Weapon Modeling with Milkshape
- Thread starter akiuspaladin
- Start date
-
Two Factor Authentication is now available on BeyondUnreal Forums. To configure it, visit your Profile and look for the "Two Step Verification" option on the left side. We can send codes via email (may be slower) or you can set up any TOTP Authenticator app on your phone (Authy, Google Authenticator, etc) to deliver codes. It is highly recommended that you configure this to keep your account safe.
Well is it the modeling process or the convertion process that you're interested in. I know that milkshapes website as a few weapon modeling tutorials (might even have some convertion tutorials too) otherwise the convertion process has been covered in their forums a couple of times.
cheers
cheers
the Unreal Wiki has a couple of tutes concerning MilkShape for UT & UT2003 -- just search the site for "MilkShape."
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Home_Page
MilkShape (v.1.6.6) has some important limitations when it comes to animation for UT2K3, however, chief among them that custom animations (like weapons) can only be exported in formats suitable for vertex animation, whereas the UT2K3 weapons are skeletal mesh animations (.ukx packages). Vertex animations require a complex art path involving a fair amount of Unreal Scripting to get them into the game. by comparison, skeletal anims are a breeze.
MilkShape 1.7 (currently in beta) offers some promise of exporting .psa and .psk files, which can be combined in the UEd Animation browser into a .ukx package, but it's not clear yet whether that must use existing UT2K3 character skeletons, which leaves out weapons anims.
A more direct low-cost path for a character or weapon model/anim is Maya 4 PLE, if you can get (or already have) a key for version 4.0.1, that shipped with UT2K3 on CD#3. However, the models from this freeware do not have smoothing/hard edge info preserved on export -- everything gets treated as smooth. not a very good thing for weps.
hope this info helps some.
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Home_Page
MilkShape (v.1.6.6) has some important limitations when it comes to animation for UT2K3, however, chief among them that custom animations (like weapons) can only be exported in formats suitable for vertex animation, whereas the UT2K3 weapons are skeletal mesh animations (.ukx packages). Vertex animations require a complex art path involving a fair amount of Unreal Scripting to get them into the game. by comparison, skeletal anims are a breeze.
MilkShape 1.7 (currently in beta) offers some promise of exporting .psa and .psk files, which can be combined in the UEd Animation browser into a .ukx package, but it's not clear yet whether that must use existing UT2K3 character skeletons, which leaves out weapons anims.
A more direct low-cost path for a character or weapon model/anim is Maya 4 PLE, if you can get (or already have) a key for version 4.0.1, that shipped with UT2K3 on CD#3. However, the models from this freeware do not have smoothing/hard edge info preserved on export -- everything gets treated as smooth. not a very good thing for weps.
hope this info helps some.
chip said:
There's a couple of tutes on static mesh design with Milkshape on wiki and a few other mapping places.
Weapon modelling, animating and exporting - very different matter and there doesn't seem to be a single one.
modeling a weapon, a vehicle, or a character uses the same tools, and produces essentially the same result -- a 3D mesh object or objects, static or otherwise.
animating such an object would use the same methods regardless of how it might be used in a game environment -- weapon, decoration, or character.
the MilkShape tutorial forum can be searched for resources about modeling & animating with the app. the keywords "weapon model" turned up a number of useful hits for me.
exporting & importing for UT/UT2K3-- definitely where the different uses in-game require different methods, but for what MilkShape can do (vertex anims), the wiki tute's the only one i've found, and it does have some weapon-specific info. not an ideal source, but also not one to ignore.
in the absence of a neatly packaged answer to the original question, it doesn't seem out of place to cite sources of related info.
animating such an object would use the same methods regardless of how it might be used in a game environment -- weapon, decoration, or character.
the MilkShape tutorial forum can be searched for resources about modeling & animating with the app. the keywords "weapon model" turned up a number of useful hits for me.
exporting & importing for UT/UT2K3-- definitely where the different uses in-game require different methods, but for what MilkShape can do (vertex anims), the wiki tute's the only one i've found, and it does have some weapon-specific info. not an ideal source, but also not one to ignore.
in the absence of a neatly packaged answer to the original question, it doesn't seem out of place to cite sources of related info.
No it was definately not out of place and was useful.
But it seems the answer to paladin's question is that there aren't any tutes for what he wants. Milk 1.7b can export to psk/psa - but there's no information on how to use this feature it seems.
But it seems the answer to paladin's question is that there aren't any tutes for what he wants. Milk 1.7b can export to psk/psa - but there's no information on how to use this feature it seems.
I haven't found tutorials but if anyone can find a completed weapon model, that would also help. If you can also find a weapon tutorial for MAYA 4 PLE (the one from ut2k3) that might be of somehelp since I recently installed it.
Last edited:
akiuspaladin, are you still able to get a key for Maya 4 PLE? if so, i'd lke to update the Wiki info about that, 'specially since Maya 5 PLE doesn't export to UEd (yet, he appends hopefully).
Have no idea about that. Try to get a key though. Right now, I could only find tutorials on 3d Studio Max so if you have any idea where to get it or a weapon tutorial on Milkshape or Maya.
I need to know where I cab get 3d Studio Max or get a complete weapon modeling tutorial with milkshape or Maya!