8/8/98
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Model Name : Han Solo
installation directory : quake2/baseq2/players/hansolo
Author : Dan Bickell
Skin Author : Dan Bickell (uh, DUH!!)
Email Address : danbickell@loop.com
Model description : Han Solo, from Star Wars. If you don't know
who that is, you need to get out of that cave.
Other info : Skins depict outfits from all 3 movies,
plus CTF skins.
Additional Credits to : id Software for making this possible...
George Lucas for the awesome universe and
character, and Harry Ford for being so damn
cool.
Thanks to : Nebu for testing help
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* Play Information *
New Sounds : no. default male sound will work just fine.
CTF Skins : yep.
VWEP Support : no. Han has his custom Blastech DL-44, and
nothing else will fit in the holster :)
* Construction *
Poly Count : 800
Vert Count : 403 Verts
Skin Count : 5 Skins
Base : New model
Editor used : Lightwave 3D 5.5, Q2 Modeler 0.9, NST 0.9b2,
Paintshop Pro, Photoshop
Known Bugs : none
Build/Animation time : approx. 40 hours, over 2 weeks
* How to use this model *
Unzip all files to your quake2\baseq2\players\hansolo\ directory,
and select at player setup in multiplayer menu.
* Copyright / Permissions *
Do whatever you want with it, just give me credit and don't sell it
(unless you want to give me my cut)
QUAKE(R) and QUAKE II(R) are registered trademarks of id Software, Inc.
Author's notes (and excuses):
This was my first shot at a soft-body character model. Boba Fett was
semi-soft bodied, but mostly covered in hard armor, but this was my
first attempt at a fully soft-bodied character, and in Lightwave
this time. Skeletal deformation and inverse kinematics are the ONLY
way to do this kinda thing :)
Since the Q2PMP poly limit is 800, I shot for spending every single poly
I could, and nailed it right at 800 for both tris and weapon models. To
my own suprise, I managed to model both hands with 5 seperated and
jointed fingers each. This made for some nice animation possibilities
(that are probably too subtle for Q2 games, but at least WE know they're
there). Han scratches his chin on the stand animation, actually grips
his gun, flexes his fingers, does a real flipoff, point, and twirls his
gun into his holster.
This is the first *realistic* attempt at getting a likeness of a real person
on a Q2 PPM that I know of, and it was a bit of a challenge. I went through
23 versions of the base model before I finally got the proportions right and
a decent likeness in the face. Tweaking the head shape and hair shape with
limited poly geometry was tricky, but the end result is pretty good IMHO. (at
least from the front, but what do you want...) The size ends up looking kinda
small in the game, but he's actually slightly taller than the standard male
model. It's just that the Han Solo model has realistic proportions of circa
1977 Harrisson Ford, who was pretty lean and had a big head of hair.
The standard male model, OTOH, is a rediculously muscle-bound pinhead, so
they look pretty strange standing next to each other.
I did my homework when animating this character (not a chore, since I'm a
HUGE Star Wars fan), and really studied Han Solo's motions. If you look
at things like the run animation and think they look goofy... spend some
time watching Han Solo run in the movies, and you'll see how well it's
been emulated :) The only thing I couldn't bring myself to emulate is
Harry's limp-wristed handling of his blaster- it's obvious upon studying
the movies frame-by-frame that Harry never fired a gun in his life, so he
flops his blaster around in his hand like it's a toy. I had to make Han a
little tougher than that :]
So, with all the work behind me now... I can't wait to pop on a Q2 server
and find a Boba Fett ppm chasing around a Han Solo ppm! "Put Captain Solo
in the cargo hold" =)
Oh yeah, and for those that don't know... I've been working as a freelance
contractor doing art for 3d games for the last year, and I'm always
looking out for new employment opportunities. So if you're interested...
danbickell@loop.com