IrocJeff

 

 

Besides these 3 current keypoints I am working on, I have a few Ideas for some Terrain creation/texturing tools that will to rapidly create and texture complex terrains, but if you have any suggestions for features or wishes - let me know, I'm open for anything with this (except going through the same hassle for Blender, you may bug @SomaZabout that). 

Its great your adding terrain creations since that is tedious by hand. Handshaping terrain isn't too bad for small areas but for what I want to do its a bit tedious. However, since this is for 3dsmax how many of us can afford it, unless there is a free version of somewhere.. *cough cough. 

That all being said, would it be possible to implement something where you could generate a grid of say, for example,  1024x1024 subdivided by X amount of vertices. Next, you can have something like a tool where you can highlight a section of vertices, like a circle 64x64 or 256x256 or whatever, controlled by the mouse. Then, assign a key to raise and one to lower that highlighted vertices. I always thought that would make a quick and efficient way to make terrain.

Kyle is force sensitive. Just alone, he blows everyone.

Your post made me laugh. Thanks. 

Yeah the helmet could use some adjustment, but I mean it's pretty close.

Its REALLY close. Nice work.

Now, all we need is Tim the Enchanter 

Thats great. I think the helmet needs to be a hair wider but other than that eell done.

My attempt

Alternately, if you don't want to use an alpha channel, you could make that background gray instead of white (perfect gray, with exactly 50 value), and use the blendfunc used in the original example you posted. This blendfunc blends the colors with those behind it in a specific way, and all perfect gray values become essentially transparent.

 

The advantage is that you can create a kind of transparency using a .jpg, which are smaller than .tga or .png. The disadvantage is that the colors of the decal itself will also blend with the colors behind it, making details visible from the texture it's placed on. If you don't want details visible from the texture underneath, you'll have to use an alpha channel.

I like the idea of the details from the texture showing through, especially for painted number decals.

Ill try both methods and see what's what.

Thanks.

@@IrocJeff first you need to add an alphachannel to your texture and save it as a .tga or you select and delete the parts you don't want to see ingame and save as .png

Thanks. That clears that up.

Can you explain more about this "background layer that isn't drawn?" If it isn't drawn, what function will it perform? As that base decal shader demonstrates, you can have a transparent decal with only one shader pass. You don't need another "background" pass unless it will serve some other purpose.

 

Also, for the blendFunc, I would recommend GL_SRC_ALPHA GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA, instead of the one in that example. It's the one I use for pretty much all my transparency.

Not really, no. 

I make an image of the the number 4 on a white background. I make it a .jpg, toss it in the right directory, and there it is for me to add to my map. Problem is there is white behind the 4. In a decal, its just the 4 with no background. So, how does the background get removed? How does it become transparent? What do i need to do to the image to make it transparent. 

Got some basic lights and did a quick compile. There are 4 vats, above each vat is like a "fume collector" or something. The pipes lead from a large tank behind the player and the goo will pour out of those pipes hanging down. Look in left glass from control room. You can see it hanging down. There are large ironlike pillars on the walls and they'll have lights as well so that'll illuminate the vats better.

This is just to give you guys an idea of what I've been working on since Monday.

I want to make some decal textures of numbers in the Aural Besh (sp) font, which i have, but, I'm confused on the transparency part. I know one layer will be my image, but how do i set up the background layer that isn't drawn? . I posted a decal shader since this is what I'm using as a base for the decal.

textures/decals/mp_imperial_symbol
{
	qer_editorimage	textures/decals/mp_imperial_symbol
	polygonOffset
	q3map_nolightmap
    {
        map textures/decals/mp_imperial_symbol
        alphaFunc GE128
        blendFunc GL_DST_COLOR GL_SRC_COLOR
    }
}

Started working on the re-design of the big pool of green goo room. Instead of one large tank taking up the floor its now four separate vats. The big air purifier with the goo pipe pouring into the pool is now gone. This goo will flow from 4 pipes above each vat. There are 2 large tanks where that was. The whole room has been redone but I haven't compiled yet. I'm still adding more pipes and the designing the ventilation ducts.

Hope to get a compile before the weekend.

Here's some better lighting of the original two.

For those that have played this for JO, this is where the new section starts. You will NOT fall down into that room of radioactive waste again. To the left here is a stairwell which leads down.

I like posting shots since it shows i'm actually making progress. However, it also spoils the changes for those who played this before in jo to do so again in ja. The suprise is gone and the changes dont have any effect on the plot.

Here are some images of the new section, unfinished. I cut and pasted lights from elsewhere and forgot to change the radius so its a bit red! However, you can see stuff. The railing still isn't finished (top handle) but this leads to an archway to a stairwell to the original map. This is all transition area. I also wanted to make an arch so I did. Used a bevel, then made brushes and cut along with bevel as a guide so its all brushes. Easier to texture.

Here's a bit wider shot. The two tank like textures will probably change. 

