Building the Pub
thedenrei posted in Uncategorized on July 31st, 2006
Working on this milestone has been a real 180 from CrossBlast. My main task is to get a tavern level as complete and interesting as possible using the current technology (geometry and color maps only, no animation system). The goal is to test our new system for creating scripts within maya. For example, I will place the definition for a fan’s rotation speed on the node in maya, rather that telling Tony what I want it to be, and have him implement it in the code. It should be in Outland’s visual style (that means not ridiculous). I definitely wanted to include some of the character models I have been working on, but without an animation system things are going to be a little muppet like.
Because there will be no normal maps in this version of the pub, I’ve gone through the textures I want to use and pulled extra detail from the normal map. Usually this meant copying the R and G channels of the normal map and blending them in to the color map in various ways. Because these textures will be thrown away when we get normal maps working, I wasn’t concerned about spending too much time here. In order to get things together quickly, I used maya’s “convert to file texture” thing. It bakes lighting in the scene and shader information into the UV space of an object. Here is Phara with her quick new color maps.
Its not my best work, but I’m keeping in mind all this texturing will have to be redone soon. Hopefully Tony will reappear soon so we can get moving on making things use the scripting system… I’ve got a few “game design” ideas I’d like to see implemented unless they take too long to do. I spent Sunday night in the library messing with Garage Band to see if I could get some quick ambient music which would be appropriate for the setting.
Also, I’ve been a refugee for the past few days. There was a really heavy rain storm here before the weekend, and my apartment was damaged to the point that the City of Madison demanded we vacate. The red cross gave us rooms in one of the dormitories around here, and I’ve been spending as much time as I can in the UPL grinding on the pub and listening to Dave Matthew’s Band while I wait for them to allow me back into my apartment. Hopefully tomorrow.
EDIT:
Not tomorrow, but 10 DAYS from now. I guess they have to ship a new transformer from overseas…? This means I’ll have moved in to my new apartment before they allow me into my current one.
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