Modeling in Google Sketchup convertings into a game file.

Google Sketchup is an easy to learn 3D modeling software. Though not as powerful as other programs, it

is very quick to work with.


This video Shows me going from a blank sketchup to viewing the model in game. The video is only 13:30

and it truely only takes that long to do, provided you have everything downloaded and installed.




Files you will need -
Google Sketchup - http://sketchup.google.com/
GIMP (or photoshop) - http://www.gimp.org/
GIMP DDS plugin - http://registry.gimp.org/node/70
7-zip (or any unzipper) - http://www.7-zip.org/
Blender 2.49 - http://www.blender.org/
Python 2.6.6 - http://www.python.org/
PyFFI 2.1.5 - http://pyffi.sourceforge.net/
Blender nif plugin 2.5.5 -

http://sourceforge.net/projects/niftools/files_beta/blender_nif_scripts/2.5.x/
Nifscope - http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/NifSkope
Geck - http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/downloads/geck.html
and of course FNV - http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/games/fnv-overview.html





Subtitles -


001
This is Interfer0 and I am going to quickly walk you through creating a 3d image in google sketchup
and making it an item in Fallout new vegas.

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002
These are not detailed instructions, and will not cover the installation of the programs or any of the

needed plugins, such as the DDS plugin for gimp. The creation of new files in the Garden of Eden

Creation Kit will not be covered.

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003
All programs used are free of use software.

You can find me on www.NewVegasNexus.com with the username Interfer0 if you have any questions.

Lets open Sketchup and get started.


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004-1
Creating objects in Sketchup is fairly easy. I am creating a small bookself here. I have google sketchup

set to millimeter mode.

004-2
100 Milimeters width comes out to about shoulder width. This can be adjusted later on any of the

modeling programs.


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005
Google Sketchup is a easy program to work with, and here i am just creating a really simple design.


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006
You need to add a texture to the entire object before exporting the file. I have found this through

trial and error. If you don't add the texture, your obejct will not load into the Garden of Eden

Creation kit properly. Even though the item will look identical in nifskope.

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007
Go to file, and export the file as a .KMZ file.

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008
Find the file in the file directory, and rename the file from the filename .kmz to .zip

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009
Open the new .zip file and export the file to a location where you can find it again.
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010
Inside of the file here will be a folder called "models"
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011
Inside of the models folder with be a untitled.dae and a "untitled" folder containing our texture.

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012
Open the image file in GIMP, and then export the file as a DDS file into the game folder under data,

textures, then whereever you will remember

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013
In blender we are going to open a new scene. Seleect everything including light and camera and delete

it.
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014
Go up to import, and you will be importing as a Collada 1.4 (dae) file.
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015
Navigate to the dae file in the folders that you extracted your object to earlier, and select the file
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016
Click import and close
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017
You can move to your object with the home key, and using the number pad to switch views
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018
left click the center of the object and keep switching views till you have the cursor roughly centered

in the middle of the object.
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019
Add a new cube
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020
Size the new cube to the extremes of your object.
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021
There may be more to it if your object is more detailed. but for this one cube works perfectly.
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022
Select object in the panel window. Then in draw select bounds for the drawtype and wire for the draw

extra
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023
Select Logic in the panel, and click bounds. Change the box that appears to Concave Triangle mesh.
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024
Click add property. Under name change the prop to HavokMaterial. Which I pull from the Nifskope blender

collision wiki.
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025
Change the type to string and in the blank box put the type of material that this item will be such as

HAV_MAT_WOOD.
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026
Click back up top and Press A a few times until everything is selected. Then press control A and select

Scale and Rotation to ObData
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027
With everything selected export the item as a .nif file into the game directory under the data, meshes,

then whereever you will remember. Ensure fallout three, and use BSFadenode Root are selected. You may

have the mess around with the settings here to get everything working.
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028
Open the file with geck to determine if you have any errors
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029
Close out of that and open the file with nifskope
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030
Under each of the individual objects you will need to find the BSShadertextureSet and set the texture to

your DDS texture from earlier. If your nifskope is configured with the proper game paths the textures

should appear on your object.
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031
I won't get into texturing and skinning, because I suck at them.
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032
There are alot of setting you can play around with in nifskope, and many of them will break the object

so be sure to have a backup of your nif.
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033
You can adjust the scale of the texture under the edit UV menu if you right click in the view window.
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034
Save the object when you are finished
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035
Open the mesh with the geck again, and look for errors. The background may show up as you texture as

well
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036
I already have the geck open in some apartments I am working on, and have my interior open. I am not

going to go over the basics of the GECK at this point.
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037
In the nif create a new object giving the item a ID you will remember for the model you will know you

select your new model.
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038
Place the object in your world, and make sure it is not floating in the air.
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039
In my game I already have my game saved in the room around the corner from where I have placed my

object.
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040
Here my item shows up and as you can see it has collision enabled. If I wanted the item to be moveable

there are settings that would need to be changed in the Nifscope.
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041
Thanks for watching, and I hope you are able to load the world with your brand new items quickly and

easily.



Music by-
Yachar
http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/Yachar