Darkspawn

[Jestus]

Hey guys,

I'm currently attempting to make a Dragon Age mod of some sort, and was wondering: What's the best way for me to make the Darkspawn?

I'm really only concerned about the head, as everything else on most Darkspawn is completely covered by armor.

(For those people not familiar, Darkspawn: Hurlock, Genlock etc)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sinisterius]

Would be wise to use the same meshes for each darkspawn type. Optimization issues.

For the armor, you could use flags such as..
itp_covers_legs - makes the body armor cover the legs.
itp_covers_beard - covers the beard.
itp_covers_head - covers the whole head.

For the head, I'd do a simple head mesh and then set it as the "helmet". The helmet item will have the itp_covers_head flag. This is also good for optimization.. game won't have to load different heads etc.
The rest of the body is easy.

 

[Jestus]

Would be wise to use the same meshes for each darkspawn type. Optimization issues.

For the armor, you could use flags such as..
itp_covers_legs - makes the body armor cover the legs.
itp_covers_beard - covers the beard.
itp_covers_head - covers the whole head.

For the head, I'd do a simple head mesh and then set it as the "helmet". The helmet item will have the itp_covers_head flag. This is also good for optimization.. game won't have to load different heads etc.
The rest of the body is easy.

Good to know. I'll keep it in mind.

Also, this may seem like a noob question, but what program should I use to make the actual heads?

I was thinking about using wings3d and making them as armor pieces...or is there an easier way to do it?

 

[Jestus]

Anyone?

 

[Mysterious_A]

I use wings for everything.

More advanced modellers could go for programs that offer more modelling power but are harder to use (blender, for example).

 

[Jestus]

I use wings for everything.

More advanced modellers could go for programs that offer more modelling power but are harder to use (blender, for example).

Hmm okay... It seems like it'd be much harder to make a Darkspawn head than a helmet, though.

 

[Jestus]

Now I've kinda hit a brick wall...

I've been trying to use one of the face meshes from native M&B and move things around to make it look more like a Hurlock, but it's getting pretty difficult...and doesn't look so good.

Should I just create a whole new mesh or how should I go about doing it? I've come to realize that heads are much more difficult to create than swords/shields.

 

[Mysterious_A]

First of all get some references. You're not gonna get very far without them.

Also, untriangulate the mesh. It'll be easier to work with it.

Finally...well, there's not much else to do other than model. And I can't really tell you what to do there. Maybe you could try working it like a piece of pottery?

Like, first you form what it's supposed to look like from the front. Then you move to the sides, the back, add some depth and deformities, then start the details. Make lots of wrinkles and folds and spaces for eyes. And I guess you just move on from that, try to perfect what you made.

 

[Jestus]

First of all get some references. You're not gonna get very far without them.

Also, untriangulate the mesh. It'll be easier to work with it.

Finally...well, there's not much else to do other than model. And I can't really tell you what to do there. Maybe you could try working it like a piece of pottery?

Like, first you form what it's supposed to look like from the front. Then you move to the sides, the back, add some depth and deformities, then start the details. Make lots of wrinkles and folds and spaces for eyes. And I guess you just move on from that, try to perfect what you made.

Okay, just one question: What do you mean by references? If you mean a picture of what I'm modeling, I already have that.

 

[Mysterious_A]

Yeah, a picture.