By the way, if anyone is using any of the sprites I've made, I would love to know on which shard so that I can check it out! :D
 
Nice work mate. Gonna have to check out this new update here in a bit. Whenever I can manage to pry myself off of this paperdoll project of mine. Been going crazy with customization options lately.
Thanks!
And I know the feeling. I've literally been working on this update all day. o_O
 
Thanks!
And I know the feeling. I've literally been working on this update all day. o_O
2 years for this particular one of mine. I figured, if everything else about the game can be changed out. Be it terrain, statics, animations, and whatnot. Why not take a gander at the old paperdoll gump art?
Of course everyone says I'm crazy for doing this. And they're absolutely right. You have to possess a crazy mind in order to tackle a project this insane while also trying to make sure everything works out in the end.
 
2 years for this particular one of mine. I figured, if everything else about the game can be changed out. Be it terrain, statics, animations, and whatnot. Why not take a gander at the old paperdoll gump art?
Of course everyone says I'm crazy for doing this. And they're absolutely right. You have to possess a crazy mind in order to tackle a project this insane while also trying to make sure everything works out in the end.
That is some project!
I have tried it as well, using a rendered image, but ended up ditching the project because I couldn't get the character posed right. I did try replacing the current paperdoll with the one from the old alpha client. Wasn't too hard. It only has the male version though.
 
That is some project!
I have tried it as well, using a rendered image, but ended up ditching the project because I couldn't get the character posed right. I did try replacing the current paperdoll with the one from the old alpha client. Wasn't too hard. It only has the male version though.
No joke I had to over time learn how to essentially craft my own from scratch using every piece of photo editing knowledge I've experimented with at this point just to finally get the paperdolls not only correct and more true to the original source, but to also make it look like actual effort went into the whole ordeal. It wasn't easy I can tell you that.
 
No joke I had to over time learn how to essentially craft my own from scratch using every piece of photo editing knowledge I've experimented with at this point just to finally get the paperdolls not only correct and more true to the original source, but to also make it look like actual effort went into the whole ordeal. It wasn't easy I can tell you that.
I can only imagine!
I hope you get to finish your project eventually. :)
 
I can only imagine!
I hope you get to finish your project eventually. :)
Even if I do manage to get this sucker completed, its not like I'll actually be able to release it without a ton of setup from anyone wanting to check it out. For starters still using the old 7.0.20.0 client despite pulling the gump.muls/idx from the latest patch and painstakingly reinserting images back into the files, which this ain't it for those more used to newer client patches. Also there's the issue with being able to actually utilize the optional paperdoll entries WITHOUT the use for ClassicUO and more along the line of scripting it in. Which I'm not even gonna bother with ServUO's code in order to try and fix that nightmare.
 
Even if I do manage to get this sucker completed, its not like I'll actually be able to release it without a ton of setup from anyone wanting to check it out. For starters still using the old 7.0.20.0 client despite pulling the gump.muls/idx from the latest patch and painstakingly reinserting images back into the files, which this ain't it for those more used to newer client patches. Also there's the issue with being able to actually utilize the optional paperdoll entries WITHOUT the use for ClassicUO and more along the line of scripting it in. Which I'm not even gonna bother with ServUO's code in order to try and fix that nightmare.
Oh, that sounds complicated. o_O
So, it's not just a new character sprite, but a whole new paperdoll with the menu buttons etc?
 
Oh, that sounds complicated. o_O
So, it's not just a new character sprite, but a whole new paperdoll with the menu buttons etc?
Not exactly that complicated. Essentially I ended up replacing the cloak layer with the then duplicated playerdoll art (depending on race/gender) which is automatically attached via character creation. Both the body hue and template hue are the same default as usual. However because of the cloak layer being used as basically a second body layer, its means I can simply throw new players into your typical character creation type areas and from there they can further customize their appearance. So far right now I have humans (2 grayscaled + 9 color/appearance options for each gender) and right now I'm working on elves before I eventually get around to gargoyles.
Bottom line, the way its set up, its gonna be a shard exclusive from the way things are turning out.
 
Not exactly that complicated. Essentially I ended up replacing the cloak layer with the then duplicated playerdoll art (depending on race/gender) which is automatically attached via character creation. Both the body hue and template hue are the same default as usual. However because of the cloak layer being used as basically a second body layer, its means I can simply throw new players into your typical character creation type areas and from there they can further customize their appearance. So far right now I have humans (2 grayscaled + 9 color/appearance options for each gender) and right now I'm working on elves before I eventually get around to gargoyles.
Bottom line, the way its set up, its gonna be a shard exclusive from the way things are turning out.
That sounds complicated to me. :p
But I'm only experienced in making art, not the technical stuff, so that's probably why.
Your project does sound interesting though, and I would definitely check it out whenever you get to finish it. :)
 
That sounds complicated to me. :p
But I'm only experienced in making art, not the technical stuff, so that's probably why.
Your project does sound interesting though, and I would definitely check it out whenever you get to finish it. :)
Here's a small preview if you believe I'm not bsing and that I really am this crazy for even daring to take up this challenge.
 
