This is the place to ask and recieve specific modding (mod making) questions and answers. If you have a mod making question, post it here.
If your question involves long snippets of entity files and the like, please don't paste the entire file contents here but put them at the incredibly easy to use http://pastebin.com and then provide the link to your paste in your question posted here.
Please do limit "just comments" here to brief posts please. If you don't know the answer or can't point to help--don't post. Please note that a random, uninformed guess isn't an actual answer.
You can refer people to another source--IF it actually helps answer their question. This could be in the form of links, outside sites, specific modding-useful programs, direction towards another post or poster, etc., etc.
Remember--specific questions, specific answers. Only respond to the ones you can help solve. Also, feel free to amplify, clarify, suggest alternatives to or correct answers seen here if such actions are merited and help provide a real solution. No flaming, insults or put downs here in the answers or other posts please.
Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation. The reason for the rigid rules here is those this thread becomes a usable resource in the future to new people looking for answers.
NOTE: If an answer resolves your issue, please share it here. These answers will help others coming along later too. Karma is a great way to respond to people providing help without clogging the thread or bombing their forum mailbox here. Thanks!
OTHER SINS HELPFUL MODDING LINKS*
*Links are updated when requested.
The Soase Idiot's Guide
Confused? No idea where to even start?
Determined to work at it?
This is the place!
Sins Modding Wiki
ZombieRus's Eclipse Wizardry
Tutorials
MyFist0's full modding site.
Emphasis on modeling and
texturing.
REBELLION MODDING TOPICS
Rebellion Modding Q & A
Mesh Editing
Changing Diplomacy Files to Rebellion
IT REALLY HURTS MY BRAIN--HOW TO START
An Idiot's Guide To Getting Started
MyFist0's Modding Megasite!
MOD DOWNLOADS
ZombieRus5's Mod Yard
Directory of Planet Mods
STEAM
STEAM Sins Forums
DEVELOPERS
Sins Developer Journals Forum 2007 to Present
REFERENCE FILES
Research Modifier List
MyFist0's Exported Models & Files
Modifier List
Harpo's Converted Sins Reference Files 2011
THIRD PARTY TOOLS
3dS Texturing Toool & Tips
Ship Fleet Calculator
SoaSE Eclipse Plugin Project
Mesh Resizing Tool--courtesy of the Reqiuem team.
Harpo's Sins Utility Package -- Dropbox
The Sins Optimization Project (TSOP)
Artificial Unintelligence (Mod and AI info)
Sins Data Converter by BCXtreme
EXPLANATIONS & DISCUSSIONS
Rebellion Updates by Blair Frazier
How to Add a Fourth Race
User-updatable Ship Reference Chart
Sins Modding Dictionary
Adding phase Effects to other weapon types
Culture, Explanation/Discussion
Weapons, Explanation/Discusion
Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion-1
Shield Mitigation & Armor, Explanation/Discussion -2
Graphic Chart of Sin's Counters
Annotated Guide to the Developer.exe
In-Game Map Creator
Weapons Banks & DPS
Combat Mechanics
Rebellion Shield Mitigation & Focus Fire testing
PARTICLE FORGE
Particle Forge Help Thread
GALAXY FORGE
Adding Artifacts
Working Template Examples
SemazRalan's Template Guide
Pirates Base Start Template
SOUND RESOURCES
[SFX] Black Sun SFX/Music Resource for Modders
MODELING & TEXTURING--SOFTIMAGE XSI, 3DS MAX
XSI Texturing, Tutorial
3dS Model Exporter
3DS Max Rigging, Texturing & Exporting, Guide
Modding/Modelling/Texturing/Converting, Tutorials
WIKI'S
Sins of a Solar Empire Official Wiki
The advantage is that its a well know site for mods, so in theory get more exposure. Anyone can put anything they make mod wise on it, I do know they have some guidelines about post, news, etc etc. Zman could tell you more since he has alot of stuff on it.
DS we havent updated our page b/c well Nacey has the access and we have our forum topic that serves all that we need.
Have you tried conversion from xsi to mesh without optimizing? Makes a larger mesh file, but may help.
