I thought this would be of interest to modders considering making an animated ship model (like me with the Babylon5 mod) with moving parts or sections.
Since I use 3DSmax and cannot export a mesh to the TXT format I have played about with existing models in the game. In this example I have :
- based the experiment on the Pirate Cutthroat, which in my case replaces the TEC Cobalt Frigate.
- replace the 2D flag, with the 3D Pirate Skull mesh (seen on the Pirate base)
- removed unneccassary particle effects
- adjusted the rotational speed on the skull mesh
- used a transform matrix to move the axis of rotation in line with the ship's z axis
- moved the skull to the center of the ship mesh
http://rapidshare.com/files/102030373/animated_ship_mesh.wmv.html
I think you will agree there is great potential in this method when you consider the mesh that makes up the skull could easily be a secondary part of the ship model.