[WIPz:Oblivion] AFK_Mausoleum

[Dwip]

Perhaps.She may not want anything to do with me after I reveal what I've come up with.

[Dwip]

And in honor of the new page:A shot of the upper level with Hanaisse's bronze-edged tiles in place, and some black and white marble for a placeholder until I can get bronze-edged versions of that, too. You can also see the awesome bronze dragon as well. You can also see bronze edges around the stairs, as well as a fence around the central dais.Query for the audience: Do you think the bronze works in a huge panel like that, or would it be better to have a normal wall with a big bronze diamond in the center?This is more or less where we're going re: tomb. As you can see, it's about chest height counting the base. I'm not sure I actually like that precise base, but it needs to be there and about that size, and I don't really have any better ideas.I have some ideas for texturing this thing, of course, but I'm probably pretty sunk without Hanaisse's help. Assuming she doesn't look at what I'm about to say and run screaming for the hills.- I'm assuming that at least the tomb itself is white stone, be it something like the wayshrine step, or something closer to the white marble texture.- Figure the side panels are stone with dragons inset into them, like in the bronze version we put on the walls, except in gold, hopefully. Kinda figured the end pieces were straight up stone, although they're the same size as the two side panels, so.- That shaded thing in the center of the sides is going to be a bronze plaque. I made it a seperate object so it can have a seperate texture, the idea being to hopefully put the name of the emperor buried within on there with some text for date of reign and such.- You can't really see it very well, but there's a thin band around the edge of the lid. I sort of assumed there would be scrollwork around here, but maybe not.- I figured the round edges of the cylinders would have something approximating the wreath and dragon on the ICTombstone01.dds texture, only obviously not that color. Other ideas accepted, obviously. This is another good spot to gild something.- The diamonds I figured would be plain stone of the same sort as the panels. Could be edged in gold, maybe not.- Also possible to do crazy stuff like edge the panels in gold and what have you, but that might be a bit much.- There's a big expanse on top that I don't have a really good idea what to do with.- I also don't have a really good idea what to do for that big block of a base. Whatever it ends up being probably needs to match whatever the central dais ends up being, which may or may not continue to be the wayshrine step.Audience input welcomed.[edit]Also, I was giving some thought, for Uriel Septim's tomb only, to changing the top up somehow, inserting a bronze/glass lattice or a gold/glass lattice, and sticking the body of Uriel in there like Alexander. This is all contingent on my being able to figure out how to get the whole pose thing to behave, and some way to model the dude's face, neither of which I really know how to do yet.Also not sure it's really something the Empire would do necessarily, but.Again, audience input/help welcomed.

[Dwip]

Re: How the fuck do I make static dudes, I ought to remember this and maybe also this.And there's zero way to do the face thing outside of hand-editing the head mesh/texture. That's kind of rough.

[Hana]

*stares in awe while sipping morning coffee*That upper level is looking pretty spectacular. I can definitely see the difference in the floor tile edging so once that's fixed people can gawk in envy. Thinking also the proposed black edging beside the bronze edging might be a good idea just to add depth. I'll see what tricks I can pull out of my sleeve (cause that's very thin).

Query for the audience: Do you think the bronze works in a huge panel like that' date=' or would it be better to have a normal wall with a big bronze diamond in the center? [/quote']Well, one, yes I think it works like that. A diamond sounds pretty boring. However, I also think the bronze panel needs some beveled edging...it doesn't quite look right as a flat panel. Might just be me.

Assuming she doesn't look at what I'm about to say and run screaming for the hills.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........I like the tomb. It cries out for fancy scrollwork and yes, gold highlights. Maybe purple and gold highlights (royalty after all). The diamond needs something more than just a stone face, maybe a cross. And maybe for the cylinder ends a symbolic dove with olive branch? You don't want to go into dragon overload but I'll look up the wreath, might look fine on it's own.Just tossing out ideas, my brain isn't quite awake yet. I'll probably have more thoughts later.Of course, the quality of texturing will all hinge on the quality of UV mapping you produce. I highly recommend you cut this tomb up into as many separate objects as logically possible, and provide me the .tga files for each. For best results it might end up with 2-3 texture files.

