Model Request: Electronic Circuit Board

[Rex Claussen]

As an alternative to the standard key-acquisition (or gasoline-can pickup, or fuse-destruction, or turning power off or on, or picking up a grenade to destroy an obstacle, or regain security clearance), I thought I'd look at an alternative map objective. One idea that occurred to me is that the player needs to restart a computer mainframe (or something similar). The device is kaput because one of its electronic circuit boards has burnt out. The player has to go to a supply room to find the board and insert it into the device.

Any chance that one of the Team members has a handy model already available? Alternatively, perhaps someone can create one - the main thing will be finding a suitable skin, as the model itself is simple.

[Rachael]

A PCB model shouldn't be hard to create. You really don't need to detail it except on the texture itself, and in that case you literally could take a sound card from an older computer and photograph it, clean it up and add saturation and contrast and despeckle it, and then import it on top of a simple polygonal model. All of this could be done in about 10 minutes with someone who knows their way around Blender. (Unfortunately, I was taught to use a commercial 3D modeling program and I don't currently have it installed. )

[Rex Claussen]

There's absolutely no hurry on this, as I haven't even fully thought out the game-play scenario.

[Ed the Bat]

Wasn't there such an item in Half-Life already? I seem to remember smashing open 'dud' crates would scatter useless items, some of which were electronics. I can look through the model files again and see if I find anything that would be useful to you.

[Rex Claussen]

I can look through the model files again and see if I find anything that would be useful to you.

Thanks. No hurry, however.

[Ed the Bat]

I grabbed the circuit board model from Half-Life, but I'm not sure you'd be happy with it. It's completely two-dimensional, and the texture looks rather poor. I briefly discussed it with Rachael, and she feels a better texture could salvage this. I personally think everything would be better with a more robust model. The PCI cards in Half-Life 2 would be suitable, in my opinion, but I'm afraid I'm not equipped to collect or convert Source engine models.

[Rex Claussen]

As a last resort we can use that circuit board from H-L. About it being 2-dimensional, I expect that any circuit board would look mostly 2D.

One other option is to use the mdl file for the key cards that were originally put into Paranoid, scale the size up, and apply a new skin. That thickness seemed to be adequate.

[Ed the Bat]

I have it converted and ready to be inserted, as a fallback if we don't get ahold of a better solution.

[Rachael]

As a last resort we can use that circuit board from H-L. About it being 2-dimensional, I expect that any circuit board would look mostly 2D.

One other option is to use the mdl file for the key cards that were originally put into Paranoid, scale the size up, and apply a new skin. That thickness seemed to be adequate.

This seems like a more ideal solution. It's really not hard to get a hold of PCB textures, especially when you have a camera.

[Enjay]

Sorry, been away for a few days. It would be easy enough for me to make a circuit board from scratch or to make that 2D model 3D.

[Enjay]

I had a quick poke around the intarwebs just to see if something already exists. I couldn't find much but I have adapted the attached model of a motherboard which may, or may not, be of use.


Like I said, making something from scratch would be pretty easy so just let me know.

[Rex Claussen]

Thanks, Boss.

"Motherboard" works very well. I like the brightness of "Motherboard2" but the rotation is inconsistent with the other models (especially keys and other pickups). I applied the brightness and a scale to the static model, and it looks excellent.

[Enjay]

Yeah, I thought the rotating one wouldn't really fit in but it didn't cost anything to add to the PK3 so I just threw it in there because why not.

Glad it's of use.