Natalya
01-18-2010, 07:44 PM
Here I'm going to explain what exactly a model is and how it works for anyone interested in modeling for CS:S or any other Source game.
Ok, let's get started. Please look at the following screen shot:
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/WTF1.PNG
This pic was taken on my test server a year or 2 ago. So, what's going on in this picture? Most of what you see is called world geometry. That would be the walls, floor, ceiling, desks, and the textures that cover them (carpet, the dry erase boards, etc).
Note:
Models and world geometry use textures. If the textures were not loaded properly you would see both the models and the world geometry covered in that purple and black checkerboard shit.
Okay, so what else is in this picture? Well, you have the HUD, but everything else is a model. The models in this photo are:
- The CT SAS
- Sailor Moon
- The Filing Cabinets
- The Light Fixture
- Trash Can
- Soda Can
A model is not the same as world geometry. Models can be incorporated into a map from the beginning (like the file cabinets) or spawned into a map by server commands and shit. For example, the players do not actually start off inside the map. The server spawns you into the map. To some extent world geometry can be created by a server but this has very limited applications and ways to do it. I'm not going to cover that here.
Okay, so all those objects are models. But wtf makes them up?
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/model_file.PNG
A model is made up of either six or 7 files. I'm not exactly sure what they do, but the optional 7th provides support for XBOX source games. The main one is the .mdl file. Let's take a look at sailor_uranus.mdl in Half-Life Model Viewer (HLMV):
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/uranus_hlmv.PNG
Double-Clicking on the .mdl will pop up something like this. HLMV comes with Source SDK so you must install that to view models. Anyway, as you can see here, this player model, although it could certainly be inserted into a map, exists independently of it as well. All models exist on their own. Maps can incorporate them and
--- I'll finish later ---
Ok, let's get started. Please look at the following screen shot:
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/WTF1.PNG
This pic was taken on my test server a year or 2 ago. So, what's going on in this picture? Most of what you see is called world geometry. That would be the walls, floor, ceiling, desks, and the textures that cover them (carpet, the dry erase boards, etc).
Note:
Models and world geometry use textures. If the textures were not loaded properly you would see both the models and the world geometry covered in that purple and black checkerboard shit.
Okay, so what else is in this picture? Well, you have the HUD, but everything else is a model. The models in this photo are:
- The CT SAS
- Sailor Moon
- The Filing Cabinets
- The Light Fixture
- Trash Can
- Soda Can
A model is not the same as world geometry. Models can be incorporated into a map from the beginning (like the file cabinets) or spawned into a map by server commands and shit. For example, the players do not actually start off inside the map. The server spawns you into the map. To some extent world geometry can be created by a server but this has very limited applications and ways to do it. I'm not going to cover that here.
Okay, so all those objects are models. But wtf makes them up?
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/model_file.PNG
A model is made up of either six or 7 files. I'm not exactly sure what they do, but the optional 7th provides support for XBOX source games. The main one is the .mdl file. Let's take a look at sailor_uranus.mdl in Half-Life Model Viewer (HLMV):
http://www.Aura-Forums.com/cstrike/uranus_hlmv.PNG
Double-Clicking on the .mdl will pop up something like this. HLMV comes with Source SDK so you must install that to view models. Anyway, as you can see here, this player model, although it could certainly be inserted into a map, exists independently of it as well. All models exist on their own. Maps can incorporate them and
--- I'll finish later ---