Here's a small preview if you believe I'm not bsing and that I really am this crazy for even daring to take up this challenge.
That's rather impressive! And since they're posed different than the original paperdoll I guess you're going to have to edit most of the armour and weapon art? I can't tell if it actually does fit, or if they are edits. :oops:
 
That's rather impressive! And since they're posed different than the original paperdoll I guess you're going to have to edit most of the armour and weapon art? I can't tell if it actually does fit, or if they are edits. :oops:
Yeah basically everything is getting re-edited to conform to this new system. And to make things even more complicated on my end, I had both genders posed differently. So yeah way to go, me.
 
Yeah basically everything is getting re-edited to conform to this new system. And to make things even more complicated on my end, I had both genders posed differently. So yeah way to go, me.
Heh. I know all about taking on huge, complicated tasks though! At least you'll feel a sense of accomplishment once you've finished the project. :D
 
Heh. I know all about taking on huge, complicated tasks though! At least you'll feel a sense of accomplishment once you've finished the project. :D
Amen on that one mate.
Finally got the female elves done. And yes I am working at a 1000x912 scale dimensions before shrinking everything down to their proper size.
 
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Btw, I'm just now slowly but surely testing out the 1.5 version of your rendered sprites and not only are things turning out well on my end, but I even went ahead and replaced some of the ingame chairs for example with some of yours and they look absolutely incredible.
 
Amen on that one mate.
Finally got the female elves done. And yes I am working at a 1000x912 scale dimensions before shrinking everything down to their proper size.
Great!
What program have you made the 'models' with? When I tried, I made mine in Daz Studio, but as I mentioned, I had a hard time posing the character to fit the equipment. I guess I could as well had done as you do and edited the equipment to fit the model. This would actually be a fun project, but also one of those that would take a very long time! I do have lots of clothing assets that I could render on my model and cut them out to fit every clothing/weapon/armour etc. It would be a lot easier considering that I can simply just equip the character with the item and render it. Would still need some post-work though.
This is how my paperdoll looked. Now I want to try this again! :cool:
Gump02_grey_empty_transparent.png
Btw, I'm just now slowly but surely testing out the 1.5 version of your rendered sprites and not only are things turning out well on my end, but I even went ahead and replaced some of the ingame chairs for example with some of yours and they look absolutely incredible.
Great! :D
If I knew how to set it up, I would try running my own shard with all of the sprites I've made, but there are so many aspects of it that I don't understand. One thing is to set up the server. I've done that. And getting the items into the client, I can do as well. I can also replace the current art, but when it comes to adding custom items, I'm at a loss. Also having other people connect to my shard, I have no clue as to how. So, I guess it's better just letting you guys do the testing.
 
Great!
What program have you made the 'models' with? When I tried, I made mine in Daz Studio, but as I mentioned, I had a hard time posing the character to fit the equipment. I guess I could as well had done as you do and edited the equipment to fit the model. This would actually be a fun project, but also one of those that would take a very long time! I do have lots of clothing assets that I could render on my model and cut them out to fit every clothing/weapon/armour etc. It would be a lot easier considering that I can simply just equip the character with the item and render it. Would still need some post-work though.
This is how my paperdoll looked. Now I want to try this again! :cool:
View attachment 20409

Great! :D
If I knew how to set it up, I would try running my own shard with all of the sprites I've made, but there are so many aspects of it that I don't understand. One thing is to set up the server. I've done that. And getting the items into the client, I can do as well. I can also replace the current art, but when it comes to adding custom items, I'm at a loss. Also having other people connect to my shard, I have no clue as to how. So, I guess it's better just letting you guys do the testing.
Nice work mate. Honestly if you wanna know, this is where *hmm* 18+ image hosting sites really come in handle. Of course I've been going down this rabbit hole since I was about 12 way back in the early 2000s, so it was only a matter of time before I eventually stumbled upon this fork in the road. Also I've been using Gimp this whole time.
 
