Ponch is in trouble now

[jwalt]

Since I, recently, had to resort to circus sideshow attractions to keep this thread alive, I decided to begin work on an Arch Nemisis for our Super Hero, Ponch. This one seemed a good candidate:



Now, I can develop conflict, always a useful thing in cinema. Looks like Ponch isn't the only one in trouble. I need to learn more about UV Wrapping. This coloring faces on polygons isn't going to make it happen. Anim8or model. Believe Ponch and Baron are on friendly terms. I'll see if I can do something about that 

[Ponch]

At last! An arch-nemesis!

[jwalt]

My goodness... The Baron does cut a rather dashing figure in his plane.



If anybody knows the secret for spinning props, please share it. I do notice some mesh "tearing" on one of the propeller tips (probably an error in my weight painting). I'm wondering if I made it worse (intentionally), if it might not help it look better?

[selmiak]

nice again!
You can always cheat and use a flat disc with some barely visible but still there propeller on it to simulate the blurring of the fast motion. Looks probably better than the flickering propellers, but then you'd have to turn the plane to not cover the baron.

[jwalt]

Ponch didn't like my yellow bi-plane, something about his horns poking holes in the aircontrol surfaces, or some such. He opted for a monoplane. I opted to copy it:



I need to take a different approach on the props, anyway. I may have to use Selmiak's trickery, since this isn't working well enough.

[selmiak]

I see where this is going and I like it

[Ponch]

Yep. Still my favorite thread on the internet.

[jwalt]

Spinning a propeller in Bryce does much the same thing as Anim8or. My Bryce workaround was to use a squashed sphere and a glass texture. I had to do a little poking around on the internet to find Anim8or's glass texture; it's there, but it's not as easy to find as Bryce's. Here is Ponch's plane with my cheat and a slightly revised banner:



Still not quite pleased, but comes closer. Four frames in the gif.

[jwalt]

I see where this is going and I like it

I'm glad someone knows where we're going. I don't have a clue. Space ships don't need stinking propellers:



Anim8or. Starfield from Bryce. The latest version of Anim8or may have a bug in the 3D text. I had to use my earlier version to get lower case "m." Using morphs to show/hide the 3D text on the sign. If I ever figure out what I'm doing...

[Ponch]

There's a grand adventure to be told, if you ask me. And I hope the cow is wearing a cool Han Solo vest.

[Ghost]

There's a grand adventure to be told

At least he's cranking out cow animations faster than Icey cranks out games

[jwalt]

There's a grand adventure to be told, if you ask me. And I hope the cow is wearing a cool Han Solo vest.

He's not. He's not even wearing his spots. Tried to bring it in as a 3ds file, and lost the texture and grouping. When I tried to reapply the spots (same ones as used on the ship), things went haywire. Turns out Darth Baron already has most of Vader's helmet. Needs bigger hands, I think. May be why his sabre is so big, to compensate for the other shortcoming.

At least he's cranking out cow animations faster than Icey cranks out games

Why, thanks. I... Wait... What?  What!

Edit:

With my interest in 3d, I've naturally looked at some of the 3D plug-ins for AGS. I've been particularly impressed with one by Besh:

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=40123.0

All seem limited, in one way or another; one will even make you dizzy since all it does is spin around. It didn't much matter, since Anim8or doesn't export animated meshes to anyone but Anim8or, anyway. However... I spent some time on the Anim8or forum a week or so ago, and tracked down an add-on that can convert an Anim8or animated mesh to Milkshape format, which is one of the formats Besh's CD3D can open and display. I've not had much success getting a game to run, but the demo does a fine job. Got brave enough today to try exporting/importing a mesh through the program. Here's a screen capture of the results:



I renamed a Demo Media asset with my converted model. It brought the animations in, as advertised. I sent in an unsmoothed mesh, so the blocky Ponch may be fixable. I don't know where the textures went, but I'm seeing that happen a lot in just Anim8or. I'd love to have that door open and Ponch walk out!

The limitations on Besh's program seems restrictions to "one room" and limited number of animation frames. Besh is still around, but the plugin thread seems to have stalled out in 2010. Ever hopeful! I will keep experimenting.

PS This Ponch, BlockyPonchy, was trying to learn to Charleston, so he boogies across the floor in the scene. I've yet to try an actual walk cycle on him. Grundislav has a birthday upcoming, but the Rat Bastard kind gentleman will not be getting any cake from me. Getting Ponch to Charleston is proving a real time-sink. Must have something to do with the hooves instead of feet.

Edit2: So, I thought I was a bit nasty to Grundislav, and I amended my comment. I did get a smoothed mesh into Besh's program, but I'll have to redo the weight painting for all those new vertexes. I'll also have to research the missing textures. Grundislav, did you steal Ponch's spots?

[Ponch]

BlockyPonch has quite the stylish hat.

[jwalt]

BlockyPonch has quite the stylish hat.

With the smoothed mesh in Besh's program, the horns are whirling around above the head in helicopter fashion. Kind of funny. I'll try to weight paint the subdivided mesh tomorrow.

Here's the hat in Anim8or, and one attempt at Grundislav's dance:



Edit: Added a blink morph, and tried for a sinister facial expression. Also, a shirt.



More Edit:

Decided Charlie, er Ponch, needed a love interest. Think I'll call her NotLucy.



Now, where'd I leave that football model?

PS I don't think her dress is going to rig well. It's a bit of a mess, meshwise.

[Ryan Timothy B]

This thread seems as appropriate as any. So I'm sitting here relaxing while catching up on the AGS forums, I just got home from work and I'm minding my own business when suddenly my dog starts barking at my desk in the direction of my screen. I sometimes have an empty water bottle sitting on my desk and she will often let me know (relentlessly) that she wants to play with it. But today I have nothing on my desk that a dog would want to play with. To get to the bottom of things, I hold up just about everything on my desk for her to smell, just to give me an idea of what she's after. I'm baffled and she eventually stops and gets distracted by her bum or whatever dogs get distracted by. I'm relieved.

Ten or so minutes later I enter another thread, low and behold she bounds off my bed, where she has full view of my computer desk, and starts barking at the screen yet again. This time I'm looking at her completely puzzled. I'm asking her what's going on, just as though I'm asking Lassie if Timmy fell down the well. Just about when I was going to give up on her and assume she has just too much energy, I see it... This little bugger!

Spoiler

[close]

It's just moving along, minding its own business riding along the bottom edge of my screen in Ponch's signature. I certainly made sure of it too, I watched her eyes. When it reaches the left side of the screen and vanishes she starts to look around like a sad dog, then BAM she sees it again on the right side and you can ALMOST see her eyes smile. Thanks Ponch.

Edit: Added Hide tags.

[jwalt]

Indeed, Ponch possesses many talents. One might even say he is possessed:



Stupot+'s fly drove me nuts the first few times I saw it. Had me looking for the flyswatter, he did. This was in the olden days, before he shrunk it down in size. By popular demand? I wonder?

[selmiak]

... and she eventually stops and gets distracted by her bum or whatever dogs get distracted by...

It's not only dogs that get distracted by bitches bums... but then, don't ever show her this doggystyle!

[Ponch]

Awesome! You're welcome, Ryan Timoothy!

And I'm digging the Charlie Brown shirt. I always loved good ol' Chuck as a kid.

[Retro Wolf]

Can anyone join in?

[imgzoom]http://s10.postimg.org/ng2lv9vex/ponchzelda.png[/imgzoom]

[Ponch]

I've got the Official Nintendo Seal Of Quality!