n00b Question

Well I can help with the first part...First you want to make a sphere in XSI and then make the texturing and animation... You then go into the game and select the planet type it is most like...Open that and rename it as your planet. Then adjust the data as needed. Then create files for the model, texture and animation and input their names into the respective folders. That ought to do it...

Also, I don't think you can stick them in GF...What I believe you can do though is go into the files for games and make a world that is just like the one you intend to use but without your unique planet. Then manually add it into the file and you *should* be able to have a map with your new planet...You'll have to talk to someone that is making a mod like this for more info though...

It depends on how GalaxyForge works. You can stick your planet into the GalaxyScenarioDef file, and if GalaxyForge populates its listing from that file, that would do the trick.

I know the random generated maps use templates from GalaxyScenarioDef, so if you put yours in there at the very least you'll have your planets on random maps easily (this is what Sins Plus did).

Otherwise, you would have to put a "placeholder" planet in Galaxy Forge, then edit the map file and manually put yours in there, like Volt mentioned

Thank you that helps me quite a bit.
Another question: What file types does everything have to be in (i.e. model file type, animation file type, etc) and where (exactly or appoximately) are the planet files located?

The planet files are in GameInfo, called Planetxxx.entity. PlanetTerran, PlanetAsteroid, PlanetIce, etc. Basically all the game data is in GameInfo. Abilities, research techs, planet bonuses, buildings, ships, etc.

As for the rest, there's a bunch of different stuff. Models are converted to the Sins .mesh using the ConvertXSI tool in the mod pack.

OK thanks...I should be able to get the planet thing working with that...If not I'll post again here.

I have another quick question.
I was reading elsewhere on this forum and found that to create custom ships you must place emiters, engine trails, etc...My question is once I have a ship model, how do I place such items?

Thanks again

Well you have to place things called "nulls." If you use XSI, in create primitives, click create null. It looks sort of like a star.. Once created, name it something like "hanger", "weapon-0", "weapon-1", "weapon-2", "exaust", ability-0, ability-1, ability-2.

The names might be slightly different, but that is what they are called more or less.

Weapons 0-2 are obviously relate to the three weapon types you can have. All weapon-0's will be the same type, though weapons in different banks can have different power ex front is 100, port is 200...

Abilities 0-3 relate to the four abilities a ship can have...

hanger and exhaust are pretty self explainatory. Hanger is the hanger's location, exhaust is the location of the engine...


Oh and you may have to rotate the nulls to get the desired effect...otherwise, you might end up with something whose engines fire into itself...

Thanks again.
That helps.
What program do you use to create the nulls?
Do you have any experience with AutoDesk 3DS Max 9? (thats what I'm using)

I will most likely start making several of these objects within the next couple days so I might be posting many more questions

Which is the best program to use for modeling and animating?

All the stuff in Sins was created in XSI, and there's a tutorial written by Ironclad (and included in the mod pack) specifically for getting models ready in XSI for import with the convertXSI tool.

So, I would say that would probably be the simplest thing to do. But I know people also work with 3dsmax - might just have a trickier time brushing up the details.

Either way, I highly recommend you read that tutorial, and then decide

So it is possible to use 3ds max and then use the included converter to convert to XSI? That was my main concern.
Based on your post I am asuming that both models and animations are in the XSI format, correct? I will have a look at the file included in the mod pack. Thanks for the info.

Like I said before, I'm not a modeler so my knowledge here is limited. However, I think the way it basically will work is you'll make the model in 3ds max, then import it into something like XSI mod tools so you can attach the hardpoints like Volt described in reply #6, then you convert that into the Sins mesh with ConvertXSI. I know from some previous forum posts that folks do use 3ds max to make the actual model.

I'm not sure what you mean by animations though. There was some debate about whether or not Sins can pull off animated meshes (the stock ones are not) for purposes of rotating turrets or whatnot, but to be honest I don't remember what the modelers managed to do.