Now, click in the editor window after clicking the sphere, now a ball appears!
Now, time to add some FRAMES TO MAKE YOUR ANIMATION! Add 3!!! If you do not add more then 3 frame you will get an ERROR and your model will not work.
Do use the settings in the pic below to add a frame.
Now using the scroll at the bottom will scroll through your frames. On every frame, resize it about 3 cm. Now click the play button once to start the animation, and again to stop, as seen below.
Now do the step below.
Now do the thing below
Now you got yourself a skin, but not drawn on.
Click in the drawing window as seen in the area pointed out below.
Select the pen tool, and you can see also what the other buttons are for.
WAIT A MINUTE, WE FORGOT SOMETHIN! We goto resize the skin so gcs will accept it as a skin! RESIZE IT TO 256 BY 256!!!
Now lets draw on it! ( Drawing on it this way is just to outline where the points are in when we really make the skin look good, you'll see what I mean.
Now use the move button, and click and hold in the draw area and you will move. Move to the back and draw on the back.
Now click convert MDL to MD2, and after that in that same pull down, notice the convert? goto that and select true color. This will convert it to true color and GCS only accepts true color images, keep that in mind for other models.
Now select: File>Export>Current Image to BMP, and save it.
Now edit that picture with windows paint or whatever you want. The select File>Import> Skin Image, and select you file and it will appear! The skin I made is below, now remember your skin has to be 256x256, as told a few paragraphs up. Mine is not 256 x 256 because I forgot. Dont make the same mistake. Or at the last minute you will have to go back and resize everything bla bla bla bla...
Now go back to you model editor window, and do the following below... Make sure to save in you models directoy in you project directory, Example: C:/gcs/engine/mygame/models/
ALSO DONT FORGET, MED will ask you for a PCX, you should have one in your models directory, if you dont open a pcx, it will not save.
Now in you Models directory in your Project directory, create a text document as seen below:
Open it up and write the following:
Other MD2 mdi commands are available, look in the PIE HELP DOCS to find em. ;).
Now, an important step! Click Save As, and use the settings below to make it and MDI! ( Gcs reads MDI files in the models directory as the things, you know, well... just do the steps ;).
Now, put you BALL.BMP in the GCS/$rp9a/mdl_skin/
And put it in you object directory. I.E, if you have the amazing art pack, put it in the AMAZING directory in you $rp9a. If not in you directory you mostly use. Now open your level, and select LEVEL>List available MD2, and select ball at the bottom as seen below:
Now click LEVEL>FLOOR/CEILING skin textures, and select your ball skin.
Now test your level! If you get an error email me at flipsoftware@hotmail.com and tell me the problem.
Now your thing should look like this, be spinning and what ever animation you did.
Great Job! Now, you can make more complicated animations and more complicated models. Good Luck in your GCS!
