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          <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">- <a href="../index.html">Contents</a><br>
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              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC">volume 
                1, issue 31</font></b></font></p>
              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC"> 
                </font></b></font></p>
              <p>  <p><font face="Courier New, Courier, mono"><b><font color="#339900" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today 
                in loonygames:</font></b></font></p>

<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">New!!</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> The Archives have been cleaned up, fead links fixed, and printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments <a href="../../../index.html">on the front page</a>!</font></p>
              
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../2.15/feat/index.html" target="">Livin' 
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  life where everyone is Swedish?&quot;</font></p>
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../2.15/pixel/index.html" target="">Pixel 
  Obscura</a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">: Josh 
  Vasquez on <b>Omikron: The Nomad Soul</b>.</font></p>
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        <p align="LEFT"><img src="../../images/think.jpg" align="RIGHT" width="190" height="202"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0022A8"><b><a target="" href="../../corner/index.html"><font size="-1">Thinking 
          Outside the Box</font></a><font size="-1">:</font></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#0022A8"><br>
          The Many Faces of Kelly Monaco</font></p>
        <p align="LEFT"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+1" color="#0022A8">(Part 
          1) </font></p>
        <p align="LEFT">&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT">&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT">&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT"><font color="#804000"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By 
          Paul &quot;<a target="_self" href="mailto:paul@loonygames.com">Villam</a>&quot; 
          Steed</font></b></font></p>
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<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.13/totb">Jump to an Archived Column!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.13/totb/">Issue 2.13 (Cyberguy - Part 1)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.11/totb/">Issue 2.11 (Reviewing the Reviewers)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.38/totb/">------ Volume 1 ------</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.38/totb/">Issue 1.35 (The Good, The Not-So-Bad...)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.35/totb/">Issue 1.35 (The all pic issue)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.31/totb/">Issue 1.31 (Faces of Kelly Monaco)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.30/totb/">Issue 1.30 (Character Studio Part 2)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.28/totb/">Issue 1.28 (Adjusting Your Biped)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.26/totb/">Issue 1.26 (Sitcher A. Down)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.22/totb/">Issue 1.22 (Walking the Walk)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.20/totb/">Issue 1.20 (The TOBYS)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.19/totb/">Issue 1.19 (Holiday Ranting)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.18/totb/">Issue 1.18 (Making it Count)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.17/totb/">Issue 1.17 (Steed Gets a Tat)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.16/totb/">Issue 1.16 (Sleeg Redux)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.15/totb/">Issue 1.15 (People Are a Trip)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.14/totb/">Issue 1.14 (A Peek Inside My Brain Part 2)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.13/totb/">Issue 1.13 (A Peek Inside My Brain)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.12/totb/">Issue 1.12 (On Breaking Into the Industry)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.11/totb/">Issue 1.11 (Modelling Detris)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.10/totb/">Issue 1.10 (Answers to Questions)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.9/totb/">Issue 1.9 (Exercise)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.8/totb/">Issue 1.8 (A Cool Game Idea?)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.7/totb/">Issue 1.7 (Are You a Man or an Artiste?)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.6/totb/">Issue 1.6 (Low Poly Tricks & Tips)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.5/totb/">Issue 1.5 (T&A and T&E)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.4/totb/">Issue 1.4 (Dangerous Curves Ahead)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.3/totb/">Issue 1.3 (It's Not a Job, or an Adventure...)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.2/totb/">Issue 1.2 (Neat and Orderly Models)</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.1/totb/">Issue 1.1 (I Think, Therefore I .plan)</option>

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        <p align="LEFT"><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Anything 
          I say comes from me and represents my personal opinions, views and subtle 
          plans for influencing society. Read, ruminate over and remember at your 
          own risk. If I teach you something and it helps, teach someone else. 
          </font></i></p>
        <p align="LEFT"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="../../images/letters/g.jpg" width="26" height="40" align="LEFT">eez, 
          you’d have thought a couple weeks ago it was ‘Steed Week’ or something 
          with all the steed-related stuff that popped up. I even got some mail 
          asking me if doing all this extraneous stuff detracts from my work on 
          <b>Quake 3:Arena</b>, and if it did to knock it off and go back to work. 
          Valid point, but rest assured it doesn’t detract at all.</font></p>

