Video Tutorial: XSI Colt 1911

desty

desty

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Hey everyone, I've released a few days ago a video tutorial showing the modeling process of a Colt 45 in XSI.

colt45final.jpg


A Softimage XSI video (with audio) tutorial showing how I started with nothing and ended with a beautiful Colt 1911 handgun model. This tutorial will show you the whole modeling process to go through to create this handgun with all it's details.

This tutorial is about 5h long and split in 12 parts + a reference pictures and renders file. Have fun!
These tutorials use the Xvid codec which can be found here: http://www.koepi.org/xvid.shtml
Click to expand...

Here is the link:
Colt 1911 XSI Video Tutorials

This will also work for XSI EXP for HL2.

Post comments here ;)

desty
 
I love this tuturial and it has really helped me convert from Max to XSI (which i do like better).

I'm having one problem tho and im not sure if it is because im using the EP 3.5 version and you used 4.0. I'm following your tutorial to a "t" but when i try to add polys i keep getting a pop up saying something is wrong and i either need to "double edge" or "invert polys". What causes this. I must be doing something wrong. Like I said, I've been following the tutorial move for move right now.


Thanks,
Derek
 
DerekJR321 said:
I love this tuturial and it has really helped me convert from Max to XSI (which i do like better).

I'm having one problem tho and im not sure if it is because im using the EP 3.5 version and you used 4.0. I'm following your tutorial to a "t" but when i try to add polys i keep getting a pop up saying something is wrong and i either need to "double edge" or "invert polys". What causes this. I must be doing something wrong. Like I said, I've been following the tutorial move for move right now.


Thanks,
Derek
Click to expand...

Hey Derek, the double edge problem happens when you are creating a polygon which is inverted compared to the ones it is connected to. To create it in the right direction, change the way in which you create the polygon. Most of the time, creating a polygon in a COUNTER-CLOCKWISE way will create it facing the camera. Hope that helps. Or Just try creating it in a different way if that kind of problem appears.

desty
 
i dont think xsi cares about clockwise or counterclock wise. I'm pretty sure you didnt end the face creating after creating the 1st face. Whenever you make a face the tool won't end automaticaly, so you have to rightclick to terminate that face.
 
and there is an ezer way to do what you did. Selecte all the border edges u want to bridge (light blue ones) but u dont have to select them, then simply go to Modify-PolyMesh->Bridge border edges and make sure the distance is way up
 
thereisaspoon said:
and there is an ezer way to do what you did. Selecte all the border edges u want to bridge (light blue ones) but u dont have to select them, then simply go to Modify-PolyMesh->Bridge border edges and make sure the distance is way up
Click to expand...

Ah thanks! that was the tool I was looking for :p

desty
 
Im slowly downloading them and have watched the first two, they are brilliant so far.
Im planning on starting tommorow and I'll see how close I can get it.

Any chance you can carry it on a bit and get a texturing and possibly animation VTM for the gun aswell?

Thanks very much, and again, brilliant work.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'll try that out tonight after the little one goes to bed.


Derek
 
Awesome tutorial!
I will soon post some character creation tutorialss and XSI to Source pipeline tutorials very soon.

stay tuned.
 
Thanks for the positive comments people! About skinning - I will probably skin this weapon but I don't think I'm confident enough to record it as a tutorial, I'm pretty slow at skinning =P.

Flamz: You are working on character video tutorials on XSI - would be great!

desty
 
Its taking a damn long time, but I'm getting there. Just finished the 2nd VTM in just under 4 hours, now Im packing up for the night, Ill do some more tommorow.

Loving the tutorials though.

The tiny things you didn't mention, I managed to work out on my own, such as how to get the transform axis up and how to de-select all.

Its coming along brilliantly though, looks very much like yours and I'm really getting a grip on what does what in XSI.
 
2 VTMs in 4h? yea that is pretty long :LOL: but as long as your learning it's ok! I thought I had mentioned the transform manipulator issue in the 1st VTM... and deselecting all is basicly pressing Spacebar to go to object mode. have fun!

desty
 
im stuck on the bit in the first VTM where you say somthing like "if you dont have XSI 4 you..." and some other stuff lol im using the version of XSI you get free in the sdk so what do i do at this point? can somone do a step by step thing?
 
2.2k polies, sounds a bit much (not much too much though). Could you post a wireframe since I can't dl the vid right now.
 
Ok, for people who have trouble with the CurvesToMesh, I think I understand, XSI EXP doesn't seem to have the right click menu when creating a curve, the problem is that you do not close your curves(i think).

So, when you are done with the curve and have 1 segment left, go into Modify->Curve->Open/Close curve, this should create the missing segment, only then you can go to the CurvesToMesh and just close the window once it's done. you should see the polymesh if you have set your view to Shaded.

About the polycount: with more optimization it might go to 2150 but it has some complicated parts which you might not see on the render, here are wireframes attached.

desty
 
Keva said:
im stuck on the bit in the first VTM where you say somthing like "if you dont have XSI 4 you..." and some other stuff lol im using the version of XSI you get free in the sdk so what do i do at this point? can somone do a step by step thing?
Click to expand...

After you create the polymesh, click freeze down in the bottom right hand corner, then select the older curve and delete it, you will be left with just the polymesh.
You can tell what you have selected in the top right, basically you just click where you would have done to select the original curve, before it became a mesh, then check to see it says curve, or whatever its called, in the top right, then just press the delete key.
 
I'm on the 4th VTM, the front part, and at around.. 13mins, whilst choosing reference pics for modelling the front view, you look at IMG_0249, say its wonderful, then look at IMG_0248 and say it isn't quite as good.

The funny thing is, you've included IMG_0248 in the references, and not IMG_0249.