Nice work mate. Honestly if you wanna know, this is where *hmm* 18+ image hosting sites really come in handle. Of course I've been going down this rabbit hole since I was about 12 way back in the early 2000s, so it was only a matter of time before I eventually stumbled upon this fork in the road. Also I've been using Gimp this whole time.
Interesting. lol
I wouldn't think you could find stuff like that on adult sites. But then again, it's the internet. Everything is there. :p
 
Interesting. lol
I wouldn't think you could find stuff like that on adult sites. But then again, it's the internet. Everything is there. :p
Including thicc aussies posing in rooms full of vintage action figures, no I am not making this up. Shit's fucking crazy man.
But in all seriousness though, this is probably one of those rare projects where despite how much progress I end up making on it, I still wanna see how far I can really push the capabilities of this game. Talk about the ultimate sandbox experience where essentially the only limitations are your imagination. And technical drawbacks, but hey you'd be surprised at even what I was able to pull off this game script wise. Two quests (though simple fetch and return types) do both include their own respective chase sequences where enemies just keep spawning after the player (fast as fuck) just until they've completed that particular objective. I love this game.
 
Including thicc aussies posing in rooms full of vintage action figures, no I am not making this up. Shit's fucking crazy man.
But in all seriousness though, this is probably one of those rare projects where despite how much progress I end up making on it, I still wanna see how far I can really push the capabilities of this game. Talk about the ultimate sandbox experience where essentially the only limitations are your imagination. And technical drawbacks, but hey you'd be surprised at even what I was able to pull off this game script wise. Two quests (though simple fetch and return types) do both include their own respective chase sequences where enemies just keep spawning after the player (fast as fuck) just until they've completed that particular objective. I love this game.

I must say that I admire your persistence! And yeah, the UO client is very customizable, I agree. I've seen some pretty nice stuff done with the client. It's great!
 
I must say that I admire your persistence! And yeah, the UO client is very customizable, I agree. I've seen some pretty nice stuff done with the client. It's great!
And the fact that half the talent I've seen on free shards compared to official EA servers even to this day still boggles my mind, but eh oh well. I suppose it is what it is.
 
Vrark updated Rendered sprites with a new update entry:

New render style

I know I've been silent with this project for a very long time, and one of the reasons is that I've been trying to figure out how to change the style of the renders, as I wasn't really happy with the way most of the sprites looked. They were sort of lacking details.
The way I used to do the whole process was that I exported the scene with the object from Daz Studio to Blender as a DAE file, and then importing that into Blender. For some reason some of the texture details got lost. I have a...

Read the rest of this update entry...
 
This new rendering style really matches the look and feel of UO! Amazing job.

Do you think there is a way to automate the whole generation process and batch re-generate? I don't know much about the graphical software you used, but maybe it's something to consider.
 
This new rendering style really matches the look and feel of UO! Amazing job.

Do you think there is a way to automate the whole generation process and batch re-generate? I don't know much about the graphical software you used, but maybe it's something to consider.
Thank you!
I don’t think it’s possible to automate the process, I’m afraid. But I kind of enjoy doing it, so I don’t mind. :)
I think the worst part is the processing in Photoshop after the rendering is done. I guess I could have other people help with that.
 
I ask because I recently played with Python and image manipulation. I did a simple script modifying a paperdoll gump. It removes the extra black spaces, detecting automatically the overall box size of a gump and then resizes and rotate 45 degrees to create the art tile of the item.

It's a very simple use case, but OpenCV is quite powerful so if the transformation you use in Photoshop are not too different, it may be possible!

When you have time, maybe you can give an image of before and after Photoshop and explain what you do in Photoshop briefly? I can look into it.
 
I ask because I recently played with Python and image manipulation. I did a simple script modifying a paperdoll gump. It removes the extra black spaces, detecting automatically the overall box size of a gump and then resizes and rotate 45 degrees to create the art tile of the item.

It's a very simple use case, but OpenCV is quite powerful so if the transformation you use in Photoshop are not too different, it may be possible!

When you have time, maybe you can give an image of before and after Photoshop and explain what you do in Photoshop briefly? I can look into it.
Oh, that’s rather interesting!
The way I process the sprites is actually quite simple. Someone on here kindly shared a grid that matches the isometric graphics of UO, so I have that in a Photoshop document with a turned off black layer on top of it. I then just drop the rendered PNG onto that document, try to fit it to the grid, crop it, turn on the black layer, then flatten the layers, and saving the sprite as a BMP file. It just takes a while, because some sprites like chairs has four versions - one facing each direction. On top of that, I also have to check every single sprite in Fiddler to make sure there are no transparent pixels.
And since I’m doing it all manyally, I’m not sure it would be possible to automate it. Though that would indeed be great!
 
Well if you want, drop a PNG (the before) and a BMP (the after). I'll see if I can work something out or not...I find this kind of stuff fun. If the input is always in the same kind of view, the output is as well so it should be possible to determine a fixed transformation to apply to all sprites.
 
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