Halo 3 Fuel Rod Gun

I searched the forums and the internet several years ago trying to find a decent model of the fuel rod gun, and found 2 models, one of which had no download link and the other was surrounded in controversy as it had been stolen from another user. Either way, neither were completely game accurate and there no longer seem to be any easily accessible downloads for them.

Which brings me on to the topic of this post; I found a pre-extracted directory of all Halo 3's in game files, and managed to import the Halo 3 object into Pepakura Designer:



The main difference is the curvature of the actual model is far more even, and the upper "arches" have a great deal more thickness to them. Interestingly, the design is actually asymmetric.

For reference, here are images of the other 2 models. One has indented details that are absent on the actual model, presumably because they were actually bump mapped rather than actually being part of the wire frame.



Several questions I'd like to ask the community are:

1. Is there still a demand for this file (I remember it was actually my favourite Halo 3 weapon), since unfolding it will be a timely process?
2. Are there any rules in place against using the actual in game models, provided we don't take credit for them?
3. Will there be any problems with the unfold/build process in its current state (I remember reading up on how pep favours quads over triangles, but it already seems to be that most of the polygons were converted to quads during the import process)
4. What was the original gun's length? The new FRG is 1302mm, but I assume the Halo 3 variant was slightly different.

Shadow Of Intent said:

1. Is there still a demand for this file (I remember it was actually my favourite Halo 3 weapon), since unfolding it will be a timely process?

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I'm sure somebody, somewhere, would enjoy using the file. Maybe not immediately, but certainly at some point.

Shadow Of Intent said:

2. Are there any rules in place against using the actual in game models, provided we don't take credit for them?

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Use them freely, just be sure to credit where they came from.

Shadow Of Intent said:

3. Will there be any problems with the unfold/build process in its current state (I remember reading up on how pep favours quads over triangles, but it already seems to be that most of the polygons were converted to quads during the import process)

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The model will be raw and have a lot of unresolved triangles - Blender has a 'resolve tris into quads' function, you may want to look into it.

Shadow Of Intent said:

4. What was the original gun's length? The new FRG is 1302mm, but I assume the Halo 3 variant was slightly different.

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I'm sure some measurements could be drawn up.

well I make fuel rods and I've had a few ask me to build them so yeah people would dig the big banana for a con, by the way its only the reach ones I had so this one would be on a wish list onlt thing is it doesn't slide open like the reach one which is odd unless it was suppose to but they couldn't do the animation in time.

Chernobyl said:

The model will be raw and have a lot of unresolved triangles - Blender has a 'resolve tris into quads' function, you may want to look into it.

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Just had a go at cleaning it up in Blender, I've never used it before, but I managed to get it to convert a fair amount of the tris into quads, and re-import into pep designer.

I also found out why the 3DS max import wasn't displaying textures properly, so I'm also going to try and include those in the pep file.

And annoyingly, while I don't have my xbox on hand to check, it looks like the model should be a mirror image of itself. My best guess is that the model is based on the one where your character holds it, rather than the model you see when other people are holding it, or when it's on the ground, as such, this particular model is missing a lot of details from the side you can't see, so I'll have to find a way to split and mirror it first.

Shadow Of Intent said:

Just had a go at cleaning it up in Blender, I've never used it before, but I managed to get it to convert a fair amount of the tris into quads, and re-import into pep designer.

I also found out why the 3DS max import wasn't displaying textures properly, so I'm also going to try and include those in the pep file.

And annoyingly, while I don't have my xbox on hand to check, it looks like the model should be a mirror image of itself. My best guess is that the model is based on the one where your character holds it, rather than the model you see when other people are holding it, or when it's on the ground, as such, this particular model is missing a lot of details from the side you can't see, so I'll have to find a way to split and mirror it first.

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Ah, I see your issue. You're using an fp_model - first person models tend to be very high-quality on the side facing the user, but not so much elsewhere. It's entirely possible to split the model in half, duplicate and flip the half you want, and then weld the two pieces back together - it should be a five-minute job. Otherwise, I do believe there's a copy of the Fuel Rod Gun in the OBJ Files section of the Halo 3 File Archive - if there isn't, please let me know and I'll get you a copy as soon as I'm able, including the relevant textures.

If I'd hazard a guess at where you got the file from... yeah. Decent if you want to use the model in a game, but useless for prop-making.

Chernobyl said:

Ah, I see your issue. You're using an fp_model - first person models tend to be very high-quality on the side facing the user, but not so much elsewhere. It's entirely possible to split the model in half, duplicate and flip the half you want, and then weld the two pieces back together - it should be a five-minute job. Otherwise, I do believe there's a copy of the Fuel Rod Gun in the OBJ Files section of the Halo 3 File Archive - if there isn't, please let me know and I'll get you a copy as soon as I'm able, including the relevant textures.

If I'd hazard a guess at where you got the file from... yeah. Decent if you want to use the model in a game, but useless for prop-making.

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It was in a 1GB compilation of zipped files I downloaded from the halomaps.org forum. I assume you mean it's useless beacuse it'd be ridiculously HD, but I've seen some pretty decent pep models made directly from HD game rips

I'm still very rusty with my 3D program knowledge, but I managed to mirror the model, then go through the blender import process again and convert tris to quads with a 40° tolerance. While there appears to be no way for Pep designer to use the textures from .obj, .dae, .dxf, .3ds or any of the compatible formats, I used an online conversion tool to turn the included .dds image into a .png, which Pep designer had no problem ammending to the model. Unfortunately converting the tris to quads in blender alters the way the UVW map chooses to position the textures, so in a few areas the textures look a bit twisted. I've worked with non-quad pep files before and I've not had any problem with them; is it just that the doubling of most faces makes it slightly harder to select the correct split lines when unfolding?

Anyway, here's a picture of the pdo in quad format, mirrored and with textures applied:

Okay, it took most of last night and some of this morning, but it's finally unfolded.
Most of the structure is a contiguous hollow cavity, but there are a fair few pieces which intersect with others, or have no tabs (Handle, trigger, the rivet-like domes, barrel,, barrel joints [laser sights?] and a few more)
Some of these should be possible to make separately and glue back to back with another piece, because they barely intersect, and the faces are at the same angle, others like the barrel, I was intending to replace with something like PVC tube anyway. While not perfect, it should be somewhat easier to deal wit these errors than the intersecting pieces on the Gravity Hammer I made.

The fuel rods themselves I've left at the end, because it would practically be sacrilegious not to make them from clear acrylic with green LEDs in them!

Download link here

I have a high poly model ill propbably never use. could you use that?

nintendstroid said:

I have a high poly model ill propbably never use. could you use that?

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Would your high ploly modle be worth spring out on a 3d printer ?

yes it would be enough detail and ist pretty smooth.
but its a biggie

nintendstroid said:

yes it would be enough detail and ist pretty smooth.
but its a biggie

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that gun is always a biggie because it stick out a good foot behind your head when shouldered.

Shadow of intent (love the username BTW) can you send me the raw model? I might have a go at making it 3D print-ready.

P.S. My e-mail is quickspartan221@gmail.com (cheesy right?)