Sairugoth's knowledge on Making Zelda Maps [SketchUp]

[sairugoth]

These tips are not going to tell you how to make a map. I'm only addressing the requirements for Zelda mapping and a few other tips I've learn. I'm going to try to make this "Beginner Friendly" as possible, so pay attention.

 

For people who happen to stumble upon this thread and want to learn 3D mapping, but don't have a clue what SketchUp is. Here's the download page: http://www.sketchup.com/download/all

 

First of all, Templates! You want to go with your Simple Template - Feet and Inches. Its easier on you in the end. If you start with Meters, well, lets just say, you start big, you end big. And you'll have to do a lot of rescaling.

 

 

Measurements!

Adult Link stands at 5 feet and 7 inches

while Child Link stands around 4 foot

 

Your common door stands at 5 foot by 8 foot high and 1 foot and 6 inches wide.

Boss doors are 10 foot by 13 foot by 1' 6" feet

 

Push Block Slots are 5 foot wide. It don't really matter how deep it is, just as long as Link can push it. But if you want to go technical on it, i would go about 6 inches deep.

 

Collisions with doors!

When it comes to collision the white side of the squares are solid, and gray sides are not. this is also kinda the same for rooms. If you texture something on the gray side it will not show up in-game. It has to be textured on the white side for the textures to show up in-game.

 

If you want a better understanding of this check out Giadrosish's video:

 

As you can see in pic1, I have a collision where my door is going to be. You have to have that. If you don't, Link will be-able to walk though the door. If that happens it will look something like this...

 

Proper Triangling!

There are 2 methods of Triangling your map.

 

Method 1 - by hand

Now I know what your thinking. "How is this wrong? Everything looks to be triangled?" Well, its wrong. There can not be any open end points. Just look at the next pic, it will explain everything.

 

 

Method 2 - Exporting - Importing 

For this method to work you must have a licensed SketchUp. I will not be releasing any info on how to get it for free. *cough*cough* "just google" *cough*cough* "sketchup crack" *cough*cough* "download" *cough*...  Man, I think I might be coming down with a cold. It is that time of the year

WANING: THIS METHOD IS FASTER, BUT YOU'LL MOST LIKELY HAVE MORE TEXTURE BUGS THAN METHOD 1!

After your done making your map (NOT triangled) Export it as a "3DS". When you do this it automatically triangles the whole map for you, and it even tells you how many triangle are in it. After that, select your whole map with the "Select Tool" in SketchUp, then press the "delete" button. After that Import your "3DS" you just Exported. It should look something like this...

When you Import it put your mouse directly on the axis, then drop it. This method is really good for those mega maps you might be making later on.(who knows) This method will also group things for you too.

 

Textures!

When putting textures in a Zelda map they must be one of the following "pixels by pixels" sizes.

64x64  62x32  64x16

32x64  32x32  32x16 

16x32  16x16  16x8

 8x16  8x8              

 

Independent Objects! (I didn't know what else to call it)

This is some what of a trick to having less triangles in your map.

It looks like its part of the ground, but its not.

As you can see its all independent to its self. Independent Objects also work very well with "Method 2" of "Proper Triangling", because when you import your "3DS" the independent object is automatically triangled and grouped to its self.

 

Here's the Test map I used for this demonstration:http://www.mediafire.com/download/6g67gjgj6z5a13l/TESTING.skp

[Ideka]

That's some nice info. Do you happen to know how to make faces double white sided or something so that both sides can show up in game(if it even is possible)?

[sairugoth]

That's some nice info. Do you happen to know how to make faces double white sided or something so that both sides can show up in game(if it even is possible)?

I'm sorry to say, but its not possible. I wish there was a function like that tho.

[HeavyZ]

Nice notes, you should make a youtube tutorial video.. maybe posting as a response video to Sanguinettimods tutorials and Graidiosichs after watching them and elaborting more if needed or covering more basis. I'm gonna be getting into custom maps soon as well

[Netsrac]

Nice notes

^This here, but you don't need a licensed version of Sketchup to import or export files. You can easily do that by downloading and installing Tigs .obj-impporter and -exporter

Exporter: http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rld/plugin_details.php?id=790

Importer: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20584

Also, the amount of triangles/faces in the model can be identified by clicking on: Window>Model Info>Statistics > Entire Model.

