Ottoj55 on 8/7/2013 at 22:52
if you updated the textures in anim8or and they showed up then the problem could be from the conversion from .3ds to .e to .bin easiest thing to do is check the .e file and make sure the textures being referenced don't have a file path or some other silliness on them. textures go in the obj/txt16 folder.
trefoilknot on 12/2/2018 at 04:08
Thanks for this very helpful tutorial!
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Got a question. What advantages are there to doing this? Does this mean this new Dromed thing is capable of importing complex models from 3D packages and lighting them properly, or is it just for testing purposes?
Quote Posted by Ottoj55
i'm a detail fanatic, i want my object buildings outside the player area to match those inside, but i don't want to spend a dozen brushes on each. this makes it easy for me to produce these buildings. i can also build objects for specific uses on buildings with the building, assuring the custom object will fit the brush work perfectly. i've yet to test the upper limits on new objects, they do support high resolution textures now.
I understand the practical advantages of using objects instead of solid brushes (reduce polys, cells, enhanced detail/complexity etc...). In terms of the end result (i.e., ignoring the process of creating the mission), what are the disadvantages of using objects in place of solid brushes? Maybe pathfinding, or sound propagation get wonky?
In the extreme, would performance always be better if every solid brush were swapped out for an identical object (again, ignoring the pain-in-the-neck construction process)? If not, what types of brushes are best replaced with objects and which types are best left as brushes? Is there a list of general guidelines?
ZylonBane on 12/2/2018 at 04:50
Seriously?
Brush structures support per-polygon collision detection. Objects only support box or sphere collision detection. That's the most significant difference.
trefoilknot on 12/2/2018 at 12:38
Thanks for the info!
LarryG on 12/2/2018 at 12:53
Quote Posted by trefoilknot
... what types of brushes are best replaced with objects and which types are best left as brushes?
If you want the player to be able to pick it up or has a lot of fine detail, use an object.
If you think of it as a thing, use an object.
If you think of it as a wall or floor or ceiling or major architectural element (such as a beam or stairs) use a brush.
There are exceptions to these three guidelines, but you will learn them over time.
Zontik on 12/2/2018 at 12:59
Lightmaps doesn't affect objects the correct way.
Also, it's impossible to convert every single brush from worldspace to object. Just because there are negative (air) brushes.
trefoilknot on 12/2/2018 at 16:20
Quote Posted by LarryG
...If you think of it as a wall or floor or ceiling or major architectural element (such as a beam or stairs) use a brush...
Interesting, I thought beams and stairs were some of the prime candidates for turning into objects.
nicked on 12/2/2018 at 17:36
Beams, yes. Using a vertical beam object inside an air brush in the centre of a spiral staircase is a good way to simplify your roombrushing for example.
Stairs, not so much - you really need the accurate collision of brushes, and the pathfinding won't like object stairs very much.
PinkDot on 12/2/2018 at 18:14
The biggest structural elements always have to be made of brushes. Only the world polygons can hide invisible objects and other walls/ceiling from rendering. If everything was made up of objects then everything would have to be rendered on screen at the same time, despite being hidden = veeeery poor performance.
Plus yeah - the shadow maps. Lack of shadows on objects of even a medium size can look pretty bad in some cases.
Yandros on 12/2/2018 at 18:15
Object stairs (meaning, the entire staircase as a single object) can work fine if they have no physics model, and you put a ramp underneath them. In fact that can be better for pathfinding than building the staircase out of terrain. But in general the two biggest drawbacks I know of have been mentioned: objects are limited to boxes and spheres for collision, and objects are generally either completely lit or unlit.