3D Models for GameEx

[Draco1962]

Partly why it took so long to convert them all was removing the glass for some cabs and fixing missing textures. If you find any I've messed up feel free to export them again. Just remember you will need to explode the cab first and then fix any textures, remove any glass and then export.

I deleted the simpsons and blitz99 models because some panels failed to export correctly.

To fix a texture do the following:

1. Load the model

2. Select Plugins->Bomb All

3. Select the arrow selection tool

4. Right click on the face with the missing texture and select "Entity Info"

5. A dialog will open with the front and back faces. Select the front face and then select the texture from the list

6. You may need to position the texture correctly. To do that right click on the face and select Texture->Position. Using the mouse you can drag it into place.

7. Select Plugins->Zbyl's X Exporter... to export to an .x file.

Thanks for the tips! Try the Simpsons x file that I posted to the thread. It displays correctly for me.

[headkaze]

I have contacted the author (Gozer) of the 3d arcade models and he said it was okay for me to post part of his e-mail to share how the cabs got made

My buddy has a large number of arcade games. About a year ago, we were looking for a way to accurately arrange a large warehouse gameroom for his machines. We stumbled upon the 3D arcade website and tried to play around with it. We found it to be a great place to find skins of games he already owned, but found the program to be clumsy and difficult to use for the purposes of building a virtual layout of his future arcade.

Next, we found Google Sketchup. We found it to be a perfect program to use for drawing a true-scale of his area for cab placement. The one problem with the program? No games. At the time there was like 5 decent arcade models built in there. So, starting with very generic "mocked-up" models, I built about 40 models that were not to scale so we could see how best to arrange the space. The more I began to use the program, the more I learned. About six months later, a KLOV.com member and I began creating and sharing our 3D models that we created for the general public to download for free and use. Eventually I started to make my models much more detailed. I was actually going out and painstakingly measuring every model that you see in the database. This is why you'll notice changes between stuff I've made and 3D arcade has in their database....mine are accurate (most the time within one inch). Now about 99% of my models are all modeled with real measures and arts. Some of those arts, I've had to photograph and re-touchup on my computer in order to install it onto the model. This is why some files may seem corrupted or strange as you begin converting them. To date, I've released 274 models all painstakingly made as close as possible so others can download my work for free and figure for their layouts. Each model takes anywhere between 15 minutes to 10 hours to create.

He also mentioned he likes the GameEx project and that he has 26 new models measured and ready to be modelled.

[Draco1962]

That is awesome! Hopefully we will see him and his friend about some time!

[SKIDLID]

I have been following this post with interest and the models are looking great in Game Ex.

I decided to convert a few models myself i was using the .x converters from this post but had a few problems with a jukebox model for the multimedia page when either one was used to convert the model sketch-up 8 would crash.

A quick search and i found this plug-in .x converter so far its converted all the models i have found, as i know sod all about 3D models thought you might like to try it out to see if its up to scratch.

Thanks to headkaze for the up load of console models some of them are very nice but look a bit "flat" with the front on view so i have had a look around Google warehouse for the consoles and have started a set that i have tilted forward to show the top of the model as well will up load in a few days time with the Game Ex main pages models e.g. Random game, search, emulated games e.c.t.

[Tom Speirs]

Just to let you all know. I updated the web site download to represent the latest and greatest. Thanks HK and Draco.

http://www.gameex.com/Download/GameScreenshotsSnaps.aspx

Its a big download and for some reason bandwidth is not too good at the moment. There is no apparent reason for that I can see but I know its always been slow when accessing downloads from the states. The site itself has always been ok but downloads seem to be affecting me too now in the UK (server is in Deutschland).

[Tom Speirs]

Can someone tell me where the X files are cached in GameEx?

baddudes - Missing marquee and bezel - both original and Gozer file show up with transparent panels in GameEx. Likely original file is cached.

tetris - Gozer file has Original marquee and better display - attempted to load new file but old file cached somewhere.

Thanks!

There definitly not intentionaly cached. Its possible there be some lower level caching going on in Direct3D but I doubt it.