Any chance you could host it somewhere so I can get a copy of it? Or should I just work offcenter with 248?
 
I wrote this for myself while watching the first video. Maybe it will help some others who cant or havent downloaded the vids.

PREPARING FOR MODELING
------------------------------------

1. Take your reference picture and drag it to any XSI view
2. Go to "Wireframe"
3. Go to "Rotoscopy Options"
4. Select "New" --> "New from Source"
5. Select your reference image
6. Go back to "wireframe" and select "rotoscop" to view pic
7. Lock the picture to the viewport by selecting the icon next to "xyz"


Set up "headlights" for your model by selecting "wireframe" then "display options"
then scroll down and select "enable headlight"

Go to the "transform menu" and make sure "Enable Transform Manipulators" is checked.
Go to the "Select menu" and make sure "Extended Component Selection" is NOT checked.


OUTLINING THE GUN
-------------------------------------

1. Select "Create" then "Curve" then "draw linear" for the point draw tool.
2. Once your basic shape is outlined, right click and select "open / close" to close the curve.
3. The "M" key is the "move point" tool which allows you to tweak the points.

Once you are done creating your curves you need to convert them to polygons.

Select your curve and then select "create", "poly mesh", "curves to mesh".
Change all "steps" to one so you do not get interpolation.
Select "Delete Freeze Ops" in 4.0. In XSI EP go to "scene", freeze the part you want to keep and delete the other.

Make sure to invert the polys if the are not correct.
 
About 5/6 mins into 5_Slide, you have to disconnect the 3 polygons from the main model.
Unfortunatly I'm using the HL2 version, and I can find no way to do this, the closest I can get is to delete them which just leaves me with a void.
I tried copying, but apparently you cant copy and paste just a few polygons.

Anyone have any ways to get around this?
 
I found a long way to do it, just duplicate the top then delete all of the new one except the cover.
 
Hey, Im out of town right now, hope your all managing it - maybe I should have done it with EXP but hell, 4.0 is more recent and EXP should be upgraded to 4.0 soon!

desty
 
waaay awesome video tuts. Im on the 8th tutorial and have been modeling this religiously for the last few days. I do tend to spend ~1 hour to an hour and a half for each segment you make. This is a long process indeed.

This is really coming along good so far, and it really broke me into xsi fast. I had already did all of the 3D buzz video tuts for starters, and this is really giving me some good modeling skill.

I would really like to know how to skin, at least at a basic level, so if you finished off the series with a skin tut that would be awesome.
 
everyone using exp should upgrade to the xis mod tools, its version 4.2 of xsi, has all the new features, and new valve plugins.
 
Hey I didn't watch the video (yet...I probably will some time soon) but I just wanted to post in here to say thanks. It's people like you that make communities like this awesome.
 
go desty go desty go go go desty LOL!

You aint seen nothing yet when you find out what me, Desty and 2 web developeres are doing, be afraid be very afraid.
 
Well can someone atleast please do a video tutorial on UV unwrapping and texturing please, cause I can't even find the button to get textures in to XSI, let alone put them on anything.
 
RipperRoo said:
Well can someone atleast please do a video tutorial on UV unwrapping and texturing please, cause I can't even find the button to get textures in to XSI, let alone put them on anything.
Click to expand...

/me looks at ankalar
 
if you know the basic theory behind uv's u should understand it no problem, or if ur switchin from max or maya.

for uvs in xsi (in any mode):
get->property->uv projection->pick one
you NEED a projection to even create sub projections.
As soon as that's done, you will see the green control object of the projection pop up. You can move this around to do tweak it if need be (i never use this base projection on complex models anyways)

press alt+7 to bring up the texture editor. Use z to bring up the pan/zoom tool . You cant use the navigation tool in the uv editor (its retarted i know)
In this editor u can create sub projections by selecting components and then pressing one of the sub projection icons (they look like basic objects, cubes, planes, cylinders) or going to the Tools menu option (in the texture editor) and picking one from there. There a lot of things to learn about it (i figured most of it out myself when i started since there are few xsi uv tuts out there). Check out the hl2 werld wiki xsi tutorial for some pics. change the stars to h l 2 world
 
Good to see people getting into this, and you should definitly download the Mod Tool because it has all the features I used, plus more, so it will be easier to follow.

I'm thinking of making a UV mapping and texturing tutorial - but as IchI said - be afraid ;) more to come.

desty
 
Lol, i probally look retarted but ill ask anyway, when im creating my curves I press M to get so i can see the next part, but what do press to get back to creating the curves...
 
why do you press m? use s to navigate the viewports. hold s then use the mouse to move around, then release to return to the curve tool, however do not press and release s reallly fast, or else it wont use the navigation tool as a sticky key. Sticky keys is just the ability to press and hold a button, and using the tool while pressing and holding and as you release it switches to whatever you used last without messing it up (such as when drawing curves)
 
I'm on the 3th movie now and you used allot of loop to select edges and that doesn't seem to work for me, i'm selecting first edge then alt+select 2nd edge is this correct ?

A nice skinning vtm would be good in the future and exporting the model to hl2 (+bones and animation) would also be very nice as a vtm :)

Thanks
 
ok nevermind, its middle mouse button it thought it was click in middle of the next edge :)

btw you remove those safety holes etc on the right side of the slide with welding, i just deleted the edges and it works also (and faster i think)
 
yea, i never got the difference between removing / deleting / dispatching or whatever theyre called
trial and error has been my friend so far
 
desty said:
I'm thinking of making a UV mapping and texturing tutorial
Click to expand...

Have you decided whether you will do this desty ?


I know a lot of people would find it very handy :)
 
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