        <p></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I did the Sam Hell interview 
          about a month ago, the GDC lecture was done about a month and a half 
          ago (Rogue13 at PQ did a bang-up job soliciting and posting it, too), 
          the TOTB took me about nine hours on the Tuesday it was posted (because 
          I had forgot it was due – sorry, loony), but as far as that goes, all 
          the <b>Q3:A</b> related modeling tutorials will be shipped with the 
          game as a ‘how to’ vehicle so people can get their own models going 
          anyway. The ‘Dear Mynx’ thing took about a half hour since all I had 
          to do when answering was think, &quot;how would Mynxie answer this?&quot;. 
          So really the time-sink was well spent and didn’t impact my schedule 
          very much at all. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Matter of fact this week’s 
          tutorial came as a serendipitous result of creating another female model 
          base for some <b>Q3:A</b> characters and lately, that’s the ONLY way 
          I feel I have time to bang these out – if they’re done in conjunction 
          with creating real stuff. Then again, I think that’s what you guys want, 
          some in-the-trenches journal writing. Some of the best compliments I 
          feel I’ve received are from fellow artists at other companies who feel 
          they can glean at least a <i>couple </i>tidbits of useful info from 
          TOTB. Makes it all worth it. And of course all you pups; all you <b>Quake</b> 
          Huns out there itching to find out how to get your own <b>Q3:A</b> models 
          going. That’s why I take time out of my busy day to sit down and shoot 
          the polygonal breeze with you all.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Besides, it’s just another 
          outlet for my energy surplus that doesn’t say…make it into a <i>plan</i> 
          file :]</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Alright kids, on with the 
          show... Normally I don’t do this since I think appreciating the female 
          form (especially the nude female form) is pretty crucial to American 
          male evolutionary development, but I have to implore you to go elsewhere 
          this TOTB if you’re under 18. There is some <i>nudity</i> in the following 
          content so consider this a (shudder) ‘didactic parental disclaimer’ 
          (or DPD for short).</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><font color="#009900">[Editor’s 
          crude note: <b>yeah</b>, baby!]</font></i></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">First, though I’ll preface 
          this installment with just a plain, <i>normal</i> disclaimer: I’M SICK 
          OF ANIMATING!&quot; I need a break from making motion. I’ve been making 
          some models the last week or so to hone the skills and increase the 
          number of player characters in <b>Q3:A</b>. The next two installments 
          will cover issues and techniques used as I continue my efforts to create 
          the perfect polygonal woman. This is <b>NOT</b> a step-by-step tutorial 
          on how to make a sexy female model. I’m just using her creation as a 
          backdrop to show you some (hopefully) useful techniques. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After many hours of exhaustive 
          Internet research via Tommy’s Bookmarks (http://www.tommys-bookmarks.com/playmates.php) 
          I’ve decided the perfect woman to help me in my quest is Playboy Playmate, 
          Kelly Monaco. I like the physical structure of Chloe Jones a tiny bit 
          better (more back, more rack), but KM really is utter perfection. She 
          tends to be not only beautiful, voluptuous, 5’ 3&quot;, sexy, etc., 
          but she tends to face the camera orthogonally (cheesecake is nice, but 
          this is reference we’re talking about. No. Really. I mean it! She faces 
          the camera almost dead-on or dead-on sideways, etc.)</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="kelly.php"><img src="images/kelly_c.jpg" width="216" height="486" border="0"></a></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So I’ve begun building the 
          perfect Kelly model. Recently, at the ’99 GDC I got a couple really 
          useful tips when I gave my lecture on low-poly mesh optimization. The 
          most useful one deals with vertex merging and weld thresholds. Basically 
          I found out I don’t have to use the ‘select two vertices – uniform scale 
          them several times – hit weld selected’ thing anymore. All I do is adjust 
          my ‘Weld Threshold’ to suit the circumstances (knew WT was good for 
          something). For example, by default my ‘Weld Threshold’ is set at ‘.1’ 
          when I boot Max up…</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel003.jpg" width="186" height="151"></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is cool for when you’re 
          just merging flush vertices along a centerline axis from copying and 
          flipping half of a mesh like this case…</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel004.jpg" width="410" height="400"></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The ‘.1’ setting just means 
          that only selected vertices separated by very small distances (.1 units 
          or less) will merge. Now if you crank up your ‘Weld Threshold’ setting 
          to say 10 or 20 then it basically serves the same purpose of selecting 
          vertices outside a .1 weld threshold and scaling them in until they’re 
          within that .1 units distance. For example, if I were to try and merge 
          these two vertices with a setting of .1 </font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel001a.jpg" width="302" height="260"></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">…I get this error message.</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel001b.jpg" width="186" height="100"></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If I change my ‘Weld Threshold’ 
          setting to 10…</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel002a.jpg" width="186" height="155"></font></p>
        <p> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">…they weld just fine, merging 
          at their relative median point in x,y,z space the same as if we had 
          selected them and u-scaled them into a single point...</font></p>
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/buildkel002b.jpg" width="268" height="240"></font></p>
        <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(<a href="index2.php">Continued 
          on next page</a>)</font></p>
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      <p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"> </font></i><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"><b>Credits:</b> 
        Thinking Outside the Box logo illustrated and is &copy; 1999 Dan Zalkus. 
        Thinking Outside the Box is &copy; 1999 Paul Steed. All other content 
        is &copy; 1999 <a target="_self" href="http://www.loonyboi.com">loonyboi 
        productions</a>. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited, so 
        don't even try it. We've got really big guns, and we're ripped, baby.</font></i></p>
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