Shiny textures on models // IFLs

#1 As far as I know, the only way to make a model look glossy in Torque is to use an environmentally mapped bump map (EMBM).

That involves having a skin with an alpha channel, and having "emap = true;" where the model is defined in code.

#2 Ya I haven't been able to get that to work right (emap) I must be missing somthing in the code. I also can't get transparencies to work on my models either.

I tried to export an IFL with my mesh. It is just a little light that goes red when the weapon is empty. I haven't been able to get that working either.

Thanks for the response though ERIC
Anybody else?
Matt

#3 I am not sure what sort of problems you are having with IFLs. They work just fine.

Are you able to get the IFL working in the showtool? Did you check the 'enable IFL animation" checkbox in your sequence helper?

#4 I am not sure either Joe. I have never used an IFL so I might have somthing screwed up on that end. I got the exporter set up correctly. The one thing I think might be happening is the fact that the IFL's DTS helper and the Helper I am using for the firing sequence are in the same time block. I might try to seperate them and use 2 sequence in my script and see how that works out.
I had a little trouble with this on another thing I tried to use parts of one animation for different sequences.
I got to get a little more time and go through it all again and see if I can get it going.
Thanks
Matt

#5 Make sure that the .ifl file is in the same directory as the DTS file. If you have the checkbox checked in the sequence helper, it should work fine.

#6 I have used IFL's in tribes 1 and 2.
There are sequnece helpers that may help too.
I rember there being one that will make the model transparnet via a visiibility tag. I will have to look into it more.
Perhaps I am on a different track. If so I will be checking on that anyway and see if I can be of some help.

Stephen Cook

#7 I did get transperancies nworking after revueing the Exporter Manual. I still cannot get .dts file with IFL's for a material to load in either the engine or the Show tool. I made a simple test model to see if I could get it going. But no matter what I get this error:
Here is the model setup if anybody would be will to look at see what it is I am doing wrong. I am at a loss.

#8 Nothing wrong. I downloaded your file, exported it, and it worked fine in -show.

Are you putting the .ifl in the same directory as the .dts?

#9 Ya i got it all in the right directory. Is the IFL stuff work in 1_1_2 ? I might need to do a new build of MY engine.

Hey Joe could you mail the DTS back to me so I can see if yours works. It might be the way I am exporting. I can't see why but.....
mjones7947@comcast.net

Thanks

#10 I finally got it worked out. The setting on the exporter do not matter.
I was running the model through "Unmess" and for some reason it must mess the thing up. If I don't run it through it works fine.
Always got to be somthing simple.

Do we not need to run the models through the Unmess utility?? Or does that apply only to certian kinds (ie Player Models)?

Thanks for all you help Joe. Let me know if you need anything.
Matt

#11 I just wanna bump this up.

I would still like to know if we need to use Unmess after exporting a model?

Thanks
Matt

#12 If you are using MultiRes for your detail levels then you should run it.

If it is messing up your IFLs then don't use it. Your detail levels may not work quite right.

#13 I’ve been unable to get environment mapping and IFLs to work in the engine.

For IFLs I get them to show up and work in the show tool but then they don’t work when I load them up in the engine, they just sit there with the first image loaded.

Environment mapping has been giving me trouble as well, everything is enabled in the scripts and the dts exports fine but it refuses to use emaps. The only thing I can think of is it’s the alpha channel either not getting exported or just not working right. I’m using Photoshop7 with the super PNG plugin and creating the alpha channel by creating a new layer in the channels menu and painting white in, is there another way to do it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

#14 I haven't been able to make either photoshop or PSP work when it comes to using PNG with alpha's. According to the PNG site both have set PNG file format to work more for the web than for regular images. But there is alternative.
Eyebatch
This software correctly handles 32 bit PNG's with an alpha channel. The demo is fully functional and last 30 days but the software keeps working you just loose some of the functions but not the converter. What you have to do is use TGA format when building your image's in Photoshop or PSP them use eyebatch to convert them to PNG then run them in MAX and the game.

