Bizarre Creations's staff posts are in bold.
In reply to the question in the 'Meet the Bizarre Guys' thread, the modelling in MSR was done using SoftImage, with Photoshop used for the textures. The additional data for the game was done in our own package, MetGP, which allowed us to add in start/finish/split lines, cameras, AI data, start grids, etc...
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Merci Merci Stubette
So you DO use more SoftImage than 3DS Max...
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Hello!
What LOW POLY MODELING with SI? Or LOW POLY with 3DsMax *g*
I believe LW are better for this work! I use it every day, it's fast and great :) !
Try it!!!
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We've generally used SoftImage for most of our modelling and animation, but do evaluate other packages at regular intervals. We do also have our own in-house packages which can be used for large scale modelling, such as a complete game-creation system used to model Fur Fighter levels (known as 'tubby custard'!).
What we have to weigh up in changing to a new package is the time saved by the other packages versus the time it would take for all the artists to relearn the new software.
Thanks for the tipoff though - we'll get the artists onto it ;-)
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Modeling :)
Yeah, the time!!!
Do it fast and dirty or good and slow!
I know this. But work ervery gfx artist at BC with SI?
Whats are if a gfx-artist want a other programm (si, maya, 3dsmax.....)???
Can you tell me how much polygons one MSR car have, please?
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Once started - I'll never stop! S. started me up!
Yes -- but how did the team model the cars? I guess they have to follow strictly car manufacter guidelines (as stated in the license?).
The dashboard/in car textures and external badges are also done with great care... It's a product of quality!
Thanks in advance for your reply, and a great x to Stubbette!
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You can model a low poly car (for realtime games) very fast, about 2days for one car. Depends on the Poly Count! (I believe the other guys will tell you the same!)
I've read in the msr credits that only one guy modelt the car's!
But I must criticism that some cars not looks like the real one, sorry!!!
ok thtas enough. :)
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I'll get an artist to post about the 'how it's done', etc.!
As for why ALL SoftImage, imagine the nightmare of 10-15 artists on a team all working on different packages to each other - it would be a logistical nightmare! Not only do the programmers need to import the data in the same format from the artists (each program has a different data format which would need to be decoded), but the artists all swap around and help each other out too.
We work in the same was as the other games companies we know - generally they take a policy decision via their senior artists as to what package is being used across the team. So if someone looking for a job ONLY wants to use Max, for example, then they'd have to find a company that uses Max, I suppose. Most of our guys had no SI experience when they came to us, but are more than happy to use it now....
HTH, Stubbette
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I had also the feeling that the game industry was dropping 3DS, and using more SI. Their support for the programming world is better too.
But it's still painful for 3DS, 5 years ago I had a passion: 3DSR4 - those days are gone now. Thanks God! Without the evolution of these softs, we should'nt have a MSR! I'm lucky ;)
Don't forget to reply to my 'how it's done' post - I'm very interested!
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Please, don't use Max. I use it every day and it's a PAIN. Bugged to heck, etc. etc. Check out [redacted] to see what our entire Max-using office make of it! We're hoping to drift into Maya but that's never going to happen. Max is nice and cheap. :)
One thing I'm fascinated by is the fact the poly counts of the cars in MSR are roughly the same as the poly counts in GT3 on PS2, except, of course, GT3 cheats by having blackened windows and no drivers to produce as well.
Hmmm. I think I need to hint again..
*cough* MSR 2 *cough*
Keep up the ace work, gang!
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Hey [redacted]
that's quite a list of complaints!! Once again, I'm very sorry for mentioning 3DS - I think that Autodesk is still surviving because of AutoCAD.
Don't ask me how the PS2 will do!
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Re: MSR Modelling....
Hiya.
I noticed that some of the later car models in my MSR ("buggy" first PAL master) seem to be thrown together in a bit of a rush. Like the Celica GT Four, where the driver only has one arm (or was that some other car? my memory is slipping) and some other cars with missing polys on the driver... Was this a matter of deadline induced slips or are they (highly unlikely) 3Dengine draw bugs?
Also, did the "glowing brake discs" function get dumped entirely? I have yet to see it in the game... It must have been a late call anyway, since it's visible in the intro movie...
One last question. How do you guys feel about the CRI software Mpeg decoder that the DC uses? I mean, it basically makes all the DC FMV look like shite, since you have to compress it more to make it run better. I'm usually an FMV basher, since I think realtime intros and cutscenes are more suitable to display the machine's power and the coders abilities (I mean, even the MegaCD could show FMV), but sometimes when FMV is a better or cooler option, I think they should at least look good.
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Re: MSR Modelling....
Like we're talking in a realtime chat ;) Perhaps bizarre can start an official MSR IRC channel?!
Well, I'm driving the Clio V6 (my fav - a REAL race bomb - with REAL physics) with the steering wheel fixed in the passenger's airbag...
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Hi guys,
Just thought I'd give you some info on how we modelled some of our stuff. I worked on MSR for about 18 months and during my time on that team I got to model just about everything from buildings/cities to cars to statues to drivers. The cars were mainly the work of one guy but all told there was about 8 of us that built them, with one guy doing the textures. Initially, we rotascoped splines from schematic drawings provided by the manufacturers (in Softimage). We then had to turn these 2D splines of each view (side, front, back and top) into 3D splines. This was done by, for example, taking a spline from the front view, viewing it from the top view, and moving its points to make it line up with the corresponding spline in that view. We only work on half a car and then mirror it when its finished. The result is a 3D spline shape of the car, which then acts as a template for stitching in polys. Naturally, a lot of tweaking is involved and constant use of research photos to achieve the finished model. That's it for the high detail model. Then the other levels of detail are derived from that one by removing edges and vertices until the model falls under the relevant poly limit. Screenshots and renders of the high detail wireframe models were used to match the textures up perfectly. We also duplicated the car body so that the programmers could use that to render the specular highlights.
So now you know. I've just given away all our secrets. Well, maybe not all of them.
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Car modeling!
What!
You have model High poly cars for the textures!?
I guess you can finish a Car model faster if you create the car textures with a 2d paint programme (like photo shop!)!!!
Sorry but I would do it so!
But why can I nowhere read anything about the poly count, are this a secret?
regards, [redacted]
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Hello,
Im not sure if this has been said already,
But the textures on the cars where in fact hand drawn.
No high res model was constructed (other than for the front-end - using the same textures as the in-game cars)
The splines traced from the schematics were merely used as a guide for constructing the in-game meshes.
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So you did get a little help (in 2D) from the manufacturers - of course in SI format.
Again, you (and the team) modelled the cars with such precision. Anyway, the Clio V6 (which isn't an easy one to model) is simply gorgeus (read: better than the model used in GT).
Hey, what happened with the high detail renderings?! Desktop wallpapers? Can I have one? ;)
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Thx Max - keep posting
Yes, indeed, the front-end models are great. Better than the in-game cars... ;)
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I've forgotten...
... to give alot of Kudos to Stubbette, she's great!
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Hey, Stubbette are you a member of the oh so popular IRC channel (don't wonna name it - you know what I mean)?
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Re: I've forgotten...
Dang! Found out again!! Yes, I must admit I do pop in there sometimes when time permits....;)
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IRC channel
Ahaha... Seems like Stubbette's busted.
What IRC Network btw? =DDD
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See ya later in IRC chat... Don't name it, it's between you and me ;)
Thanks for your (and the BC team's) sympathy!
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