Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Thinking about improving the Artwork in Vega Strike, or making your own Mod? Submit your question and ideas in this forum.

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pheonixstorm
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Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

Post links (if not already in svn) of anything ready to be added to the game. There are a lot of posts on craft nearly completed or completed but waiting for one thing or another. If its ready to go lets try and get it in game.

If you have a blend file ready for trunk/masters and don't have svn access let me know so I can commit anything you have that you want on svn.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by charlieg »

Somebody needs to get Fendorin to respond. Anybody got his email address?
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

Once again my next generation of Asteroids are ready to go.

All I need to know is how many individual models do we want or need for this next release? The current set can produce ~48 variations.

How many unique asteroid models does the game currently spawn in it's various asteroid fields?
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

data\units\factions\neutral contains all the info for the asteroids it appears. Looking into a few of the folders it would seem that each folder has a file with no extension that defines the field size and model to use..

Code: Select all

<Unit>
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-5277.678223" y="-1240.888062" z="216.813263" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-5066.734375" y="-1170.451416" z="1190.369019" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-5848.191406" y="212.235474" z="-263.548096" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-5734.540039" y="673.003967" z="1560.009155" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-5566.932617" y="966.729309" z="-249.082306" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-3777.128906" y="-3595.848877" z="-2606.362549" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-4409.533203" y="-2846.848389" z="-2564.857422" />
	<SubUnit file="asteroids" x="-4537.588867" y="-2625.650146" z="-1156.718018" />....
This example only used one model "asteroids.bfxm" at about 261 of them to boot.

At count it would appear that there are at least 16 different asteroids though it looks like only asteroids.bfxm is the only one in use. The way the files are laid out though it looks like we can change the settings to use asteroids of various size by changes file="asteroids" to file="hugeroid" or file="tinyroid"

The only other file we might have to deal with is creating an asteroid file for each size (including directory?) Main file shows

Code: Select all

<Unit>
<!-- The subunits were generated with the following commands
     ./asteroidgen asteroid.xmesh 4000 160 40 120 .3 10 20 0 1025
     ./asteroidgen asteroid.lod1.xmesh 4000 160 40 120 .3 6 15 0 1025
     ./asteroidgen asteroid.lod2.xmesh 4000 160 60 140 .3 4 6 0 1025
     
     the command line arguments are in the same order as the questions asked.
     to make a different LOD use a different seed
 -->

<Meshfile file="asteroids.bfxm"/>
<Defense>
    <Hull strength="5000"/>
</Defense>

<Stats mass="60000" momentofinertia="60" fuel="20000" />


</Unit>
Could be we have to resurrect astergen :lol:

Anyway, post one of your new roids and I can just do a drop in replacement of the current asteroids.bfxm and see what happens. Hmmm... 250+ new juicy asteroids *drools*

Attach to post or upload to a filesharing site.

Either divshare doesn't like me or the file is too old and not there anymore... or IE is crapping out on me. Will try firefox I guess.

*EDIT2* Nope, divshare just sucks. IE and firefox don't want to download your roids. All I get is a 15s clock then nothing to download.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by breese »

pheonixstorm wrote:Post links (if not already in svn) of anything ready to be added to the game. There are a lot of posts on craft nearly completed or completed but waiting for one thing or another. If its ready to go lets try and get it in game.
The new radars require changes to the data directory (otherwise you will not be able to buy one), but they have not been added to svn yet.

The data can be found at http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/forum ... hp?id=2123. The included readme.txt file contains information about how to apply the patch to the data.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

yeah, can't apply the data patches until I do a merge since I don't have a data directory for my branch.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

pheonixstorm wrote:data\units\factions\neutral contains all the info for the asteroids it appears.
So do we have any idea what everything inside units\Asteroid is for?
Looking into a few of the folders it would seem that each folder has a file with no extension that defines the field size and model to use..
Are you sure it isn't units.csv that determines which model to use? Because it has entries for asteroids as well.
At count it would appear that there are at least 16 different asteroids though it looks like only asteroids.bfxm is the only one in use.

Anyway, post one of your new roids and I can just do a drop in replacement of the current asteroids.bfxm and see what happens.
Oddly enough in 0.5 I find that changing roid2.bfxm is what changes the one asteroid field in cephid 17. So try experimenting with roid2 as well, you might find it makes a difference.
Attach to post or upload to a filesharing site.
Even one asteroid seems too big to attach, so here's a new Download Link.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

Deus Siddis wrote:
pheonixstorm wrote:data\units\factions\neutral contains all the info for the asteroids it appears.
So do we have any idea what everything inside units\Asteroid is for?
the current svn trunk has not units\Asteroid Not sure when it was removed... I think thats why they are now in factions\neutral
Looking into a few of the folders it would seem that each folder has a file with no extension that defines the field size and model to use..
Are you sure it isn't units.csv that determines which model to use? Because it has entries for asteroids as well.
It points to the directory for each key listed not the actual bfxm file. In a round about way it does point to the graphics file, just not directly like it does for the ships
At count it would appear that there are at least 16 different asteroids though it looks like only asteroids.bfxm is the only one in use.

