Question about what .dif can and can't do

#1 He is working on a new version of Cartography Shop. Version 5... should be out at the end of the year. We had problems as well with it. He will be including a Torque exporter in version 5. Here is a link to what he is going to put in version 5. Beware of the flames though. He got lots of people mad because he is going to charge for this update. You might want to send him a direct email asking him about it. He is pretty good about getting back with you.

#2 Yeah I know about version 5 and all that My question is does the dif format support the nice lightmaps that CS makes? I was under the impression that it did. But it was the converion to the .map format where you loose all that. I just want to know for sure if the dif format supports those lightmaps like you see on the website. Quite frankly I think that GG should have done somthing about this long ago but, I don't make desicions for them. Buildings have always been the weakest link in torque. Unfortunatly GG seems to think that producing something that looks like quake 2 or HL is acceptable.

I'm sorry I don't mean to flame GG but honestly expecting quark to be the main toon for level editing is just LAME. I applaud GG for the work they have done latly witht he TSE and the TNL. But for some reason the core part of the engine has just been completly ignored for what seems to be forever now.

Ok back on the subject at had does dif support the CS lightmaps?
if not can the dif format be modified to support them?

#3 Sorry about my earlier post! Some how the first part got erased when I posted it. Didn't take the time to proof read it.

Answer to your question is no.

CSM2Map only supports CS features that can be transferred via Map format. Due to limitations to the Map format, not all features can be supported; this includes CS generated light maps and meshes (which could be added with a process similar to the Max2Map exporter; each poly becoming a brush).

We tried it and we got several errors when trying to export.
Yes Quark is lame and the guy that works with me refuses to use Quark. He loves CS, but was mad to find out that he might have to pay for the version 5 update.

#4 Quite frankly I don't think that having to pay for the upgrade is that big of a deal. I mean the guy is making the software and deserves to be paid. I didn't rad anywhere that you were promised free upgrades with CS.

I'm not asking about CSM2map. What I'm asking about is :

"Does the .dif format support the lighmaps that CS produces?"
I know that .map does not. Becasue if it does then that means that CS should beable to deliver them to the dif format. CS is supposed to nativly support .dif not convert it to .map the to .dif

#5 You could use any lightmapper you wanted with .dif; it's a matter of plugging into the horrible morass that is map2dif. Yes, we're going to be cleaning this up. No, I don't know exactly when. But it's on the todo list.

#6 So even when CS5 comes out it is still going to be sent thru the .map format? I don't understand the need for the .map format. Why can't it be bypassed?

#7 Actually, reading up on the thread that is beeing linked above makes me doubt on ever buying CS since that JoshKlint (the author, right??) seems to be a real ass, not only does he intentionally ignore some users, he is arrogant and unpolite.

Doesn't feel comfortable to know if I would need support someday..

[EDIT]
Come to think of it:

Quote:
Beware of the flames though. He got lots of people mad because he is going to charge for this update.

The only real flaming in that thread are made by Josh ... :-(
Maybe I'm wrong (hopefylly)..
[/EDIT]

#8 He has been real nice to me. I talked to him and he said that it is going to a me a straight to .dif export. He said that he is moving that app towards mainly supporting the torque and 3dgs communities.

So yes the advaces lightmaps should carry over.

#9 Cool!