1024x1024
checker.jpg
🧵 Customizable clothing
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 11:49:52 UTC No. 869238
I'm working on a main character model for a game, and this main character needs the ability to equip different sets of clothes. I've been looking around the net, trying to find examples of how this is done, but I'm having trouble finding anything.
The only method I know, is where you basically cut the model into parts (hands, feet, legs, torso, head), and swap those parts out. The problem is, this method leaves obvious seams across the body of the character.
I've also seen some masking options, but those leave the topology underneath, which basically doubles the polygon count.
Anyone have any insights or links to good examples?
Pic unrelated.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 15:58:56 UTC No. 869275
>>869238
you're asking how to disable body areas without leaving seams, or how to cut armor up for modularity without leaving seams?
learn to transfer normals and to use the questions thread.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 16:03:07 UTC No. 869276
You can turn off vertex groups in game when a piece of clothing is equipped. I dont think it should use any more computer resources since it's not actually being rendered.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 16:16:37 UTC No. 869280
>>869275
Transferred normals don't fix seams between separate meshes, which you would need for the method I mentioned.
>>869276
Thanks, I'll look into it.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 16:30:49 UTC No. 869287
>>869276
Vertex groups seem to be a Blender concept. Which I don't use. They also don't seem to export to game engines.
1162x783
1625705324405.png
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 19:29:24 UTC No. 869312
>>869238
>The problem is, this method leaves obvious seams across the body of the character.
>>869280
>Transferred normals don't fix seams between separate meshes
Yes, they do.
Hell you dont even need to transfer normals, just make sure your mesh has custom split normals enabled.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:24:28 UTC No. 869325
>>869312
>custom split normals enabled
Couldn't find this in maya, but I did get it to work through transferred normals. Guess I just did it wrong before. Any idea if maya has an equivalent to custom split normals? Thanks either way, saves me a lot of hassle.
1362x755
2021-12-12 21_25_44.jpg
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:30:42 UTC No. 869326
this guy >>869312 is right
it works even for the most extreme angles, seam is impossible to tell
heres a cube with an insane 180 degree bend on a face, transfer to a half mesh works prefectly
>>869325
it does, been ages since i used maya but weighting and editing and projecting vertex normals is the bery basics of modeling foliage for games, you project normals from simpler objects
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 20:52:45 UTC No. 869330
>>869326
>it does, been ages since i used maya but weighting and editing and projecting vertex normals is the bery basics of modeling foliage for games, you project normals from simpler objects
I know that, I use it a lot on foliage. I was asking for this magical "custom split normals enabled" option, where you apparently don't even have to transfer.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 21:08:07 UTC No. 869334
>>869330
dunno, custom normal dosnt work for me this way in blender, reassigns average normals at the new vertexes without asking
technically it should work, but its a bug and you would need to write your own custom split macro for it to work
so no, there is no better solution in blender ether
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 21:11:55 UTC No. 869338
>>869334
Alright, transfer it is. Thanks mate.
1185x890
1626396146280.png
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 22:50:15 UTC No. 869352
>>869330
>>869334
>>869338
Essentially when you enable "Custom Split Normals" you're telling Blender: "Do not recalculate normals automatically, the normals for this mesh's vertices are set in stone."
So, what you would do is enable custom split normals, and then split the mesh up however you'd like. Since Blender won't bother recalculating normals to account for mesh boundarys, it'll preserve whatever normals it had.
In Maya, I believe this is called "Lock Normals".
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 23:02:00 UTC No. 869355
>>869352
You're right, lock normals works. Cheers.
Anonymous at Sun, 12 Dec 2021 23:44:09 UTC No. 869366
>>869238
show us how it looks when you get it working for your character. i've been curious about this as well for my game.
944x587
2021-12-13 01_00_08.jpg
Anonymous at Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:03:34 UTC No. 869370
>>869352
>So, what you would do is enable custom split normals, and then split the mesh up however you'd like. Since Blender won't bother recalculating normals to account for mesh boundarys, it'll preserve whatever normals it had.
Your test is wrong.
It should work like this, but it dosnt.
Your test cube has naturally neutral normals at the cut you did, but check out an angle middle edge.
Maybe it works correctly in maya though.
Tbh i would write myself a script that does the transfer automatically to fix the split.
1346x912
1633363688627.png
Anonymous at Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:23:11 UTC No. 869376
>>869370
Anon, i'm not sure what to tell you, you might be doing something wrong.
>>869312
And pic related work fine for me. If you want I can record a webm.
Anonymous at Mon, 13 Dec 2021 01:07:35 UTC No. 869380
>>869376
Actually i did managed to get it to work, by first splitting the selection then splitting the mesh.
But every time i split it in 2 meshes right away it changes the normals.
Im pretty sure this isnt how its supposed to work and its just buggy.
Anonymous at Mon, 13 Dec 2021 01:23:04 UTC No. 869383
>>869380
Oh well yeah, duh. Select the edge loop you want to split and do "Rip Verticies" (I think it's called "Detach" in Maya), this will split off the geometry while preserving normals. When you just do "separate geometry" from the get-go, Blender implicitly creates new geometry with new normals since its a new object.
Anonymous at Mon, 13 Dec 2021 13:21:49 UTC No. 869461
>>869238
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/