Anyway, post one of your new roids and I can just do a drop in replacement of the current asteroids.bfxm and see what happens.
Oddly enough in 0.5 I find that changing roid2.bfxm is what changes the one asteroid field in cephid 17. So try experimenting with roid2 as well, you might find it makes a difference.
Will see what changes what once I figure out mesher and unitconverter unless you already did that work. I just glanced over the zip and didn't see any bfxm files.
Attach to post or upload to a filesharing site.
Even one asteroid seems too big to attach, so here's a new Download Link.
filefront worked much better than divshare :)
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

pheonixstorm wrote:Will see what changes what once I figure out mesher and unitconverter unless you already did that work. I just glanced over the zip and didn't see any bfxm files.
Oh yeah, sorry. I hadn't converted many bfxm files because they are texture-name-specific, which is less flexible.

I have attached one (asteroid.bfxm) to this post now, but couldn't fit it in with the textures as a forum attachment. It is unwrapped to use any of the "asteroid3" textures but it looks for textures named "stype_normal", "stype_diffuse" and "stype_specular" its local directory. You can rename the file itself to whatever your version of VS is looking for though (I guess "asteroids.bfxm").
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

Ok, thanks.

Quick question though. For some of the older posts, did you happen to download the blend files or working obj/bfxm files? I am trying to gather up any modeled ship listed in the forum that cannot be found in trunk/masters or any updated ship not there.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

I'm afraid not. But the forum shows Fendorin was here just a couple of days ago. Not sure if he's checking his PM box but you could send a request to him with your list of ships you are missing in masters.

Don't know if he'd have any of Rivalin's stuff though.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by klauss »

Regardless of astergen, which does all this automatically, the idea of asteroid fields is rather simple.

Asteroid fields are units composed solely of sub-units, the asteroids. So an asteroid field will be an entry in units.csv with one sub-unit enrty per asteroid.

Now, in order to optimize things a bit (and make for more interesting movement), asteroid fields are a little more complex, but not by much. Instead of simply adding one sub-unit per rock, they add a sub-unit per group of rocks, and that sub-unit is yet another group of sub-units, and so on until you get to the rocks themselves.

Rocks can be of any type you want, you can have only one rock type, or many rock types. You decide that when constructing the unit in units.csv

So asteroid fields are several lines in units.csv. If you created a tree of the entries, it would look something like:

Code: Select all

asteroid_field
  +--- roid_group_big
     +- roid_big_1
     +- roid_big_1
     +- roid_big_2
     +- roid_big_3
  +--- roid_group_big
     +- ...
  +--- roid_group_sml
     +- roid_sml_1
     +- roid_sml_1
     +- roid_sml_1
  +--- roid_group_sml
     +- roid_sml_1
     +- roid_sml_1
     +- roid_sml_1
Only roid_sml_1, roid_big_1..3 need meshes, the rest are simply groupings of sub-units without any visible mesh.

Crafting the units.csv entres for asteroid_feld and roid_group_x isn't easy, you have tons of coordinates to input (usually you just distribute them randomly, but still, doing it by hand is tricky), that's where astergen is useful.

But you can use the existing asteroid fields as templates, if all you want is creating new types of rocks.

Also, each roid_sml_1 could be in fact a group of rocks, not a single rock. This makes them render a lot faster, since, say, a hundred rocks can be rendered as a single unit. When you do that, the rocks can't be destructible, but it's a tradeoff.

Usually, you have to prepare both destructible and nondestructible variants, since some systems can handle destructible roids better than others, systems need to be able to instance both according to configured detail levels.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

Well I leave it to you to decide how you want to arrange the asteroid fields for best per system optimization and such. For the next release getting these meshes in game is my main concern. I guess I should just get all of them into BFXM format and then they can be committed in whatever fashion.

But before I do that there's (hopefully) one last issue-- Levels of Detail. My asteroid meshes have them, but when I've tried building them into the BFXMs using the method the wiki describes, they don't appear to work. As further evidence, the same wiki article says the don't work. :wink:

Are they broken and I should forget about using this feature in the BFXMs? Or have I (and/or the wiki) just not done this correctly?

And if this is a working feature, what exactly does the value that determines when to switch to an individual LoD mesh, represent?
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by klauss »

It works, and it represents pixel radius.

For LODs to work, the entries must be sorted by decreasing size, otherwise the algorithm for finding the LODs won't work.

Perhaps that should be added to the wiki.

