Da Physics Room

[FreemanHL2]

OK, everyone has been going on about how bad the graphics in source have been so far. What ppl fail to realise is the potential of the engine, I don't see why SOURCE isn't capable of rendering everything seen in the unreal 3 vids... From a technical viewpoint source can handle extremely large poly counts, all DX9 effects, advanced physics, advanced AI, high res textures and more. Our only limit is our hardware.

What i want to do is create a virtual ROOM filled with objects. Each of the objects are super high res, with enourmus poly counts, all deformable and all physicaly reactive. This will obviously run very slowly on even modern hardware, so we don't want to go to far, keep it within reason.

The entire goal of this is to create a room that shows off the potential of source, it deosn't really matter if it lags, it is more of a tech demo, to push both source and our hardware to the limits. I think we should aim for around 10fps on an 9800XT and about 25 on a x800XT, that is enough to play with while keeping it as advanced as possible.

When finished this should look amazing and really prove that source is capable of running well into the future, it should also be fun to TEST OUT new hardware using this room. We might even be able to create a demo or runthrough as a popular benchmark for HL2 players... We could even add to it, making it larger over time or updating everynow and then.

SO FINALLY, what I would like is the help of all the community modelers. Most of us spend our time making low res art, and it can become tiring. This gives you the chance to let your creative freedom go and create anything you want... Even if you only create one object, you are going to be adding one of your models to the room. You can design anything you want (as long as it FITS into a room), this might even expand into a house... So you can basically create anything that goes into a house.

We want large textures and reletively high poly counts, do not go overboard... Let me know what you think of this project and any ideas to expand it. It is a good community project and could turn into something really kool. If you don't like something we can change it, let's just have fun creaitng our own physics room.

 

[FreemanHL2]

So if anyone is interested in modeling... let me know...

 

[Ti133700N]

First it would be alot better if you could think about an actual location or "fantasy" location but well structured instead of putting random objects in a room. Also, you should put and show alot of the Source engine technologie instead of only putting high poly models. You could put like characters that moves, speak, radgoll, collide with diffirent objects in the scene, terrain deformation, particle effects (fire, smoke, dust), normal mapped object, bump mapped object, mirrors etc...

I suggest you to write where the camera should start and where it should go, what we would see, what would happen. Start with a theme (a cathedral for example) and make us begin outside, we could see high poly gargoyles and they could become alive and then we go inside the cathedral so there could be alot of details inside, with the effects of light and the glass (don't know how to call those windows in churches and cathedrals). Anyway I just wanted to explain what I mean by thinking about something well structured and then create a kind of "fly by" that would last about 3-4 minutes...

Good luck

 

[FreemanHL2]

Yes i know what you mean, but I was kinda hoping i would get ppl giving THEIR opinions about a location. Personally I believe a virtual house would be cool. I know I would have fun destroying an entire house... Things like cathedrals have already been done before, and i don't want to make this look like a STRESS TEST clone. I don't want to create a new benchmark, I want to create an entire house fully deformable, fully physically reactive, with graphics that will blow your mind. It would bew really fun to push the source engine... and our processors, lol.

So if anyone wants to start modeling a vritual house PM me. As a modeler i think this is way more fun than sitting around building crates with low-res textures. I can actaully spend my time creating real-life detail.

PS: Are you a modeler Ti133700N? Are you in? Also I suppose a few coders would be usefull... Maybe we could fill the housae with zombies... lol

 

[Dt13]

ill model some stuff for you, but since im selftought in max for bout 3-4 months now im only anygood with man-made objects. so no people, plants etc

 

[Ti133700N]

Yes I am a modeler, well I do pretty much everything but I won't have time to fully be active in this project since I am already in a MOD team (I am the leader). But maybe I could model some props in my spare times. A big house like the police department in resident evil would be soooo cool, well I think it would be more interesting than a regular house

 

[FreemanHL2]

ofcourse... Our house needs to be creative, maybe a regular house gone to the dogs... like a dump with grime and filth everywere, lol. I don't know how big it is going to be though. This is good for ppl who don't have a lot of experience because we are sticking to man-made objects mostly, maybe you can just add any objects you make for your mod?

PS: how should we communicate? do you think it is nessessary to have a web page and forum for a simple mod???

Is anyone here good at drawing maps? :cheers:

 

[FreemanHL2]

I have some ideas... We are going to create an abondoned house, lots of atmospherics, lots of grime... we can have rodents and insects swarming everywere. Creaky old doors, lots lighting, maybe a crack with some projection lighting beaming through the wall... some fog outside the windows, water dripping from the ceiling, lots of effects.

This is going to create a really cool atmosphere and show of some wicked effects, we could have doors that just fall over when you puch on them, and a staircase that falls apart when you step on it. We are really going to put the source engine to the test...

 

[Dt13]

how about a 2 story abandonned warehouse?

 

[FreemanHL2]

I don't know what you could stick in a warehouse... CRATES! lol, i was thinking of something a little more complex... remember when you are modeling, if you are going to use textures, double the texture res of Counterstrike source ok, we are creating detail here.

You can basically model anything you want to, if you feel like modeling a tv go right ahead, or a chair, go right ahead, its all good. I will start drawing a plan for the building... remember we are creating a worn down abandoned theme.

PS: If you are modeling something it would be a good idea to mention it so we don't model the same thing.

 

[Dt13]

you could put a old gun-workshop in a abandoned warehouse and there could be a fire or something and a whole heap of ammuntions and explosives blowup and take a huge chunk out of the side of the building or something like that.

