Calling all combat photographers!

[DBR_ONIX 0]

Back from holiday.. The photographer and camera looks really nice, good work

"Y'know, if I figure out how to hook into the post options available with DXDLL, it may actually be possible to do some limited on-the-fly color filter stuff. I'll take a note of that one as well. Good idea."

When I was doing the OFPCamera program I though about this, two ways, one better than the other.. One is to use your program (that handles taking photos) to send fake App+Page Up etc, and mimick the user acctualy pressing those buttons, which is a bit meh, the other if infintly better, which is to get Kegetys to modify the DXDLL code (Or release the source code and someone else modify it) to allow external programs, or FWATCH commands that alter the DXLL settings (Like loadfile[":dxd saturation_r 0.3"] etc)

You could try emailing Kegetys, but I'd guess on the side of the second idea not happening..

Hm, a third option, when searching around for VB code to resize images (and compress to JPEG) I found (among other things) a set of codes that did Photoshop style adjustments (Various filters, saturation changes etc etc).

I think something like that would be the best idea, though it could get screwed up by the users DXDLL settings, but thats a very small problem

Well, thats all my ideas for now

- Ben

[Guest]

WOW small world....I am also making a embedded press, but not for OFP...Im making a mod for battlefield 2...Ive been at it since june, im doing a conversion where civillians can be played as characters and also embedded press...i recently got the vbs1 sim and plan on doing the same mod.... I really like how you have included functionality to your camera....unfortunately battlefield 2 is more arcade and doesnt allow for much in the scripting area...I am making a machinmation movie, and that is why i started on this project...Its funny but i ordered that combat photographer action figure as well....so far i have the camera finished and a digibeta video camera....I need to put them online so i can show you some screenshots.... Im really glad i found this post, because i thought i was crazy for making a combat photographer...good to see it is being worked on in other games...im new to OFP modding , so im not sure how i am going to get my 3d files over to this format yet...

question....Do models in oxygen light take uvw unwrapped texture information....im making everything in 3dsmax. and hope i dont have to retexture the models again...

second question...where is there a polycount listing for how much geometry is allowed in the game?

[benus 0]

very nice idea ... the camera and the "units" look really great ...

only one thing "I" would change .... the PANTS look like flares from the 70's

even if it is a nice texure job with the dirt on them...

and "I" (as a combat photographer) wouldn't wear such LONG pants when you maybe have to RUN because you are really in the field ... and maybe you fall over your own pants

but ... it is your decission ... and it really looks great so far.

benus

[pandalefou 0]

If you want pictures refs for the "little noob" Nikon D50 ( we can imagine it for "apprenties") i can send you... I have two optics too (28-100mm and 70-300mm)

Oh, do you plan to add an middle aged reporter ? And a young one ?

ReEdit:And what about animations ? It will be really more simple for the optics to animate it with the AF cuz i don't really see how we can make manual animations for the optics :s

And do you plan an functionnal flash ? Integrated or mounted ?

[LoTekK 0]

@DBR_Onix:

That info should prove fairly handy, and I'll be sure to hit you up once I get around to coding the thing (hopefully soon; I seem to be spreading myself a little thin right now ). I'll email Keg, but as you said, it's not very likely that he'll give out the source. But at the very least he might have some insight into how to go about that. And the VB stuff sounds nifty. I'll probably check in with you about that, since my VB isn't exactly up to snuff.

@djfrogstar:

Yup, small world indeed. The stuff you've got modelled and textured for your own project is looking pretty spiffy. We'll have to see about pooling resources or something.

As for your questions, yeah, O2 will import the UV data along with the mesh. This is how I've been working, since I use Wings3D. I don't know that there are any real hard numbers concerning polycount, just common sense I reckon. Though I believe I've read somewhere that O2Light will CTD after 20k tris. Not that I imagine needing anywhere near that amount. For help with importing your data, check over on the O2 Section of the forums. There's a lot of useful information there. One thing in particular to search for is "KFData".

@benus:

Yeah, I honestly don't really know why I gave him bells when I started modelling him. Aside from the fact that I like slightly flared pants myself. I'll probably adjust the mesh so that they're not so long, and tone down the flare.

