Null Texture and Static Mesh
by MaxAntinone · in Constructor · 02/03/2008 (8:49 pm) · 6 replies
I have some questions about transparency and static meshes.
1st, if I apply the null texture to a brush, does that make the brush invisible and will the player still collide with it, or does that brush get ignored? Is there some way I can have interspersed bits of transparency in a texture, or have a texture be semi-transparent (by, for example, using the bright magenta that signifies null texture)?
Secondly, I'm having issues with a DTS exporter for Maya, and I was wondering about static meshes. I'm under the impression that a static mesh is just an object with very simple collision geometry and more complicated visible geometry (which seems similar to what a DTS is anyway). Is there some way I can make objects like this just using constructor?
1st, if I apply the null texture to a brush, does that make the brush invisible and will the player still collide with it, or does that brush get ignored? Is there some way I can have interspersed bits of transparency in a texture, or have a texture be semi-transparent (by, for example, using the bright magenta that signifies null texture)?
Secondly, I'm having issues with a DTS exporter for Maya, and I was wondering about static meshes. I'm under the impression that a static mesh is just an object with very simple collision geometry and more complicated visible geometry (which seems similar to what a DTS is anyway). Is there some way I can make objects like this just using constructor?
#2
I just can't get the DTS exporter to work.
But I just wanted to know if there was some some way I could make specifically non-collision visible brushes in Constructor.
02/04/2008 (2:37 pm)
Believe me, I would be doing this whole project in Maya if I could.I just can't get the DTS exporter to work.
But I just wanted to know if there was some some way I could make specifically non-collision visible brushes in Constructor.
#3
EDIT:
Except for Portals, but they don't do what you want.
02/04/2008 (9:53 pm)
I believe that all brushes in Constructor have collision.EDIT:
Except for Portals, but they don't do what you want.
#4
02/05/2008 (4:57 am)
You could always make the object in Constructor...export to LWO, or use the Mapto3DS for a .3DS convert in to Max or Maya, and then export as DTS static with no collision, that's what i do.... 
#5
a) Splitting the tree into two, so we would have one tree for collision, and one for display.
or:
b) Including the brush information in with the DIF at export (in an octtree perhaps), and Changing the collision to use brushes instead of the BSP.
This would allow us to have brushes that had collision, but were invisible, and did not cast a shadow.
have visible brushes that cast a shadow, but had no collision.
This would require a change to constructor, and also a change on the TGE/TGEA side, but it shouldn't be that bad. Is this something someone else (besides me) would be interested in?
02/05/2008 (6:42 am)
This was something I was thinking about doing: a) Splitting the tree into two, so we would have one tree for collision, and one for display.
or:
b) Including the brush information in with the DIF at export (in an octtree perhaps), and Changing the collision to use brushes instead of the BSP.
This would allow us to have brushes that had collision, but were invisible, and did not cast a shadow.
have visible brushes that cast a shadow, but had no collision.
This would require a change to constructor, and also a change on the TGE/TGEA side, but it shouldn't be that bad. Is this something someone else (besides me) would be interested in?
#6
02/05/2008 (11:23 pm)
I would certainly be interested, though I doubt it would benefit me much with my current project. 
Associate David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake
You can create complex geometry in Constructor, but it is MUCH easier to do detail work in a polysoup editor like Maya.