[Dwip]

Well' date=' one, yes I think it works like that. A diamond sounds pretty boring. However, I also think the bronze panel needs some beveled edging...it doesn't quite look right as a flat panel. Might just be me.[/quote']It actually is beveled, you just can't see it very well. I should probably go in and vertex shade in some shadows.

I like the tomb. It cries out for fancy scrollwork and yes' date=' gold highlights. Maybe purple and gold highlights (royalty after all). The diamond needs something more than just a stone face, maybe a cross. And maybe for the cylinder ends a symbolic dove with olive branch? You don't want to go into dragon overload but I'll look up the wreath, might look fine on it's own.[/quote']The two ways to go with the diamond are either plain or with a dragon in the center - I specifically did the diamond because it's an Imperial/Imperial Cult motif. Something or other to do with the Nine Divines. They usually color it red, but that might look tacky.

Of course' date=' the quality of texturing will all hinge on the quality of UV mapping you produce. I highly recommend you cut this tomb up into as many separate objects as logically possible, and provide me the .tga files for each. For best results it might end up with 2-3 texture files.[/quote']Yeah, I'll need to figure something out. If nothing else I'll just UV out some pieces and we can work from there. But that's going to need to wait a day or so, because I've been awake for 20 hours and have some more to go yet. And UV mapping is an awake person's game.

[Conner]

Perhaps.She may not want anything to do with me after I reveal what I've come up with.

Nah' date=' you'd have to go WAY overboard to hit that point with her, I think.

A shot of the upper level with Hanaisse's bronze-edged tiles in place' date=' and some black and white marble for a placeholder until I can get bronze-edged versions of that, too. You can also see the awesome bronze dragon as well. You can also see bronze edges around the stairs, as well as a fence around the central dais.[/quote']Damn, dude, I honestly thought it looked incredible before you added all these touches. I suspect we're all going to be completely awe-struck by the time you're done. For you're next project, I'll bet some bishop asks you any day now to consider painting the new Sistine Chapel's ceiling with some sort of fresco or something for them...

Query for the audience: Do you think the bronze works in a huge panel like that' date=' or would it be better to have a normal wall with a big bronze diamond in the center?[/quote']Yes, it does.

This is more or less where we're going re: tomb. As you can see' date=' it's about chest height counting the base. I'm not sure I actually like that precise base, but it needs to be there and about that size, and I don't really have any better ideas.[/quote']I take it that your blank models aren't standing flush on the floor then? Because it appears more like waist height than chest height there.

I have some ideas for texturing this thing' date=' of course, but I'm probably pretty sunk without Hanaisse's help. Assuming she doesn't look at what I'm about to say and run screaming for the hills.[/quote']I'll leave that response to her then.

- I'm assuming that at least the tomb itself is white stone' date=' be it something like the wayshrine step, or something closer to the white marble texture.[/quote']It all sounds like great ideas to me, I'll try to give some input on the points you said you weren't so sure about though where I can...

- You can't really see it very well' date=' but there's a thin band around the edge of the lid. I sort of assumed there would be scrollwork around here, but maybe not.[/quote']If you can do it, I think a thin bit of scrollwork would be very regal.

- I figured the round edges of the cylinders would have something approximating the wreath and dragon on the ICTombstone01.dds texture' date=' only obviously not that color. Other ideas accepted, obviously. This is another good spot to gild something.[/quote']Not being familiar with the individual textures, I can only assume what you're suggesting, but I don't have anything resembling an objection to what it sounds like.

- There's a big expanse on top that I don't have a really good idea what to do with.

I suppose if you really wanted to go nuts with it you could put a likeness of each emperor on that like the Egyptian sarcophagus had' date=' but even just leaving it blank with the sort of couch effect you've got would work.

- I also don't have a really good idea what to do for that big block of a base. Whatever it ends up being probably needs to match whatever the central dais ends up being' date=' which may or may not continue to be the wayshrine step.[/quote']Perhaps a kneeling step? So that mourners can more easily pay their condolences longer?

