Where'd my objects go! Episode II: Revenge of the Objects

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 6:36 pm

I made a new map, a Yavin map to be exact. I copied the odf, msh, effects folders from assets\worlds\YAV. I pasted them in data_IDK\worlds\IDK. I put some in ZE (two "greattemples" and the interiors to go with them), then I munge, and they do not show up ingame.

They are in new layers, but even the objects I put in "[base]" don't show up!!! I also updated the REQ's and MRQ's via the button in ZE.

I got this in the MungeLog:

WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 145,146,133
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 132,133,135
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 145,142,143
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 273,274,276
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 262,264,274
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 262,266,265
WARNING[PC_modelmunge msh\yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool.msh]:_CreateShadowMesh(bone:yav_bldg_ruins_reflectionpool,lod:0): ignoring duplicate tri 275,276,261
0 Errors 7 Warnings

The wierd part is, I only get this in the BFront2 log:

Message Severity: 2
.\Source\StringDB.cpp(48 )
ID=d1a56a80: trying to replace "yav_bldg_greattemple_interior" with "yav_bldg_greattemple_interior1"

Any Ideas? I already cleaned, then munged, and got the same errors.

As always, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Post by **Penguin** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:21 pm

thats all normal.

t551 · Post by **t551** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:52 pm

Off-topic: Nice title for your topic, Hebes.

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:16 pm

@ Penguin - If those are normal, then why aren't my objects appearing!?

@ t551t551 - That was a good title wasn't it.

Edit: Look, nothing there:

Hidden/Spoiler:

Wait! What the-!? Look what's coming through the gloom!

Hidden/Spoiler:

It's my Temple!

But, you should be able to see something that big from where I was earlier. I'll look in the .fx file and see what I can do with it.

*NOT SOLVED YET*

EDIT2
Ok, I did something to the .fx file that i thought would make it work, but it didn't. what do I change to make the object viewing distance farther?

here's my fx file:

Hidden/Spoiler:

[quote]Effect("Water")

{

	// general parameters

	PatchDivisions(8,8 );

	Tile(2.0,2.0);

	// ocean parameters

	OceanEnable(0);

	// water event parameters

	WaterRingColor(148, 170, 192,255);

	WaterWakeColor(192, 192, 192,255);

	WaterSplashColor((192, 192, 192,255);

	DisableLowRes();

	// PS2 parameters

	PS2() 

	{

		Velocity(0.1,0.02);

		LODDecimation(8 );

		MainTexture("yav_water.tga");

		MinDiffuseColor(32, 40, 32, 255);

		MaxDiffuseColor(128, 130, 128, 255);

		BorderDiffuseColor(160, 160, 160, 255);

		SpecularColor(192, 192, 192, 192);

		SpeckleSpecularColor(160, 160, 160, 255);

		SpeckleAmbientColor(0, 0, 0, 255);

		SpeckleTextures("water_specularmask_",25, 2.0);

		SpeckleTile(4.0, 4.0);

		SpeckleScrollSpeed(0.2,0.0);

		SpeckleCoordShift(10.0,10.0);

		LightAzimAndElev(1.0,0.0);

	}

	// PC parameters

	PC()

	{

		Velocity(0.01,0.02);

		MainTexture("yav_water.tga");

		LODDecimation(1);

		RefractionColor(101, 136, 140, 255);

		ReflectionColor(150,150,150,150);

		UnderwaterColor(128, 130, 128, 64);

		FresnelMinMax(0.2,0.7)

		NormalMapTextures("water_normalmap_",16,8.0);

		BumpMapTextures("water_bumpmap_",16,8.0);

		SpecularMaskTextures("water_specularmask_",25, 2.0);

		SpecularMaskTile(4.0,4.0);

		SpecularMaskScrollSpeed(0.0,0.0);

	}

	// XBOX parameters

	XBOX()

	{

		Velocity(0.01,0.002);

		LODDecimation(1);

		RefractionColor(128, 130, 128, 64);

		ReflectionColor(150,150,150,150);

		UnderwaterColor(128, 130, 128, 64);

		FresnelMinMax(0.2,0.7)

		NormalMapTextures("water_normalmap_",16,8.0);

	}

}

Effect("Blur")

{

	PS2()

	{

		Enable(1);

		MinMaxDepth(0.95,1.0);

	}	

	PC()

	{

		Enable(1);

		Mode(1)

		ConstantBlend(0.3)

		DownSizeFactor(0.2500)

	}

	XBOX()

	{

		Enable(1);

		Mode(1)

		ConstantBlend(0.45)

		DownSizeFactor(0.2500)

	}

}

SunFlare()

{

	Angle(120.000000, -30.000000);

	Color(255, 255, 255);

	Size(5.0);

	FlareOutSize(40.0);

	NumFlareOuts(40);

	InitialFlareOutAlpha(70);

	HaloInnerRing(0.0, 255, 255, 255, 255);

	PS2()

	{

		HaloMiddleRing(10.0, 255, 200, 0, 255);

	}

	PC()

	{

		HaloMiddleRing(10.0, 255, 200, 0, 128);

	}

	XBOX()

	{

		HaloMiddleRing(10.0, 255, 200, 0, 128);

	}

	HaloOutterRing(40.0, 255, 127, 0, 0);

	SpikeColor(230,230,0,128);

	SpikeSize(9.0);

}

[/quote]

darthpingu · Post by **darthpingu** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:15 am

Make a lowrez tga for it:
Shrink the content of the tga to 64 pixels in a new tga called ***_lowrez.tga
***=the tga name.