[headkaze]

Thanks to headkaze for the up load of console models some of them are very nice but look a bit "flat" with the front on view so i have had a look around Google warehouse for the consoles and have started a set that i have tilted forward to show the top of the model as well will up load in a few days time with the Game Ex main pages models e.g. Random game, search, emulated games e.c.t.

I think some models need to be tilted in GameEx. Tom could modify the world matrix slightly to do that in code but I don't think the cabs will look any good tilted.

Here's an idea Tom, for models we could have an associated .ini file that has some settings such as "Tilt=True/False" and "AutoCentre=True/False". The Tilt setting could tilt the world matrix slightly for models that need tilting. The AutoCentre could skip the code that moves the point of origin to centre. Good for cabs already set to centre so it would be faster to load.

[Tom Speirs]

I think some models need to be tilted in GameEx. Tom could modify the world matrix slightly to do that in code but I don't think the cabs will look any good tilted.

Here's an idea Tom, for models we could have an associated .ini file that has some settings such as "Tilt=True/False" and "AutoCentre=True/False". The Tilt setting could tilt the world matrix slightly for models that need tilting. The AutoCentre could skip the code that moves the point of origin to centre. Good for cabs already set to centre so it would be faster to load.

Obviously speed is an active issue but I think its probably best just to change the models for the tilt and add some caching in GameEx.

[Drakendoder]

i'm kind of a sketchup-wiz for my work as an illustrator. If some person would like to see an unorthodox designed cabinet realised, i think it would be fun for me to take on the challenge. But please link or forward me plenty of artwork/photographs of the cabinet to work out the design with. And have patience of course, i'll be doing it in my free time, so i'll keep a gentle pace

[Draco1962]

I have been following this post with interest and the models are looking great in Game Ex.

I decided to convert a few models myself i was using the .x converters from this post but had a few problems with a jukebox model for the multimedia page when either one was used to convert the model sketch-up 8 would crash.

A quick search and i found this plug-in .x converter so far its converted all the models i have found, as i know sod all about 3D models thought you might like to try it out to see if its up to scratch.

Thanks to headkaze for the up load of console models some of them are very nice but look a bit "flat" with the front on view so i have had a look around Google warehouse for the consoles and have started a set that i have tilted forward to show the top of the model as well will up load in a few days time with the Game Ex main pages models e.g. Random game, search, emulated games e.c.t.

I tested the .x converter and it seems to suffer the same brightness issue as 3D Rad plugin (conversions very dark) where as Zbyl's X Exporter does a better job of preserving the original brightness levels of the original graphics. All 3, however, do not seem to "play nice" with all graphics/textures in the .skp files and some are either lost in translation or original properties are not maintained (as previously noted, translucent glass becomes opaque and has to be removed in the .skp file prior to conversion so graphic behind it can be seen).

[headkaze]

I tested the .x converter and it seems to suffer the same brightness issue as 3D Rad plugin (conversions very dark) where as Zbyl's X Exporter does a better job of preserving the original brightness levels of the original graphics. All 3, however, do not seem to "play nice" with all graphics/textures in the .skp files and some are either lost in translation or original properties are not maintained (as previously noted, translucent glass becomes opaque and has to be removed in the .skp file prior to conversion so graphic behind it can be seen).

I've found Zbyl's plugin to be pretty much perfect. The problem is when you "explode" a model some textures seem to be lost. This seems to be an issue with SketchUp though as you can explode it using it's own explode function and the same thing happens. The reason you have to explode is because grouped parts of the model cannot be analysed by plugins. I've seen that other export plugins require you to explode the model before running it also.

[Draco1962]

I wonder if there is a compatibility issue with some of the models created in earlier versions of Sketchup that contribute to some of the explode and convert problems we have encountered? I have tried saving some again so that they would be saved under version 8 (both prior to and after exploding) and still encounter the same image losses. If not a compatibility problem between versions, it may be a matter of how the file was initially composed.

[SKIDLID]

First off i would like to say thanks to Headkase for uploading the 3D console models for us use and work with.

