Collisioned.

Here's the truck and collision mesh in action.  I hate the width restrictions on this blog.

Truckin' Away

From TF2 Modding

So far, so not-looking-too-bad.  All she really needs now is a bit more texture detailing and dirtying up.  More to the point it works in game.  Wasted two hours this morning trying to import the truck, StudioMDL kept throwing out dynamic linking errors without any decent feedback telling me exactly what was wrong.  So after trawling Google results to find out what was going wrong and if it was either my fault or some kind of compatibility error, turns out that sometimes you need the Source SDK model viewer open for the StudioMDL to compile it.  Great.  Why can't this be as fluid as working with Unity or the UDK?  Make better tools dammit, Valve!

Anyway, it's there and it works.  The collision mesh needs a bit of fine tuning, there are a couple of areas blocked off that you would expect to be able to shoot through, and others where it doesn't follow the mesh closely enough.  Not much of a problem, but any objects attaching to or resting on those areas make the collider obvious.

Aside from that, the granite texture is finish, two versions exists, one with a coarse normal map that doesn't sit well with the TF2 visual style.  The other one with a smoother version that works quite nicely.

From TF2 Modding

Under Construction

So, I've started part of my grand plan and begun hanging around the request forums of TF2Maps. 

I picked up on a request for construction vehicles, and began to make this logging truck, with the intention of it fitting in with TF2's alpine theme.

Vaguely interesting fact No.1:  The truck is based on the International Harvester "L" and "R" Series.  I won't pretend to know anything about trucks.

This has been an interesting practice in mechanical modelling, so far I've only really tackled buildings and (mostly) organic models.  

It's been quite a smooth and quick process and I've learnt a few new techniques along the way.  The model's almost finished now, it perhaps needs a couple more details on the underside and a seat on the crane (not to mention the requested banjo) and around 1000 polys shaved off, then the models done.

After that I can get down to texturing, as well as creating the collision mesh and LOD models.  I'll probably only make one LOD model, basing this choice over Valve's example of only including one for similar models.

Then comes the joy of Mod Tooling it into Source.  Can't wait.

Another thing I've been working on is a request for a granite texture to be used in a quarry.  It's not coming along too badly, however I keep running into issues with Source being fussy about the specular mask.  I want to make this glitter, dammit!

It's Been How Long?

Seriously.. It's been months, and I don't think I can get away with another "Why Do I Even Bother With A Blog" post...

So I'll just start from here.

Year one is out of the way and I've been set loose into the world with a whole new set of skills and nothing immediate to apply them to. Hence an outlining of projects in my Personal Development Plan, which I won't bore you with, but the general gist is I plan on learning a few basic coding and scripting skills, if that happens to an adequate level create something simple and playable (but awesome looking) using Unity.

Then I plan on working on a full mapping project, either in Team Fortress 2 or an entire Left 4 Dead campaign. As yet undecided, it really depends on if anyone else is interested.

Another mapping project I would like to tackle would either be a fully scripted but short (probably 2-3 map long) campaign using either Source or the UDK. UDK is starting to feel like a more viable option, it's just so much easier to work with.

For major projects to tackle over the summer, those are pretty much it and I'll post up an update within the next week or so about which and when I plan on starting them

Besides those, I'll slowly build a website, something that's been in the works for years now, but have either lacked the technical know-how or been able to decide on the content. Now, however I have a focus and will have something up and running at some point in the next couple months.

In the meantime, while I gather my thoughts on those projects I'll be hanging around mod and mapping forums looking for odd jobs to keep me busy.

In my defence, this wasn't proofread.

...and now for the first part of the next step.

Today it all changes; this is my first day of university.
Aside from the usual feelings of anxiety, excitement and utter bewilderness I'm feeling relatively calm about the whole affair. Relative to previous experiences of starting something new that often resulted in panicking and bolting for the closest door.
It'll take some used to the change I'll admit; I'm confused that I'm not going to be heading off to work five days a week. I woke up ready to iron a Daz-white shirt and almost packed my apron and tie.
You know you've been a barman far too long when those things become so ingrained into your daily routine. That and the thought of not having to be on my feet all day with perpetually damp hands and coffee stained arms is far more blissful than it has any right to be.

So here I go once more into the colourful breach of education. Armed with hindsight on how not to fail and run and the foresight of knowing where I want to end up.
It's going to work this time.

Imaginative Interference

Damn! It always takes me far too long to work out exactly where I'm going wrong with an ailing project.

Why have I had so much trouble trying to squeeze inspiration from this place? The reason being my memories are interfering with my creativity; Almost everywhere I look I see what something or somewhere has been, rather than what it could be. Being in new territory, my imagination runs riot, visualising the area in five different styles before overlaying events and action that could potentially fit around the surroundings.

Working from Letchworth, however, when walking down a street I see a street walked a thousand times, in a shop-front a place entered more times than I can count, my parents house the place nineteen years of my life were spent.

As it stands all I can come up with is to produce a piece mostly auto-biographical, although given my time and resources that's a reasonably illogical course of action. Not to mention the trouble I would have to make an interesting gameplay concept out of it.

Currently, the most inspiring area for me is the road where I now live, and that's only because it was never really travelled on during my years growing up here. Either that or it could be down to me bizzarly finding industrial buildings visually interesting.

If I can work out where this project is to end up utilising the few meagre ideas my head, I'll be able to make a decent start on this.

At the very least it will all be good practice...

The Friendliest Fire

What an asset to the team I must be, after a Modern Warfare session of just under an hour I racked up five team kills. Two shootings, one poorly aimed grenade, a quick but brutal knifing in the knees and a friendly flashbang thrown by me that pretty much resulted in a TK.
I might be getting a name for myself...