@pandalefou:

Reference pics are always welcome, and the wider the variety of cameras I can throw into this, the better (assuming I can handle the workload, of course ). Lenses especially, and if you can get narrow-FOV shots of the equipment, that would be ideal (the lack of perspective distortion means less work when using them for textures).

I unwrapped the head model to match the UV layout used by Llauma's v2.0 head model, so the majority of the textures will come from the facestex pack. However, I will indeed be making a few face textures specific to the photographer. Old will be fun to do, so yes, that's in. Middle aged and young, definitely.

I don't see a user-friendly way to have focus/zoom adjustment animations, so those will probably not be in. An alternative would be to have the idle animation constantly moving his hands, but that would look a little silly (I've tried it, and it looks fine, but looks pretty stupid to see the guy constantly adjusting ). The other alternative would be an action menu item to call the animation, but I don't see that as being very useful or user-friendly.

Functional flash? Check. Got some ideas on how to get that working. I've also already got one mountable flash modelled, and I've got some ideas on how to get it user-mountable (probably using magazines or muzzles, a la the M16 mortar). Integrated will also be in, depending on the camera (I believe the Nikon D70 has a flip-up flash, for example).

Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier, but Sniperwolf was kind enough to send me a compact digital camera he made some time ago, so cheers for that. I'm thinking I'll model a couple of similar compacts to use as backup cameras, either for photographers, or as mission items for blackop/Bond style missions.

And now I'm off to bed. I'll see if I can set aside some time tomorrow to work on this some more.

[Guest]

definitely lets pool resources....the videocamera i have is around 3000k polys using a 1024 x 1024 texture....im not sure if thats to high for ofp or vbs1..... Im pretty busy building other models for my mod, but am getting close to being finished....and then i can start figuring out about porting the stuff to oxygen2

ribbit

[pandalefou 0]

Ok i'll do the pictures soon as possible...

Do you want an reference object near to know the real scale ?

Edit: Ok i'll upload that (After viewing, the pictures aren't very good but if you want more good one i can send you this weekend)

Sorry but the macro isn't perfect just tell me want aren't good and i'll redo that... Cuz i used a coolpix 4300 to take the pictures of his grand brother

I've done 50 pictures

Here the link for D50 references pics

It's not quality ref because it's the first time i does that and i have a weird nikon coolpix 4300 !

So i'll do some corrects that weekend

[LoTekK 0]

@djfrogstar:

Wow, 3k for a prop is pretty excessive, imo. For reference, my photographer model is sitting pretty at just over 3k without accessories. The EOS is currently 1.7k including the mountable flash, and lens with hood (and this is prior to any sort of optimization).

@pandalefou:

Quote[/b] ]Do you want an reference object near to know the real scale?

That would probably be helpful for at least a couple of the pics. And once again, much appreciated.

Hmm. I'm not sure if I understood correctly. Did you upload pics and then take them down? Or am I missing something?

Quote[/b] ]I've done 50 pictures

Wow. Awesome.

[Guest]

the digibeta cams polycount was made for battlefield 2 which is an acceptable polycount considering there would only be one on the screen at any given time....It could be easily brought down to a lower number, this one was also meant for the first person view...

I will have to make a lower version for ofp or vbs1... The mod i am making isnt for game play, its more to have goodlooking shots for close ups....

[pandalefou 0]

Oh i can take good quality ref for the D100 because a friend have it and i'll go at his home thursday and i go with my D50 so... If you don't have ref pics for it... What do you think will be the more easy for you for the scale ? A 10€ ticket ? Cuz i'm european...

Tell me what will be the more easy for you (something you know the scale but that i can have myself...)

[DBR_ONIX 0]

For scale, why not shove a ruler next to it?

Only thing I have to say is about the animations for the focus/zoom. I'd say keep them as a last thing, IMHO their not important, maybe for ArmA update it, assuming ArmA has commands to alter the DoF/PoF.. Though, if you do decide to make the animations, the alter focus animation could be the stop-running animation, where on the normal animations the unit puts the rifle back to their shoulder? Either that or once they fire, play it and then take a photo, but that would get in the way of gameplay..

