.obj -> .sur converter

I’ve a problem with you tool, I open a cmp to obj model, I say 15 use convex hull,… I click go and the tool says invalid file name.
vulkorasdesolator.obj is the file name, what can I do.

there shouldn’t be any error if the file exists with exactly that name and if its truly a obj file and not just something with an “obj” extension.

Wow! You think I’m so idiot… ( No of cours, I’m kiding) I export at wavefront obj exporter, so it can’t be aan error from me, I will test somthing els to solve that.

StarTrader wrote:
Schmackbolzen:

Very good results so far. Here’s my Avioki capital ship in space dock, with a new sur I can fly through all the gaps including the rear boom “nugget”, and collide with all body parts as it should. I was unable to fly through any body surface.

Good work, thanks.

Looking forward to the next step.

can you detail how your cmp is done please ?
multipart ? exported with the 0.21 or 0.3 exporter ?

no offense, m8
its just obvious something’s wrong either with the naming or with the direction or with the file itself. it would work otherwise, wouldn’t it? you’ll get it, for sure.

It works, just an error of manipulation.

Freestalker means it was “Finger Trouble” - we all get it.

Hi Mirkha. It’s multi-part, 23 groups. I’ve attached it for you and anyone else who wants to see it, with its new sur and the .mat file.

The “nugget” ( actually I should call it “doughnut” ) is made in 4 parts - top, bottom and 2 sides. I could have made it in 6 or 8 parts to be more form-fitting, but it’s good enough.

Ya, I was able to do something similar with a ship in FW:ToW. My only concern was the shield bubble. Is there any way to remove that or make it form fitting?

Otherwise, it’s a fabulous tool!

Really? Then what’s the shape surrounding ST’s model? I see the form fitting sur but there’s a larger all encompassing part of the .sur.

Schmackbolzen wrote:

If you view the converted geometry there is always a convex hull around everything! This is needed for collision detection and you will not collide with it!

w0dk4 wrote:

Schmackbolzen wrote:

If you view the converted geometry there is always a convex hull around everything! This is needed for collision detection and you will not collide with it!

OH! I didn’t get that. Good to know

This is what we called the “Shrink wrap” - Sur explorter does this, and it is present in the vanilla surs for warships. Only fighters have the shield bubble.

When we export the sur parts to use with sur splicer, there is no “shrink wrap” around the ship at all.

I don’t know if this “no shrink wrap” is needed for anything? Bases or scenery for example?

StarTrader wrote:
This is what we called the “Shrink wrap” - Sur explorter does this, and it is present in the vanilla surs for warships. Only fighters have the shield bubble.

When we export the sur parts to use with sur splicer, there is no “shrink wrap” around the ship at all.

I don’t know if this “no shrink wrap” is needed for anything? Bases or scenery for example?

Apparently it’s quite important in first level collision detection, from what w0dk4 was telling me.

Anywho, this program is incredible

The surs we have been making until now are only faulty because they have had no hpids. Otherwise they work well without the shrink-wrap.

This is one “why?” that I have not yet understood.

When we use Sur Splicer to make surs, there is no shield bubble and no shrink wrap either, yet those surs work well for collisions and hits too.

So - should we always have a shrink wrap on large models, or are there vanilla models of anything (bases, scenery, other?) that must be made with no shrink wrap?

Furthermore, what’s the point of the shield bubble? Shield hit detection relies on another SUR, doesn’t it? So then why do fighters have them at all?

Also, does/will the converter do shield bubbles?

One thing to note, and something that bothers me; when loading a SUR made by the converter into HardCMP editor, the editor crashes. That’s kinda annoying, and the editor doesn’t crash when loading SURs made from MilkShape’s SUR Exporter.

Too bad we dont have the source for HardCMP, but thank god the new UTF editor will soon replace it.

I also wonder about the shield bubbles though.

Regarding shrink-wraps, I think every vanilla ship is shrink-wrapped even if it has a shield bubble.

mknote wrote:
Furthermore, what’s the point of the shield bubble? Shield hit detection relies on another SUR, doesn’t it? So then why do fighters have them at all?

Also, does/will the converter do shield bubbles?

Shield bubbles are just for your eye, details. If your shield is online the hit detection will use this shield bubble. No hit will reach your ship, it will hit the bubble far around the ship.
But you don’t realy need this, like I sad: just a detail.

The sur converter won’t create shield bubbles. And one point for you: shield bubbles are using extra surfiles (they are defined in select_equip). These bubbles are represented by a 3db file without visible geometrie and just a HpConnect Point.

It would be logical for the shrinkwrap to be used as a “second-level collision hitbox”. That is to say, the game would check for hit detection in three increasingly costly steps:

1. Bounding boxes/spheres; very quick and efficient.
2. Shrinkwrap, simplified and convex polygonal model.
3. Full SUR, concave and complex.

It’d only reach (3) if both (1) and (2) register a hit. Without a shrinkwrap, it has to go straight from (1) to (3), which can be costly if the SUR has lots of small bumps and details or openings. I’m guessing it might even use different algorithms (read: faster for the former) for shrinkwrap and full SUR, since the former can be assumed to be convex.

Thus, shrinkwrap is not essential, but helps with performance. I think Sushi’s current tests have been conclusive on that matter.