03-14-2016, 06:38 PM
Nice to see another model ripper around! I'm also glad you decided to get feedback here, first. On more than one occasion, I've seen people go and submit dozens of rips before I have a chance to look at any, only to find that every single one of them needs to be redone.
Anyway, before I get to the actual models themselves, here are some tips for ripping.
First, don't worry too much about the exact visual appearance of the materials on your model. I've seen a number of novice model rippers spend time trying to perfect things like the filtering used by the texture, the type of transparency used, or even the shininess of the surface. While these things are good for rendering, none of these attributes carry over (properly) into the common model formats used by the site. The only two things that matter are that the correct base texture is used and that the UVs are correct. (More about those later.) I'm sure that most people who download models from the site never use the materials on models exactly as-is, anyway.
Next, I recommend using something other than MilkShape. Besides being limited in terms of what it can do, most of the problematic OBJ exports I encounter were exported with MilkShape. You can use it for now to learn the basics, but you'll benefit greatly from learning to use one of the more robust tools.
The second important tip is to always double-check your exports. After you export your model, try opening it up and make sure that everything is in place. Even if you're a seasoned ripper, it's good to check, because then you can notice things on your model like what I've noticed about your rips: the textures appear upside-down on the model. Now, I know that N64 textures usually rip upside-down when using the VRML method, so I can't tell if the textures are like that because you flipped them yourself or because MilkShape flipped the UVs on you. Either way, this is the sort of thing that you can easily catch on your own without waiting for approval from someone like me.
The next tip is related, because it is something that can be difficult to catch on your own if you're not looking for it: texture paths. For most model formats, textures are loaded onto the model by using a file path. This path is set when you are working on the model and is put as part of the model (or .MTL file for .OBJ models) when you export. Ideally, you want the path to be relative (ex: "./teeth.png" or even just "teeth.png") so that the texture is loaded based on where the model has been placed, no matter what the folder is called. However, with some programs (like MilkShape), they usually end up putting absolute file paths instead. This means that, when someone tries to load your piano model, for example, the textures won't load unless they happen to be located in the folder "C:\VRML\piano".
This is a very common issue, but fortunately there is a bright side: texture paths in both. DAE and .OBJ (well, MTL) can be fixed using any ol' text editor. (I personally prefer Notepad++ for its "Find and Replace All in All Open Documents" feature.) It's okay if you forget sometimes, but try to make a habit out of checking the texture paths on every model you export. Another thing about paths is that, obviously, they become set into the model once you export them. If you want to rename a texture, make sure you do it before you export, not afterwards. (You did it the right way with your models, but I feel like I should mention it just in case.)
My last tip involves UVs and handling them. Specifically, try to avoid editing them if you can and, if you do have to, make sure you do it with perfect mathematical precision. The moment that you try to adjust the model's UVs by hands, the integrity of the UV map is lost. Use tools with number input fields to move the UVs by exact amounts, such as 100%, -100%, 50%, etc. This is especially important for N64 ripping. Nintendo 64 games can be tricky to very rip. A lot of N64 games use different techniques to try and minimize the number of texture space used. Several of these tricks involve playing with the UV map. Once you learn the tricks and how to "fix" them, though, there is a lot you can rip. It's too much info for me to dump right here, so just send me a message if you have a tricky model problem.
I think that's it for now. Sorry for the wall of text!
Anyway, before I get to the actual models themselves, here are some tips for ripping.
First, don't worry too much about the exact visual appearance of the materials on your model. I've seen a number of novice model rippers spend time trying to perfect things like the filtering used by the texture, the type of transparency used, or even the shininess of the surface. While these things are good for rendering, none of these attributes carry over (properly) into the common model formats used by the site. The only two things that matter are that the correct base texture is used and that the UVs are correct. (More about those later.) I'm sure that most people who download models from the site never use the materials on models exactly as-is, anyway.
Next, I recommend using something other than MilkShape. Besides being limited in terms of what it can do, most of the problematic OBJ exports I encounter were exported with MilkShape. You can use it for now to learn the basics, but you'll benefit greatly from learning to use one of the more robust tools.
The second important tip is to always double-check your exports. After you export your model, try opening it up and make sure that everything is in place. Even if you're a seasoned ripper, it's good to check, because then you can notice things on your model like what I've noticed about your rips: the textures appear upside-down on the model. Now, I know that N64 textures usually rip upside-down when using the VRML method, so I can't tell if the textures are like that because you flipped them yourself or because MilkShape flipped the UVs on you. Either way, this is the sort of thing that you can easily catch on your own without waiting for approval from someone like me.
The next tip is related, because it is something that can be difficult to catch on your own if you're not looking for it: texture paths. For most model formats, textures are loaded onto the model by using a file path. This path is set when you are working on the model and is put as part of the model (or .MTL file for .OBJ models) when you export. Ideally, you want the path to be relative (ex: "./teeth.png" or even just "teeth.png") so that the texture is loaded based on where the model has been placed, no matter what the folder is called. However, with some programs (like MilkShape), they usually end up putting absolute file paths instead. This means that, when someone tries to load your piano model, for example, the textures won't load unless they happen to be located in the folder "C:\VRML\piano".
This is a very common issue, but fortunately there is a bright side: texture paths in both. DAE and .OBJ (well, MTL) can be fixed using any ol' text editor. (I personally prefer Notepad++ for its "Find and Replace All in All Open Documents" feature.) It's okay if you forget sometimes, but try to make a habit out of checking the texture paths on every model you export. Another thing about paths is that, obviously, they become set into the model once you export them. If you want to rename a texture, make sure you do it before you export, not afterwards. (You did it the right way with your models, but I feel like I should mention it just in case.)
My last tip involves UVs and handling them. Specifically, try to avoid editing them if you can and, if you do have to, make sure you do it with perfect mathematical precision. The moment that you try to adjust the model's UVs by hands, the integrity of the UV map is lost. Use tools with number input fields to move the UVs by exact amounts, such as 100%, -100%, 50%, etc. This is especially important for N64 ripping. Nintendo 64 games can be tricky to very rip. A lot of N64 games use different techniques to try and minimize the number of texture space used. Several of these tricks involve playing with the UV map. Once you learn the tricks and how to "fix" them, though, there is a lot you can rip. It's too much info for me to dump right here, so just send me a message if you have a tricky model problem.
I think that's it for now. Sorry for the wall of text!