A quick 'hey', and my Nibelheim images

[Synergy Blades]

Hey  

After posting in the A-Levels thread, thought I'd say a proper hi to you all.   I wanted to say, big thanks for a great resource site, basically, I didn't know getting into the Final Fantasy data files was possible, now I've got the original models to do some hi-res versions from. Me, I love 3D graphics, and of course, Final Fantasy 7!

Anyways, thought I'd show you a couple of preliminary images I did of Nibelheim. It still has a long way to go, but the basics are there; I'm going in to add some detail next (I've started adding detail at the entrance to the town) including mountains . Then it's texturing, then lighting, and perhaps a few fly-through anims. The images are low quality so you'll see blotching and aliasing, but they render more quickly that way and they are tests.

My server's being kinda crappily slow so I hope this works.


Entrance to Nibelheim:


Arial shot of Nibelheim:


So thanks again, and I hope to stick around this great site and forums.

Edit: k, this could have gone in "Completely Unrelated"!

[Sephiroth 3D]

Actually, this kind of stuff (FF-related) is ok to put into the general forums.

It sounds good, but your server is either down, or I just can't access it. Either way, I can't seem to see the images. Could you put them somewhere else, or zip them up and send them to me? Thanks!

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
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[Jedimark]

Wow they are great. Looking forward to seeing them finished!

[Qhimm]

I'll just reproduce the sound I made when I saw them: WHOA. Excellent work!

[Alhexx]

Yupp, that DOES look good. I think modellers can be useful for us, too??

Oh, and welcome!

 - Alhexx

[Jedimark]

Hey scrap the remake.... how about Final Fantasy VII 3D

[Synergy Blades]

Hi Seph - it should work now, my hosts tell me they've fixed the problems.  

Thanks for all your comments. It's slow work but in my opinion very rewarding.   It's a bit too polygon-intensive for that, Jedi  

[Jedimark]

Awww... it would av been interesting though.

[Renderguy]

Wow. These images are really good. Just out of curiosity, what 3d program do you use?

[Sephiroth 3D]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to get my hands on those models... You've done something I've always wanted to do, but never had the time. I congradulate you. If you need help texturing, let me know. I'm pretty good at that...

What program did you use? I'm also curious...

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
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[Synergy Blades]

I used MAX. I think from reading Seph 3D's posts he's not a big fan of the program

[Sephiroth 3D]

Where did you ever get an idea like that?

Truth be told, I can live with MAX, but I perfer Lightwave. Forutunatly, I know enough of MAX in order to export it's models into Lightwave. (Saves me some time trying to remember how to use Max's modeling functions. God I hate them... )

Ahem... Can I get ahold of those models?

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
[email protected]

[Synergy Blades]

Lightwave.. ah, the one I try to avoid like the plague Seperate modeller and scene layout? Whose idea was that one?  

Hmm. Lemme finish the scene first, then I'll think about it.

I'm just working on the Inn at this moment in time. As I've created the windows on it I had to hollow out the inside of the box - and so I've realised I will also be able to model the insides of the buildings too So once I've finished the detailed outside, I may consider doing the insides as well

[Sephiroth 3D]

Hey! That idea has saved my butt more times than I can count. Not to mention the tons of actual KEYBOARD commands I can use. Plus MAX can't beat LW's MetaNurbs.  

Don't feel like this is a one-upsmanship. I don't hold a grudge against you, or MAX. I just like the design and tools in LW more than the ones in MAX. That's all there is to it.

Here's a helpful bit of advice: Don't model the insides & the outsides as a single model. I would suggest just using a flat panel on the inside of the window, or a small, skewed box, mapped with images from the inside model of the place. It makes rendering faster, and it'll be easier to model.

One of the reasons I want your model is so I can use it for my new FF7 webcomic Final Fantasy 7 Theater. It'd be better than using the in-game image. Don't worry, you'd get full credit for the model & everything. I always state my resources.

One last question: How long has it taken you to build this much?

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
[email protected]

[Alhexx]

Hey, and my favorite Modeller is Ultima! (hm ... since last version you're also able to save the renderer screen, cool, huh?)

But I don't think Ultima can really compete with MAX or LightWave... hey, has anybody heard of gmax?

 - Alhexx

 - edit -
Hey, Seph, I see a lot of interesting newings on your page... let's take a look at that webcomic...

 - edit -
Hey, Seph, on which Server's your site hosted??

[mirex]

Really nice; Welcome Synergy Blades !

[Synergy Blades]

I don't hold a grudge against you, or MAX. I just like the design and tools in LW more than the ones in MAX. That's all there is to it.

Don't worry, never thought you did. I agree MAX sucks when it comes to the NURBS/Subdiv department but I love it's polygon tools. I do switch programs if it comes to organics, though.

Don't model the insides & the outsides as a single model. I would suggest just using a flat panel on the inside of the window, or a small, skewed box, mapped with images from the inside model of the place. It makes rendering faster, and it'll be easier to model.

