[ReaperMan]

@ mxrtxn

That is great, thank you.

[mxrtxn]

ReaperMan, on 19 December 2013 - 09:56 AM, said:

@ mxrtxn

That is great, thank you.

Reaperman is it too hard to learn to make these voxels?

Summer is comming ( I live in Chile, Southamerica) so I will have a little bit of more free time. Maybe I could make some voxels for Shadow Warrior and Duke Nukem...

Is there any good tutorial somewhere in the internet?

Thanks

Martin

[ReaperMan]

Its not hard, just time consuming.

Also i cant think of any tutorials being made for voxels.....

[HiPhish]

The biggest problem is the lack of any proper editor. There is SLAB6 from Ken Silverman himself, but... let me put it this way: Silverman may be a great programmer, but his UI is a nightmare. Sproxel is somewhat better, but its feature set is very lackluster, its interface is not that great either and its export options are just weird. The best way to create voxel models is to do it in an image file, pixel by pixel and layer by layer. it's not hard, but it will drive you insane, it's very time consuming.

A big problem is that voxels are nowhere used the way we use the,. They are used in medicine, engineering and science all he time to visualise and represent volumetric data, but they are not intended to be rendered like 3D sprites. For 3D meshes there is Blender, but there is nothing similar for voxel models. I tried my hand at a few voxel models (which reminds me, I need to wrap things up and finish them), and I have the greatest respect for ReaperMan for making all those voxels.

[Gambini]

Have you tried strip-to-voxel? May be the editor of your choice.

[HiPhish]

Strip To Voxel is not really an editor, it's just a tool that converts a sprite sheet to a voxel model. You have to build your model pixel-by-pixel in a 2D image where each sprite of the sprite sheet is a slice of the final model. The screenshot illustrates this:
http://www.moddb.com.../strip-to-voxel
Needless to say this a very awkward way a building voxel models, but at least it's a precise one. What I'd like to see in a voxel editor would be the ability to select parts, copy&paste them, extrude areas, rotate and translate selections and inspect slices.

[Gambini]

Your loss. I know exactly how it works, I´ve made the motorbike, the m16 and the donkey of the DNF mod departing from a stripped image, which later I edited and shaded in Slab 6.

[HiPhish]

I do know how it works, but it's still rather cumbersome, wouldn't you agree Let's take the roadblock from Duke 3D, it's a sprite from three or so perspectives. Ideally I would import the sprite from the front perspective, remove the legs so I have just the long piece, extrude it a bit to give it depth, import the side perspective for the leg, extrude it as well, duplicate it for the other leg and finally connect everything. I would have a perfectly faithful voxel model within a minute instead of doing everything by hand. Strip To Voxel lets you work only in one direction, so you could only import the sprite from one perspective. My idea would allow to import the front and side perspective and then just extrude and align things.

[Jblade]

That utility sounds really useful, but it won't work for me even if I set my monitor to 16bit like it asks. That sucks

EDIT: well never mind apparently you have to press 'y' to get anywhere first HURRRHHHH

[DotK3D]

Hi all.
First of all thanks for your work, I think voxels looks good in Duke classic mode for decorations and items.
I have made some voxels a few months ago and I wanted to submit them to you, ReaperMan, for your voxels pack (because duke3d is great and i wanted to do something for the cause ).
Tell me if you are interested by them, in that case I will attach them in a next post.
I think some of them are quite usable (Power Switch, Bar Stool, Clock) and other perhaps not ( especially the Traffic Cone which had a ugly back face).
I used Slab6 and Gimp and I've tried to reproduce to the nearest the originals sprites (some of them are slightly different for a pixel or two).

PS : forgive me for my english, i'm french ^^

Edit : Error in the screenshot : it's Bottle1 and not Bottle4, i'll fix the screenshot later but i don't think this will be very important ^^

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[Lunick]

They look good

[DotK3D]

Lunick, on 07 February 2014 - 06:34 PM, said:

They look good

Thanks you, hope ReaperMan find them good to

[Gambini]

Did you respect the sprite resolution for all of them? If so, good work. The traffic cone could use some work but nothing difficult i think.

[HiPhish]

They look great; I tried the stool myself but I couldn't get the shading right. I did do the clock (not broken) however, but I never got around to uploading it. Well, looks like i can throw away my unfinished voxels now

[DotK3D]

Gambini said:

Did you respect the sprite resolution for all of them?

One Pixel = One voxel

Gambini said:

If so, good work.

Thanks you

Gambini said:

The traffic cone could use some work but nothing difficult i think.

