CMPs with over 18 parts

Balázs;

You wrote the model contains 70 groups in milkshape. How many textures (materials) does the model have?

I’ve done models with upwards of 1000 groups in 3ds Max. With the new exporter, it wasn’t an issue.

As for the .sur file, that’s a bit more complicated. It is a known issue that not all portions of ships will register hits.

I see.
I also have a couple of ships’ surs around 100 parts but I make my surs in milkshape so I’m by no means an expert on this 3ds sur export.

I think we still dont have enough clarity on how the sur files work, if we understood better it will make our decisions easier on how to build them…

Can anyone confirm which of these suppositions is correct:-

a) the sur file defines the zone where checking for collisions begins once a foreign object penetrates it, but no collision is made. Actual collision is only made when the foeign object actually hits on the model surface inside the sur zone. In close-fitting surs this might be a very small difference (or even the same).

or…

b) the sur file is the actual surface where the collision is made when a foreign object hits on it.

And can someone define the purpose of the shield bubble in the fighter cmp’s? Is it only to splash the visual hit effect on it when shields are up, like a glass outer bubble swilling with coloured liquid only for visual effect - if we made it huge, will the hit flash then be the new size of the shield bubble?

Or is it just an outer collision detection zone like option a) above, once it is penetrated then to start looking for collisions on an inner sur or on the model surface?

And what is the purpose of the shield sur itself (e.g. li_elite_shield.sur), is this the size of the visual hit effect when the shields are up, and not the shield bubble?

This isn’t clear because the ship shield bubbles and shield sur are the same size and shape for the fighters in vanilla.

Some games use only very basic, large outline shapes like rectanguloids for collision detection, and these only start the collision detection sensing, the actual collision only happens when the surface of the actual model is penetrated.

Sur files are both, surface and penetration detection.

Shield Bubbles or the wrapped meshes of surs (so the outer sur mesh that cover the whole ship) is just for collision detection, no collision itself. If any object penetrates this outer mesh, the inner meshes get enabled and will collide with the foreign object.

Got it, thanks. I’ll have to do some experimenting when I get time.

@Skotty.:

If any object penetrates this outer mesh, the inner meshes get enabled and will collide with the foreign object.

Explain it, please. If I understand right shield bubble is for detection only but it’s value also decreasing if something collides with it. Shields and hulls have different values, if the shield down the hull will detect the collision or the hits …etc.
So, how do the inner meshes work with the collisions on the shield bubble? I’m confused.

The shield and hull are the same collision. If you collide with something, you get damage. Its the same damage on shields or the hull.