Also, take a look at a LODded ship, like the Clydesdale, to get an idea of what the numbers should be. Basically, "10" means the mesh will be used when it will be drawn in an area 20 pixels wide (10 pixel radius).

The numbers must be conservative, meaning they should be a safe transition point where the different between the meshes is barely noticeable, because user detail levels will take care of the rest.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Fendorin »

Deus Siddis wrote:I'm afraid not. But the forum shows Fendorin was here just a couple of days ago. Not sure if he's checking his PM box but you could send a request to him with your list of ships you are missing in masters.

Don't know if he'd have any of Rivalin's stuff though.
Hi everybody

i still have my work and some of rivalin as all the "CT line"........and some artwork was never posted as this one:
Image
and a bunch of 2D landing screen infortunetly not all are complete. mostly landing exo view and bar

About download:
but it' seems the divshare free service is only work for 30 download ... i will seriously try to have a look (but i don't know when i will have spare time.. i hope soon)
The most important problem i had is the requested requirement for Cinemut..and all those kind of new implement
i never understand (and is quite difficult for a no fluant english speaker and a no fluant "computing langage" reader
what is necessary now to provide or most important for me what can AT LEAST work or be suffisant ..for news integration (the lite pack..), The ship H496 ingame now is not as bad and is was quite simply mesh and few map too...is it still possible to provide similar "set"
or it seems now is not what it must be done am i right?
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by charlieg »

Fendorin:

Try www.box.net or www.dropbox.com as better places to host these kind of collaborative files.

Do not worry about Cinemut. It is not ready, and will not be ready for a long time. It is supposed to be a very realistic shader and there are a lot of things to be implemented before it will be usable by VS. Work with the current version of VS and look to cinemut when (and if) it is ready and properly documented - some time in the not-so-near future.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pheonixstorm »

@Fendorin:
I will post links to what I want to find. Mostly I need to know if they are currently in masters or if you have a copy of them. If you have anything that is ready to go that has highest priority. Since english isn't a native language you can post in english and your native language. We can always use google translate or another translation site.

Another freighter You did some texture work on this but did not post the file that I could see. The original was posted so we at least have the model file for it.

TESLAremodeling Proposition (Andolian anticapship cruiser) Was this two seperate models or just one? I really liked the first model you did and hope it is two seperate models.

new ship Not sure if the model posted is the latest or not. Date sep 2009? What I am looking for is the texture you posted at divshare from the link above.

Shire class super cargo vessel Did anything happen with this one?

The last one I can thing of is a thread I can not find. There was a thread that had several new base scenes that looked good but no link to download the masters.. nor did I read anything about them being included into the game. I think they were by rivalin but I am not sure. I did find and grab the ones for the Ice planet he posted (not not the largest I think)

As I find more I will post here again.

*EDIT* fixed the andolian link
Last edited by pheonixstorm on Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Fendorin »

i have the two first from Rivalin

the link into the second "new ship" is working

The super cargo class shire i don't have

i will post them again with the current basic technics requirement
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Deus Siddis »

Okay I have converted all of the asteroids to BFXM format. I also included all of the dependent textures into the same package for convenience:

BFXM Asteroids

All that needs to be done is for these to be committed to a directory somewhere in units and then have units.csv point to these new asteroid meshes rather than the old ones. Or alternatively, for these meshes to be renamed the names of the old asteroids and placed in their directory. Just don't change the names of the new asteroids' textures.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Fendorin »

Hi all and good evening
here is a BOX.net folder i create for share finished (mostly)leftover artwork about 3D model:
http://www.box.net/shared/45lu2ogygr

Her is a same purpose but About 2D pics can use for planet landing screen before seamless landing:
http://www.box.net/shared/q0foym75r1

bye
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pyramid »

Hi Fendorin,

Nice seeing you around here.

The 2D pics folder has no files in it.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Fendorin »

yes i know i'm currently doing it one by one...first some 3d

for information BLend. file are normally the most updated file
i upload all i have in my folder of each vessels..items.
but :oops: since more than one year pass i loose a bit memory of the real status of my own artwork...
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pyramid »

Ok. I was too fast. :roll:
It would be easier to download if you'd zip your folders and upload the zip archives, all neat in one file.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by pyramid »

Fendorin, do you still have the files for the Tesla Remake? The previous link DivShare File - Andolian_Detailled_Project.blend one is absolutely undownloadable from divshare.

What about the CRAYFISH?

Also not accessible is DivShare File - MH_Fendo_TEX_PNG.zip (REINDEER).

The Shaper shuttle has no shared link,
neither does the re-textured BEAUVOIR.
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Re: Model focus: Whats ready for the game?

Post by Fendorin »

well i m sorry to reply with delay
(life, familly, job...etc )

let my find them and organise Zip file for above listed ship

i have the Forsaken Shipyard
the solar station
and some little other stuff too
as the docking space port
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