Epifire

Hey sorta random but it's for my gauge skins. What generic material can I call up for an unused plane? Like I have some "fake" illuminated gauge faces I want to toggle. The lit version, and then kill it with a transparent filler texture when not active. Still unsure of how to tell the engine what separate materials get swapped. Also while I'm at it, does anyone know of a good example for a material glow? I was hoping to design a flicker (similar to the method used for the rotation materials) to match the pulse of the machinery. Just implementing a glow would be nice though in any case. I know there would still be a light source needed beyond the gauge for environmental effects but I'll look at that later. Two edit's later... Well I also have one more to throw into the mix. This rotating needle to go on top of it all. I have a proper working material when the rotate line is commented out but the moment I add it back in the whole material is broken. Something about these coordinates or the way they're listed. I tried removing comas or encasing each figure but with no success. transformer_needle { nonsolid noshadows bumpmap models/darkmod/props/textures/transformer_needle_local specularmap models/darkmod/props/textures/transformer_needle_s { blend diffusemap map models/darkmod/props/textures/transformer_needle alphaTest 0.5 rotate (0, 0.2, -0.5, 0.3, -0.7, -0.3, -0.7, 0.2, -0.5, 0.3) clamp } // TDM Ambient Method Related { if (global5 == 1) blend add map models/darkmod/props/textures/transformer_needle scale 1, 1 red global2 green global3 blue global4 } }

Not even much noticeable tiling in your tiles! What's the resolution just curious? I'm a detail freak when it comes to over scaling things and some of the stock resources aren't as ridiculous as I'd like.

Finally have some optimized shadows for the arc transformer working. As well as proper transparency on the release wheels thanks to the help of RPGista! Just needing to do some work on the gauges, (on/off skins maybe an overload one?). After that I could probably work on the derelict and affluent skin. EDIT: Managed to find some use for blend add and did up some gauge stuff. Just gotta figure out how to add needle motion and then to tack it onto a skin selection. Also mz (Mortz) is now a measurement unit of power.

Oh no I meant the material definition. Because (at least I thought) the material name assigned to the model was important for calling up the correct shader. I hadn't any clue about the actual texture, but the name applied to the model I figured was a big deal. Is noshadow what the material needs to call up then? I had been using just been naming my material shadow, assuming that was what the shadow meshes used. EDIT: Great news! Found out it was a naming issue in Softimage's material naming system. The material, "common/texture/shadow" gets underscores due to the fact that Soft' replaces any \ | / symbols with an underscore. So basically it was improperly named. Made a separate mesh of pure shadow material and it rendered out beautiful in-game. So looks like I'm off to optimizing my current meshes now!

I'll try that. Also what are the official keynames for the shadow's material to be named? It may just be a faulty name I used too (which would be an easy fix). I haven't made a shadowmesh just by itself but I can look into that too.

It's a bulky, decorative font (but I seem to like the obtuse style) it just says service. Pretty much a hatch label for when it gets worked on, and just an interesting detail I added in at the last moment. There's the rear output adjuster lug, very similar to the ones seen on both sides on the top of the arc transformer. Without adding company names or linking these devices to any specific person/organization I'm getting a certain kind of technical standard set in stone. I'll be going through some stuff to see what I can finalize but I'll send it to you when ready. Besides staple features I've added (like the adjustment lug bolts) I'm really trying to keep in that production mindset. Things like... -No stamped steel, use bulkier iron casts instead. -No welding. A bit obvious but sometimes easier to overlook. Add bolts or rivets instead. Also makes for easy UV seams that way. -No membrane or condensed buttons. This is more of an aesthetic feature to realize, but resorting to analog switches and levers instead. -No easy access for servicing. Nearly all these machines were based from cast iron molds of some kind and were built that way to last. They have access points but lack the ingenuity of quick pull apart panels and instead use bolt in designs (sometimes many bolts). -Look for ways to pull apart the internals to external locals for a more elaborate design. Makes for a more complex model but also lends to the fact of a breaking age technology, still progressing. -Keep it dangerous. I really try and think through the functions of how these all work mechanically. But in this world we don't have OSHA or any kinds of organizations concerned for safety. Therefore stuff is designed for a purpose but is kept in mind to be handled by a trained technician, in order to be handled without killing oneself. Just thought I'd share that. It's some of the core principals I try and go through when starting a new mesh but what I rely on to work for TDM electrical.

Thankyou! I really was kinda winging it on this one, so I was really unsure about the results. It took a while since it's been a long work week while also being sick but progress has been coming. Aside from trying to optimize my final game versions, they are still pretty beefy. Not sure what texture resolutions ya'll use but this one has two 2x res norm,diff,(1k-spec) running across roughly 6k worth in polys. My big thing is I just wanna keep working on needed tech-props as I really enjoy scheming up old machinery (as well as filling my portfolio). Also wanting to see this stuff find a home though, so distribution is my primary concern next to optimizations.

