I was rolling around with a squad earlier today, and someone had the greatest idea ever. Christmas light lumifiber. I realize it's entirely too late to submit holiday items, but I figured it could probably be put on hold for next year, or possibly even released as a non-holiday item(they aren't specifically christmas-y after all). What do you guys think? http://p3d.in/OwLqM
Pretty darn clever, but for the best effect, I'd take a closer look at placement so that the majority of other cosmetics, equipment, and the actual sunderer functions don't impede the lights. I think the back sides are okay, as just by eyeballing it should avoid things like the ammo resupply attachment; same with the front and front sides, but the part strung over the rear can get covered by certain cosmetics, and the middle bits are right on a panel that swings up to give access to the terminal when deployed. Not sure how well that'll interact.
I did play around with attachments in the VR before deciding on the placement. The fenders, windshield, shouldn't interfere with anything. The rear side panel strips would be behind the ammo/repair holographic signs, but I don't imagine that will be a problem. The bits on the side deployable panels should be able to just be rigged to move with it(the lumifiber in game already does this). I will admit, I neglected to check the cosmetic attachments. The string along the back wont work, because there are cosmetics that cover the entire back hatch. I might try to scrap that part all together, and maybe use the polys to make wire for the lights to hang from.
Update: Reworked it a bit, to avoid any and all clipping. Also, I think I'm going to call these "Party Lights" to make it a bit more politically correct, and a bit less holiday specific. 3D Preview: http://p3d.in/InhEp
I wouldnt light up the lines. From a distance (and even more so up close I bet) it looks a lot more belivable. Question is. How does this look close up in daylight? Sundies are one of the few vehicles that a lot of ppl see upclose a lot so something that looks flat and unattractive might not fly (I think that's why the camo netting got declined?)
That's a fair point about up close detail. That's kinda why I wanted to add lines tho. Looking at the first attempt up close, the lights are just kinda floating there, and they felt like they needed to be attached to something. I suppose I could make them skinnier, and set up the UVs so they won't blink/strobe with the lights. it's hard to get an idea of what they will actually look like in game without having the lumifiber material to render with. Admittedly, the lights are a bit flat. I could try reworking them to give them a bit more depth(this would also give me 1 extra triangle for every light, to smooth the lines out a bit more).
I personally think this would work better as a cosmetic then lumifiber. The flat appearance of the lights and the strings being the same color makes it look odd up close.
Did a few tweaks and submitted it. Status: On Hold... so I guess next holiday season if everything goes well. Thanks for the feedback guys.