Hmm, it's cool your all sharing models etc, atleast this way the camera thing doesn't turn into the M4 situation of 59000e343234 versions of the same thing

As for importing 3DSMax into O2, export as .3ds and it will keep the texture coords, and quite often convert the textures to .paa or .pac, aslong as their 2^2, 256^256, 1204^1204 etc (or combiations of them, like 256^1204), which is an OFP limitation. If not, resize them in Photoshop, export them as BMP, or uncompressed 32bit TGA, and convert them with O2 by pressing A, right clicking a view, and do load texture, and it'll make the file in the same folder as the TGA, then you just change the texture path (Search forums). But in most cases, it'll import fine. The FKDATA problem is only really exporing .3ds files from programs that aren't 3DSmax, as O2 seems to have problems importing them, and you have to use something like Anim8or to fake the FKData, and resave the .3ds file.. Kind of annoying, but it works..

- Ben

[Guest]

cool thanks for the info....

so 256 x 1024 is the limitation, or did you mean anything that is the power of 2 is the limitation....

[LoTekK 0]

Quote[/b] ]For scale, why not shove a ruler next to it?

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

And don't worry, the nitty gritty animations and eyecandy will be held off for much later.

@djfrogstar:

He meant ^2, as is fairly standard with just about any realtime engine.

[DBR_ONIX 0]

cool thanks for the info....

so 256 x 1024 is the limitation, or did you mean anything that is the power of 2 is the limitation....

Thats it, anything to the power of 2 is acceptable, I did think about explaining it that way, but I wasn't sure if it was right wording..

Anyway, how far have you progressed with the modeling/texture of the project?

- Ben

[Guest]

Ive got digibetacam modeled and textured....SLR modeled and textured....and here is a list of other items which are finished as well

sat phone, 2 way radio, scimitar for beheading, koran and speech papers, sa7 grail, rpg7, lightmeter, microphone, donkey bomb cart, military secure radio, water bottle, wad of money, prayer rugs, cheap dv camera for insurgents, white flag, Hemtt fuel truck, hemtt transport, SUV, taxi....

Im also a member of another mod group, but i am just texturing for them...its some mod for bf2 called battlefield apocaypse...kind of like the road warrior genre....

[pandalefou 0]

For scale, why not shove a ruler next to it?

Yeah, i tried but you cannot see the numbers on it... Cuz the coolpix 4300 is really really not an "Good" camera

[LoTekK 0]

Why not use the D50 to take pics of the D100, and vice versa?

For scale, if you or your friend smokes, a pack of Marlboros would be perfect. If not, I reckon a CD/DVD or DVD case would be a good bet.

[DBR_ONIX 0]

Or, just shove anything of an appropite size next to it, then measuse that and mention the size when you send the pictures

- Ben

[SpecOp9 0]

That's some crazy-good texture work on that camera.

Hope to see it in ArmA as well with the bump map and lighting on it. Would be like one of those 'reach in and grab' sort of things like Perfect Dark Zero's weaponry

[pandalefou 0]

Nice idea to take the d50 with the D100 and vice versa

[blackdog~ 0]

If you need reference photos of combat photographers go here http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/ and look up photographer.

[Guest]

nice link!

[LoTekK 0]

Ooh, nifty. *bookmarks site*

Cheers, dude.

@SpecOp9:

Yeah, if the promises of addon portability materialize with ArmA, I'm pretty certain I'll be getting this project compatible. Heck, it'll give me a good excuse to work with normal maps, too.

Anyways, progress on this has been slow to non-existent recently, due to me working like a mad fool on that ARH Tiger for the ADF Mod. But hopefully I'll be done with that one soonish, and I can get back to work on this one.

[django 0]

No more new Screenshots ?

[LoTekK 0]

Sorry, real life's been a cow, so I haven't had any time to set aside for this. I still need to finish up the ARH Tiger for the ADF mod, which I'll hopefully be able to do by this weekend, after which I can start setting aside more free time to work on this project. It ain't dead, though, that's for sure.