[HOWTO] Commissioning Models

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Serir Vun
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Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2016 12:54 pm

[HOWTO] Commissioning Models

Post by Serir Vun »

Hi all. This thread is intended as a helpful resource for those of you are contemplating making the decision of having your model commissioned. The process can be a bit more complicated than one would think, and so I thought it may help save someone else the trouble I've gone through to post these guidelines and insights into the process.

Why Have My Model Commissioned?

Though this thread is not designed to encourage or discourage anyone from doing so, I believe people may have a variety of reasons for choosing to go this route. One person may have a particular species that isn't yet captured in JKA, or in my own case they could be a rather particular and nitpicky person and so it is easier on one's conscious to go into things with a stranger and pay them rather than feeling like a burden or annoyance to someone doing work for them within the community (JEDI or the broader JKA community). If you are able, and your desires aren't specific or time consuming or difficult, I definitely encourage you to see if there are willing people within JEDI or otherwise that can help with your skin. We've got incredibly talented artists and modelers, texturers and skinners; in fact I think what makes our community so incredible is through years of working within very strict limitations, in some ways JEDI is better even than many professional modelers. We work good with what we have!

On the flip side, the design and intellectual property of the character model are owned by you. (This does not apply to the JKA model itself, but the character design and model outside of JKA would belong to you and courtesy within the community would indicate others would need to ask before using your skin's assets.)

Okay, So I've Decided to go Through With a Commission. What Now?

The first thing for any skin request, internal or otherwise, is to have the following prepared:
  • Character Name & Age
  • Description of character & personality
  • Species
  • Description of what you want done
  • Reference images, as many as you can find that align with what you're wanting
From here it gets a bit tricky and difficult, and so we come to the purpose of this thread. After you do your initial outreach to the modeler, copy and paste this into your request, this will contain everything they need to know (make adjustments as needed).
This model will be used in Star Wars - Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. That means this presents unique challenges when it comes to modeling and rigging. Please read and note the following red line requirements that must be adhered to for this model to translate into JKA:
  • The model needs to be weighted and rigged to the JKA Skeleton if you are rigging it. ((It may be best to find someone capable of weighing/rigging the finished model beforehand))
  • The model should not exceed 10k vertices. ((I believe this is slightly higher but when accounting for your hilt and monkey it adds up!))
  • The UV unwraps need to be clean, and should aim for separate head, torso (hips and above), Arms (this can be included in torso), hips (lower end of torso tunic), pants, boots/feet, and hand UVs. Here are a few examples of skins with UVs/Textures. ((Provide examples. I've used Caeriths as they have been pointed out in the past to me. Great job Cae!))
  • Do not apply any additional maps to the textures, as JKA does not support maps on textures and only utilizes base textures.
  • The model cannot have any seams whatsoever. If any seams exist, they have to be cut prior to exporting the model. Please see this attached resource on the subject: JKA engine does not support seams at all. So if any seams exist, they have to be cut prior to the exporting of the model.
    https://jkhub.org/forums/topic/11745-uv ... and-seams/
  • The model needs to be exported as a .glm. You can go here to get the plugin to export the model from Blender with. https://github.com/cagelight/jedi-academy-blender-suite
  • Here are some screenshots of various JKA skins so that you can see how they typically appear in game.

Code: Select all

This model will be used in Star Wars - Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. That means this presents unique challenges when it comes to modeling and rigging. Please read and note the following red line requirements that must be adhered to for this model to translate into JKA:

- The model needs to be weighted and rigged to the JKA Skeleton if you are rigging it. ((It may be best to find someone capable of weighing/rigging the finished model beforehand))
- The model should not exceed 10k vertices. ((I believe this is slightly higher but when accounting for your hilt and monkey it adds up!))
- The UV unwraps need to be clean, and should aim for separate head, torso (hips and above), Arms (this can be included in torso), hips (lower end of torso tunic), pants, boots/feet, and hand UVs. Here are a few examples of skins with UVs/Textures. ((Provide examples. I've used Caeriths as they have been pointed out in the past to me. Great job Cae!))
- Do not apply any additional maps to the textures, as JKA does not support maps on textures and only utilizes base textures.
- The model cannot have any seams whatsoever. If any seams exist, they have to be cut prior to exporting the model. Please see this attached resource on the subject: JKA engine does not support seams at all. So if any seams exist, they have to be cut prior to the exporting of the model.
https://jkhub.org/forums/topic/11745-uv-meshes-and-seams/
- The model needs to be exported as a .glm. You can go here to get the plugin to export the model from Blender with. https://github.com/cagelight/jedi-academy-blender-suite
- Here are some screenshots of various JKA skins so that you can see how they typically appear in game.
What Can I Expect to Pay?

This is going to vary from artist to artist. I've utilized platforms such as Fiverr in the past and send out the same message with what I want to several affordable artists and see what they think is fair. It can be pricey, and you can look at anywhere from $45-$150 USD for a suitable model.

Final Tips/Conclusion

So that's about it! This isn't something that everyone will utilize, maybe no one will, but I wish I'd had this full list the first time I got a skin commissioned. I hope it yields insight at the very least. Some final tips I'd give would be to constantly communicate with your artist politely but candidly. They're working for you on this project and so you want to make sure you get what you pay for. Lean on your fellow JEDI for advice and input, we're a community and everyone has something great to offer. Finally, if you like the artist, recommend them in the future! The more that particular artist works within the community the better they will get and it will open up more creative paths for people to follow! Happy skinning! Please feel free to reply and give extra suggestions for the red lines list or other feedback. :)
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⌠ Name: Serir Vun • Species: Duros • Master: Joran Fayara | Iffo Rav'i • Knighted: 410.26 • Birth: 374.14 ABY ⌡
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