And you haven't see the backface yet . I hate this cone, I've made it slice by slice from bottom to top in Gimp and the result is really ugly from behind. I don't have time (and motivation) to correct it now, perhaps later...

HiPhish said:

They look great;

Thanks you

HiPhish said:

I tried the stool myself but I couldn't get the shading right.

The stool was the second voxel model I've made and it was a good exercise for the others. In fact I haven't shade it after "modeling", I have picked each pixel color for each slice from bottom to top (I've made a circle in the top slice panel and colored it pixel by pixel, and so on) and interpreted the backface color from pixel on each side of the sprite, that's why the back of the stool is very dark (I don't know if it's clear ). Honestly I knowed you where working on it before I started mine but I really wanted to do it by myself (I've haunted this forum for a while as a guest before I register )!
And for the clock, several choices are better than one, I think (my clock is 3 voxels thick for exemple).

[Gambini]

DotK3D, on 08 February 2014 - 07:12 AM, said:

And you haven't see the backface yet . I hate this cone, I've made it slice by slice from bottom to top in Gimp and the result is really ugly from behind. I don't have time (and motivation) to correct it now, perhaps later...

That doesn´t sound as the best method to me. I´d probably make a strip of the side (like the sprite itself) to give it some thickness, and give it flat colors (orange for the cone and black/dark gray for the base). then rotate it 90 degrees (was this possible i think?) and fill the blanks manually. Once you got one side right, you can mirror it and as a last step you apply lighting using the lightsource from Slab6. Just a suggestion.

[DotK3D]

Gambini, on 08 February 2014 - 11:26 AM, said:

That doesn´t sound as the best method to me. I´d probably make a strip of the side (like the sprite itself) to give it some thickness, and give it flat colors (orange for the cone and black/dark gray for the base). then rotate it 90 degrees (was this possible i think?) and fill the blanks manually. Once you got one side right, you can mirror it and as a last step you apply lighting using the lightsource from Slab6. Just a suggestion.

Definitively not the best method, I agree, but I'm a complicated man.
Nevertheless I appreciate the suggestion .

I think the method you describe work better (copy/paste the sprite in front slice panel then past it in side slice panel for the 90° rotation will work I think). I know there are lights stuff in Slab6 but I've never take a look at it.

To see if the voxel model and colors are ok, I reset the view, deactivate Normal and Face shading and set the render to Ortho cube. If it's look like the flat sprite, it's ok for me ( of course I rotate it to check the others sides, but with the cone the result was unexpected , I don't have the courage to fix it at the time and prefered to turn my attention to others sprites).

The big problem - for me - of the cone was the greenish color on dark side and the "specular" wich give the cone his surface made of vertical lines. Perhaps, mirroring the front to the back will do the trick, I don't know.

In fact, I like voxels because it's pixel art in 3d and no modeling / shading using 3D software (from my point of view, of course), I'm more a drawer than a 3D modeler , I suppose it influence the way I work .

[HiPhish]

DotK3D, on 08 February 2014 - 07:12 AM, said:

And for the clock, several choices are better than one, I think (my clock is 3 voxels thick for exemple).

Mine is three pixels as well. I'd say we should go for your clock because you have the broken model as well, I only had the regular one. That way we make sure it stays consistent and the shading isn't off between the two or something along those lines.

[DotK3D]

HiPhish, on 08 February 2014 - 01:30 PM, said:

That way we make sure it stays consistent and the shading isn't off between the two or something along those lines.

Good remark, you are right about that.

[ReaperMan]

Sorry i didn't reply earlier, anyway the voxels look nice, so please upload them.

[DotK3D]

Hi ReaperMan, here are the files.

Content of the zip file :
-> voxels_files : a folder with my voxels files
-> duke3d_voxels_modified.zip : your original voxel pack renamed with the additionals voxels and the def files
-> voxmap.map : a test map with only the additionals voxels

Note 1 : I added the last files if you want to test them directly in duke without making yourself the def files, I used additionals folders in the zip and rename it because I don't wanted to mess with your original work.
Note 2 : If I remember correctly, there is problem with the poles and the panels "One Way" in the map Going Postal (E4L6 if I'm correct), perhaps a MapHack can fix it, but I don't know how to do it.
Note 3 : Finally, I'll try to fix the back of the traffic cone in the next week, but I'm busy actually. Forgive me if I don't do it.

I hope you'll include some of them in your pack.

Attached File(s)

•  dn3d_voxelpack1.zip (312.14K)
  Number of downloads: 648

[ReaperMan]

I was thinking of releasing a new version soon with all the stuff people have contributed + all the switches that i finished. So this will be great.