So, I am still working on map 2. Been more difficult than I thought trying to add something new to this map. Good news is the stairwell area is done and I'm nearly finished with a bottomless pit room that has quite a few large pipes snaking around each other and a catwalk along two sides of the room. Its not compiled yet but it should turn out well.

This room will then be connected to the trash grinder room and then I just have to connect that room with the original map. Then, finish the vat area where the slime waterfall was and then connect that to the upper levels of the original map.

The good news is that I'm very happy with how the rest of the maps played and were designed so that should only be textures/shaders and re-doing ladders to elevators.

Still working on map 2 with the route change thanks to the ladders and stuff. I decided to add in a garbage grinder to the map. Map 2 needed this and it'll make the flow of things a bit better as well. Here is a shot from a test map that rotates and stuff. Two will be put together and them I'm making a housing for it. It'll look really neat when done. 

I'm about 3/4 through map 2 right now and have played it all the way through to the last ladder before the tram area ( for those who played it before). The first ladder I just cautioned taped off so you'll have to find a new way down to the lower walkway. Everything else runs as it should but I have been going through and changing some textures and lighting. 

For those of you that played this the large ooze pool after the control room will be a bit different. This is because I have to remove the last ladder and have some sort of elevator up. So, there will be a small redesign there as well as a different path for the player. Again, not huge, but, I always wondered to myself where all this toxic waste came from from such a small operation.   So, that'll be fixed.

Good news is that I have, in this map, 2 or 3 door switch shaders that work so I have to go back and fix those issues in the first map.

Here is the final shot of the new warehouse from a different angle. Decided against anything computer wise on the small platform. It looks alright as is.

Alright, back on topic. I'm not convinced with the gloves design, but here's and update anyway. Again, the textures are rudimentary and for testing purposes only.

 

 

The gloves look fine they just need to be a bit on the more leathery, tan, brownish looking side since the arm is a bit pasty looking.

This is with about 90% completion. Still need to add some computers in the control platform area and some other assorted cargo type things. Then, hook up the ductwork to this and test it all out. 

Here is the re-designed warehouse area in the beginning of map 2. It should have been 100% done by now but golf, free HBO Now on Roku, and sleep have impacted that. 

I still have to add the cargo crates, add some light entities to illuminate the ceiling a bit, and put some pipes in which I am doing right now. I kept much of the scheme of the first

warehouse area when you come down the big lift which I should have done originally. I'll try and add more images tonight.

I had the same issues with Windows 10 Pro 64bit and Radiant 1.5 with the glitchy windows. Also had this issue on Windows 7 Pro 64.  Radiant 1.6 won't run for me but its been a while since I even tried, 2 years I think. I run Radiant 1.4 with no issues. BehavED also works for me with no issues as I really don't use any other tools besides those.

To be honest, what I would like to do is marry the Dark Forces mod with DICE's Battlefront. Meaning that I'm going to remove all those crazy ass doom-like weapons the original Dark Forces game had, replace some of them with weapons from the movies and have Kyle carry only three guns plus inventory. Think about it as a branch of the original Dark Forces mod. That said, I'm not ruling out making weapon models for the community. Now I know how to put them in the game and the modeling part is quite easy.

That is a great idea and similar to what I wanted with my next project. Although, I wanted to have a few blasters like an e-11, a-280, ect but you could only use one at a time. If you picked up a replacement it would drop.  Same with the pistols. 

Map 2 ( waste treatment area ) is not as bad as I have thought.  With the exception of remaking the warehouse areas match a bit more and running new ductwork to crawl through ( I never liked the original idea) its all Nar Shaddaa textures from JO that i need to import over. Most of the shaders missing are yellow lights which, again, just need importing over. Outside of the new construction, 1 elevator shaft to replace a ladder, this is about it. I'm hoping to get some shots of the new warehouse part up Sunday. 

I'm curious as to how the SplashRadius works. How is it measured and from where? I know its in units but is it like a sphere like light radius is and does it start with the fxRunner or does it start at the target_position its aiming at?

Alright. Apologize for lack of updates but map 1 is now pretty much completed. The opening crawl works now. I've also gone through and did some lighting and texture changes to give the map a bit more uniform look. You'll have to play it as I don't want to show too many images. The one ladder has been replaced with an elevator and the other ladder shaft is just closed. I'll just replace the other ladders with elevators where possible. I miss the ladders, personally. 

I still have door switch shaders that work in JO but not in JA but that is a problem across all 6 maps. 

Briefings and Mission Objectives will be done at the end of this conversion process.

Map 2 will be started this weekend. I know I said no major changes but I have to go back on this just in this level. I never really like the transition from the end of level 1/ Start of level 2 ( little warehouse area) and then you open up into this larger one. After some time and thinking about this that larger, second warehouse, the one with the overhead crane, is going away. This section will be more similar to the start of level 2 and a bit smaller and tighter. The transition from this area through the ductwork above the garbage chute will still be there, though. I might also have two ways to get waste treatment area of the map and you can come in from the sealed door across from the garbage chute as well.

So that is it for now.