[Guest]

New objects not showing up in game

I have just bought 3ds max 2009 to build some new objects. To test the basic procedure, I have created a new static object and following what I think is the correct process I have done the unwrapping etc created a skin and exported the mesh using Fatducks script. The resultant file from listener looks fine. I have then created a new object folder in the 3do folder with the following files, 512x512 skin TGA, live.SIM, live.MSH and Filename .mat (one LOD at the moment and no damage or shadow models just to see if I can load it - is this wrong?) and amended the static.ini with the correct entry ..... but no joy. Has anyone got any links to some more detailed tutorials (I have already looked through the ones listed on AAA), or pointers as to what I am doing wrong or if I have missed any important steps ... all help very gratefully accepted and appreciated.

regards,

GJE52

[kevinp]

Can you show a picture of the light areas. I think I know what the problem is but I need to be sure.

[Guest]

Hi kevinp,

I have been looking at the .mat file and found that the settings, particularly the "specular" on the one I "borrowed" from another mod (actually Zorins ordnance) were very high. I have had a play and I have set it up as below. The effect is not as bad now but some areas are still a lot lighter. I am using a 512x512 TGA skin. I don't know why but this PC running vista will not let me capture screen shots of IL2. I just get a black screen. My PC at home -running windows 2000 - will, so could get one at the weekend.

[ClassInfo]
ClassName TMaterial
[General]
tfDoubleSide 0
tfShouldSort 0
tfDropShadow 0
tfGameTimer 1
[LightParams]
Ambient 1.0
Diffuse 1.0
Specular 0
SpecularPow 16
Shine 0
[Layer0]
TextureName skin.tga
PaletteName
Frame 0.0
VisibleDistanceNear 0.0
VisibleDistanceFar 10000.0
TextureCoordScale 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0
ColorScale 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
AlphaTestVal 0.5 // of [0.1, 0.5, 0.9]
tfWrapX 1
tfWrapY 1
tfMinLinear 1
tfMagLinear 1
tfMipMap 0
tfBlend 0
tfBlendAdd 0
tfTestA 0
tfTestZ 1
tfUpDateClear 0
tfModulate 1
tfNoTexture 0
tfAnimatePalette 0
tfAnimateSkippedFrames 0
tfNoWriteZ 0
tfDepthOffset 0
tfTranspBorder 0
tfTestZEqual 0
[_Layer1]
TextureName
Frame 0.0
VisibleDistanceNear 0.0
VisibleDistanceFar 10000.0
TextureCoordScale 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0
ColorScale 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
tfWrapX 1
tfWrapY 1
tfMinLinear 1
tfMagLinear 1
tfMipMap 0
tfBlend 0
tfBlendAdd 0
tfTestA 0
tfTestZ 1
tfUpDateClear 0
tfModulate 1
tfNoTexture 0
tfAnimatePalette 0
tfAnimateSkippedFrames 0
PaletteName
tfNoWriteZ 0
tfDepthOffset 0
tfTranspBorder 0
tfTestZEqual 0
[_Layer2]
TextureName
Frame 0.0
VisibleDistanceNear 0.0
VisibleDistanceFar 10000.0
TextureCoordScale 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0
ColorScale 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
tfWrapX 1
tfWrapY 1
tfMinLinear 1
tfMagLinear 1
tfMipMap 0
tfBlend 0
tfBlendAdd 0
tfTestA 0
tfTestZ 1
tfUpDateClear 0
tfModulate 1
tfNoTexture 0
tfAnimatePalette 0
tfAnimateSkippedFrames 1
PaletteName
[_Layer3]
TextureName
Frame 0.0
VisibleDistanceNear 0.0
VisibleDistanceFar 10000.0
TextureCoordScale 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0
ColorScale 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
tfWrapX 1
tfWrapY 1
tfMinLinear 1
tfMagLinear 1
tfMipMap 0
tfBlend 0
tfBlendAdd 0
tfTestA 0
tfTestZ 1
tfUpDateClear 0
tfModulate 1
tfNoTexture 0
tfAnimatePalette 0
tfAnimateSkippedFrames 1
PaletteName

Is this of any use, what are your thoughts?

regards

GJE52

[kevinp]

Since you can't post a picture, I will put one up.

Does the lighting on the house on the left look anything like your object & if so, do you want your object to look more like the house on the right?



Cheers
Kevin

[Guest]

It was very much like that at first, until I started playing with the .mat settings so - not as bad as that but that sort of look.

I have not figured out how to do the shadow mesh yet so that is missing - that will be the next hurdle.

Yes I would prefer it to look like the house on the right,

thanks,

GJE52

ps if I can get this sorted out, your name will definitely be in the credits for any items I post...

