Messing with WoW-Models

**Suzy** · May 10, 2013

I recently discovered a program called Blender 6.22a.

This is a model making, editing and animating program...

I later realized that when combined with Wow-Model Viewer- ItÔÇÖs possible to export the WoW models and import them into Blender where you can edit, animate and do a ton of vrazy things with them.

Goal:

I wish to EVENTUALLY use this program and a few others (I will name along my path to progress) to create a ÔÇÿsweetÔÇÖ machinima.

This COULD take months- ItÔÇÖs a complicated program and as I post my progress I would greatly appreciate any tips / tricks from anyone who has USED the program(s) I name below.

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This is my character in-game; little undead Corpse mage. I will start with her...

1st thing to do is to mess around with Wow-model viewer, gear your character; export them using (wavefront.obj) and import them into Blender 6.22a; which looks something like this...

She look's 'boxy' because when you import the model- it 'breaks.'

There are to many vertices, I will need to manually remove them one by one.

Thank GOODNESS for 'low poly' count of WoW models.

More on this later...

Tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

**Marazhu** · May 10, 2013

This is really good XD

**Suzy** · May 10, 2013

Eh- Hardly. She lookÔÇÖs ÔÇÿbotchedÔÇÖ but im grateful for the complement :P

When the import comes into Blender, it comes in several sections called ÔÇÿGEO-setsÔÇÖ. You need to ÔÇÿpress tabÔÇÖ to be able to edit eached highlight able geo-set and edit them.

There is also a button on the left called ÔÇÿRemove doublesÔÇÖ whichÔÇª I found a LITTLE too late.
I was on the 4th geoset and had manually removed 73 verts before I was like ÔÇÿThere has GOT to be a better way to dot hisÔÇÖ and started searching youtube for edit tutorials.

After learning about the ÔÇÿremoved doublesÔÇÖ button, ÔÇÿrectangulateÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿsmoothÔÇÖ; IÔÇÖm happy with the results so far. :P

This is by NO means a tutorial, rather a documentation of a 'learning process'.

Note to self; Undead are the HARDEST wow-characters to start a project like this with - I can already forsee problems with animations and getting the 'bones' to stay 'brittle looking' rather then 'bending' like a knee or an arm would...

Oh well.

Maybe I'll pull another model in for 'animation' testing if I get to fustraited with this one.

Only time will tell...

**Suzy** · May 10, 2013

Believe it or not the geo-sets that make this model ÔÇÿwholeÔÇÖ are STILL separated right now. I wanted to bind all the Geo-sets together to make a complete model by pressing ÔÇÿCTRL JÔÇÖ to join them but NOT before I ÔÇÿfixedÔÇÖ that black spot on top of her face.

Being that im not comfortable using adobe paint yet on the characters ÔÇÿUV mappingÔÇÖ or ÔÇÿskinÔÇÖ ÔÇô I simply tested out so ÔÇÿeditingÔÇÖ

I ÔÇÿctrl + DÔÇÖ to duplicated a group of highlighted verities and then bound them with the ÔÇÿWÔÇÖ key and selected ÔÇÿmergeÔÇÖ + ÔÇÿat lastÔÇÖ to the original objects ÔÇÿGeo-set-HairstyleÔÇÖ. The result is ÔÇÿmessy bangsÔÇÖÔÇª

Anyone know about UV mapping?

**Suzy** · May 10, 2013

While I was editing I decided to give her a lifted [Chest piece] ÔÇªheh

The real reason for this was to have ÔÇÿribsÔÇÖ jetting out of her chest like the male undead did but this is much more complicated then it seems.

I would need to ÔÇÿstealÔÇÖ the ribs off an undead model and they wouldnÔÇÖt match her ÔÇÿpinkÔÇÖ bones + it would look less ÔÇÿwow-lookingÔÇÖ. Im TRYING not to edit too much and have the models look as they do ingame so when I use them later it isnÔÇÖt too far-fetched to imagine they ARENÔÇÖT simply models IN-GAME.