Source:http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/sketchup/Molgrjja0Vw

[sairugoth]

^This here, but you don't need a licensed version of Sketchup to import or export files. You can easily do that by downloading and installing Tigs .obj-impporter and -exporter

Exporter: http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rld/plugin_details.php?id=790

Importer: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20584

Also, the amount of triangles/faces in the model can be identified by clicking on: Window>Model Info>Statistics > Entire Model.

Source:http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/sketchup/Molgrjja0Vw

I get what your going at here, but for "method 2" of Proper Triangling" to work, you only need a "OBJ" Exporter, you need a "3DS" Importer and a "3DS" Exporter. Because when you export a non triangled map as a "3DS" and then Import the "3DS back in to SketchUp the whole things triangled for you. That's when you want to Export it as a "OBJ".

 

Now, I've never tried importing a "OBJ" because SketchUp Pro dose not come with a "OBJ" importer. As you can see...

 

So exporting a non triangled map as a "OBJ" and then importing it may triangle your map for you as well, I don't really know.

[Netsrac]

*slaps own face* Oh, that's what you meant. I should've read it more carefully xD. As far as I know though, it doesn't triangle the objects though, well depending on the plugin you're using.

[mzxrules]

I feel like the devs would have worked with tools that measured things in meters... whatever the hell a meter is suppose to be in virtual space

[Arcaith]

Devs wouldn't have used real-world measurements. Everything is measured in units. N64 doesn't use floats for its vertex position definitions.

[SanguinettiMods]

I'm sorry to say, but its not possible. I wish there was a function like that tho.

It's completely possible. It's a function in the converted display list. You can turn backface culling off with a Hex Editor through Hylian Toolbox, or use SharpOcarina. Both sides will then show up in-game.

[xdaniel]

It's completely possible. It's a function in the converted display list. You can turn backface culling off with a Hex Editor through Hylian Toolbox, or use SharpOcarina. Both sides will then show up in-game.

To add to this, you'll still need a small box of collision around the polygons for collision to be the way it should, check ex. all the fences in the game in SceneNavi or so to see what I mean. But for just purely the visible mesh, Sanguinetti's right; backface culling is part of the GeometryMode command 0xD9.

[Secant]

To add to this, you'll still need a small box of collision around the polygons for collision to be the way it should, check ex. all the fences in the game in SceneNavi or so to see what I mean. But for just purely the visible mesh, Sanguinetti's right; backface culling is part of the GeometryMode command 0xD9.

 

Adding to your addendum, SketchUp Pro's wavefront object exporter should also have an option to exporter all geometry as two-sided faces, although it's a lot less efficient than setting backface culling only for polygons than need it. That, and I think that feature duplicates the entire model and reverses the orientation of every face, effectively doubling the total amount of polygons, but it's still an option for creating a model with two-sided faces.

[Airikita]

This goes for a lot of model-making, anything, keep in mind about those things. Also, on a side-note: I had no idea you could measure the models in inches in Sketchup... neat.

[CubanR]

It should be noted that textures which are 64x64 are limited to 16 colors. It is also possible to use textures that are 128 x 128 by using an eight color gray-scale palette. The gray textures can be tinted using SharpOcarina.

[john_smith_account]

I approve!  GG!!

 

 

EDIT 03/11/2014

 

It should be noted that textures which are 64x64 are limited to 16 colors. It is also possible to use textures that are 128 x 128 by using an eight color gray-scale palette. The gray textures can be tinted using SharpOcarina.

 

Is what I was saying Good Game to.  Not the first post.

[sairugoth]

 

WTF "estimates"?  We modified an export script so you can get perfect 1-to-1 measurement using the existing "pixel"(if you develop in mm in sketchup) format!!!!

 

The right way:

 

http://s13.zetaboard...topic/738793/1/

 

Mind you it says to use inches, and my exporter uses millimeters, but the units are correct at least.

 

Proof the right way gets 'pixel' perfect results:

 

https://www.the-gcn....-tips-and-help/

 

I'm not kidding, how in the world did we start this ignorant *CRAP* of mapping in feet and inches?!??!

 

And that's it!  I'm not fixing anymore maps for anyone done in feet and inches, or miles, or what ever head-up-your-bum format you want to make maps in.  We made perfectly good tools that work, but only when you *don't* ignore the instructions!!!!

 

EDIT #1:  I'm deleting *all* the half fixed maps I had for ZB2.  You've had months to quit this crap, and I'm done fixing it just cause other members want to spread their own bad habits.

 

EDIT #2:  I'll release the modified EXPORTER and IMPORTER, full methods for importing existing maps(OZMAV dumps), ect. if I get some pledges to quit the feet and inches BS.

