[JeckZeRippa]

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Hey folks,


This is my WIP Swift Boat. It is not uploaded yet, but I want to share my process with you all. I guess it fits in this forum.



I am working on it for a few months now but done a lot the last weeks. I use the A3 Samples to get my boat working (understand the basics how everything is working / copy paste configs and adjusting them because im shit at doing configs lol).
Without the A3 Samples, the A3 Forum(s)/Wiki(s), problem solvers and question responders my boat would not swim, haha.



Programs I use (at least trying to use them)


- Blender, + Arma Toolbox for Blender + UVPackmaster (because im lazy as fuck) + TexTools
- Quixel Mixxer (just since a few weeks)
- Gimp



Motivation


The UNSUNG mod and later/now also the SOG PF DLC got me motivated to create smth(got addicted to the vietnam war theme lol). Just thought more naval stuff would be nice to have and began to research and collecting reference pictures / information etc.
I am not the fastest person so progress is a bit slow. Also I am still a noob in modding stuff but have fun doing it. A few years back I tried the first time to get into modding but got not enough motivation and know-how. Also the learning curve is yeah... *coughing*. Especially when you are more the lone ranger type of person.


Current Situation

• At the moment I have the RES 0, Geometry, GeometryPhysX, ShadowVolume 0 and 10,Memory Point and Hitpoint (just set up but nothing in the configs) LOD's working. My RES1 LOD has ca 41 000 vertecies. Without the gun turrets it is on 27 000.
  
• The main gunner turret on the pilothouse is also working but only one gun is firing bullets. animated bullets and other detail work is not done yet. The rear turret was the latest object I was working on, mem points and selections are also set up but not configured yet.
  
• Three textures: hull, turrets with guns and the glass. Baked AO NO map in blender fast and thrown them together in Quixel for wip purpose. For the glass I just use the tutorial glass material and texture from the pmc wiki tutorial.
  
• All the doors and windows can be opened and closed.
  
• Working flag.

All in one: It is WIP.


My main goal right now


A first alpha WIP release – playable status:

• I will do at least the RES 1 - 5 and Fire Geometry LOD's. Set up the other view LODS and reduce the polycount on RES1... / View Pilot for pilothouse just copy paste and deleting stuff to hold it simple. The detailed pilot view will come later.

• Set up cargo positions and at least one cargo turret (front hatch). The guns should also work properly at release.

• Hiddenselections for clan symbols on doors. Also for ship numbers.

• Working lights.

I know it will not be perfect, but in the end it should be good enough to have fun with it.
It would nice to hear some suggestions, critic, ideas, some tipps and tricks etc.
There are tons of Swift Boat MK1 variations... the paint, equipped weapon(s) turrets, hull adjustments, bigger windows, smaller windows and so on... Some help to make some decisions would also be nice. I have also a ton of questions but better I put them in to the discord servers or A3 Main forum.




Other WIP random pics: https://imgur.com/a/AMVgT8I



JeckZeRippa

[JeckZeRippa]

Hey, just got a bit closer to my first mod release :B




- Res 1 to 6 are done, first of all i reduced the res 1 from 41 to ca 35000 points... yes later maybe more but i think now its ok. Added roadway lod for fun.

- Worked a bit more on the textures, added beside the haze gray a deck gray variant and the navy star on the pilothouse. I also added a number and clan texture/selection on the pilotouse doors (inside). Furthermore I try to get the destruct and damagehide stuff to work.

- The mainturret and rearturret are now working also (inheriting from the dlcs m2 and mortar). Front hatch turret is also working but a bit buggy when inside.

- Simple on/off lights were also added. (later they will be controllable)

- Testing different rvmat configs for fire geo and res lods.

- fixing (selfmade lol)bugs, rework ,testing, fixing fails/bugs again.... etc

- Some weird Issues right now:

- Flag animation is not working in the gunner turrets :(, the gunners are using the first res lod, outside view the flag is moving correctly not in the first person view.
- pessenger cargo positions are messed up and not showing up when the unit gets in (view stucks on ship)
- mortar shell is flying out of the m2 barrel...

I think in up to a few weeks and im good to go for an alpha :P

[JeckZeRippa]

Finally Alpha WIP Release

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil...?id=2660600446
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Same text on steam workshop:

"Hey folks,

this is my first mod ever released. So pls dont roast me lol. Also I have only limited time to work on it because of reallife. Its not perfect but good enough to have fun (I think so). There is still a lot of stuff on my to do list. With 3d modeling I feeling comfortable enough to get my stuff done. But with config work and ingame implementation I have a lot of problems. So its really hard to get things working because Im a noob in modding and my english is also not the best.



This is the PCF MK1. It was used in the vietnam war in coastal and river operations.



Overall the boat is still work in progress and it has "some" bugs and unfinished stuff:

- There is no Pilot or Gunner View Lod. In the next time I want to do the cockpit view with working instruments and more detail and better textures.

