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Fantasy Bridges Pack (I)

Today I modeled and textured a couple of stone bridges. In a couple of more days I hope to put up online my new website, dedicated mainly to content packs and this blog will be moved there as well. The models were created in Softimage ModTool, just for the sake of it. More info and free download of this great piece of software here. The pack will feature all models in dts format, the modtool project with all the scenes, LOD and secondary UV sets with Ambient Occlusion maps for COLLADA friendly engines, such as Blade3D.

Constructor Lightmaps (II)

Interesting. Though the loading times of a mission is affected (first time: can it become persistent so that only modified objects need rebuild the lightmaps? no idea) the results are quite nice. Clean, day light with proper shadows and all. Click on the image for more resolution.

Constructor Lightmaps

I didn’t know this, Constructor does a pretty good job on making lightmaps for DTS objects. Thing is: when do we get to see these exported over to TGE or TGEA?

xsi2dts Exporter radio silence

It’s well over a year since Softimage XSI exporter for Torque is in beta. I wanted to check back on the old thing and see if i can do something with it. And i did:

After a couple of small issues i managed to export a shape, collision nodes (i suppose others nodes are supported) and animation with sequences. All it needs is a bit of love and a shiny release. Mat Summers from Dark Industries (the coder behind this exporter) must be hooked really hard on some other things. Well, we can wait a litlle longer I suppose. Maybe he decides to release the beta as open source so others can pick up on it? Dunno.

The weirdest thing is the hierarchy (start01, base01 and where each go) but it works. LOD also seem to work but I know 1.5.2 has some issues with lod drawing so I have to check on that first.

Unity3d on a stick

The Unity3D engine goes with Wii. Announced a while ago, the support for the tiny white console arrived. Read more on the Unity3D website here.

Torque Buildings, Constructor

I checked the new Constructor build (new for me) and played around for a couple of minutes.I noticed it has a few issues with the player collision, but not all the time. However, true CSG editor for its price tag (free for registered users). Check the official page here. You can also get the files for free from Box.net (will be moved once i get the website up and running).

Blender Development Update

This video demos some additions to the apricot branch of blender for snapping, library browsing and baking. I like the snapping feature in particular. Enjoy.

Noesis Interactive™ Mod Your World™ Products Now Available through IGN Entertainment

Noesis Interactive Mod Your World Product Line Now Available through IGN Entertainment’s Direct2Drive

Products enable video gamers to create Characters, Props, and Levels for Source Powered Games

Noesis Interactive today announced the immediate availability of eight products in the Mod Your World product family as downloads on IGN’s Direct2Drive (http://www.direct2drive.com).

“We’ve been working with Modcenter to promote our free tutorials on Fileplanet, so making our entire product line available on Direct2Drive is a logical next step,” said Dave Larson, CEO of Noesis Interactive. “We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with the IGN team to provide further support for modders around the world.”

Noesis Interactive is developing the Mod Your World DVD series to put all gamers on the fast track to designing, building, and integrating 3D characters, props and maps into their favorite games – beginning with Half Life 2. Working with industry leaders Valve, Softimage, and Autodesk, Noesis is delivering DVDs designed by video gamers that dissects and streamlines the entire process into easy-to-understand lessons.

The current Mod Your World lineup includes: Advanced Source Level Design, 3D Content Creation with XSI, Character Design & Integration with Half-Life2 (XSI, Max, or Maya), Custom Props & Animation for Source Powered Games (XSI or Maya), and Advanced Character Animation With XSI.

Pricing and Availability:
3D Content Creation with XSI and Character Design & Integration with Half-Life 2 are available at a price of $39.95 each.
Custom Props & Animation for Source Powered Games, Advanced Character Design,and Advanced Level Design are available at a price of $49.95 each. All products can be downloaded directly from http://www.direct2drive.com.

About Noesis Interactive:
Noesis Interactive is a Left Coast Digital venture whose goal is expanding the knowledge and creativity of video gamers around the world, beginning with the Mod Your World product family. For more information visit www.noesisinteractive.com.

About IGN Entertainment:
IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., is a leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reached more than 30 million unique users worldwide in the month of November 2007, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN’s network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others), is the Web’s number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet. IGN also owns and operates the popular movie-related website, Rotten Tomatoes and one of the leading male lifestyle Websites, AskMen.com. In addition, IGN provides technology for online game play in videogames. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices throughout the U.S. and in Montreal.

New Blender movie: Big Buck Bunny

The second movie created entirely in Blender, the open source maverick. Last time I checked they had all sorts of interesting features, subdivision modeling and everything. I still can’t stand that interface, regardless the $0 tag.

Check this page for all formats available. Or enjoy the youtube version here.