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Taldrenites => Starfleet Command Models => Topic started by: FPF-Myriad on June 19, 2010, 02:58:52 pm
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Is there a way to change incorrect hardpoints with the SFC2ED utility? I have a couple of ships I need to correct either weapon or tractor beam hardpoints.
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Hi mate..
Hardpoints on SFC models are represented by "Dummy" objects during the modeling phase. Its basically a cube, which is assigned a correct name. For instance you woud place the small cube on the nose of a BOP and call it "Hardpoint12"
In essence Hardpoints are 1 - 11 primary
12 - 25 heavy 8)
hope that help's.. if you need more.. just PM and ill help futher ;)
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I guess I don't have the right tools to do that. Years back I downloaded a basic SFC model editor called SFC2Ed. I don't even know where I downloaded it from or who wrote the program, but it's a very basic model editor, and it supposedly can change the weapon hard points, but I'm confused as to how to do it.
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Best to do it with GMax, Milkshape or 3DMax
GMax is free and can be found sticked above, milkshape cost like 30 dollars but was by far the easiest of the editors to use for things like this
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Okay. I downloaded and installed Milkshape, and I downloaded the SFC plugin. How do I install the plugin?
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I think you just need to put the DLL files in the root directory of milkshape.
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Any idea which hard point would be for the tractor beam?
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As I understand it, tractor beams, ADDs (or AMDs), and PPDs don't "listen" to the location of the hardpoints. They always eminate from the origin (X,Y,Z = 0,0,0) of the model.
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In SFC 1, 2, and OP, the primary weapons hardpoints are 12-25, heavy are 1-11.
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there are the numbers, thank you
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Now that I have the tools and the numbering system figured out, I discovered some of the models I have have the wrong hardpoint placements. In Milkshape, how do I go about changing the hardpoint numbers?
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I believe it was under skeleton or some thing like that.
it will bring up a list on the right and if you select one it will change colour on the model so you can see which one you are editing. Naming is easy once selected burn it into what ever you want it to be named, Duplicates I think are not allowd. Moving it was in thne first tab forget the name have not used Milkshape since 2003
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Thanks. I think I finally have this thing figured out. It's funny, after going through a lot of the models I have, which are mostly from P81 and WZ, about 8 of them have hardpoints in crazy places, lol. Sorry guys, I have to correct them, although WZ's Missouri battleship, New Jersey battlecruiser, and Ulysses dreadnought won't load for some reason. Milkshape just crashes. Any ideas WZ?
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I'm sure there are various reasons why Milkshape doesn't open a file but the most common one is the ship has too many polygons. Maybe the Milkshape-pros can offer more specific advice for this one.
You mentioned a Missouri and New Jersey? Do you have pictures or links for these? I never released a Missouri class and the only New Jersey I had was a destroyer.
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I'm sure there are various reasons why Milkshape doesn't open a file but the most common one is the ship has too many polygons. Maybe the Milkshape-pros can offer more specific advice for this one.
You mentioned a Missouri and New Jersey? Do you have pictures or links for these? I never released a Missouri class and the only New Jersey I had was a destroyer.
Sorry about the misinformation. It's the Carolina BB, and the battlecruiser is a kitbash of your Connie.
But anyway, the hard-coded hardpoints don't really match the load outs in the shiplistfor the specific ships, and I'm getting anal about that. Sorry....
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Milkshape is always buggy. It doesn't always open all SFC models. I've opened ships with roughly 12k polys, yet ships with 7 or 8k polys crash the program. That's why I stopped using it.
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The one I'm use is a beta, so maybe that's why.
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Doubtful. Considering you're having the same problems I was having 4 years ago, it's the program itself, regardless of it being a beta.
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If that being the case, maybe I could bribe WZ into adjusting the hardpoints on the ships of his that I can't open in Milkshape. 8)
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If that being the case, maybe I could bribe WZ into adjusting the hardpoints on the ships of his that I can't open in Milkshape. 8)
Use gmax it works winxp - windows7 and max users can help out as the layout it basicly the same.
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Strange, the Carolina uses the Fed-BB UI so all of the hardpoints should be in the correct place. Are you using the correct game versions? SFC 3 models have the hardpoint numbers reversed.
There's a reference sheet included with the Carolina to show where the hardpoints are located on the SFC 1 & 2 models.
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Use 3ds max instead of gmax and it will all be good... WZ is a pro, im sure you know that.. a hardpoint slip is not in his vocab..
You really need max 3.1 or v5
not an easy find these days, but if you PM me i will help you out ;)
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Use 3ds max instead of gmax and it will all be good... WZ is a pro, im sure you know that.. a hardpoint slip is not in his vocab..
You really need max 3.1 or v5
not an easy find these days, but if you PM me i will help you out ;)
I'm definitely not questioning WZ's talent at modeling starships.... far from it. WZ, P81, and Moonraker are the top talents at it, and WZ is the only active modeler left. I was just pointing out that there are slight inconsistencies with the hardpoints matching the default loadouts for the weapons of Fed ships in the game. For instance, hardpoint 5 is the rear photon launcher on a Fed battleship. The hardpoint on the model is currently placed at the rear of the saucer on WZ's Carolina-class BB instead of the rear photon launcher at the rear of the ship.
I apologize WZ, no disrespect is intended here. I was just concerned about the accuracy of the hardpoints, and was looking to correct them for my own personal use. I discovered the same thing with P81's original models that I've had for years, and never noticed until now. Some of his phaser hardpoints are placed incorrectly too on some of his ships. I was just looking to match the hardpoints on the models as closely as possible to the weapons assignments in the game for better realism.
markyd - I wouldn't mind a copy of the program, as long as it is as easy to use as Milkshape is. I noticed gmax might be a little beyond me since my modeling skills are very novice at best.
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Nobody is infallible, not even those from beyond the realm of you mortals. That aside, my hardpoint placements are open to interpretation. In the case of the Carolina, their overall numbers are meant to match the FBB UI. Their actual type of weapons on the other hand were never meant to be identical. Hardpoint 5 on the stock ship may be a torpedo launcher but on the Carolina that same area is the ADD flak turret. The stock specs give 5 torpedo launchers to the FBB and 3 drones, whereas my Carolina has 8 torp tubes and no obvious drone launchers. Of course, nobody said torps and drones couldn't have similar looking launchers...
It's not really feasible to match weapon placements on stock ships to new models that only share the same hull designation, which is why most of us just stop at the hardpoint locations and not bother with the original specs.
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PM Sent mate