Welp time for my next question. Been finalizing more meshes recently and something has been bothering me some. And that is shadow meshes. For some reason I can't parent, merge or include the shadow mesh in any kind of way with my export lwo file. It's a Softimage problem I feel but it's one nonetheless. Collision seems to work fine but when using the listed lines (and texture resource) to add a shadow material, it just comes up missing in-game. Is there a separate way to call up a shadow mesh? Usually my more detailed meshes sit around 4-8k polys and I doubt that's efficient usage of id4's dynamic shadowing. I had heard there was a way of adding a shadow mesh in some roundabout fashion (besides embedding it within the detail mesh). Any ideas or suggestions would be fabulous. I seem to have noticeable performance hits when I get several of my models in the same room. I'm feeling that's the reason.

Yeah the specular highlights were a bit much on the inside bottom coil panel as there should be a bit more dirt residue there. Some parts are still pretty clean though. It's still a fairly well maintained pylon that's supposed to be in use (as according to my information) so the seven rods and copper core are cleaned and serviced. The upper cone has some rust lines from the iron used in the rivets, but I didn't try to overdue the grime too much. One issue that's still slightly unnerving is that the PBR based shader in Substance Painter I use (even though calibrated for spec/gloss) fakes some PBR reflections. There isn't a lot of control on the PBR effects either, so I can't see a 100% accurate representation of specular highlights till I see the in-game. Thankfully id4 handles the final rendering process fairly dynamically, so it really pays to still use modern methods for texturing. Learning process either way I guess.

Hey all! Been super busy with work, and my days off keep getting hijacked. I may tweak a bit on the texture (mainly specular highlights I overlooked) but here's the finished charger mast... Tell me what ya'll think? Also who do I submit this stuff too for community usage? Because I'm starting to acquire a collection of electrical equipment.

I feel like the one thing that would get kind of wonky even if you did get it working, is the dynamic skylights. More the shadows. I mean I don't know the id4 near as well as most of you but the shadows tracing is useful in controlled scenarios, and can be somewhat painful without lightmaps. Well that and the fact of there not being any form of occlusion or soft shadowing. I'd like to here SteveL's opinion on the matter but the lighting available is extremely basic for shadows. You can fake ambient light bounce and Irradiance particles with using smaller diffused lights with most the advanced effects disabled. Problem is you can't effectively setup a sky light entity to throttle that subtle effect. If you could tie in the color of the ambient world light with the transition of the day night cycle, it would still be a bit flat but would be a start.

I feel like this should be a speed over stealth option as well. As it would be rewarding to get into a place quickly, but leave evidence of breakin. For instance, if you pry doors or break locks, could it flag the object as something suspicious? I mean it would make more sense because if a guard found a lock that was forced it should realistically make them search as well. Also if we need a crowbar model in the future I'd be more than willing to model one.

Great points indeed. Work vs the worth is a big thing in loot too. When in so many modern games hide easy loot under the stairway it just isn't that satisfying. Things that made you think to attain the bling. Like that climb from the balcony to the wall, to grab a painting in the Great Room that requires you to mind your footwork. Or a certain amount of spelunking and trap avoidance that proves you an exceptional jumper. And good lord I so dearly miss the mission that's not the mission you thought it was at all. To explain more, Thief on so many occasions launched you into a mission that you gave you an in depth briefing and made you confident. Then it deviated quickly off the start, and every move afterward becomes a desperate act to improvise. I miss when I wasn't sure of the content or where the mission was going. In short, predictability kills a stealth game.

Oh wow, this got big quick. I can definitely work on these in due time though I may need to make a list. Did some quick work to toss together this. I want to know opinions on the pylon design mainly. I feel this version can work but I'm not completely set as to whether I like an orb design or something more sharp. I tried to utilize bolts and rivets to emphasize the scale more but I'll let you all be the judge. I'm able to scale the whole thing down some if this is too large and I also had planned to add more iron fittings down at the base. Various angles probably with more service panels and release levers. I'm open to suggestions, but do note it's still very WIP.

Thanks! It's up to the mod leads as to what happens with them (as I had planned on submitting my finished work to the database). Otherwise with recent information, the only usage I could see them is in a heavy industrial facility. I mean even wireless setups have to have wires to link things together but we're talking about very large machines. Probably a generator room or factory controls. The game play advantage I saw to wires (not having known about the wifi) is that they're useful for leading the player on puzzle based missions where a visual confirmation of linkage is needed. I'll take you up on that sir. You may see some trials in the meanwhile but currently I'm thinking a single pylon centered into a cluster of supports. Sharp just seems to look more menacing and dangerous (and fits the theme I reckon) so I'll try something along those lines and get a rough concept going. Usually I'm pretty good about reusing polys/UV space but this is still gonna be pretty detailed (and may require some large/multiple sheets) to convey properly.

