Retexturing the TD map - some thoughts

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Carsten
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Retexturing the TD map - some thoughts

Post by Carsten » 2006-01-26, 15:46

Hello all,

it has turned out that retexturing the TechDemo map is a pretty difficult task due to the large number of textures in it - far too many for a single person to re-do.

It was even troublesome for me to group the used textured reasonably by theme or commonality, a task on which I've spent several hours this morning without much of a success.

Therefore, I think that we should consider our options early, because
  • on the one hand, we should strive for high-quality results,
  • but on the other hand, it doesn't make sense to ask more of Kai than he can handle (while maintaining the quality ;) ).
(@Kai: Maybe it would be good if you could give a rough estimate on how many of the textures you think you can handle, so that we can plan better for the rest, no matter the actual numbers.)

So here is what comes into my mind to solve the problem:
  • Whenever possible, use one of the existing Ca3DE textures as replacement for a D3 texture. We already have some very good textures by Kai, Frank, Industri etc. that can be used. E.g. mostly some of the organic and curved surfaces in the map might be replaced with existing ones, especially those in the lower parts (sewage, railway station, reactor core).
  • Thrawn and I and possibly others learn how to make high-quality (normal-)maps.
  • Didn't Levaravell mention a while ago that he is able to make NMaps, too?
  • We might actively try to find other/additional people specially for this task.
  • Take more time. Nobody asks us to complete this within a month or two. We may take until mid summer if we want to.
Any thoughts are welcome.
I'll probably start soon to look into the old, existing texture-maps to find out which ones can be used with the TD map, as well as identifying D3 originals in the TD map that can safely be replaced with them...
Best regards,
Carsten
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Kai
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Post by Kai » 2006-01-26, 16:07

Its hard to tell how long it will take to recreate the materials.

As we already discussed:
The most time is spend on creating the 3D based normalmap, and depending on the detail level this take some time.
I already advanced my way to create those replicas, and i would say that i need about 2 hours for a medium detailed normalmap, and i also think about using normalmap element presets, like rivets, insets and other small elements to increase speed.
Lets see how far i can go within a week with the current sets, then i may be able to tell if there is a need for help ;)

Anyway i can provide a video or html tutorial on how i create my 3D nmaps :)
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Thrawn
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Post by Thrawn » 2006-01-26, 16:15

Blender is able to create normal maps for textures. I haven't tried yet but I'll do so. I can also create the diffuse maps, but as my skills are just very limited, I can only do diffuse/normal for simple textures (like the crates).
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Carsten
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Post by Carsten » 2006-01-26, 16:37

Kai wrote:Lets see how far i can go within a week with the current sets, then i may be able to tell if there is a need for help ;)
Ah, okay, that's a good idea. ;)
Best regards,
Carsten
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