Ship Modelling Advice

[CaptSolo]

My time is rarely wasted.

Your model has two craft. Which one did you intend to be the Dolphin? Or did you intend both of them to be like two ships with one riding piggy back and the other supplying the propulsion system?

Or would you like to work with just one of them:

or


Some work will have to be done with them: 1) They would need re-scaling so you could dock with them, and 2) They need to be re-aligned along the Z axis (currently aligned with the X axis)

Let me know and I can provide you with the new models in Wings3D format as well as base texture files for you to work with.

[Imaginos]

It's the upper section that I intended to be The Dolphin MkI.

[CaptSolo]

You have a PM, Imaginos.

[Imaginos]

You have a PM, Imaginos.

Cheers,that's wonderful. I just wish that I wasn't too thick to work out how to get it into the game.

[CaptSolo]

Do what I did. Study the shipdata.plist file from other peoples ship OXP's. You can learn from them.

[Smivs]

Study the shipdata.plist file from other peoples ship OXP's. You can learn from them.

I think that is how most of us started
Just a word of caution, though. Try to pick a newer OXP as your template, and preferably one that has been updated for Oolite v1.80. Many of the older ones use code called XML (which is horrid!), whereas today the plists should use openStep, and the updated ones should also use the current features introduced in v1.80 which older ones may not. This can be quite important if your ship is to behave and work properly in-game.
It can seem daunting at first, but it is good fun, and you know where to come if you really get stuck!

[Imaginos]

Thanks for the advice folks.

[Stormrider]

Just a word of caution, though. Try to pick a newer OXP as your template, and preferably one that has been updated for Oolite v1.80. Many of the older ones use code called XML (which is horrid!), whereas today the plists should use openStep, and the updated ones should also use the current features introduced in v1.80 which older ones may not. This can be quite important if your ship is to behave and work properly in-game.

I compare the cobra3 template from the core shipdata.plist with my own to check that I have all the current features correct.

You might like to check out Shipbuilder's shader tutorial. Its an excellent guide that helped me underestand how to define materials in the shipdata.plist(its full of useful information even if you don't plan to use shaders).

I think you might also like this image. You are welcome to use it if you like.