BayDoor Problems
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i have no idea, lod ranges perhaps?
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@cheese: There aren’t any seperate LOD ranges on BayDoors, are there?
@BJ: No, that isn’t the problem (I know this primarily from the fact that I’ve already done as you said). The doors disappear even if they’re closed and I’m in turret mode and I raise the camera too hight.
MK
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- Does your model have LOD meshes for other components? (hull, wings, etc) -meshname.3db \MultiLevel \Level(0,1,2,3)
- If it does, do your baydoors also have entries? They’re probably just a basic box, but if there is only a Level0 entry, perhaps that’s what’s causing the prob?
If that’s the case, you should be able to drag-copy the baydoor.3db’s Level0, rename to Level1, then export its VMeshRef and hex edit the referencing CRC hex value to point to its respective .lodx.vms entry in VMeshLibrary.
'bout all I came up with :-X
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A couple of pointers come to mind, I’m not good at modelling so I’m not suggesting I know the answers…
But…
1. Is your model absolutely centered in MilkShape, facing upwards in top view and right way up in left/front views? It should be. I found importing from other modelling programs sets the model pointing into the ground, upside down, or other weird orientations that need to be corrected.
2. Did you export it Upside Down? I never use it, Back To Front is the norm for ships in plain FL models and this is what I do.
3. Did you make the textures square (i.e. 512 x 512 x24bpp or 1024 x 1024 x 24bpp) and in DDS DXT3 format? If .tga then they could be misaligned on the bay doors.
4. Is the UV Mapping correct on the bay doors? i.e. applied to the outside skin, and sized correctly?
5. Normals reflect light, right? Could they be misaligned? I seem to remember that Optimising the model in LithUnwrap and re-importing it into MilkShape and then Face… Smooth All will fix this type of problem?
6. Could it be simply that the bay doors alone are not smoothed, which will align their Normals?
7. Auto Smooth should be Off when opening or importing the model in MilkShape, or it will mess up textures.
8. If the bounding box info is incorrect this may cause bits of the model to disappear at certain angles, FL Model Tool will show the difference. Wasn’t this type of problem fixed by opening the ship’s .cmp file in FL Model Tool and immediately saving it again as the bounding box info is calculated automatically when the .cmp is opened?
Apologies if this is just clutching at straws.
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Stop using CAD programs, stick to 3d modellers that were built to work with game engines, ie Y axis is vertical rather than the CAD’s vertical Z axis.
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Iirc upside down was how it was done back in the early days.
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DXT1 only unless your f’ing around with alpha channels, using DXT3 or 5 without doing alpha work leaves you with a dead alpha channel in your texture ie a waste of time and RAM.
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Correct, DXT1 - I seem to have DXT3 on the brain.
Never used CAD programs for modelling - but importing several 3DS Max models had them pointing into the ground.
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StarTrader, your ‘clutching at straws’ turned out to be sheer genius. Resizing the model with FLModelTool solved the problem, though I had to edit it some to get everything to show up correctly in the wireframe. I’ve just noticed a wireframe error (I was fixing a mistake I made by combining two groups with different textures into one, and the correction altered the vertex order, and thus, the wireframe), and I know that the SURs for the destroyed components don’t work (I’ve tested my method, it doesn’t work, but then again, nothing I seem to do does), but they’re too small to make a difference. I’ll cook up a test mod around the files BJ sent me and send it to anyone who wants it, either to pick it apart, use it in their mod, or just for kicks. Should be a few hours, though.
MK
edit It is finished. If anyone wants it, just say so and tell me where to send it. I’d like feedback, but it isn’t strictly necessary.
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Glad it gave you inspiration to fix the problem Mk.
I think Jong is using a web translator from Chinese!
So we need to forgive (or try to guess the meaning behind) the occasional mistake, after all my Chinese is nil!
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Sorry for my poor English. :-[
I mean is that, about your above info of tool, may you can send it to me ?
Jong, don’t apologise my friend. You put many of us to shame, who do not know other languages except our own. We are the ones who should apologise. We have a habit of making jokes when we should not.
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Sorry for my poor English. :-[
I mean is that, about your above info of tool, may you can send it to me ?
Jong, don’t apologise my friend. You put many of us to shame, who do not know other languages except our own. We are the ones who should apologise. We have a habit of making jokes when we should not.
@MK :
Yes, I’m need the new UTF editor, not your offering, sorry. :-[
Thanks ST, now I’m feel better, sorry for that interrupt your discussion.
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Sorry for being bumpy, but…
mk, is your generous offer of the modified-to-perfection hellhound still standing?
If so, I am (more than:p) interested. My e-mail is bbalazsmail (at) freemail.hu - of course, if you wish, I can try and give something else in return.
