We shall build a locomotive not because it is easy...

[PapaXpress]

So I created a bump map fairly easily, and it looks great in 3DC, but when I get it into the game my texture file is DXT1 so the alpha is not present and my engine is a mirror with a bump map. If I get the alpha to work then I seem to lose the bump map. I have searched the other forums and tried everything they recomended (using TGA, RWAceTool, ...) and nothing seems to change this behavior. I think I did find a bug in RWAceTool where it does not like 32b ARGB BMP files, and I cannot seem to make 24b ARGB (16b is an option... but why go there?).

Any ideas?

Oh and the ACE plugin for CS3 is crap.

[Kali]

The PS ACE plugin seems ok, what's up with it? If you want an uncompressed texture then you need to save it with the _nm suffix to the name, and use that in 3DC as the map name. The blueprint editor will build the _nmc compressed version for you when you export. Whenever I add an alpha channel to anything it exports as DXT3, otherwise the exporter likes DXT1.

RE: bumpmaps... they aren't bumpmaps, they're normal maps; there is a subtle difference, a real bump map ( a displacement map ) will actually deform the surface, whereas a normal map just changes the angle of reflection. To make a normal map work you actually need a reflection in the first place, so if your surface is unreflective then you won't see much.

And just to be sure, how did you create the normal map?

[PapaXpress]

So... I used the older ToACE to convert my 32b ARGB BMP and get it into the game. Same mirror deal... but since I knew there was an alpha I cracked it open and low and behold I do in fact have a DXT3 (this time) and the alpha is white!

You are correct about the normal map. If I turn down the alpha it goes away. Which means that it is useless to me. I will be forced to add these details the hard way.

To make my normal map I used the Nvidia plugin for Photoshop.

[PapaXpress]

Not sure why SMM didn't announced it (or did I miss it?!), but the first tut is up! Going to work through it tonight. It has already given me ideas on how to I redo the cab roof.

[Chacal]

That makes your poly count go through the roof, and it plays hell will your paint job, and the more cut-outs you do, the worse it gets. However, with a lot of line trimming, I got it down to a manageable level...

If I'm not mistaken, this will be broken into triangles at export time because the game engine only draws triangles. There is a chance it will end up split like your top picture.
Especially the round window corners will generate lots of triangles.
If you want real control over this, you could do triangles right away. I don't know if it would have any influence on performance and appearance though.

[jpetersjr]

Not sure why SMM didn't announced it (or did I miss it?!), but the first tut is up! Going to work through it tonight. It has already given me ideas on how to I redo the cab roof.

May I ask where it's up at, so I might be able to make a use of it. Very soon I might try a locomotive myself, thinking about making a Dash 9 of my own, but this one to be freeware.

[PapaXpress]

Its up in his site SMMDigital.net

JP, why not finish your MRS-1?

[SMMDigital]

If I'm not mistaken, this will be broken into triangles at export time because the game engine only draws triangles. There is a chance it will end up split like your top picture.
Especially the round window corners will generate lots of triangles.
If you want real control over this, you could do triangles right away. I don't know if it would have any influence on performance and appearance though.

As I said earlier, Boolean is not the only way to do cab windows. The method that will be in the tutorial is not as quick, but it will do away with all the fracturing.

Not sure why SMM didn't announced it...

Because 18 hours on the floor and two bottles of Red Stripe said it was time for bed!

May I ask where it's up at, so I might be able to make a use of it. Very soon I might try a locomotive myself, thinking about making a Dash 9 of my own, but this one to be freeware.

JP, you are as bad as I am about starting projects and not finishing them! The choice of locomotive you make is up to you, but we already have a D9, and there may be a few people out there who would like to get their hands on that 4-4-0 or that Alco(?) you already started.

[jpetersjr]

Before I can get a steamer into the game I really should build a diesel for the learning curve.

I'm not sure about the MRS-1 because most likely it will be overly high on poly level. I might just try to remake the Alco in Crafter alone, maybe then I might also have better luck with the corners.

Also, for any locomotive might be some time later, because at the moment I'm too busy on buildings. Hope to be able to get the set complete and released soon.


Also, found the tutorial. I will revisit it later very soon and maybe restart my Alco then. This will make it where new people will be able to learn the steps much easier and should hopefully increase freeware production some since it won't be as hard anymore for a new modeler to learn the basics and items.
Since I plan to put a 3d cab in any models that I might build will you be making a tutorial on how to make that as well?

[SMMDigital]

Backtracking a bit. What I said earlier tonight about another way to do windows? Forget it. Every way that i'm trying results in fractures. The only thing I havent tried yet is Alpha cut outs or building the cab piece by piece to simulate the cut-outs. We need a collective brainstorm to solve this problem.

@jpetersjr - I do want to build a 3D cab. Im digging my old MLT-MSTS NS loco pack out so I can get a good look at the cab, as I ain't going down to Brazil to get a pic of a C39. It may not have all the whistles and clicky buttons, but im going to give it a go.

[Kali]

Can 3DC do splines and lofts? you could loft the entire windowframe and then build outwards to some suitable edges from that.

[SMMDigital]

I did some reading up on this over at Amabilis. The guy who created it said point blank that 3DC does not support punching holes in faces. I'm not really concerned about the triangles, because even at maximum, with no trimming, there are still less triangles in the cab than there are in the three wheels in the bogie. My worry is that the fractures will screw up the paint job once you apply the gloss to it. I applied a test coat and exported the cab to the game, and sure enough there was a fracture line between the cab windows that was screwing up the Env reflection. However, reading onward, it seems that someone else also had this problem, and the solution was to crease the object. I ran the Crease, setting it upon angles greater than 30 degrees, and the fractured paint disappeared.

Now can someone explain to the class (and to me) what Creasing is, and how it affects the game (ie does it make more polys for the engine to have to render?)

[Kali]

I presume that's the 3DC equivalent of 3DS Smoothing Groups - which are something to do with surface normals when the geometry is rendered, I think. Smoothing groups don't add more geometry, they just try and make sure every surface in the same smoothing group blends together.

Could be entirely wrong, though.

[dick8299]

From the 3D Canvas 7.1.2 Help Files:

Using the Crease Operation
Creases the selected object. Note that this does not actually affect the shape of the object, just how 3D Canvas smoothes it while rendering.

The options for this operation can be adjusted using the Object Layers Panel when the operation is the active layer.

[PapaXpress]

SMM thanks for part one and part two. I have not completed them in their entirety yet as I need to make two wheel "trucks", and three different types to boot if I want to pull this off properly! As usual you have taught me a few new things, got me to think of a ton of other things, and have me asking for more.

@JP, I strongly suggest you join our little quilting group. I know you tried your hand at making trucks for your MRS-1 and this will certainly help you flesh them out. Don't wait! Get started while its still fresh in our heads!