Production Team - File Management

Hi all,

I'd like to round up topics from our last meeting since there are many things to remember, and also some additional details.

1. Submit files to team leader for backing up by 5.00pm everyday. Keep the back up files with you too.

2. A model need to have 1 version of seperate objects and 1 version of combined objects (if it has more than 1 object) Please read the note about how to prepare your Maya model to Unreal at the end of this mail.

3. After a model is finished (combined), it will be save in 2 versions:
1) Triangulated for testing in UT (TT_PModel_buildingOrangeTri_v001_TT.ma)
2) 4 sides polygon for unwrap UV (TT_PModel_buildingOrange_v010_TT.ma because it's not final yet ).
When it's in the unwrap process by texturer, the file will be save as: TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_v001_AS.ma
After finishing unwrap UV, the model will be sent back to modeler again to triangulate, save as final version and put into final folder .

Note:The file name of a uv snapshot(unwrapped uv) will be: TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_UV_v001_TT.jpg save it in working files>>UV folder


4. Modeller has to make a dummy targa file(image map of a material) to apply to the model and name it according to the model file name. Save it in the final folder of its catagory on Terra server. Here is the example:

TT_PModel_buildingOrange_v001_TT.ma ---> model file name
TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_vFinal_AS.tga ---> dummy targa file name (mean that it's known who will do this texture)

In case of 1 model has more than 1 material on it, different materials (and mostly different textures) have to be applied on the model. For example, a building with brick(wall), glass(roof) and wood(floor) needs 3 materials. To make it easier for texture team to know which faces are which material, the dummy targa files should be solid color images. This is how the dummy targa names will be:

TT_PModel_buildingOrange_v001_TT.ma ---> model file name
TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_wall_vFinal_AS.tga ---> dummy targa file name
TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_roof_vFinal_AS.tga ---> dummy targa file name
TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_floor_vFinal_AS.tga ---> dummy targa file name

or it'd be defined by level so the file name'd be: TT_PTexture_buildingOrange_level1_vFinal_AS.tga ---> dummy targa file name

Texturer will name a texture file by following the dummy targa file name, but change from "vFinal" to "v001". Once the final texture is done, just replace the dummy file . This way the model will not have missing image file problem.

5. Final folder is only for final files. If you have the new final file, you have to put the old final file to the working files folder and rename it to a version.

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how to prepare your Maya model to Unreal

In Maya, go to Display>>Grid>>option box and change to this settings

Length and width : 1024
Grid line every: 16
Subdivisions: 1

also go to every camera attribute and change Far Clip Plane:4000

The following is from unreal wiki.


Your Model

1. Should be "facing positive X". Meaning, in Maya, the model's front side should be toward the positive end of the X-axis. This will ensure a proper orientation in Ued.
2. Should be near the origin. Meaning, in Maya, the model's center should be on or near Maya's world origin, where all axis converge at zero.
3. Should have its Center pivot placed in a reasonable place. For example, a wheel would likely need the center pivot in the middle, while an hammer may need the center to be along the handle somewhere. It depends on if this is meant to be used as a mover, how it should move, or how it should be normally placed as a static mesh object in UnrealEd.
4. Should be one single object, not multiple objects placed together (unless you want them to be separate in UnrealEd). Use Polygon → Combine. Merge any extraneous faces, edges and vertices.
5. Should have the normals facing the correct direction. Use Display → PolygonComponents → Normals to see which direction your polygonal faces are "facing".
6. Should have different materials (shaders) applied to the polygonal faces that are meant to have different materials textures applied in UnrealEd. For example, you are making a car. You chassis has a texture all its own, but you want to use a simple glass material for the windshield. In this case, in Maya, you'd apply one color (material, shader) to the chassis and another color for the windshield. It doesn't matter what color, it's just an indicator to UnrealEd that these are separate materials that you'll apply in UnrealEd.
7. Should have its polygon texture alignment ready to go. Use the tools found in EditPolygons → Texture → ... to apply various projection schemes (like cylindrical, planar or automatic) and adjust the scale and orientation of those projections, if applicable.

Thx for reading,
Cherry ^_^