CMP to SUR Conversion Tests
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FWIW, I’ve put up one more final revision of my Sur Dumper. Fixes a bug where ScaleZ was output using ScaleY’s value; displays the scale values as decimal fractions; and adds an option to prefix relevant lines with the file offset.
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Thank you again Adoxa.
By the way, all I see in the video is the sur being drawn in about 1.5 secs, there is no lair shape - is that correct or is there more I can’t see?
Waiting with 'bated breath for the sur generator, Lancer!
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**You should see it being built then then the background turns blue and the model rotates.
The model is nomad_lair.cmp in solar/dockable**
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How are you getting along with it, LS?
We could really use the SUR LODs, having highly complex surs when near, but having more simple surs when far away.
Seeing that you have a good understanding of the file structure, could you build some sort of sur-builder where you simply pass in geometry to be used for the different sur-lods and other parts of the sur file format?
That would be really great.
While a simple cmp to sur converter is cool, I think in most cases it would have the problem of producing too complex surs.
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Odd, it builds and stops and returns to zero without turning blue or rotating. I see only the sur wireframe being built. I’m using firefox.
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**Here is a link, right click and save target to ur hd. Then u can play it in media player.
http://digitalbrilliance.org/Files/ConvexHull.wmv
Wodka, actually that is the way I test the program atm. I simply export the VMeshData to my hd and parse the vertices out of it. Convex hull generation is inherently a mesh reduction type of mesh builder. I am also going to look into error tolerance mesh reduction for sur lod levels if the bits stuff turns out to be that. The test program for the convex hull atm doesn’t care where the vertices come from as long as the format is vertex = x,y,z. It also supports mesh parts as well but that is for testing only at this time. I am considering just making it a small seperate program for the time being until the sur stuff is completely bug fixed…**
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Lancer, you say vertex = x,y,z … sounds similar to .obj format, do you mean it will be possible to use .obj meshes to generate a sur file?
If so that could be a good thing too, as .obj is a simple text format, it would then be possible to generate from 3ds Max and other modellers too, only needing to export the .cmp from Milkshape?
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Concievably any mesh format can be used. Only the vertices are needed to build the convex model which every mesh format contains.
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StarTrader is still chomping at the bit waiting for the beta…
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**I got the convex hull stuff pretty much working ALMOST perfectly. As the code is now I am going to go ahead and start building the sur conversion routines with it. It isn’t absolutely perfect since some models seem to cause it to make way too many faces. It’s usually only happens on really high poly count models. So far out of about 30 models only 2 have caused problems. I will have a 3D preview mode so you can abort making the sur if it screws up. Hehe, I just learned how to make them so I am still a bit of a novice at it.
As it stands I will make it make a convex root sur starting out for the first release. Then I will add in the ability to create all of the sub-sur parts including the main root sur. Your just going to have to bear with me as I still have to figure out how all of the sub-bits sections work together, until I do the hull collisions won’t even work at all for the sub-parts of the meshes. I am also looking into mesh partitioning for meshes with holes in them (IE tradelanes) so if you are wanting it for that it won’t work as is. It currently covers over the tradelane rings completely which would render them impossible to enter into.
For those of you making your model as a single part model, don’t even bother trying this software. It will simply cover the entire thing with a single sur file, nothing more at this point. This is NOT a replacement for custom sur files, it is a general purpose tool for those of us who want a form fitting convex hull without the hassle of building a sur-splitter file layout. If you do split your model into multiple pieces, it should work really well for you once I get the sub-part builder going good. I am a big fan of multi-part meshes, it just makes more sense to me and it makes the models easier to edit later on…**
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When exporting from Milkshape you can make it multi-part mesh, up to 18 parts. If it’s exported as a single part it will simply cover the entire model as a single sur map. I have not delved into Delaney triangulation yet which would yield per face triangulation.
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Reason i ask is there a loads of custom models saved as having only 1 group. Would those now have to be resaved as an 18 part group models? If that’s the case, this utility won’t work with nearly all custom ships as they are all saved as 1 group. Or am i missing something?
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Commonly I save all of my models as multi-part meshes based on the textures. Send me one of the single mesh models and I will let ya know if it will work properly…
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Well my models are all multi-part, the smallest are at least 3 groups (hull, left wing, right wing) and many are 4+ groups.
We just need surs that register hits and collisions and don’t crash FL, especially when the factions are all using only custom ships and only custom surs, which is when sur crashes are most likely to happen as is happening in my mod at present.
Lancer as you know the way to test your utility is to make it produce a sur for a plain FL ship that is as near to identical to the original sur as possible.
That gets complex, with the duplicate sur parts we have seen and yet more duplicates to cover wing+weapon for each side.
And that will delay your project too long for me, my virtual sur beard is already 3 feet long, white and VERY wispy!
I want your sur generator as soon as possible!
I want it, I want it, I WANT IT! TRUST ME, I WANT IT!
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**Hehe, gonna take a bit more time. I have already started to project up today and I’m making it a separate utility. It is going to take a bit of work to yank the relevant code out of my test program and the cmp editor to put into it. So don’t get your beard stuck in your keyboard, hopefully it should be soon
Thanks for the test model Gibbon.
By the way, I got a pair of scissors if you need 'em hehe**
