LOD and MULTIRES questions
by RC Frederick · in Artist Corner · 11/16/2002 (9:13 am) · 3 replies
Hello all,
Having a bit of trouble with the auto LOD generation using MULTIRES.
Excerpt from out of the dts exporting "doc":
******
MultiRes and T2Autodetail:
A parameter can be added to your configuration file to automatically generate detail levels if you have MultiRes applied to the shape.
The syntax is:
=Params::T2AutoDetail
The number of detail levels and decimation level is automatically calculated based on polygon count.
Take the number of polygons in your shape, and divide it by the number in you T2AutoDetail parameter. If the shape has 1000 polygons and the number is 200, five detail levels will be generated.
The Autodetail mechanism uses deviation from the base mesh (measured in pixels) as a metric for error. The maxError is the largest deviation in meters of the corresponding detail level, so at any given distance the pixel error can be computed. The detail mechanism makes sure that the pixel error stays below a fixed number that is set in code.
The following variables are relevant and should be added to your .CFG files:
=Params::T2AutoDetail
This parameter was set at 250 for Tribes 2.
*****
Now I've had mixed results in using this. A few objects I've tried to export with this setting just crashed Max and the ones that don't, according to the dump file, are generating levels of detail--up to 5 on one of my models exceeding 1000 polys, as I would exptect from the settings. Strange thing is, however, that each level of detail is the same in the dump file (verts and polys), and also appear the same in the viewer (I do get the slider with the correct number of detail levels).
The models Im using for testing this are single meshes of various polycounts, and a single simple texture. Im also using Max 4.2. So far I haven't figured out why some work and some don't, although I suspect that perhaps there is a stray duplicate point somewhere in a few of them that may be causing the crash?? (dont know how sensitive the exporter is). Another interesting note, all the objects export correctly *without* the MULTIRES transform, and the MULTIRES line in the config file.
Has anyone used this method with any success? And if so, how are you doing it? I'm hoping that I'm just missing a step here or some other small detail. Thanks..
Having a bit of trouble with the auto LOD generation using MULTIRES.
Excerpt from out of the dts exporting "doc":
******
MultiRes and T2Autodetail:
A parameter can be added to your configuration file to automatically generate detail levels if you have MultiRes applied to the shape.
The syntax is:
=Params::T2AutoDetail
The number of detail levels and decimation level is automatically calculated based on polygon count.
Take the number of polygons in your shape, and divide it by the number in you T2AutoDetail parameter. If the shape has 1000 polygons and the number is 200, five detail levels will be generated.
The Autodetail mechanism uses deviation from the base mesh (measured in pixels) as a metric for error. The maxError is the largest deviation in meters of the corresponding detail level, so at any given distance the pixel error can be computed. The detail mechanism makes sure that the pixel error stays below a fixed number that is set in code.
The following variables are relevant and should be added to your .CFG files:
=Params::T2AutoDetail
This parameter was set at 250 for Tribes 2.
*****
Now I've had mixed results in using this. A few objects I've tried to export with this setting just crashed Max and the ones that don't, according to the dump file, are generating levels of detail--up to 5 on one of my models exceeding 1000 polys, as I would exptect from the settings. Strange thing is, however, that each level of detail is the same in the dump file (verts and polys), and also appear the same in the viewer (I do get the slider with the correct number of detail levels).
The models Im using for testing this are single meshes of various polycounts, and a single simple texture. Im also using Max 4.2. So far I haven't figured out why some work and some don't, although I suspect that perhaps there is a stray duplicate point somewhere in a few of them that may be causing the crash?? (dont know how sensitive the exporter is). Another interesting note, all the objects export correctly *without* the MULTIRES transform, and the MULTIRES line in the config file.
Has anyone used this method with any success? And if so, how are you doing it? I'm hoping that I'm just missing a step here or some other small detail. Thanks..
About the author
#2
11/16/2002 (6:41 pm)
I'm using the latest version. After a bit more reading through old posts I could find, it looks like that feature wasn't ever fully implemented. I guess the unMessDTS program is evidence of that. It would be nice to have a "fully automated" way of making the LODs when you have many objects to do, but for now I have reverted to the -by hand- method. Thanks anyway! 
#3
I have everything set up exactly how it is in the player.max file does.
there has to be something that is preventing any polies from being exportd.
I load it in showtool and there are 0 polies.
going to hunt some more
01/16/2003 (9:18 pm)
I am getting nothing exportedI have everything set up exactly how it is in the player.max file does.
there has to be something that is preventing any polies from being exportd.
I load it in showtool and there are 0 polies.
going to hunt some more
Torque Owner Joe Maruschak
I never use the autodetail method to generate my detail levels. I prefer to do it by hand using the 'regular' method of putting the multires values in the user properties.
Adding the parameter in the .cfg should be all you need.
Double check that you have hit the 'generate' button in Multires. That is the only thing I can think of. What version of the exporter are you using?