So that being said I guess the transformer was still in good standing. Maybe I should go over to a different thread for it but if there are any requests from our senior members (that know our current prop selection)? I'd be willing to start there after wrapping up the transformer but I have plenty of ideas to keep going with as long as they fit in the universe.

Oh? I suppose that might make these redundant if that's so. I guess then it's up to you all whether they can be used but I'd like to look more into TDM's tech restrictions. I really wanna expand on what we have and just enhance what's currently available for electrical equipment. Most my limitations have been how much I can condense something in accordance to the available methods. That and what can be manufactured with the materials that would be appropriate. Usually that means a lot of cast iron with bolts and rivets. My only summarization of how this technology could exist is in some kind of derelict facility with outdated or undiscovered machines foreign to the culture. I do still have plans of derelict props in general, just because I think there's a lot of depth to draw on for the environment. Things like moss covered beams, old machinery, mostly archaic pieces that seem antiquated even in TDM terms. But getting back to wireless electricity, do we just charge the air or what? I do recall those posts in the old Thief games that looked like some kind of electro receivers but I never realized that was carried over. If so that gives me a bit more to think about, but explains the lack in wiring.

Random question for the day. What is the general consensus on an in-depth animated clock? I've seen stuff with the Source engine that's driven by code to throttle an animation. Basically you'd setup the clock hands and set the position based by timer. So a second hand would have 60 frames and the code would run it through that animation based off of a coded timer to run it. I'm not asking someone to build it, I'm moreless asking what it would take to make it in the technical aspect. It's simple in theory but I have absolutely no idea what this looks like from a coding aspect.

That may just do the trick. I just know getting a separate pair of eyes to go over something can help a lot. I've been at the grind with this stuff though (almost non-stop) so while not being able to work on my transformer last night I just made a ceramic insulator and wiring set. The geometry isn't too large, so it all calls up the same texture sheet... I have a couple more things planned for the set (and maybe a small bit of optimizing in order) but they're done. In theory they're just bare copper wires strung around ceramic pegs but I thought it was a quick subtle way of adding more electrical detailing. Not sure if you can really see it but there are also some light cracks added to make it look more like ceramic. There's one I forgot to include that has a short rod attached to the bottom with a loop hole in it. Should be able to set up that pole to run wires down to actual machinery that needs to appear "powered" Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

@ RPGista, I used the source image (TGA) as substitute. It worked fine for the normal mode but again it just turns up black otherwise. I do think it's a problem in the blend diffuse section somehow. Reason is while in-game it's all black, in editor I can see an outline of my specular map still working. My guess is that the normal map works too but can't be seen on top of the black. Also I figured I'd insert this fellow into the mix and show what adding the translucent line in addition to my other shader info looks like... Now if I'm assuming correctly the translucent line shouldn't produce that should it? I'd be willing to PM someone the source files if they'd wanna take a crack at it. I'm starting to reach my whits end with it and I'm pretty sure it's something small I keep missing. Whether it be Source or Id4, shader files have a tendency to kick my a$$ on a fairly regular basis when I try something different.

I did not know about the DXT5 setting so I'll try that. The diffuse is always in a separate folder (as far as I've seen) and before trying this alpha transparency, it's always worked fine in the past. The DDS is contained under: The Dark Mod\dds\models\darkmod\props\textures EDIT: Currently this is the only setting I'm able to use, but there's no real change I can see. Just a black texture in-game. If I'm not running it with the other settings I posted it looks fine (minus the opaque gaps).

Attempting to sort out what I can from RPGista's material reference for rendering out the holes. I'm still a little lost as to which part directly tells the material when the shader should have translucent parts/gaps from alpha. So far I'm only seeing alphatest, twosided and translucent but neither of them seem to be effecting anything. In DR I get this odd effect of tris disappearing with half a translucent across the whole mesh (almost as if it's not receiving the alpha channel). I did second check my dds to make sure, and it looks to be in order. For some reason my transformer comes up black every time I get in-game though. Here's the first half of my shader (as the rest shouldn't need to be touched anyway).. I've literally copied out the exact same setup from RPGista's shader and it's still come up black. I'm starting to wonder if something is up with my DDS, so I'll try and see if I can use this current one without any changes. EDIT: Switched it back to normal and it works with the updated DDS file so it's definitely my shader setup.

Pardon the double post. Managed to get the transformer in-game, but I sorta went wild with promotional ideas in Ps after I screen capped it. I probably should have figured out how to render transparency on the release wheels beforehand, but here it is anyway... The normals and specular highlights seemed to have come out fine (which had me holding my breath). Other than that I still need to touch up a couple things I noticed. I just have the normal shader setup for it, but can anyone give me an example as to how you'd add information to render holes from alpha channels? That and what the best method is for setting up glow functions in the dials. Otherwise I think I'm gonna go grab some sleep and finish this tomorrow.