First thing would be to get a 3D mesh model of the ship.
Render an overhead Black&White view at resolutions of...
80x102 - for the mini status window (shieldlayout_X.bmp)
548x700 - for the big spacedock view (shipportrait_x.bmp)
350x210 - Full color, shallow side angle view with the ship facing the bottom left. (ShipportraitProfile_X.bmp)
Then you convert the model to or export it as a .X file
...That's about where my knowledge ends, we'll have to wait for a guru to come wandering by...
At this point, what you'll probably end up with is a ghost-white ship of the correct shape at least. The gurus will help you make it look pretty.
It does pick up again once you've got all the model and texture files done.
Go into your SpaceObjects_XFiles.txt file.
Copy an entry, and change the values to suit.
Someone suggested making a little ball in your modeler, moving it to where you want, and then reading off the coordinates in your modeler to get the numbers you need for the XYZ coords of firing points, engine flares and other bits that go in here.
Download my slotmodder from
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/starfury OR Just skip this, and use one of the existing slot configs, such as the "Terran Destroyer Layout"
1) Fire it up.
2) Under the Background menu, load your big shipportrait that you made earlier.
3) Click add new slot. (CTRL-N)
4) Click and drag the slot around over top of your portrait and place it in a nice spot.
5) Fill in the slot info starting with Slot Name, and going down to the hardpoint/arc entries.
If you aren't sure about a slot name, make it the same as the comp type.
The hardpoints are the ones you made earlier in the spaceobjects_xfiles.txt
6) Go back to step 3 and repeat until you have enough slots.
Be sure to have at least one engine slot.
7) All done with the slots?
Choose a name for this layout, preferably one that won't overwrite an existing ship layout.
8) File -> Save (NOT Export)
This opens a nice familiar dialog box. Find the main_componentconfigurationslots file you want to add this to, select it and hit save.
9) Add some more hulls if you like, or File -> Open to look at some other ship layouts.
Now you've got a slot layout, and a model.
We can now put those together to make a ship.
Choose from main_purchaseshipsEnemy, purchaseshipsPlayer, and StartingPlayerships.
Copy an entry, and fill in your name description, etc.
Be sure to change the spaceobject Xfile name to match what you gave it in the spaceobjects_Xfiles, and the configuration slots should match the name you saved in the slotmodder.
Set the pictures to the names you rendered at the beginning.
Set the sellers to the places where this ship should be buyable...
Fill in all the basic stats...
Set the viewing distance for the camera views...
And then finally tweak the starting configuration slots to match the types of components you want to be standard on this ship with the slots you want them to be in.
For a startingplayerships ship, you MUST have at least one component, or its instant death since you have no hitpoints without components.
Load and play.
[ December 12, 2003, 02:33: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]
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