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Add Custom Lightmaps to Interiors

Name:	Ryan Mounts
Date Posted:	Apr 03, 2008
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Here's a new resource for adding your own lightmaps to your interiors in TGE. This is useful for getting advanced lighting from a 3D modeling package like 3dsmax into your lightmap, painting your lightmap by hand, or a combination of both.

Add Custom Lightmaps to Interiors

This is a modified version of map2dif_plus (v1.1). All original functionality remains, so you can replace your old map2dif_plus with no problem. There's a tutorial included to help get you started.

Here's a few pics showing off what you can do with it:

No Lightmap

Custom Lightmaps

NOTE: I did not change the map2dif_plus base code, so if you experience problems converting from a map to a dif, either your map is incorrectly modeled or you've encountered an existing map2dif_plus bug. I have no intention of tracking down and fixing all map2dif_plus bugs, so please do not contact me with problems like missing faces, malformed brushes, nonfunctional portals, etc. If you feel like you've encountered a problem due to the new lightmap functionality, then I'll definitely take a look at it.

Recent Blog Posts

List:	06/25/08 - Native Ambient Occlusion for Interiors in TGE 06/17/08 - Custom Lightmaps for TGEA Interiors 04/03/08 - Add Custom Lightmaps to Interiors 01/24/08 - Update: Max2Ctor 1.0.1 01/10/08 - Tutorial: Export 3dsmax directly to Constructor 01/09/08 - Free Resource for 3dsmax Users

Submit your own resources!

Anthony Rosenbaum (Apr 03, 2008 at 19:57 GMT)

no images

Adam Beer (Apr 04, 2008 at 00:54 GMT)

Great work. Do you have a TGEA version?
Edited on Apr 04, 2008 01:08 GMT

Ryan Mounts (Apr 04, 2008 at 02:14 GMT)

I think a TGEA version may be my next project.

James Brad Barnette (Apr 04, 2008 at 02:30 GMT)

OMG I must have this for TGEA.. Actually is there any reason that this wouldn't work under TGEA?

Interesting how the one with no torque lights looks way better than the one with them.

Do the colors affect things such as player models? For instance if he were to walk up into the box near the red wall would he look like he had red light on him?

Ryan Mounts (Apr 04, 2008 at 03:27 GMT)

Well, this one won't work for TGEA because TGEA has it's own map2dif_plus. I'll have to modify that one to make it work. I haven't looked at any of the TGEA map2dif_plus code yet, but I assume it is very similar, so I'm hoping it won't be that difficult to port it over.

The one with no Torque lights looks better because it was created with a physically correct area light, so you get accurate intensity falloff and soft shadows. The drawback is that the player is not dynamically lit and no shadow is cast. So the next image is a compromise showing how you can use a Torque light to cast direct light on the player and shadows while still getting a decent global illumination feel.

The way lightmaps work has not changed, so the colors beneath the player still affect him. So you can walk up into the interior that has no lights and he will change colors depending on the lightmap color.
Edited on Apr 04, 2008 03:30 GMT

Stefan *Shaderman* Greven (Apr 04, 2008 at 10:31 GMT)

We don't use TGE so a TGEA version would be great indeed :)

James Brad Barnette (Apr 04, 2008 at 20:25 GMT)

Do how does TGEA 1.7 handle lightmaps for polysoup objects? or are there still lightmaps?

Lorne McIntosh (Apr 06, 2008 at 04:57 GMT)

What a great tool! TGEA would be a great next project :D

Actually, if you want to share the source code, I'll take a crack at a TGEA version.
Edited on Apr 11, 2008 04:34 GMT

metalliandy (Apr 13, 2008 at 13:54 GMT)

A version for TGEA would be great :)

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