Lighting Problems With Animated Meshes [solved]

[Magnesius]

I want to animate my gramophone, so that its plate and handle are actually moving when the device emits some tunes. This should add to the whole credibility of the game.

The animation just runs fine.

 

However, I ran into an odd problem: Shadow artefacts appear on the surfaces, even when I split the mesh into several parts and use smoothgroups. That is really awkward:

 

 

- I used Blender to model and to animate the mesh. It has an origin armature.

- As pictured below, I did split the mesh and applied smoothgroups in nearly every possible way. Even without these steps, the results remains the same.

- Then I used der_ton's MD5 exporter for the D3 import.

 

Can anyone please help me in this matter?

[oDDity]

It's hard to tell from that one picture. Is the UV mapping messed up? Have you put 'noselfshaode' in the shader?

[Magnesius]

It's hard to tell from that one picture. Is the UV mapping messed up?

No, it is the very same gramophone as the static mesh. Besides, I have replaced the UV map with a simpler one, but the problem remained.

 

Have you put 'noselfshadow' in the shader?

Not in the first place, but unfortunately, it doesn't help either.

 

The weired thing is that the model shows up just fine as a static mesh, but doesn't when its exported to MD5.

[oDDity]

upload it and the textures to the ftp or somewhere so I can look at it in the game.

[Magnesius]

The package is in the root directory of the DM FTP-server:

ftp://208.49.149.126/gramotest.zip

[oDDity]

I dont' know, it's probably has something to do with smoothing errors.

I dn't use max or the max exporter, so you'd be better asking o nthe doom3world forums. The guy who wrote that exporter hangs out there, so he'll know if any one does.

A word aboutt he textures.

YOu dont want any details in the diffuse map if you're putting the same detail in the normal map. YOu want flat colours generally. You certainly don't want any specular detail in the diffuse map, you want the specular to be dynamic, not static, so that should all be in the specualr map.

I changed them quickly, the normals map is done with the nividia plugin, and it's usless for anything other than small texture details. You really need to be modeling high res versions of the model and generating the geometry detail normal maps from that.

I know it's hard to get out of the old habit you picked up from texturing in older engines where all the detail is in the diffuse map.

 

THe spec and diffuse maps shoud be looking something more like this, and you get a better result.

[Springheel]

That image of the dog should be removed too. I'm not quite sure why it's there to begin with, but it looks too much like a photograph, which doesn't exist in this setting.

[SneaksieDave]

Heh, it might also be RCA corporation's logo/trademark, IIRC. So yeah, it'd better go.

[Domarius]

Magnesius, IMO its a good idea to see if you can get a copy of the apps oDDity uses and learn how to use them - these days its all the same stuff, just a different interface.

Only because then he can help you more directly and we know that his workflow method works fine and gets stuff into Doom 3 fine.

[Magnesius]

so you'd be better asking o nthe doom3world forums.

Yes, I will ask him - but thanks for your help and inspecting the model!

 

THe spec and diffuse maps shoud be looking something more like this, and you get a better result.

That's quite a difference in quality. I will change it soon.

 

That image of the dog should be removed too. I'm not quite sure why it's there to begin with, but it looks too much like a photograph, which doesn't exist in this setting.

The model does actually not use the photograph-like image of a dog on the left, but only the very small picture on the right.

 

@Domarius: 3D Studio, huh? I saw that there is a student version for $100, but it is limited for 2 years and you can only get it for specific studies (design, physics etc.). I might get it, but even the use for non-commercial purposes is litmited as well; maybe a 'watermark' is distributed with the finished meshes, too.

I am quite happy with Blender, and I will not spend even more than $100 for such a program.

 

Edit: Thanks for your replies, I suppose the problem is solved now. I have detached the front part of the horn from the rest, instead of just splitting these parts (there is a small space between them now).

[pakmannen]

His master's voice, right? Heh, that's kinda nice..

[Magnesius]

Yes, but I have to change that. It does not fit well into the DM universe.

Of course we need some records for it... Saxmeister's record needs a label, and perhaps a record called "The voice of oiled gears" would be appropriate, too