**LeTriumph** · May 10, 2013

Damn, nice job!

**Suzy** · May 10, 2013

Heh- what? The 'boob job'?

I still have to animate this bad girl! :P

YY I haven't even scratched the surface of all this program has to offer lol.

**Suzy** · May 12, 2013

Spoiler: Show

Found you can edit something called 'key frames' which essentially moves certain vertices (of my choosing) into a specific position on the model when you select and 'use' them.

What this means in laymen terms is: Facial expressions!

For those of you who dont know what a vert is - it's the tine dot (s) (as seen below) that connect polygons.

Facial expression - testing:

Spoiler: Show

**Suzy** · May 12, 2013

Alrighty - Additional items time!

1st- Import the 'additional' item; AKA- the shoulder gear I forgot...

-facepalm-

Now we make it a 'weeee bit smaller' using the S button and dragging the mouse in/out to 'scale' it

Next we use the 'mirror' modifier tool to make Ze-one shoulder, a two shoulder;

Aftermessing around and making it match the origional picture; VALLA! We have shoulders!

**Suzy** · May 12, 2013

Sometimes when you import certain items; they are WAY larger than you expected.

Again we use the 'S' button to scale:

As stated before - Undead are the hardest models to start with for animating (later) because you need to give them a 'brittle' look.

In order to accomplish this; I separated some bones along with the items.

Pulled them out to I could easier attach bones without the use of 'weight paint'...
Got lazy but I know I will have to learn to use it in the future.

Anyone know a good weight paint tutorial...?

Spoiler: Show

Added bones-

And tested how they move - bound to vert's, ect...

Now I just need to REDO the key frames -.- lol

**Silentshout** · May 12, 2013

waw nice one :D

**Suzy** · May 15, 2013

One thing I have learned- save, Save, SAVE each step you do so you can go back if you screw up!

Had to re-do the bones twice now because of power failures and I have over 20 files named 'corpse mage 1-whatever'. Always save!

Anyway - bones redone...

And she'd ready for posing;

Now I need a blue screen, lights, camera... and a recording program... >.>

Andrastina · May 15, 2013

Sweet! I had downloaded Blender a while back, but haven't spent time learning it, so this is really fun to watch. For a free program, pretty amazing how much Blender has, feature-wise. What an awesome tool for machinima, too. Hopefully, you keep posting/updating us!

Also--did you edit the face to have skin on her chin? I only know of one undead face that has black eyes in WoW, and that one has an exposed bone chin, which I don't like and would want to hide with a bandana or something. :P But maybe there are more faces in Cat? (And I only play WotLK.)

**Suzy** · May 15, 2013

@Andrastina;

Spoiler: Show

I THINK what you're refering to is the fact this corpse model has no glowing yellow eyes like she normally would in-game?

Truth be told; I deleted them when I imported her. I kept the face the same way it was in cata / model viewer; just took out the glowing yellow orbs for two reasons:
1. I didn't like them.
2. It's VERY easy to 'add' a 'sphere mesh' and recolor it to look like an eyeball- or even make it all 'pixelie' and glowing looking for a 'better' looking 'glow-eye'.

Most wow models (dreanei dont) have the 'eyes' drawn on as part of their 'skin' - or more comonly known as 'UV MAPPING'. The only think you will find that's in the eye-area is another flat mesh which has 'eyelide' drawn on so your character can blink in game.

I think I'll import a less 'corpse like' model next. :3 Show you what I mean...

**Suzy** · May 19, 2013

Finally had some time today-

Added a 'blue screen mesh' which will help make the background invisible when I throw her into a movie editing program.

Also added extra bones for the legs- the 'robe' bottom half was a little bit tricky.
You will need a good 'weight paint' tutorial to make it work. You can find one easy on you tube. :P

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Messing with WoW-Models

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