HWM modeling for Source Filmmaker from Blender: A compilation of resources
This is a post as a response from an anon that was asking me to teach how to make Hardware Morph (HWM) models. I am in no position to teach since I am still very new to this and I’m winging things as I go along, but what I’ll do is post a list of all the resources that I’ve used and how I’ve used them (starting from learning how to model in Blender from scratch to exporting and compiling it to SFM).
I’m going to include everything because someone else who might just be starting out might find it useful (I also don’t know to what extent anon wants to me to “teach”. Like, do you want just how to do HWM? Or like model from scratch??)
SECTION I. Blender, Modeling, Topology and Texturing (Skip this if you already know how to use Blender, how to model and how to texture)
1a. Blender 3D: Noob to Pro
-This is what I used to learn Blender (how to use the program, user interface, terminology, basic how-to-modeling, etc.)
-A manual for Blender. Use this to look up what does what on Blender (terminology, modifiers, bones, parenting, materials, etc.)
2a. Face Topology [Breakdown guide]
-This is a guide on how polygons are supposed to flow on a face. Extremely important because you don’t want the face breaking down when you animate it.
2b. Understanding Edge Flow
-Image reference for how to place edge loops around the face
3. Blender Character Modeling by Darrin Lile
-I pretty much followed this guide to create the Zhanna model from scratch, but instead of using the character sheet provided in the tutorial, I drew my own and adjusted it to that. This tutorial series goes straight from character sheet to model.
4a. HellJumper’s Blender 2.5 Modeling Tutorial for TF2 (Texturing part)
-This is where I learned how texture in Blender for TF2. Basically you need to bake an Ambient Occlusion map and paint on top of that.
4b. Texturing for Team Fortress 2: A Short Guide
-The texturing here is more for props and items, but I figured I should put it in just because.
After I got everything up there out of the way, I started to look into how I could get my Blender model into Source Filmmaker.
SECTION II. From Blender to Source Filmmaker
1. Practically any model to SFM via Blender (The Hard way) Course
-This. This is the guide that I have to thank for making it possible to get my model into SFM. It has EVERYTHING (well, almost). 11/10 would recommend to everyone wanting to get stuff into SFM.
I’d also like to say that this covers some of the HWM stuff, but not as much as the next thing that I’m going to mention.
SECTION III. HWM STUFF (The thing that anon has been asking for. Sorry you had to go through all that wall of text. I just needed to get everything above out of my system.)
1. Elizabeth Pack Source Files
-This is the godsend documentation for HWM that I almost missed from the Blender to SFM guide (because it wasn’t working in one of the links that I clicked in that guide and said that the website was closed, thank god there was another link in the guide talking about the same guide but the link was slightly different and actually worked). Go download it and read the PDF, it has everything you need for HWM.
It also has the script you need to process your mesh to change absolute corrective shapes to relative corrective shapes.
2. HWM Reference (from the Valve Developer Community)
-Also talks about absolute corrective shapes and relative corrective shapes
a) Gambler Base Blend Shapes
b) Gambler Corrective Blend Shapes (absolute corrective shapes)
-A quick note before you use these gambler references: Read up the list of base shapes you need in the PDF of the Elizabeth Pack Source Files first. The image references shown here show FunnelLips, PuckerLips and PuffLips as one thing, but you need FunnelLipUp, FunnelLipLo, PuckerLipUp, PuckerLipLo, PuffLipUp, PuffLipLo instead. This is because the flex controller template that I used (from the scout) used those instead of the ones listed in Gambler Base Blend Shapes.
-Also use the HWM Elizabeth .blend file for referencing base shapes and absolute corrective shape keys.
-You can also import any TF2 character for reference into Blender from
(drive where you have your steam stuff)\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\sourcesdk_content\tf\modelsrc\player\scout\parts\dmx\scout_morphs_high.dmx
for your BASE blend shapes.
The corrective shapes that you will see in these .dmx files are already relative, so use the Elizabeth model when you get up to that part.
I think that’s about all the resources that I’ve used (not including googled questions and stuff of course). Hope this helps!
annaxmalina
discoholicmusic
romaincrisis