Audience input welcomed.

Given where I had something to give.

Also' date=' I was giving some thought' date=' for Uriel Septim's tomb only, to changing the top up somehow, inserting a bronze/glass lattice or a gold/glass lattice, and sticking the body of Uriel in there like Alexander. This is all contingent on my being able to figure out how to get the whole pose thing to behave, and some way to model the dude's face, neither of which I really know how to do yet.[/quote'']Absent some sort of serious means for preservation, that could get awfully ghastly over time... otherwise, it sounds pretty neat to see.

And there's zero way to do the face thing outside of hand-editing the head mesh/texture. That's kind of rough.

That sucks' date=' but as I said, over time that could get pretty nasty anyway.

*stares in awe while sipping morning coffee*

Seconded.

I'll see what tricks I can pull out of my sleeve (cause that's very thin).

Why's your sleeve so thin?

I like the tomb. It cries out for fancy scrollwork and yes' date=' gold highlights. Maybe purple and gold highlights (royalty after all). The diamond needs something more than just a stone face' date=' maybe a cross. And maybe for the cylinder ends a symbolic dove with olive branch? You don't want to go into dragon overload but I'll look up the wreath, might look fine on it's own.[/quote'']Well, if you're going to go there, maybe gold highlight on a purple veined marble? Or perhaps gold and amethyst highlights? (Short of stone and jewels, there aren't too many things that remain purple over time...)

The two ways to go with the diamond are either plain or with a dragon in the center - I specifically did the diamond because it's an Imperial/Imperial Cult motif. Something or other to do with the Nine Divines. They usually color it red' date=' but that might look tacky.[/quote']I imagine it'd take too much research effort, but I wonder if the lore says the imperial line began with the beliefs of the Nine or if it was sort of a religious conversion that occurred somewhere in the past in which case it might be a nice, if subtle, touch to omit the diamond (red or otherwise) altogether from the oldest few tombs to indicate that it started appearing along with the worship of the Nine. Just a thought. I know this project's already got way too much work and way too much research already involved to be adding more unnecessarily.

[Arthmoor]

Yet more Blender goodness from our resident Blender-god.The huge bronze panel looks good, assuming that's what you were asking about for the diamond thing. Your plans for that nifty sarcophagus sound good too.@Conner: Without looking it up, the lore on the religion started out with 8 gods and only became 9 once Tiber Septim ascended. When he did so, the red diamond symbol came into play due to the covenant of the dragonborn.I doubt this mausoleum would be appropriate for emperors from before Tiber Septim. Those guys are all supposed to be entombed in Sancre Tor and not elsewhere. All of the Reman emperors are there, and Tiber Septim himself was buried there. It would only have become necessary to bury the others elsewhere once Sancre Tor was lost.

[Dwip]

The idea was for this to be a mausoleum for the Septim line and only the Septim line, FWIW.Turns out that there are some twenty Septims, if you don't count Cuhlecain, Uriel Septim VII (who's going up top), or Martin Septim, who I figure has this spiffy temple and doesn't need a spot in the mausoleum. I've set aside a spot for Tiber Septim to get a statue, which leaves 19 sarcophagi to go. Whee.

[Arthmoor]

In theory Cuhlecain should be entombed in Sancre Tor and would probably rate a statue at best in the mausoleum, much like Tiber. That's also quite the family tree those guys put together.

[Conner]

Interesting, Samson. So, this mausoleum should host two statues and 18 tombs then?As for Martin, wouldn't the royal keepers of the mausoleum have set aside a place for Martin (whether it turns out he'll need a sarcophagus or just a statue) regardless of his having a spiffy temple elsewhere? Surely the mausoleum you've constructed is large enough to host many more generations of emperors yet to come if only 20 have "used" it so far...It is quite a nice family tree, even with the gaps all over it, it definitely shows a pretty impressive project. Though, it does leave one to ponder how we got from Andorak to Cephorus II... still, it's pretty nicely done, especially considering the reference & note list at the bottom.Not to add to Dwip's project, especially so substantially, but.. wouldn't all the empresses and others of pedigree to be entitled to royal claim be enshrined/memorialized there as well when they died? (Assuming you're keeping with the "how they'd have done it" philosophy..)