 

EDIT #3: Posted links for proper units.

Hey, Look JSA, the only reson I made this topic is becaues this stuff worked for me, and I thought this stuff could help others using SketchUp. Yes, I'm familiar with the Unit system for Oot, but I didn't know how to use units in skechup. Thats why I started trying to figer-out the measurements insted. I'm sorry if this topic offended you in some way, but I'm only doing this stuff the way I know how to.

[Airikita]

Hey, Look JSA, the only reson I made this topic is becaues this stuff worked for me, and I thought this stuff could help others using SketchUp. Yes, I'm familiar with the Unit system for Oot, but I didn't know how to use units in skechup. Thats why I started trying to figer-out the measurements insted. I'm sorry if this topic offended you in some way, but I'm only doing this stuff the way I know how to.

Okay, let it go... I already spoke with him about it.

[Mallos31]

How do you get sketchup or any other 3D modeling program to calculate in "units" anyway? 

[john_smith_account]

Hey, Look JSA, the only reson I made this topic is becaues this stuff worked for me, and I thought this stuff could help others using SketchUp. Yes, I'm familiar with the Unit system for Oot, but I didn't know how to use units in skechup. Thats why I started trying to figer-out the measurements insted. I'm sorry if this topic offended you in some way, but I'm only doing this stuff the way I know how to.

Sorry.  

 

 

How do you get sketchup or any other 3D modeling program to calculate in "units" anyway? 

I'll post the scripts tomorrow.

[sairugoth]

Sorry.  

 

 

I'll post the scripts tomorrow.

I have no Hard feelings man.

 

How do you get sketchup or any other 3D modeling program to calculate in "units" anyway? 

But I am very curious on how you do this.

[NoSkinnedKoopa]

Thanks sairugoth! This is very useful, as I plan to make zelda maps in the future. Another question, how tall are blocks that Link can stand near, then jump and grab.

[CloudMax]

I am actually quite confused by this whole "units" thing. when something is supposed to be 100 units, I just set it to 100 meters, or millimeters, or inches, etc. The only thing I have to do is make sure the I set the unit that the sketchup file is using (doesn't matter which one) to 100. and when I save it as an obj and import with sharpocarina or hylian toolbox, the sizes are set up perfectly. I didn't have to do anything else.

Or I missed something and misunderstanding this whole discussion?. That's how I've been doing things though.

I used to obj exporter that's available in sketchup (pro only perhaps?)

 

Pretty sure one of my maps uses millimeters, and another uses meters. But I set the units to exactly the same values, and get the same results ingame. but obviously millimeters and meters aren't the same size.

[john_smith_account]

No, it's not a normal script.  I have a pair of modified Ruby Scipts I use.  They work fine with Google SketchUp 7, or 8 so when I get the go ahead I'll post them with full instructions on how to use em.

 

Sorry, my hands are kinda tied now.  I was warned about my behavior without specifics on which behavior(I've been very active lately), so I'm afraid to post any files for a time.

 

Posting modified scripts without express permission by the original author's permission might violate the TOS agreement, and get me banned from my beloved community.

 

I'll post the scripts after they are approved.

 

If they are approved.

 

EDIT #1: Proof the scripts exist, and work flawlessly.

 

http://www.sendspace.com/file/u2ashq

 

EDIT #2: It's Map #117 on Map select.  Note this is a very old build, based on an earlier versions of many tools.  Therefore ignore the tint, and other errors that probably won't occur with the current versions.

 

In the mean time, you may contact me by Skype if you need anything.

[john_smith_account]

Mods didn't say no.  Here we GO!

 

http://www.sendspace.com/file/u0pwne

 

Here are the scripts to develop, import, and export OOT maps in perfect scale in sketchup.  

0. Open Google SketchUp. Set the temple to Millimeters, and delete that stupid man....

1. To build maps from the game you'll need to use OZMAV release 76 to dump them as OBJ files.

2. There's a typo in the OZMAV .OBJ dumps. It's either MTL or MLT... you'll need to find it and fix it.

3. Import the .OBJ into Blender3d.  This will fix the error of half the faces being reversed.

4. Now use the OBJ import option, select OZMAVr76 scale.

5. There you go!  You've got any map in SketchUp now.  Use the export option to get .OBJ files to use with Sharp Ocarina.  It should be in proper scale.

 

 

If I did anything wrong, let me know and I'll fix it.