Making a custom Smash Bros model?

[Cambertian]

Hey guys,

I'm going to start this thread with a story... *ahem*
My older bro and all our friends and family LOVE playing Project M, the Smash Bros Brawl mod... Well, except for me. I'd love to play it, but none of the characters speak to me that much. I think it's because the new Smash is teasing all of these exciting characters, like Pac-Man, or Little Mac, that I feel correspond to me much better.

SO, I decided that - since I know my way around 3D Modeling Programs and other computer concepts - maybe I could make my own skin for one of the characters? I've seen people do it before, so there's a tutorial or some kind of pointers out there somewhere, right?

I've searched what feels like an awful lot, but I haven't encountered some of the answers I'm looking for:

1. Are the models made up of several meshes packed together into an object, or a single mesh?
   
2. I don't have a commercial modeling suite - I can only really use Blender at the moment. On your website, it seems like the model for Luigi (the character I plan on making a skin for) is in a format that Blender no longer wants to support. I've tried earlier versions that DO support the COLLADA format, but they all crash or fail to import the model. Is there a workaround? Am I supposed to just model the character first and then fit it on later? Should I try to get 3DS Max or another free alternative instead?
   

Thank you for taking the time to read through!

[TheShyGuy]

Try asking the question over at http://forums.kc-mm.com/ or http://smashboards.com/

It's aimed towards this stuff and should be able to help you out better.

[Random Talking Bush]

1. Models are made of multiple objects -- only one texture per polygon group allowed.
2. The SMDs should work in Blender. Either way, you'd model a character over another's existing bone structure. And yes, 3DS Max is recommended since its DAEs were what BrawlBox was designed around, but it should be possible to make models in other modelling programs.

[Mystie]

Just be warned: 3DSMax is a program that you need to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for, and if you try to go the cheap route and find a "cracked" version of it, the crack likely won't work. (or at least it didn't for me, anyway. I got a "cracked" 3DSMax, but unfortunately the crack .exe was detected as a virus, so I only got to use the program as a trial)

[Random Talking Bush]

You used to be able to get a Student version easily (like I did), but now they changed the methods and now you need proper legal registration and whatnot to continue doing so.