Hey Paul, can you help me with some 3D modeling?

[pinback]

On my morning Twitch show, I'm building a rollercoaster, and I'm gonna want some scenery for it. Specifically, a relatively large statue/display of the planet Mars. Can you hook me up with that?

[Tdarcos]

On my morning Twitch show, I'm building a rollercoaster, and I'm gonna want some scenery for it. Specifically, a relatively large statue/display of the planet Mars. Can you hook me up with that?

1. How large is 'large'? A 10-foot sphere, 50-foot, 100-foot?
2. What mounting: None; on a pole; on a couple of poles; tripod; on a pole over a base?
3. If on a base, how big or how high up on the pole(s)?

What do you need it built with, or rather, what file format do you need it in?

You can buy a 3d model of the planet mars on TurboSquid.com for $9, here's one example:
https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/18 ... ax/1126977

[pinback]

On my morning Twitch show, I'm building a rollercoaster, and I'm gonna want some scenery for it. Specifically, a relatively large statue/display of the planet Mars. Can you hook me up with that?

1. How large is 'large'? A 10-foot sphere, 50-foot, 100-foot?
2. What mounting: None; on a pole; on a couple of poles; tripod; on a pole over a base?
3. If on a base, how big or how high up on the pole(s)?

What do you need it built with, or rather, what file format do you need it in?

You can buy a 3d model of the planet mars on TurboSquid.com for $9, here's one example:
https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/18 ... ax/1126977

Great questions!

1. I'm picturing, maybe 15 feet. The visitors will get to look at it as they walk through the queue line!
2. Something cool and tasteful. Tripod could work. Somethin' with a little PIZAZZ!
3. Doesn't need to be too high up. Maybe five feet off the ground? You want to feel like you're ALMOST THERE!
4. Not sure what the format is. I will get more details if this is an actual thing you can/want to do.

That model is perfect! So you could take that and mount it?

[Tdarcos]

Great questions!

1. I'm picturing, maybe 15 feet. The visitors will get to look at it as they walk through the queue line!
2. Something cool and tasteful. Tripod could work. Somethin' with a little PIZAZZ!
3. Doesn't need to be too high up. Maybe five feet off the ground? You want to feel like you're ALMOST THERE!

Okay, since Mars is the 4th planet in the solar system, a cut-down pyramid (which has 4 sides) about three feet tall as the base, suspending it on a pole 2 feet higher.

4. Not sure what the format is. I will get more details if this is an actual thing you can/want to do.

Each program that can accept external models has certain formats it can accept. No sense picking a model format that can't be imported.

That model is perfect! So you could take that and mount it?

As soon as I find out if I have the tools to construct it. So destination format is important.

[Tdarcos]

That model is perfect! So you could take that and mount it?

As soon as I find out if I have the tools to construct it. So destination format is important.

According to the technical specs for NoLimits 2, at http://www.nolimitscoaster.com/index.php/info , it supports the following import formats:
Import of DAE (Collada), 3DS, and LWO files
Collada I can handle (this is what Trimble Sketchup can export into).

I'll try something simple and if you like it you can pay me $10.

[Tdarcos]

You can try and download the following (you may have to right-click and save, Firefox sees it as XML and lists it onscreen):
http://paul-robinson.us/mars.dae
which should be importable into the game as a collada format object. The original model can be downloaded from
http://paul-robinson.us/mars.skp
which was made using Sketchup Make 2017, a program available free from Trimble Engineering at http://sketchup.com if you don't have it.

The object is a reddish-brown cut-down pyramid with a white sphere suspended on a post about 3' high and one foot thick.

The only thing it doesn't have is a paid-for model of Mars on it, this way you can get an idea of how it looks.

One problem I had with scaling was I couldn't get the sphere exactly 15 ft. It's 14' 11".

The model took about 15 minutes to do from scratch.

[Tdarcos]

I have an even better one
http://paul-robinson.us/mars2.dae
Which has a mars sphere on it
The original Sketchup file is at
http://paul-robinson.us/mars2.skp

[pinback]

My goodness, this is magnificent! I will attempt do get this going on the next Pinback Morning Show (7:45 Central, on Friday. Tune in, won't you?)

[pinback]

Paul, this is just about what I was thinking. Couple things:

It says I need "material2.jpg", probably for the texture. Do you happen to have it:

Failed file: "C:\Users\Ben\Documents\com.nolimitscoaster.nolimits2\Pinback Park\mars2\material2.jpg

As far as the shape itself:

1. Can we remove the "MARS" lettering?
2. Can the pole it's sitting on be a little thinner? Half as thin, maybe?
3. The sphere does not appear to be centered on the pole.

Other than the above, outstanding! Thank you.

[Tdarcos]

When Sketchup creates a DAE file it stores the assets in a subdirectory.

For the updated file:

1. Make a dubdirectory called "mars3" in the Rollercoaster file directory and store "material2.jpg" there. OR
2. Edit the DAE file - it's XML so it's plain text - and remove the subdirectory reference. You'll find it in the last 10 lines or so in the bottom of the DAE file. Then material2.jpg is stored in that directory.

Here is the new DAE file.
http://paul-robinson.us/mars3.dae
Here is the missing asset.
http://paul-robinson.us/material2.jpg

[Tdarcos]

Errata:
1. "subdirectory" not "dubdirectory".

When I said Sketchup saves assets in a subdirectory it was a surprise on my part.

In mars2.dae and mars3.dae, about 5 lines above the end appears:

<library_images>
<image id="ID55">
<init_from>mars2/material2.jpg</init_from>
</image>
</library_images>

This is where you delete the "mars2/" or "mars3/" to get rid of the need for the subdirectory.

[pinback]

Magnificent!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

What is that? Is that Mars? How did Tdarcos know it came in something other than bar form?

[Tdarcos]

Magnificent!

So, were you going to pay me anything?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Yeah! Pay the man, Pinner, for this fun, free project of yours that generated you absolutely no money much less profit!

[AArdvark]

Give him a free ride on the coaster! He can ride in the front!


THE
TICKET TO RIDE
AARDVARK

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

YEAAAAH! PAY THIS MYAN HIS MYONEY!

[pinback]

Magnificent!

So, were you going to pay me anything?

How much would you like to be paid for your work, which resulted in the above screenshot?

[AArdvark]

At least a case of jellybeans so he can do an unboxing video. I mean, he spent almost an hour on it...


THE
SPREAD THE WEALTH
AARDVARK

[Tdarcos]

Yeah! Pay the man, Pinner, for this fun, free project of yours that generated you absolutely no money much less profit!

Not my problem. Even you understood when I wrote that room/maze generator that my time is worth money.