[kevinp]

You have to detach all the Polygons on the object to get better shading. I haven't yet found a way to detach them all at the same time, so you have to select one Poly at a time & then detach it. I use Gmax but I expect the process is similar to 3Ds max. Make sure the "Detach to Element" box is ticked.



Cheers
Kevin

[Guest]

Hi Kevinp,

Back on my own PC now, so here are the pictures of one of the airfield vehicles I have been developing for Korean scenarios. The first image is how the vehicle looks in 3ds max




3dsmax seems to differ from Gmax when it comes to detaching polygons. Not sure how to do that. I have adjusted the specularity etc and it looks almost acceptable so far - but when I put it into IL2 there is a skin tone problem with the front end.... and you get a ridiculous two tone look. Before you ask, the skin colour on the TGA is uniform and the scale of the bonnet and the rest of the vehicle is the same when mapped to the skin (deliberately).



The whole of the front end appears to be the same colour as the roof when viewed in the game, but the sides seem darker. I even tried using different smoothing groups to link/group the sides into one and the top of the body and bonnet in another - but as you can see without changing the result.





Any ideas.... still trying to figure out how to do the shadow mesh..

regards

GJE52

[kevinp]

I'm having the same problem on my objects, 80% of the polys are looking as they should, but 20% look
wrong. I have managed to solve the problem by deleting the bad polys & replacing them with copies of good polys, but my objects are simple houses so this is easy to do. I think you will have trouble doing that because your Ambulance is too complex. I will keep working on this problem & let you know if I find the answer.

Cheers
Kevin

[Guest]

Actually it is the skin that makes it look detailed. It always amazes me how a good skin can fool the eye. The basic shape is just a collection of boxes and cylinders stuck together. To prevent a big FRPS hit the poly count is actually fairly low - comparable with the better in game vehicles.

I see you have a shadow mesh on your building, is this a simplified version of the main mesh and if so how is it imported?

pm me if you like.


Regards,

GJE52

[kevinp]

Yes, it is a simplified version of the main mesh, it has no material mapping on it & you only need the Vertices & the Faces, the face groups are not needed.

The name of the shadow mesh for the first LOD is [ShVertices_Frame0]
Write it at the end of the first LOD ( underneath [Faces] ) & write your vertices underneath.

Next comes the shadow faces, which are called [ShFaces]
Write your faces underneath it.

For the house in my picture, the text in the .msh file looks like this -

[ShVertices_Frame0]
-10.0 0.0 8.9653 0.0 -0.425134 0.905131
-10.0 -5.0 6.61683 0.0 -0.425134 0.905131
10.0 0.0 8.9653 0.0 -0.425134 0.905131
10.0 -5.0 6.61683 0.0 -0.425134 0.905131
-10.0 5.0 6.61683 0.0 0.425134 0.905131
10.0 5.0 6.61683 0.0 0.425134 0.905131
-10.0 0.0 0.0 -1.0 0.0 0.0
-10.0 -5.0 0.0 -1.0 0.0 0.0
10.0 -5.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0
10.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0
-10.0 5.0 0.0 -1.0 0.0 0.0
10.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0

[ShFaces]
0 1 2
3 2 1
4 0 5
2 5 0
6 7 1
1 0 6
8 9 2
2 3 8
7 8 3
3 1 7
10 6 0
0 4 10
11 10 4
4 5 11
9 11 5
5 2 9

Each LOD has its own shadow mesh, so if you have four LODs then you need four shadow meshes & they are named LOD1, LOD2 etc. So, for example, the titles for the next shadow mesh are written -

[LOD1_ShVertices_Frame0]

[LOD1_ShFaces]

It's pretty simple.

Cheers
Kevin

[PeterD]

The whole of the front end appears to be the same colour as the roof when viewed in the game, but the sides seem darker. I even tried using different smoothing groups to link/group the sides into one and the top of the body and bonnet in another - but as you can see without changing the result.

The ambulance looks great To avoid the smoothing error in the model, in addition to detaching polygons you will have to move some of them (some fairly low number, say 0.0001 MAX units) if they refuse to unweld when getting imported. To detach polygons, select your model, press key 4 (edit polygons) if it's an Editable poly/mesh, then select the polygon and look for the button called "Detach" on the panel to the right. IF it is not en editable poly/mesh, apply the modifier "Edit Mesh" first (you can't export Editable polys with fatduck's script)

PS: When you press Print screen the screenshots go into IL2's folder

[Guest]

Thank you both very much for the advice and help. I will do what you suggest and let you know how it works out.

regards,

GJE52

[Guest]

Thanks to PeterD and Kevinp for the help and advice and gribbage for a great video tutorial on smoothing groups, it is now beginning to look like it belongs in the game.




Next step - collision mesh....


Thanks again,

GJE52