Creating a UT player model from an .obj file, what do?

[jaypeezy]

Hello UnrealSP! I'm interested in converting an .obj model, standard pose (arms spread wing style, legs kinda apart) into a UT Player model. I'm a little curious as to what I'll need to do this, so far I have MilkShape3d and Blender. Will this be enough? Forgive me if I seem so noobish at this, it's my first time really attempting something like this. Thanks for any/all help!

ALSO: How many vertices / triangles should the model have? If what I'm working with has too many I just won't bother...

[jaypeezy]

...any advice?

[AlCapowned]

You'll have to rig your models to use Epic's PS2 character skeletons if you don't want to make your own animations. They were on Fileplanet before it stopped hosting files, but I might have them somewhere.

I know there is a PSK importer/exporter addon for Blender out there, so if you have the PSK files you could try using one of them to help rig your model. Epic's skeletal models don't use the T pose, but if you can get around that it should be fine. I don't really know enough to be of much help, sorry.

[Z-enzyme]

jaypeezy, use 3D Studio, (I will always say that as it comes to modeling matters) with ActorX. 3D Studio is free now so, easy. Noobish or not, you can do this, it is easy as hell. Rig, click here, think, click here, 'ucc make', done.

If you pm me I can send you a pose for UT's Ps2 skeletal meshes.

As for vetices - there is a limit, surely, I've never hit it. So I don't know XD Still, don't go over 50k.

[jaypeezy]

By "rig" do you mean assigning vertices to a joint? Milkshape not only has me doing that but it also has UT's default male/female skeletons, as well as the ability to export the model to the game when done. Of course, so far as I've experienced, assigning those vertices to the joints/bones is A PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS because a) there are so many bones; b) i don't always know what parts to assign to them.

Meanwhile there are a bunch of tutorials for doing this for ut2004 models but none for ut99. 3d Studio, that's available free for students, right? And if I were to heed your advice, could you possibly help me in doing this? The character I mean to convert is quite kickass.

[Z-enzyme]

Well, my experience tells me that milkshape is a pain in the ass in every way I remember. 3D Studio has got reaaaalllyyy good tools for quick rigging and animating models any way you want and... well... It's fucking free. And, for the love of God, please, don't call a bone 'joint'. It's a bone. Skeletal animation has bones. It's not smokin' animation no matter how awesome it is XD

Anyway, I'll try to help you anyway I can with that, might seem really complicated at the beginning but really, it is not.

[Buff Skeleton]

3D Studio has got reaaaalllyyy good tools for quick rigging and animating models any way you want and... well... It's fucking free.

Only for students, sadly.

[Z-enzyme]

Waff, I ain't a student anymore. Still, I do have it. Who ever will check that??

[Buff Skeleton]

When did you sign up, though? And I thought Autodesk had a notice on their site that they do checks to ensure you're legitimately a student.

[jaypeezy]

...I generally try to avoid fucking over faceless corporations.

ANYWAY, can anyone help me out with unwrapping/texturing a completed .psk/.psa file?

[Z-enzyme]

Well, that's a lot of work, checking every single registered person on their web. Well, I don't give a damn really.

Get a cracked version then.

Anyway, what do you mean, completed psk? You've exported a model to PSK and want to unwrap it then? Or to convert PSK to mesh in Blender and then unwrap it?

[jaypeezy]

Well, I suppose if I can do that with Blender, and if it's easy/fast enough to do, then yeah that. I know that in order to do it through 3ds max, I would need some third party tools... or at least, says one tutorial I just read.

[Z-enzyme]

Blender can import PSK? That's something new...