If that fixes it you may just need to add some geometry in the problem area then convert with optimize enabled.
From what I have seen, many ways will work - grey scale bump, blue normal map (nividia) , green (AMD) and pinkish like gimp generates. 1 thing I have had problems with is if you change map dimensions, eg generate a normal map at 2048 x 2048 then change it to 2048 x 1024. I think it is much better to generate the map at the final dimensions required. It can be reduced but proportionately, if that makes any sense.
Turns out the problem was five-sided polys, as myfist suggested. Model's ingame now, thanks however.
Oh OK!, yes that would do it, I didn't read further back. Only noticed GoaFan77 has Quads. Has he found a solution yet also?
Unfortunately no, not yet.
I haven't had a lot of time to mess with it due to the holidays. Hopefully tomorrow I can try all the advice I got, so keep posted. Thanks for the help everyone.
how in the world do you set up homeworld to start off with it??
alright i have the aldar and i have the aldar homeworld its the extinct planet from the maelstrom mod
in the galaxy scenario def file i have it set up to be the aldars homeworld with it own template but when i go to play on any map including the ones i created as the aldar i spawn with a Terran planet instead
In this case you have to edit the .galaxy file of the map you want to play. Swap each instance of "TerranHome" for your custom planet.
Created a post and updated the links.
thank you alot i was kind of figuring i would have to do that at least i know now
Okay, now this issue is getting weirder. I decided to export my scene to xsi in order to get around the .obj not wanting me to add tangents to it. When I imported the xsi file into the mod tool, sure enough the flaps were distorted just like in game. Seems for some reason when I save to .xsi the UV map for those polygons gets corrupted. I tried copying the uv map in my original scene and pasting it, which fixed the problem in the mod tool again, but when I tried to export and reload the finished xsi scene it just screwed the UV map up again.
So, does anyone have any ideas of what might cause softimage to screw up a UV map. I tried every freezing option I could find but none of that seemed to help.
Here's the in game result again for anyone who didn't see the first post.
Can I see the scene? Probably need the -cl as well
Interesting... I didn't see any five sided polygons in the scene you uploaded but still had the same issue when I tried to export it to *.xsi and then *.mesh. Either way, glad you got it sorted which is the most important thing in the end.
Edit- I also think convertXSI throws some errors if any of the polygon's are not 3 or 4 sided which I didn't see in the initial conversions. Still scratching my head on this one...
Pics are temp. If you want to keep save em. Added the tangent map but no work done to it.
It can also weld vertex's on the model that have the same UV co-ordinates eg symmetrically overlay-ed UV's, when optimized even if there only tri's & or quads. Some poly reduction is performed and sometimes it collapses the mesh where it shouldn't. However GoaFans77's looks like it has only lost a seam, like vertex's along some seams have welded. Its hard to say without looking at the scene.
Okay now it a completely different direction, does anyone have or know where I can find a model suitable for a sort of spy satellite. Preferably a small and spherical one, Darth Maul's probes were the first thing that came to my mind but I'll take any sort of suggestions.
Heck--I can make you one if you want. Those are easy.
How many polys are you willing to go on it?
It will be no bigger than a TEC space mine, so it doesn't need to be super detailed. But lets see if anyone has something suitable already before I need to start cashing in my favors.
I've already got several things like it and it's easy to make. I can even get it in a mesh for you if you give me a day or so. No problem--no need to do anything back.
Here it is if you want it. Textures someone will have to do though.
Heck yeah I'll take it. If you can get that to me in .obj or something else xsi can work with I might be able to handle the textures. I'm actually going to implement it as a sort of spying mine so you may like the end result for your mod when its finished.
Ironically, I can get you a file in almost any format--except XSI. Can you convert it to mesh?
Yep--I'll taker a copy of it if you share. I think I like it better as my cargo box than what I have and getting experience for taking out "critical comm sats" sounds better anyway (not to mention I like the tiny size).
Here's the link. It's in OBJ format and I even squeezed in a little more detail too.
That will do nicely. Karma for you sir.
"Will model for karma"
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