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Backed In Static Meshes for TGEA 1.0.3

by Jackie Hayes · in Constructor · 11/06/2007 (12:16 pm) · 5 replies

I have been TRYING very hard to work with Constructor.

I am also using the latest version of Constructor. When I try and Export using map2dif_plus_tse, which comes with Constructor, it compiles fine but when it tries to load during mission startup the engine crashes. I compiled a new map2diff_plus from the source and tried it again. It created the diff fine and it dropped right into the mission with no problems except that the Static Meshes and baked in light maps are not there.

It says from the Constructor Landing Page:

Place DTS Static Meshes in your scene for added detail
Static Meshes are baked into Constructor DIFs and act as part of the object in the TGE Mission Editor (TGE 1.5.1 and TGEA 1.0.2 only)
Static Meshes receive lighting and cast shadows with their collision volumes as if they were part of your interior

Is this not available yet for TGEA 1.0.3 or I am I just not doing something right? What I have been able to see so far with Constructor is pretty amazing. I sure would really like to be able to use it...

Thanks for any insight!

Jackie
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Employee David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake
#1
11/06/2007 (12:30 pm)
I do not believe map2dif_plus has the DTS baking included.

I've dropped levels into TGEA with the default export to DIF option. Try creating a simple room and adding a DTS file and a light to it. Then export to see if it works. I think my TGEA test version was 1.0.2, though.

Torque 3D Owner Jackie Hayes
#2
11/06/2007 (3:22 pm)
Thanks David, I tried it and it worked great in TGEA 1.0.3....finally...whew! U-Da-Man...
I guess some of the old stuff just was never updated or ever stripped out. It seems like one step forward and one step back sometimes but have you ever had transparencies on static meshes not work correctly. I tried a simple one room example, like you recommended, and used the pipe dts's that came with constructor. The pipe base has a tranparent base shadow which is a png file. It looks fine in constructor but when you look at it in a mission the transparent area is solid black.

...still scratching my head...

Thanks....

Torque 3D Owner Jackie Hayes
#3
11/06/2007 (9:28 pm)
Hmm..I tried to use the new material property:

new Material( floorshadow )
{
   baseTex[0] = "~/data/shapes/test/floorshadow";
   translucent = true;
   translucentBlendOp = LerpAlpha;
   translucentZWrite = true;   
   alphaRef = 20;   
};

The pipe base still does not render. In fact it went from solid black to totally transparent however, if I just drop the dts pipe base in as an object it renders correctly using the correct Material property.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks...
Jackie

Employee David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake
#4
11/07/2007 (7:06 am)
I think DTS object transparency is still an issue.

Torque 3D Owner Jackie Hayes
#5
11/08/2007 (8:15 pm)
I have tried it allot of different ways and I believe you are right. I guess the only way to get transparent windows in is to use a transparent dts and fit it into the window opening. I'll try and dig in to see if I can figure out anything.

Anybody else have any other idea??

Thanks,
Jackie