Q: Do you create your textures yourself or where do you get them?
A: I usually don't create the textures myself but use free textures I've found on the web. There is no single source though; I've collected my textures over a long time and from a lot of sources. I don't have links for all the places where I've got my stuff, but here are some:
http://www.texturemaker.com/gallery/index.htmhttp://textures.boom.ru/main_e.htmQ: What about the bumpmaps?
A: I usually create my bumpmaps myself. Very few textures you can download comes with a bumpmap. There's no general way to create a bumpmap directly from a regular texture though, but a good start is to split the texture into CMYK or HSL channels and go from there. Or simply paint right over the original texture (quite time-consuming).
Q: What is the .hmdl file format?
A: It's my own simple model format (short for Humus Model). It contains raw vertex arrays and some simple formatting info. Its structure is very simple. Look into the Model.cpp file in
Framework2.zip for loading code.
Q: What tools are you using for maps and models?
A: Mainly UnrealEd for maps. I then export the map to .t3d format, and use my own code to convert it to .hmdl format. Other models are either created in Maya or free stuff I've found on the net.
Q: How do you create the cubemap textures?
A: They are created by stitching together a number of photographs in Realviz Stitcher. Normally I use an SLR camera with a fisheye lens which allows me to capture the entire environment with just 5 pictures. Occasionally I use a standard rectilinear lens, but that requires a lot more pictures (34 pictures at 18mm), but on the other hand gives higher resolution. For better results I use a tripod and a panorama head. Once I've rendered the cube faces I use Photoshop to eliminate any stitching errors there might be and remove the tripod from the down face.