Original Files

[Domarius]

As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) you can't import an exported md5 model back into Maya or Lightwave, to make some changes.

 

So you always have to work from the original Maya or Lightwave files.

 

So if ascottk has made some changes to the Elite guard (like adding the low-poly hands and the changeable head), I can't come in later and re-size it, because I still only have oDDity's original Maya files to work from, that don't have ascottk's changes

 

Therefore, we need to commit the original files to CVS, and we need to agree on a directory structure for this.

 

I can tell from the export settings in the def files that oDDity stored all his maya files in the darkmod directory, in Doom3\darkmod\models\mymodels

 

I propose we use Doom3\darkmod\models\original

[ascottk]

As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong) you can't import an exported md5 model back into Maya or Lightwave, to make some changes.

 

So you always have to work from the original Maya or Lightwave files.

 

So if ascottk has made some changes to the Elite guard (like adding the low-poly hands and the changeable head), I can't come in later and re-size it, because I still only have oDDity's original Maya files to work from, that don't have ascottk's changes

 

Therefore, we need to commit the original files to CVS, and we need to agree on a directory structure for this.

 

I can tell from the export settings in the def files that oDDity stored all his maya files in the darkmod directory, in Doom3\darkmod\models\mymodels

 

I propose we use Doom3\darkmod\models\original

 

There is a maya import tool except it tags on the file name in front of the original bones names which could pose some problems. I also import md5 files with max importers that work very well then I convert them to maya binaries with deep exploration.

[Domarius]

We could have saved you some time stuffing around with importing if we already uploaded the originals

 

Actually you can download the MB files from ftp somewhere but its a 3 gig download or something. This is not useful if we make changes to the files anyway, so they need to be in CVS.

 

I'm uploading them to the proposed folder now...

[ascottk]

We could have saved you some time stuffing around with importing if we already uploaded the originals

 

Actually you can download the MB files from ftp somewhere but its a 3 gig download or something. This is not useful if we make changes to the files anyway, so they need to be in CVS.

 

I'm uploading them to the proposed folder now...

 

I already have them. Since I didn't know maya very well I did the modifications in max. Just so I wouldn't start from scratch, I converted the max files to maya then rigged them there.

[Domarius]

Okay well we still need to be modifying the same original files. Still currently just making sure everything is okay before I upload the "original" folder.

[Domarius]

What do you think about uploading each .mb file as a .rar? That'd save upload and download time, since they compress VERY well. 1mb anim compresses to 300kb.

 

The whole city watch folder takes 12mb, but compresses to 3mb.

[OrbWeaver]

I would suggest keeping source files out of the actual mod tree - isn't there a Dark Mod source repository as well as the normal one?

 

If you want to compress I always recommend 7-zip, as it gives probably the best compression ratios currently available and is free software (unlike RAR).

[Domarius]

I think you're right on both counts.

 

Though that means, in the export part of the def file, the path will have to go up one level out of the darkmod folder, and down into darkmod_source, so it can acess the maya files when exporting the models. Can you use ..\ kind of notation in the def files?

[sparhawk]

You don't need to store rar files inside the CVS There is an option for the CVS to switch on runtime compression, so you can compress on the fly, instead packing up the repository with compressed files that can't be used anyway.

[Domarius]

Well I'm glad it has that feature I was hoping it would, and at the same time I'm not surprised it does because it seems like a very logical feature.

 

So is that on for all files on the server end, or is it something I have to do from my end for specific files?

[sparhawk]

You have to switch it on on the client, not on the server.

[OrbWeaver]

Of course, the on-the-wire compression won't do anything about server disk storage, and has to be specifically enabled every time you check in or out, and increases CPU load on both client and server (which in some cases may slow down transfers). It also uses a less efficient algorithm -- probably Deflate -- than 7-zip.

 

If large binary files are to be committed that are expected to be rarely used (and aren't required directly by Doom), then 7-zipping them first would make very good sense.

[sparhawk]

It does not make sense, because such files will be alos stored in the repository as compressed, where nobody can use it. If you need to upload such files, then upload it on FTP. CVS is not a filestorage system, it is a repository to keep the working mod fileversions.

If such files are uploaded frequently I will remove them.

[Springheel]

Right now we have only two, possibly three people on the whole team who would need access to these files. Adding them to CVS means that everyone is stuck having to download them. I don't see why that's necessary when we have a FTP site.

[sparhawk]

Exactly. And it uselessly clutters up the CVS as well.

[Crispy]

I agree (not that my opinion matters in the least ). Perhaps it would be best to keep the source files on the FTP in an organised fashion, and document the structure somewhere. (Doc forum? This forum? The wiki is public, so it's maybe not the best place.)

[Domarius]

Hm, alright - the FTP it is then. Much faster anyway