In this set i have taken these models and give them a slight tilt so we can see all of the model and not just the side view.

i have also added some original box art models for consoles that i can not find 3D models of, they are just a simple box with the original box art and game box covers layered on to them.

This set contains the following models,

2600

5200

7800

Amiga CD32

Atari Jaguar

Atari Lynx

Coleco Vision

Commodore

Commodore Amiga

Fairchild Channel F

Magnavox

Mattel Intellivision

Nintendo DS

Nintendo Game Boy

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Nintendo Game Boy Color

Nintendo GameCube

Nintendo N64

Nintendo NES

Nintendo SNES

Pinball

Sega 32x

Sega Dreamcast

Sega Game Gear

Sega Genesis

Sega Master System

Sony Playstation

Sony Playstation 2

ZX Spectrum

ZZCommodore PET

Download 3D Console Models Set 1

(TSPEIRS: Link corrected)

[headkaze]

Sean contacted me recently about a new Airwolf cab he's uploaded http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=4294ca2f5cf19bf7738ed07e82347266&prevstart=0

He states "Perhaps this model will pose less problems for you during the conversion process. If we discover that these models convert over better, I may go back through my entire collection (over 300 models) and re-upload every one of them. Using the new uploading process my model which would have uploaded to a 4 mb size file was shrunk down to about 1000kb."

I am really busy at the moment finishing up an iPhone game with Flash, so if someone can find the time to convert this and if all goes well we can see if he will be kind anough to re-upload them all. I have converted 210 models already and it would be alot easier if these are a single button press to convert (rather than hours of breaking them down and editing textures)

[Draco1962]

Sean contacted me recently about a new Airwolf cab he's uploaded http://sketchup.goog...266&prevstart=0

He states "Perhaps this model will pose less problems for you during the conversion process. If we discover that these models convert over better, I may go back through my entire collection (over 300 models) and re-upload every one of them. Using the new uploading process my model which would have uploaded to a 4 mb size file was shrunk down to about 1000kb."

I am really busy at the moment finishing up an iPhone game with Flash, so if someone can find the time to convert this and if all goes well we can see if he will be kind anough to re-upload them all. I have converted 210 models already and it would be alot easier if these are a single button press to convert (rather than hours of breaking them down and editing textures)

Ben - I will handle it. WIll probably be after the Holiday (tomorrow) before I have a chance to tinker and send back up. Merry Christmas!

[headkaze]

Ben - I will handle it. WIll probably be after the Holiday (tomorrow) before I have a chance to tinker and send back up. Merry Christmas!

Thanks mate will chat more about it soon.. and a Merry Christmas to you too

[Draco1962]

Thanks mate will chat more about it soon.. and a Merry Christmas to you too

As promised - I was not able to get it to bring over the side art. Even "bombed" the file and could not export it. Otherwise, much less fuss than previous cabs. I thnk the problem lies within the x-porters themselves as I got pretty much the same results with zbyls and the others (although zbyl's still yields the best results IMHO). When you have a chance you may want to check it out and see if I am missing a step in my process or if you get the same results.

airwolf.zip

[headkaze]

I received this e-mail from Gozer today. It's sad to see such a great arcade model maker retire. I've replied back to him on behalf of the community and thanked him for his hard work.

Ben,

Hope all is well. Regarding your work with converting models to GameEx, I'd like to pass on the word that I will be retiring from model building for the next few months. This will probably give a great opportunity to you or any other model converters to catch up to get any and all models up to this point onto your system. I made a conscious decision to halt at the target number of 500 (a long-term goal of mine two years ago). If you feel so inclined, feel free to post this news to the rest of the GameEx community.

Also, to give everyone an idea of the sheer size of the arcade model database of Google Sketchup now, I went ahead and made a couple videos to show the entire library.

Here's the youtube links:

Thanks. Have a happy holidays.

Gozer5454

[Draco1962]

An awesome asset to the emu community! Hopefully his retirement will not be a permanent one, but , if so, thanks just the same for the incredible work!

[Adultery]

Ahh Gozer... Thanks for everything and I hope you find your next project to be as satisfying!