Rekubot · Post by **Rekubot** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:46 am

It doesn't need a lowrez TGA, it needs a lowrez MSH file. Are you sure you copied that over? (Check the prop ODF)

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:01 pm

I copied the odf, msh, and effects files straight from the assets. There is no lowrez msh. the wierd part is, that in the shipped yavin map, you can see it from where I was standing in the first pic.

archer01 · Post by **archer01** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:39 pm

Sight distance and other related junk is a function of the .sky file. Under "SkyInfo()" you'll see something like "NearSceneRange(values and whatnot);". The NearSceneRange is what the game uses to decide when to fade (render) stuff in. Beware though, from what I know about graphics engines, this is what controls the distance in which the game actually starts using processor power to render the objects, so really large numbers might slow down a map.

FogRange can also affect visibility but it's setting only affects the fog itself, not when things fade in/start rendering.

On a side note:
Don't trust everything that came with the mod tools. Much of the stuff included in them was NOT used in the final version of the game. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't even load Endor in ZE. Some of the models are the Xbox versions (which 'should' be compatible with a PC, but you never know... some surface/fx configurations might be different). And the shell scripts are from pre-version 1.1 of the game (which came out first? the mod tools or the patch? Either way, the stuff is old).

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:55 pm

What do all those values mean?

archer01 · Post by **archer01** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:01 pm

I'm not 'entirely' sure.

(*Edited: What I wrote here first didn't make a lick of sense. See below for my "guessed" example.)

But as I said, I don't know for sure. If you find out, be sure to tell us.

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:09 pm

The thing is, I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a lowrez model.

So, if I had the range to be (20.0, 300.0, 300.0, 600.0); it would start showing the Hi-Res model at 20, and continue to show it until 300, (I'm guessing this is meters away?) then it will turn into the Low-res at 300, and continue until 600, where it will disappear?

archer01 · Post by **archer01** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:19 pm

I don't think that's how it works... computer graphics engines are rarely that simple (LOTS of math involved).

Take this from Yavin's sky file:
NearSceneRange(60.000000, 150.000000, 90.000000, 200.000000);

If I had to take a wild guess... and I mean a WILD guess... I would say that if the distance slider is at it's lowest in the game's video options menu, then it will use the high-rez model up until 60 meters away. Then it switches to the low-rez (if the game has one). Once it hits 90 meters, it fades out of view.

The same process would be used for the 150 - 200 but only if the graphics settings are maxed out. I have no idea if this is the way it actually works though.

Sorry about the way I decribed it in my post above. I got my sentences mixed.

Post by **AceMastermind** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:31 pm

NearSceneRange(a,b,c,d)
"c" should always be larger than "a"
NearSceneRange(start min, start max, end min, end max)
The range between the two is controlled by the slider under video options.

FarSceneRange first requires a world to have a far scene because it uses low res terrain for the distant texture
FarSceneRange is just min and max distance. If a world has no far scene it uses reflecting color as the fog color in the far scene.

Source:
http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/disp ... sp?mid=197

Hidden/Spoiler:

archer01 · Post by **archer01** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:43 pm

Nice. Thanks Ace! That verifies my guess.

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:07 pm

So, since there is no low-res model or texture, I should have a big number for A, so you can see it from a large distance away?

trainmaster611 · Post by **trainmaster611** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 5:16 pm

That problem occurs on all maps with the temple. Even the shipped maps have that problem! You have to get really close to find it! Check Archer01's Yavin 4: Arroyo Pass Map. It has the same problem. :raider:

archer01 · Post by **archer01** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 6:36 pm

*Edit (again):
I checked even further... It appears that the buildings have lowrez versions of themselves as part of the model. If you open the geo_bunker_outside.msh (a building that doesn't vanish) file in a hex editor, you'll find some mentions of the term "lowrez" in it. The temple msh has no mention of a lowrez version anywhere in it.

@Hebes24
If you did put a large number for A it should solve your problem (just make sure everything else is still higher than A), but it will likely make the graphics lag even more on slower computers.

Hebes24 · Post by **Hebes24** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:04 pm

Yeah, I get lag like a [diet dr. pepper] on most maps like the one I'm planning, so I'm used to it.

Where'd my objects go! Episode II: Revenge of the Objects

Where'd my objects go! Episode II: Revenge of the Objects

RE: Hey! Where

RE: Hey! Where

RE: Hey! Where

RE: Hey! Where

RE: Hey! Where

RE: Hey! Where

NearSceneRange values breakdown