Cheers for the suggestion. I have to make the building hollow anyway because otherwise the windows won't appear correctly (the building will get in the way). Since I'm not going to model the insides until after the outside is complete then I can decide then how to go about the insides - whether to model it in the actual scene or to use your suggestion. Think how cool it would be though if I were to model the insides on the same scene - a fly through starting outside and then going into Cloud's house, perhaps?  

One of the reasons I want your model is so I can use it for my new FF7 webcomic Final Fantasy 7 Theater. It'd be better than using the in-game image. Don't worry, you'd get full credit for the model & everything. I always state my resources.

Sounds pretty cool - I'll give it some thought.

One last question: How long has it taken you to build this much?

I've lost track of time (I'm on holiday!) But I'd say in total I spent a couple of days at least modelling the basics that you see in those images. I keep moving objects round and changing things until I get them as precise as I want (and I often spend far too much time doing this )

Hi mirex, and thanks for the welcome!

Gmax does sound like a great free 3D modeller for games - anyone tried it? I know it disables things like MAX's plugins though.

[The SaiNt]

I've lost track of time (I'm on holiday!) But I'd say in total I spent a couple of days at least modelling the basics that you see in those images. I keep moving objects round and changing things until I get them as precise as I want (and I often spend far too much time doing this )

Welcome to the "We spend too much time on FF7 Club"

[Renderguy]

Considering how I don't have the money jto buy either Max  or Lightwave, I think I'll have to stick with good old Povray. (Although I am considering a student version of LW.)

[Alhexx]

renderguy: ... or you can use freeware Ultima  

 - Alhexx

 - edit -
Whoops, my quote wasn't going out to Rubicant, but to renderguy... thanx, FFTactic_Boy !

[atzn]

Interesting work. Very impressive. Seems that this forums is getting a lot of FF talents.... seriously  

Alhexx, I think it was renderguy.. not Rubicant.. or am I wrong?  

[Sephiroth 3D]

 A few DAYS?! Wow... It'd take me at least a week to get that much. Course, if I had more free time, I could do it in a few days, but...

Build inside, so the window looks right? Whaa?

Here's an example of what I was talking about:


Flying scene: That's what After Effects is for. There is no need to build the inside within the outside model. It would be a VERY bad idea. I speak from experience here...

Alhexx: Is says who hosts it at the bottom of my site. (Any page.) But in case you missed it:

Sephiroth 3D.com is hosted by the wonderful people at CoastlandTech.com.

Renderguy: Student version (I hear) is identical to normal LW, except in price. I know that Student version of MAX has a "For Educational Use Only" popup window, but I don't know if LW's version has one...

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
[email protected]

[Synergy Blades]

Build inside, so the window looks right? Whaa?

Lol, I don't understand myself sometimes. I had to cut it that way so that when I made the window frame it would fit in somewhere - without the hole, the window frame would have just sunk into the side of the Inn and you wouldn't have seen it! So, the way I decided to do it was hollow out the buliding first and then cut a hole in the side to fit the window frame in.

Here's an example of what I was talking about:

Yes, I guess I could have done it like that and just stuck a texture map on the inside. I just hollowed out the rooms while I was there because that was my thinking at the time. I've finished the Inn except for some pipes on the roof, and the two levels (upstairs, downstairs) are hollow. I'm not saying I have to go in and do anything with it - and if I don't, I'll take up your suggestion and put in some maps. But it's there, if.. if you know what I mean.

Flying scene: That's what After Effects is for.

I don't understand how you would use AE for fly throughs - say I wanted to start just outside Nibelheim then go to Cloud's house (the doors are open) and then go inside - how would you do this without getting a 'seam' somewhere where the two 'parts' meet? I don't use AE often so any help you could give on how to achieve a fly through using it would be great.

There is no need to build the inside within the outside model. It would be a VERY bad idea. I speak from experience here...

I've done a train station before in similar fashion - I modelled the insides of the station buildings as well as the outside. It worked rather well I thought Which reminds me, I haven't actually finished that - it's on my "to-do" list after this (so are a lot of things! )

[Sephiroth 3D]

Ahh... You just had to boolian an window hole. But why hollow the hole thing? Seems like a waste of time and effort if you ask me...

Here's the cool thing about AE: It's purpose is to make it impossible to detect a "seam"! (It's compositing software.) What you'd do is design a camera move into the house. The whole scene should have an alpha of 255. Inside the house on the outside set, it should have an alpha of 0.

You then copy that camera move to the file with the inside of the house. Render both as TGAs. (Outside as 32-bit, inside can be 24.) I then take those renders, dump them into AE, a bit of compositing work, and you have a seamless camera move that looks like the camera goes from the outside of a building, to the inside of it, when in reality, it's two completely different scenes.

"Why do all that work?" You ask? Simple. Render-times. When it's inside, it doesn't need the outside information, and when it's outside, it doesn't need the inside information. Without that information, it has less to calulate, thus resulting in lower render-times.

Sephiroth 3D

"Macintoshs are to Computers as Spam is to Food." - Greg Higgins

Sephiroth 3D.com
[email protected]

[mirex]

Im no 3D modeler, but as a programmer, i think there should be this possibility: inside / outsie should be modeled as a different objects/groups, and their visibility should be switched as needed. Can it be done ?