[DotK3D]

ReaperMan, on 09 February 2014 - 04:05 PM, said:

I was thinking of releasing a new version soon with all the stuff people have contributed + all the switches that i finished. So this will be great.

That's good news. Can you post a list with the sprites you're currently working on ?

[ReaperMan]

I would have to look up the name of the switches, but i'm working on the holo duke, turret enemy and jetpack.

Edit: Also stuff that has been done by others...

-Table by Gambini
-Camera by 3DR ( found by mxrtxn)
-Power Switch, Bar Stool, Clock, Cone, Roadblock, Plate, Pole, Cocktail Glass by DotK3D.

.......If i missed anything please inform me.

[DotK3D]

Noted. Table is sprite #1037 in Art file 4 ? If so, it was in my ToDo list . Guess I can remove it .

Those I want to do for information : Hydrent & Hydrent broken (#981 & #950 in Art file 003) ; Hanglight (#979 in art file 003) ; Protective Boots ; Please Wait to be seated Sign (#716 in art file 002) ; Fire Extinguisher (#916 in Art file 003) and of course Atomic Health (Challenging one !)
Please tell me if anyone on one of them, I'll remove it from my list.
Of course I'll try to fix the cone before starting new voxel.

Also I wanted to test a wall texture, like a door or automated teller machine texture, I don't know if it's possible (and if it is really useful).

About the turret, I wanted to do it after Bottle1, but when I tried to flip Bottle1, the voxel didn't flip.
I have the idea of making additional arts and voxels for flipped sprites and use EVENT_LOADACTOR on Bottle1 to change the sprite and the voxel associated but finally I decided to wait for a version of eduke32 with better voxel support and drop the turret.

Do you have a plan to bypass this problem ?

PS : It's been a while since i checked eduke32 release, if the last one permit voxel flipping, forgive my question and tell me, I'll download it right away !

Thanks for the informations.

[ReaperMan]

DotK3D, on 09 February 2014 - 05:29 PM, said:

Do you have a plan to bypass this problem ?

No not really, i haven't put it in game yet. More frames need to be done.

DotK3D, on 09 February 2014 - 05:29 PM, said:

Table is sprite #1037 in Art file 4 ? If so, it was in my ToDo list . Guess I can remove it .

Feel free to give it a try. Also don't forget to add texture to all sides of the voxels, having the same color stretched across the sides makes it look weird. Also don't forget the back.

[DotK3D]

ReaperMan, on 09 February 2014 - 05:53 PM, said:

Feel free to give it a try. Also don't forget to add texture to all sides of the voxels, having the same color stretched across the sides makes it look weird. Also don't forget the back.

Ok but I think I'll go for the Please Wait Sign next and the Hanglight first.

Tell me if you want me to correct some I've made.

[ReaperMan]

DotK3D, on 09 February 2014 - 06:07 PM, said:

Ok but I think I'll go for the Please Wait Sign next and the Hanglight first.

Tell me if you want me to correct some I've made.

Thats fine, anything that needs to be changed can be done at a later time.

[DotK3D]

ReaperMan, on 09 February 2014 - 06:18 PM, said:

Thats fine, anything that needs to be changed can be done at a later time.

Ok.

I was thinking about stretched color on sides and the "forgotten" back. I suppose it's about the Bar Stool and it's dark side.

In fact, I assumed the light position based on the specular on the copper-like part from the top of the stool.
I picked the sides colors and tried to darken them to the back, but the sides are already really dark, and I had few dark colors left.
I fact I really spent a lot of time to do the back side !

I realised to late that the stool will not always be turned on the good side in the map, but I found it looks good in Slab6 .

So i suppose you prefer to have cylindric sprite without the dark shade in the back. I'll keep that in mind for the Hydrent and the Fire extinguisher.

Edit : I have understand, I think. I reviewed your voxels and it's like you use two light sources : one on front, one on back.

PS : sorry for the smileys and long posts, I have just realised it not really pleasant to read, I'll try to lighten my text. But it's the first forum I post, I only read them usually and it's all new for me !

[ReaperMan]

DotK3D, on 09 February 2014 - 07:25 PM, said:

I was thinking about stretched color on sides and the "forgotten" back. I suppose it's about the Bar Stool and it's dark side.

Well, actually i was referring to any part of the voxel you wouldn't normally see. Such as the back of a switch, or bottom of a fire hydrant as some mappers may use them in different ways then attended, so every side needs texture.

I personally try to avoid having really dark shadows on any voxel, as having a side of all black looks bad.