Your IFL file may not run in game because you have to have a function that calls it. I have been using weapons so they get called with "State Sequence []". But I guess you could write a function that sets them off and makes them run all the time.

Envoromental mapping probably works but it doesn't appear to be as good looking as what you would think. Or maybe it doesn't work correctly yet. I'm not sure. Either way I build my models for it you have make sure the your BOXS are checked in your material editor set to the proper setting. You do not have to load a material in them.
Hope some of that helps

JOE
Is that a bug? Maybe we should report it and see if it can't be fixed. I don't understand why we should be forced to give up performance for animation. I also don't understand why we need to use a Unmess, I thought I read in the DOCS it got left out of the exporter for some reason. Can we get it put in? I am not trying to raise a stink about it but I think it would be worth fixing and getting together if its possible. My programming stinks though so I would have to really on some one else. I am just curious as to why it is still the way it is.

Matt

#15 Matthew, the code base that GG got for the DTS files and MultiRes does not match exactly the data that is exported to the DTS files (when MultiRes is included). This problem prevented objects with MultiRes from displaying properly (essentially you would get a big jumpled mess of tris). The nice people over at Bravetree created the UnmessDTS utility so that we can convert the DTS files over to the "old" format that TGE knows how to read. You see now why the unmessdts utility is very important.

As for PNG support and issues, take a look at this thread.

Logan

#16 The exporter can be updated so that the unmess utility does nothave to be used.

The Unmess utility was meant to remove the vertex merging in the detail levels that causes the LOD problems. At Dynamix, we added some parameters back in to turn it off after having problems with it, but this was after the GG guys had left.

So getting the unmessing back 'in' is actuially adding something to remove something... =)

I am running a version of the exporter that no longer requires the unmess utility. The changes were sent to Rick and should have been incorporated into the codebase.

I didn't make an announcement because I was not sure if the fixes were in yet.

Lately, many people have been having problems getting the exporter to build correctly. Seems that somehow everyone is building a DEBUG version that takes forever to export and has a few other strange problems.

If you want to, send me an email and I will send you the version I am using. It should fix most of the problems (including the crashing of files using IFLs) and will not require the use of the Unmess utility any longer.

As a test, if someone can build a release version of the exporter from the HEAD, it should work identically to the one I am using now. If it does not build, then we will have to get with the GG guys to try and get to the bottom of what is going on.

#17 L foster
Ya I have read that post several times. Like I said I can't seem to make either Photoshop or PSP handle an alpha channel right. But I can get them to use a TGA the way I need it then I run it through eyebatch and all is well. Emapping doesn't seem to work on the game side at least as for as I can figure or expect. The only thing that properly emaps in the game is water. Thats not big priority for me yet.

Joe
I didn't realize the whole story behind the unmess. I would gladly try a copy of your exporter. I emailed you. Unfortunatly I don't run a head version I have alot of work already into my 1_1_2 build. I did just download one but got rid of it because I didn't feel like rebuilding the codebase for my project.
Much thanks for all you help

Matt

#18 I'm having the same problem where my IFL animations won't play after running the unmessDTS.exe. The utility actually breaks my whole DTS object and when I take out the IFL animation it works fine. But I need to use the UnmessDTS utility to get environment mapping to work correctly. Is there a solution/ update to this problem?Thanks

#19 Well I don't think you need to use the Unmess for the Env Mapping. I know for a fact if you want an IFL you can't Unmess. How are you setting up your Env Mapping? Maybe something can be worked around.


Matt

#20 If I don't use the unmess utility on my vehicles, I don't get any environment mapping, even when it's set up correctly in MAX 7. Running that utility enables it to show up in the game. This might just be particular to the exporter for MAX 6/7 cause I don't think I had a problem getting e-maps to show when I was using MAX 4.