XSI FAQ / Tutorials
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:57 pm
XSI General Information
XSI Training Movies
Troubleshooting
Conversion guides
XSI Foundation Trials
XSI to SWBF2 Tutorials
Plugins and Resources
Utilities
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Blender
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SketchUp
- Softimage User Guide
- Softimage XSI Keyboard Shortcuts
- What is Character Animation all about?
- How to set up Rotoscopes or Image Planes in XSI
XSI Training Movies
- Softimage Basic skills movies
- The Artist's Guide to Softimage (1.72GB)
- XSI 4 Production Series
- Softimage XSI 4 Principles
- Softimage 7.x Certified Training
- Digital-Tutors Softimage Training
- XSI Transition Training
- UVs in Softimage by Adam Sale
- Animation Fundamentals by Adam Sale
- Fundamental Modeling by Adam Sale
- Modeling an Ant by Adam Sale
- Aircraft Modeling by Paul Donaghy
- Modeling a Colt 1911 by Desty
- Modeling & Texturing by Sideshowbob
- Modeling a Ford T by trelaney
- Modeling a Lowpoly Character in Blender (steps can be translated to XSI)
Troubleshooting
- Property pages in XSI not popping up: How to fix
- How to get the PandemicBF2.xsiaddon working in Vista
- How to get the PandemicBF2.xsiaddon working in Windows 7 x64
- How to stop the Pandemic Tools from duplicating itself
Conversion guides
- How to transfer models from the free SketchUp into XSI
- How to transfer models from SketchUp to XSI to SWBF2
- How to transfer models from 3DS Max into SWBF2
- How to transfer models from MilkShape 3D to Bconstructor to SWBF2
XSI Foundation Trials
- XSI Foundation 4.2 30 day trial
- XSI Foundation 5.0 30 day trial
- XSI Foundation 5.1 30 day trial
- XSI Foundation 5.11 30 day trial
XSI to SWBF2 Tutorials
- ANDEWEGET's basic video tutorials
- Subjects covered:
- Character Enveloping
- Introduction To Layout Customisation in XSI
- Introduction To Extruding
- Advanced Vehicle Setup
- Creating A Logo
- UV Mapping
- Setting Up A basic flyer or hover
- About Rendermap and Ultimapper
- Subjects covered:
- A guide to making your models look better in SWBF
- Subjects covered:
- Lowres model
- Shadowvolume
- Specular map
- Bump map
- Normal map
- Bump/Normal and Specularmap
- Environment map
- Hexediting
- Glow
- Gloss
- Hardedged Transparency
- Additive Transparency
- Subjects covered:
- Turrets
- How to set up a weapon (gun)
- Getting A New Player Model Into SWBF2 Tutorial
- How to make your new unit model OverrideTexture capable
- How to create 9pose animations
- How to get shadows on models (shadowvolume)
- How to set up a lowrez mesh for your model
- Make a custom first person model (FPM) with the export-ready template
- How to create an addon msh
- Universal addon setup in XSI
- How to create animated tentacles
- How to make a simple animated door
- Basic Modeling in XSI (This tutorial is outdated but still useful)
- How to make a new saber animation
- How to add cloth in XSI
- How to make animated treads (like Snail Tank)
- How to get custom fx geometry from XSI to ingame
- Applying specular to models
- 'Grayscale' bump mapping tutorial
- Making shiny objects
- Edit Flags explained
- Animation tutorial for flyers
- Animated Flyer setup video tutorials
- Creating terrain cutters tutorial
- Scrolling textures
- Unit_Template_beta (discussion)
- Weight editing (discussion)
- How to texture an object in XSI
- Bandu's foolproof texturing tutorial
- How to make objects transparent
- Creating reflective surfaces
- How to use gloss mapping
- Creation of a "Cartoon Outline"
- Using normal maps in SWBF2
- Walk/Sprint Cycle Animation (discussion)
- How to set up critical hit locations on vehicles
- How to set up flyers for CTF
- How to enable custom character collision (discussion)
- Cloth Constraints, and bugs regarding XSI > SWBF2 Research by Sporadia
Plugins and Resources
- PandemicBF2.xsiaddon
- PandemicXSIAddonFixed (older modified SWBF1 xsiaddon but will work for SWBF2)
- Unit_Template_Beta
- XSI ZETools (XSI plugin for Importing/Exporting SWBF1 and 2 .mshs with animation and ZE material flag support)
- FBX import/export xsiaddon (for XSI versions 5.x)
- Texture resources and tutorials
- Auto_Bone_Select_and_Setup.vbs (vbs script)
- the-blueprints.com
- Softimage Resources for XSI (rray.de)
- RoadKillPlugin.zip (mirror) - Roadkill Plugin How to Thread
- The free model thread
Utilities
- 3D Object Converter -useful for viewing or converting *.msh files (must be registered to save)
- Ultimate Unwrap3D -useful for viewing hierarchies of *.msh files with the *.msh import plugin (must be registered to save)
- Roadkill UV Tool -useful for unwrapping your models (mirror)
- SWBF MSH Viewer -useful for converting *.wrl (vrml 2.0) to *.msh and vice-versa
- Meshtool beta 4 -converts msh files to *.obj
- MshEx beta 3 -exports static meshes to *.msh from Mod Tool 7.5 (no animations, enveloping or weights)
- BConstructor -saves MilkShape 3D ASCII *.txt files as *.msh and vice-versa; best used in conjunction with MilkShape3D
- xNormal -useful for baking AO, normal maps etc.
- MeshLab -useful for file converting, mesh Cleaning, remeshing etc.
- Sculptris -useful for sculpting and painting textures on models
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Blender
- Blender 2.49b
- How to use Blender to make SWBF series models
- How to import textured *.msh files into Blender and export
- Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro
- Modeling a Lowpoly Character
- Blender Cookie -A great tutorial resource
- Blender Guru -another great tutorial resource
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SketchUp
- SketchUp
- ObjExporter.rb by Jim Foltz -exports obj, mtl and texture files from SketchUp (tested and working in SketchUp
- su2objmtl.rb (mirror) -another obj exporter for SketchUp
- SketchUcation community forum