- For now there is no gunner zoom view.

- The standard animations for pilot and gunners are not suitable and I want to to custom rtm's (I do not know how to do them but I want to learn it).

- Also a second driver slot for the second driving wheel on the deck. (Do not know how to get two drivers working :P)

- Lights must be improved. (Unsure about the green, red and withe light positions) Finding not much informations about it on the internet especially for the PCF)

- Front hatch can be opened when looked at directly, but I do not get it working together with the Front Hatch Gunner animation. So it must be opened manually until I get the solution... Same with the pilothouse doors. I Want it to get it to working with the gunner turrets in the pilothouse on the left and right door (also more like placeholders... must be improved)

- Flag issue. The flag has no animation when looking on it in the gunner seats and stands still.

- For now I have just two textures. The haze grey and deck grey variant. Also I want to do a riverine version. I guess I will do more boat model variations, but struggling how to do them. hiddenselections or copy the whole boat and adding, removing stuff? (nets, flackvests, maybe other or addable weapon like grenade launcher, colored windows, windows changed to steel plates, etc etc...

- Custom or more fitting sounds would be nice. For now it uses only the standard boat sound.

- Overall maybe some model improvements especially the guns.

- Texture must be improved also. Especially the UV map... im ♥♥♥♥ in making uv maps... even with nice blender addons

- mortar shell is flying out of the m2 barrel

- etc.

I use Blender for the modeling process, the arma and mikeros tools to get it working in Arma 3. Without the Arma 3 Forum's and Discord's I would not get it working ingame. Thank you all! For the config and model.cfg I used the Boat Sample from the Arma 3 Samples and just changing, adding, removing values. Also using the config viewer in Arma 3 to understand how similar boats and configs working together etc. Learning the hard way... Trial and error. Also the A3 Wiki and pmc wiki is helping a lot. For the glass I used the pmc wiki tutorial glass, because its working. Other glass I try to create is always not working...


Door, hatch and window classes:

door_left, door_right, door_back, hatch_front, window_left_1, window_left_2, window_right_1, window_right_2, window_back_1, window_back_2


Hiddenselections:

hiddenSelections[] = {"ID_1","ID__2","glass","number","clan"};

ID_1 = hull textures
ID__2 = MG
glass = glass textures
number = number decals texture
clan = texture place inside of the left and right door


If anyone wants to help me to get stuff done (especially config improvments) or just want to give me tips or critics, that would be awesome :)"

[Whiplash]

Quite impressive Jeck ! Amazing job! This will 100% go into the next community news

[JeckZeRippa]

Finally had some time to work on it! :D
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added - PilotView and PilotView Shadow Lod for the Driver, Fathometer, RudderIndicator and Compass should work but the RPM indicator is displaying not the correct values because im to lazy for now to make a cutom gearbox adn fit the data to realworld pcfs data, found a nice tutorial in the forum maybe later.
added - View Cargo LOD, so they not see the Pilot View LOD
added - custom rtm crew animations for the front hatch gunner (turned in),Rear Gunner, Main Gunner and the Driver (still needs big improvments, have problems with my cargoturrets. In cargoturret view the water throuh glass is looking sh**,)
added - emissive light rvmats for the frontlights and the collision lights, also a interior red light for the driver
added - A few weapons from SOG DLC to the vehicle inventory
added - glass damage rvmat
added - surfacetexture to roadway lod
added - dull green and deckgray camo variants
added - clan/number section/selection rvmat
added - Hull Numbers 1 up to 108, selectable in the attributes tab in eden editor
added - Editor Previews

changed - crew to vn_b_men_army_30
changed - Deck Gray texture
adjusted - AS texture
adjusted - Front Hatch;PH Gunners left and right doors are now opening and closing with turnout and turnin of the gunner (big thx to the arma 3 discord :P), (when get in and turned out at the beginning, you must turn in and again out to get the hatch open)
adjusted - glass for better view (Water looks sh** through the glass when inside the gunner turret in the pilothouse, im aware of this issue)

fixed/adjusted some colortexture fails/issues

etc.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________


Maybe in FUTURE - I only have limited time and also want to do more modeling and texturing (Coding is hard for me) :(

- Want to get the Co Driver working. Dont have a clue what to do

- Custom Gearbox / sounds

- more fixing, adjusting and changing in general
--> RTM and config updates, so gunner Stance will adjust when aiming up or down (dont know how to do it)
- add some insignias from real units

- simple Radar/sensor via config

- Gunner Optics, Config Work. Maybe Gunner View Lod and better model

- -Maybe- when more comfortable with modding a "rework/better uv maps", wanted to add more detail/variations, that can be changed via Pylons or Garage (Flackvests, Ropes, Nets etc, additional weapons like grenade launcher etc).