[Arthmoor]

Assuming it's supposed to house the Septims who aren't entombed at Sancre Tor, yes.Martin probably wouldn't have a spot yet because he claims the throne and promptly "dies" before most people even realized he was emperor. So there's no body, except for the leftovers at the Temple of the One, which are nicely preserved in stone. All the tomb one could hope for really.

[Conner]

So, you don't think he'd be deserving of a statue too then?

[Arthmoor]

He already has one after the end of the game. I don't think he'd really need one in the mausoleum too.

[Conner]

Fair enough, I suppose. I was just thinking in terms of consistency since the mausoleum is meant for the whole family, but in retrospect, perhaps it'd be a bad idea to have a spot set aside for Martin anyway since he's an unknown entirely, even to the royal staff, at the beginning of the game and through much of the main quest he hasn't been officially acknowledged so perhaps his place in the mausoleum wouldn't show up during the span that Oblivion represents anyway.

[Dwip]

Well, I've now got extremely rough working export models that I've seen with my own eyes in-game. Pretty cool.On a wholly other note, working with armor in Fallout is complete and utter bullshit, and I know that I'm going wrong somewhere on this screen, but I'll be fucked if I can figure out where.I sometimes forget how much of this sort of thing is people waving bronze knives and sheep entrails and shouting unintelligible gibberish at each other. Then I try to find the answers to simple problems, and I remember.

[Hana]

Very cool! Those new texture requests are on my to-do list today, I've been distracted with my staff mod.Sorry can't help you with the Fallout armor, cause 1. I don't do Fallout, and 2. I haven't reached the point of exporting armour for Ob yet and 3. You haven't said what the problem is. But one has to ask why stone collision on armor?

[Dwip]

It's because you have to stick something there, I think. I just found that image somewhere.Problem is that the armor comes out invisible - I've got a floating head and a couple of gloves kind of hanging there, but the mesh itself doesn't show. There are various theories on why that might be, almost none of which seem to be the problem for me. My best bet is I FUBARed the export somehow, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how.Also, I'm (slowly) getting you some form of usable UV map for the sarcophagus, which has been hampered by the fact I've either been sleeping or at work for the whole week. Query: Would it be useful if I just sent you the .blend file once I finish that instead of the UV exports, or...? Thinking it's going to be pretty complex.

[Hana]

Invisible body could be a number of things. Assuming you haven't missed the obvious missing normal map, then I suggest you delete your skeleton and import a new one, re-parent it, and try again.Actually, sending me the .blend file is probably a better idea. It'll be easier to see the textures on it as I go so I can tweak here and there.

[Dwip]

I'm using stock textures, so.And yeah, I've done the skeleton re-parent thing five or ten times now to no avail. I appear to be doing it right, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

[Arthmoor]

Might be totally irrelevant, might not, but PyFFI and the Blender nif scripts both have newer non-beta versions than what you're using now.

[Dwip]

This appears to be true, although I'm curious as to how you knew.We'll see if it works in a while, I guess.In other news, while I've gotten miles better at UV mapping over the course of this project, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick does it suck. A lot.

[Dwip]

What is this I don't evenTo clarify, I'm wearing the bugged armor, which is for some reason attached to the head of that dead prospector there on the ground, and for some reason also has no texture. Meanwhile, my entire body is invisible.It's like a sign. A sign that I really ought to go UV map.

[Hana]

When you imported the original armor, did you delete all the body parts and armature? And also, did you create a clean (as in delete armature) body parts/skeleton to put the armor on?

[Dwip]

Yeah, all the body parts are gone, gone, gone (not the gore pieces, which I don't think count). I deleted the armature before importing the skeleton, which is a plain old FNV stock skeleton.

[Hana]

Did you import the skeleton as Skeleton Only + Parent Selected ?This is my last suggestion, since I'm just learning this stuff too and will probably end up with the same problem when I get to that point.So yes, you should go UV map.