Question on selecting and Shields

posted on December 15th, 2012, 4:14 am

I have a question, and I hope the devs answer on one of the three posts.

I have been trying to make my own shields for my mod, but I'm stuck. I would like some help with this.

I have also been trying to make my own selection SOD, but I'm not sure what makes it up. Anyone wanna help?

posted on December 15th, 2012, 1:41 pm

from what I remember from when ive made selection sods is that there actually quite basic
depending on what program your using to make sods (milkshape or 3dmax) all you really need is a mesh that goes around the selected object, a texture and the basic joint/node hierarchy.

i also believe shields are done in a similar way (if using 3dmax you can add texture animation but not sure if it works in milkshape)

posted on December 16th, 2012, 3:39 am

all you really need is a mesh that goes around the selected object, a texture and the basic joint/node hierarchy.

Thats good, but is it required to be a specific size/shape? What are the nodes needed. (Texture I can do with no problem)

i also believe shields are done in a similar way

Again, does it have to be a specific size/shape? Is it a full sphere or a small section? Is there a specific direction to point it?

posted on December 16th, 2012, 12:35 pm

trial and error to be honest ive only done selection boxes and if i remember correctly there just flat (so if ur looking from above you can see the whole shape) and as for nodes i think its just the absolute basic ones. i'll have to relook at it to be 100% sure though

posted on December 16th, 2012, 6:38 pm

Let me see what I can do. I'll post with the result.

posted on January 1st, 2013, 2:07 am

Ok, I have a rudimentary shield in place. It will be used to show the TCF's Armor in use.

2 Problems with it.

1. The texture isn't animated, so its static and looks horrible when hit more then once.
2. When viewed from behind, its nonexistent.

Any help here would be nice.

posted on January 1st, 2013, 9:05 pm

Is the shield effect a mesh or a sprite?

1.
If the shieldHit effect is a mesh, then you need to specify the texture animation. If you're using 3dsMax, then you need to add

Code: Select all

"c_anim_animationName"

to the mesh.

If the effect is a sprite, then you need to check your sprite entries. Make sure that the texture definition has correct animation references.

2.
Things are only rendered from the "front" by default. When you view the effect from the "back" or from the inside of the ship, it will not be redered.

If the effect is a mesh, you need to turn off backface culling. In 3dsMax SOD exporter script, you can checkbox the "2-sided" property of the material, or attach

Code: Select all

"c_cullOff"

node to the mesh.

If the effect is a sprite, you need to duplicate the sprite and rotate it 180 degrees so that the "front" of the sprite is facing the opposite direction.

Hope that helps

posted on January 1st, 2013, 9:59 pm

Thanks Mr. Vulcan. I'll try that soon.

It is a mesh with a texture on it. I may be able to fix it, though I may still have a animation problem for a while.

posted on January 3rd, 2013, 5:23 pm

Ok, I tried animating it, but it gave me a problem as soon as it snapped on for defense.

Do I need to animate the mesh in 3DS, then export it with that command, or is there something I'm doing wrong?

posted on January 5th, 2013, 2:43 am

The "c_anim" command is for texture animations. Mesh animation is entirely separate. "AnimationName" is the flipbook animation definition in the sprites files. For example, "tex4x4", which is commonly used for torpedo animations.

The other command, "c_cullOff", is just to let you see the mesh from the "other side". Normally, the back side is not visible to improve performance.

Can you describe the problem you're seeing? I'm not sure what you meant.

posted on January 6th, 2013, 6:38 pm

Well, before it would crash the game. It popped on for a half a second before the screen went black.

At this point, I'm tried to export after using the '2-sided' checkbox, and with the 'C_anim' as a seperate point attached to the mesh, but now its not exporting.

I'm lost. I dont know what's wrong.

For now, its on hold. Reason: I'm using Max on my grandpas computer. It works perfectly, but I have to go to his house to use it. That's why I take so long to test things. I should soon be installing it on the computer I'm using at home some time soon.

posted on January 9th, 2013, 2:02 am

Sent you a PM. I think there is just a minor problem with the hierarchy. If you can send me the file, I'll have a look.
Need 3dsMax 2012 or 5 formats at my end.