually.
And I found a great site with high-quality freeware fantasy textures, so that situation is taken care of I think, though the option for a custom-made Hlaalu texture will always be open in the future.
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Posted: 13.05.2005 21:45 C.E.T.
As I mentioned yesterday, I started over today and it got better this time. I've attached a screenshot. As you can see I spent the most time on the stairs and railing, and will proceed to detail the actual building tomorrow. I still need a scale report, but I soon have access to the game again so I can take care of that myself. The oak steps to the right are leftovers from yesterday, which I don't want to delete from the scene.
Hlaalu Council Building, v4
Well... I don't know if it's appropriate of me to post this. But I was thinking, if you want, you can now claim a part of Cheese's and mine's Hlaalu Council Building. If so, just make a post in this thread and outline what NPCs you want to use, what it will be like, et cetera as you feel you want to -- it'd just be a way for the rest of us to know you have that intention, and the info you provide mostly your own notes so you remember what you wanted to do when in the future you're modding for Oblivion.
And the Council Building can only be so tall, so who knows, the theoretical claim slots might fill up if you hold off posting too long :o) ...you never know.
As seen in the screenshot, there is a base level (beige) and a segment level (brown). The beige base level isn't open for claiming, but the segment is. The segments can "tile" upwards, meaning the building can grow as tall as we want to make it. If you want a customized segment for your claim, feel free to propose it.
The base area of the building is 2560x2560 units, which corresponds to 20x20 interior blocks in Morrowind scale. So it's pretty spacious when you think of Morrowind, but take a look at any city screenshot from Oblivion and you'll see that buildings have a much larger (and realistic) scale this time around. If we go by the idea that a normal room in Oblivion is 7x7 tiles, then there would be room for 8(,1632) such rooms on each level. I'm sure you see larger buildings in real life every day.
- one segment is two levels high
- I feel three segments are minimum to make it look good, so that would equate to six levels
- Feel free to claim half a level or just a room. Or, for that matter, two levels if you think you need the space.
- Also, feel free to add comments and suggestions on what you generally think should be in the building. Artisans? Trainers? Merchants? Guilds? Et cetera.
Oh yeah, and by the way, the model is a developing project, but it's looking better and better every day, if I say so myself.