Planning on making fish.

Whiterabbit · 06-27-2002, 01:08 AM

Hello everyone. This is my First post. I just recently got Aquarium and all I can say is wow. I also saw how Jim makes the fish and I have Lightwave 7. I was wondering if anyone knew where I can get UVMesh. Thanks!

CephaloP · 06-27-2002, 07:07 PM

This is something I've been thinking about for a while too. I think Jim once said that he spends relatively little time, a few days even, making each fish, and most of the time is getting everything else working. Would it really be that hard to make our own fish if we had the programs? And would there be copyright issues over it, i.e. we'd have to keep 'em to ourselves and not distribute them?

feldon34 · 06-27-2002, 07:23 PM

We've had several discussions about this in the past, including a discussion over the Russian versions of the Aquarium, which have really ugly fish or freshwater species native to Russia.

The tools to make your own fish are not hard to find, the fish are modeled in Lightwave, texture mapped in UVMesh, and handled with PolyTran. Everything is created with standard Direct3D constructs. The fish textures are 128 x 64 or 128 x 128 pixels.

I think a pack of 5-10 fish right now would help take the pressure off Jim, but so far he has expressed strong disinterest.

Soon after I first got involved in the Aquarium, in spring 2001, I started suggesting to Jim a developer's kit with a stripped down version of the Aquarium with no coral and the ability to load an external fish file. It would come with the source files for the Yellow Tang. People could make their own fish and send it to Jim. If he likes the fish, he'd include it. Obviously a good license agreement would have to be written.

We can talk theoreticals all day, but so far, Jim has asked me to keep discussions about actually editing the fish or in any way modifying his artwork off this forum. So I will respect those wishes.

Keeping the proverbial can of spray paint away from his Mona Lisa.

IXNAY · 06-28-2002, 06:23 AM

Sounds cool Morgan, it could help Jim a lot

feldon34 · 06-28-2002, 12:04 PM

I'll have to practice my snowball throwing.

Digital Lungfish · 07-01-2002, 01:10 AM

I think a pack of 5-10 fish right now would help take the pressure off Jim, but so far he has expressed strong disinterest.

Morgan,

I can totally respect why Jim wants to avoid discussions about other people wanting to edit his work or making their own fish to add to the aquarium, he's an artist and it's his canvas.

However.....

Jim,

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on why you've expressed disineterest in a 5-10 fish pack. It doesn't even have to be that much really. You could do something a little more simple, by tossing us a bone (a single new fish) every couple of months or so. It would really help to fill in the dead time between new version releases, the 3D background, and the freshwater version. Or would creating a single new fish every 2 months really eat up a lot of your time? Just curious...

IXNAY · 07-01-2002, 12:09 PM

Yeah digital Lungfieh, I waiting soooooo for the freshwater aquarium

06-27-2002, 01:08 AM	#1
Whiterabbit Registered Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 1	Planning on making fish. Hello everyone. This is my First post. I just recently got Aquarium and all I can say is wow. I also saw how Jim makes the fish and I have Lightwave 7. I was wondering if anyone knew where I can get UVMesh. Thanks!

06-27-2002, 07:23 PM	#3
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	We've had several discussions about this in the past, including a discussion over the Russian versions of the Aquarium, which have really ugly fish or freshwater species native to Russia. The tools to make your own fish are not hard to find, the fish are modeled in Lightwave, texture mapped in UVMesh, and handled with PolyTran. Everything is created with standard Direct3D constructs. The fish textures are 128 x 64 or 128 x 128 pixels. I think a pack of 5-10 fish right now would help take the pressure off Jim, but so far he has expressed strong disinterest. Soon after I first got involved in the Aquarium, in spring 2001, I started suggesting to Jim a developer's kit with a stripped down version of the Aquarium with no coral and the ability to load an external fish file. It would come with the source files for the Yellow Tang. People could make their own fish and send it to Jim. If he likes the fish, he'd include it. Obviously a good license agreement would have to be written. We can talk theoreticals all day, but so far, Jim has asked me to keep discussions about actually editing the fish or in any way modifying his artwork off this forum. So I will respect those wishes. Keeping the proverbial can of spray paint away from his Mona Lisa. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 06-27-2002 at 09:18 PM.

06-28-2002, 06:23 AM	#4
IXNAY Green Frog Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 840	Sounds cool Morgan, it could help Jim a lot IXNAY dreaming of the serene terrarium - My Private Homepage -

06-28-2002, 12:04 PM	#5
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	I'll have to practice my snowball throwing. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

07-01-2002, 01:10 AM	#6
Digital Lungfish Obey the toad! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 2,557	I think a pack of 5-10 fish right now would help take the pressure off Jim, but so far he has expressed strong disinterest. Morgan, I can totally respect why Jim wants to avoid discussions about other people wanting to edit his work or making their own fish to add to the aquarium, he's an artist and it's his canvas. However..... Jim, I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on why you've expressed disineterest in a 5-10 fish pack. It doesn't even have to be that much really. You could do something a little more simple, by tossing us a bone (a single new fish) every couple of months or so. It would really help to fill in the dead time between new version releases, the 3D background, and the freshwater version. Or would creating a single new fish every 2 months really eat up a lot of your time? Just curious... Steve www.tron-sector.com - www.badcartridge.com - www.classicgaming.com - www.dinofish.com Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday...

06-27-2002, 07:07 PM	#2
CephaloP lurking in the shadows... Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: just a few paces south o' the old willow Posts: 151	This is something I've been thinking about for a while too. I think Jim once said that he spends relatively little time, a few days even, making each fish, and most of the time is getting everything else working. Would it really be that hard to make our own fish if we had the programs? And would there be copyright issues over it, i.e. we'd have to keep 'em to ourselves and not distribute them?

07-01-2002, 12:09 PM	#7
IXNAY Green Frog Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 840	Yeah digital Lungfieh, I waiting soooooo for the freshwater aquarium IXNAY dreaming of the serene terrarium - My Private Homepage -