 

[FreemanHL2]

\/\/o\/\/ You are thinking like an action movie director! I like your style son, its... FULL ON ACTION!

i really have no clue what an gun-workshop looks like... i will look into it. If it has the kind of detail i am after, I will think about it.

 

[Dt13]

well just imagine benches with alot of guns, guns pieces, tools, ammunition, maybe some explosives(for good measure) and possiby a few more guns.
now that you have imagined that, imagine it blowing up and the building going with it :cheers:
that could be 1 piece of the benchmark, maybe instead of confineing it to a house, maybe over a few streets, going through a house with lots of wierd stuff in it, down the street, possibly a humungous car crash like from the movie final destination 2, and then into a warehouse that explodes.

well thats my idea, and either way im willing to help out

 

[IchI]

I like the idea but judging from the way you have presented your self and the way you talk I would say you don't have enough skill to pull it off. Soz.

 

[FreemanHL2]

This was an ON THE SPOT concept... I have worked in a mod team before... and i still am, lol. People seem to be taking the BENCHMARK idea to seriously, this is first and foremost an INTERACTIVE benchmark. Instead of looking at 3dmark and gong WOW look at those graphics! I want to be able to interact with them in source, i want a REAL HOUSE with REAL PHYSICAL OBJECTS.

This thread is just a "brainstorming" session for the project, it is supposed to be the development process. We are creating the concept right now.

 

[FreemanHL2]

I have made a decision. With the level of detail we are trying to create it is going to be impossible to create a 2 story warehouse, a city block, a street and a car crash...

People fail to realise we have limited system memory, and we cannot simply create an entire city block with that much detail. But I do like your idea, and i want ppl to be able to include their own concepts into the project, so feel free to add any. What we will do is START with the house and then expand out into any other concepts you can come up with, starting with the Warehouse for Dt13.

This is not about MY ideas, its about OUR ideas. Hopefully we can GROW our virtual environment from a house and expand further out as our hardware can cope with it. I need to upgrade my ram...

By the year 2114 we wil have a virtual city modeled down to every last detail, lol... im kidding.

 

[Dt13]

how bout if we get a house done, and if its good and everyone is still interested maybe make another, like everyone thats working on it comes up with ideas for a benchmark and make a few of them, each time more detail then the last. just to push the computers as far as they go. i dont know, im just rambling crap.

anyways if you would like me to help out with models my email/msn is [email protected]

 

[FreemanHL2]

Alright I have made ANOTHER decision. The house is almost finished,
we are creating an abandoned mantion. You can walk outside with dynamic wheather and skybox effects and volumetric fog on the ground. We will have a gun wharhouse out the back packed with guns. We will have an old car you can drive, with fully modeled interior and exterior and a basic deformation model. The warehouse is deformable the MANTION is not because it is pure concrete.


I want to include a dynamic spider web in the roof of the house (you push on it and it moves\breaks).

We will have dripping water leaking from the bathroom into the lower levels, and in the warhouse there will parts of the roof missing.

Windows will fog when you get near them (like you are breathing on them).

You will see full reflection in the windows, car mirrors\windows and in mirrors.

All lights will be dynamic, you can shoot them move them turn them on and off, car lights are dynamic, torch lights are also dynamic.

We will have a dynamic torch wich can be picked up and will cast shadows.

The player will also cast a shadow.

We will have mice and rats with motion paths or AI. And insects.

Doors can be opened\closed and are deformable.

We will have dynamic cloth and paper.

Railings can be shot out, lots of interactivity.

Lastly, this MOD is all about atmoshpere and lighting, so i think it would be cool if we could TEXTURE the light bulbs so that all the grime and filth on the bulb casts a realistic effect on objects, that would add great depth.

The house will not be old, it will just be abondond, as such there will be computers, tv's, stoves, fridges etc, all interactive. The map will have a demo runthrough for benchmarking, similar to Dt13's idea of EXPLOSIVES, lol. We will make the map MP compatable, it won't be hard to create a basic deathmatch map. And we will include a single player mode similar to MAX PAYNE's "DEAD MAN WALKING" were we fill the map with zombies and see how long the player can last against rapidly spawning enemies. Should be a blast.

Thats the final product, let me know what you think!

 

[Dt13]

sounds good, but i dont think the mp is a good idea, especially with the level of detail

 

[FreemanHL2]

prob not... but soon as it's very easy to create deathmatch we may aswell chuck it in anyway.

I have nearly done the bathroom... there are pipes and cracks in the wall everywere! This is going to be good, i also have this mirror smashed all over the floor and the reflection looks really kool. should be a blast. im going to keep adding detail as i go.

 

[Dt13]

anything special you want me to make?

 

[FreemanHL2]

mmm... What should i assign my slaves! Har Har Har...

I got your e-mail, i hear you are good at modeling weapons. So that is why you wanted a weapons wharehouse! Well there are two key areas you will be modeling in, objects and weapons.

If you want to model objects, then you can start with furniture, chairs, tables, desks, cupboards, benches, etc...

If you want to model weapons you can start with a shotgun, if you have a particular shotgun you would like to make then let me know... a double barrel would be good.

PS: Its good to see someone who can model weapons! Now we can make ALL our content original. Good work.

 

[FreemanHL2]

I don't know weather i am overdoing it... It's rendering very fast and i'm not adding anything unnecassary but the bathroom has already reached 100,000 triangles already... I don't know EXACTLY what source can render at one time... This is really going to kill our computers HAHAHA I LOVE IT! It's already lagging UNRENDERED on my 9800pro!

I have most of the objects to add then the lighting... and thats just the bathroom... LOL

PS: We need a TORCH modeled.