Newbie DarkRadiant Questions

[grayman]

We need to create atdm:target_fadeEntity.

 

I'll work on this and report back later.

[nbohr1more]

LOD transitions should fade too... Someday.

[grayman]

On a sidenote, some more for the record:

crossFadeEntity($entity, '1 0 0', '0 1 0', 2);

- gradually changes the _color of a colorme textured object or a light from red to green within 2 seconds.

 

Where are you getting this from?

 

I can't find it.

[grayman]

target_fadeEntity changes the coloring of an entity that uses the _color spawnarg.

 

It doesn't change the transparency of an object.

 

So, at this point, the only apparent way to do it is to create a set of increasingly transparent shaders for the object you want to fade, and cycle through them using a script.

 

Or use Obs' time-based transparency method on a new set of shaders skinned to the object.

[Obsttorte]

 

For the other, that the glowing patch needs to be slightly behind the ordinary-looking patch, so at the moment you can't really have the glow effect on models. Would there be a way to make the ordinary texture override the glow texture so they can be in the same space?

Should be possible. The material back in the day was just a proof-of-concept.

[Dragofer]

Where are you getting this from?

This was under scripts/tdm_util.script, next to a couple other _color fades which start or end at black.

 

 

target_fadeEntity changes the coloring of an entity that uses the _color spawnarg.

 

It doesn't change the transparency of an object.

Does the script only accept 3-figure vectors? The screen-fade entities use idVec4 vectors where the 4th number sets the transparency - that's just for an overlay and not a shader, but you did see earlier that the FadeEntity code deals with alpha in some way.

[Obsttorte]

It may only set the alpha value in the respective shaders, then. Applying an alpha value to an entity doesn't make it transparent, though. Transparent objects are handled differently then opaque ones in the engine. So if you want an entity to fade away, you really have to set it up for that purpose. This means you have to use custom shaders as well as some scripting.

[Dragofer]

Strange, I thought that fading out objects would be a common action, especially in shooting games like Doom where clutter like downed enemies needs to disappear to free up performance. So far it looks like Doom just abruptly deletes such things.

 

Would be most effective if the script could assign an alpha to a material at runtime, but as far as I'm aware scripts can't influence materials. No matter what, I'm more than pleased with the options that are already available.

[level]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but what happened to the belchers? There's still an entry in the wiki, but after searching the forums for a while I found no further mentions of them for years. I remember seeing videos of them in game a long time ago. Are they still going to be included in the game at some point?

[grayman]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but what happened to the belchers? There's still an entry in the wiki, but after searching the forums for a while I found no further mentions of them for years. I remember seeing videos of them in game a long time ago. Are they still going to be included in the game at some point?

 

No belchers at this point.

 

I don't know if there was some decision before I joined to exclude them, but any plan to include them in the future will require people to step up and model, skin, animate, provide code support, and provide sounds.

[Melan]

There were kinda-sorta working fire elementals somewhere, no?

[grayman]

Yes.

 

Angua did some coding for them.

 

Springheel did some modeling.

 

They remain incomplete.

[Obsttorte]

Strange, I thought that fading out objects would be a common action, especially in shooting games like Doom where clutter like downed enemies needs to disappear to free up performance. So far it looks like Doom just abruptly deletes such things.

 

Would be most effective if the script could assign an alpha to a material at runtime, but as far as I'm aware scripts can't influence materials. No matter what, I'm more than pleased with the options that are already available.

There are script commands to alter shaderParms. The rest must be done by the shader.

[Dragofer]

Has anyone successfully used spectrum? I've taken a stock material and added the line spectrum 1 to it - the result was that it's pure black in normal light, so always visible. When you bring a spectrum 1 light it does light up properly.

 

textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_spectrum

 

 

{
wood
spectrum 1

qer_editorimage textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_ed
diffusemap textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn
bumpmap textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_local

{
if ( parm11 > 0 )
blend gl_dst_color, gl_one
map _white
rgb 0.40 * parm11
}
{
if ( parm11 > 0 )
blend add
map textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn
rgb 0.15 * parm11
}

// TDM Ambient Method Related
{
if (global5 == 1)
blend add
map textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn
scale 1, 1
red global2
green global3
blue global4
}
{
if (global5 == 2)
blend add
program ambientEnvironment.vfp
vertexParm 0 1, 1, 1, 1 // UV Scales for Diffuse and Bump
vertexParm 1 1, 1, 1, 1 // (X,Y) UV Scale for specular
vertexParm 2 global2, global3, global4, 1

fragmentMap 0 cubeMap env/gen1
fragmentMap 1 textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_local // Bump

fragmentMap 2 textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn // Diffuse

fragmentMap 3 _black // Specular
}
}

 

 

 

 

Decals don't seem to be affected by spectrum at all. For all those I've tested, even generic wall stains, inserting the spectrum 1 line makes no difference, they behave just like the originals.

 

textures/darkmod/decals/dirt/footprint01r_spectrum

 

{

DECAL_MACRO
noimpact
spectrum 1

{
blend gl_zero, gl_one_minus_src_color
map textures/decals/footprint01r_d.tga
clamp // we don't want it to tile if the projection extends past the bounds
rgb decalFade[(time - Parm3)/(parm4 - parm3)]
vertexColor // oblique projections will be slightly faded down
}
}

 

 

[spectrum 2 gets the same results as spectrum 1.]

 

 

Also, leaving spectrum aside for now, the footprint decals - textures/darkmod/decals/dirt/footprint01 and footprint 01r - behave very strangely. I've cloned a dense and regular pattern of footprint patches all over a room and only about every 8th footprint shows up, some are extremely faint. This still happens even when I use a monotonous floor texture, baize green.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Dragofer

[Destined]

How can I use a variable in a displayed message? I have created a message entitiy to give the player a response on how many special loot he has found, yet, and want this message to give the current amount. The number is already defined in a script, but entering the variable only displays the message with varibale's name. So, how can the message know that it should display the value and not the name of a variable?

Also: How can I change the message not to be displayed on the parchment in the corner but rather in the design of a "Object competed" in white letters in the center of the screen?

[Obsttorte]

Has anyone successfully used spectrum? I've taken a stock material and added the line spectrum 1 to it - the result was that it's pure black in normal light, so always visible. When you bring a spectrum 1 light it does light up properly.

 

textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_spectrum

 

 

{

wood

spectrum 1

qer_editorimage textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_ed

diffusemap textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn

bumpmap textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_local

{

if ( parm11 > 0 )

blend gl_dst_color, gl_one

map _white

rgb 0.40 * parm11

}

{

if ( parm11 > 0 )

blend add

map textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn

rgb 0.15 * parm11

}

// TDM Ambient Method Related

{

if (global5 == 1)

blend add

map textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn

scale 1, 1

red global2

green global3

blue global4

}

{

if (global5 == 2)

blend add

program ambientEnvironment.vfp

vertexParm 0 1, 1, 1, 1 // UV Scales for Diffuse and Bump

vertexParm 1 1, 1, 1, 1 // (X,Y) UV Scale for specular

vertexParm 2 global2, global3, global4, 1

 

fragmentMap 0 cubeMap env/gen1

fragmentMap 1 textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn_local // Bump

 

fragmentMap 2 textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_carved_round_worn // Diffuse

 

fragmentMap 3 _black // Specular

}

}

 

 

 

 

Decals don't seem to be affected by spectrum at all. For all those I've tested, even generic wall stains, inserting the spectrum 1 line makes no difference, they behave just like the originals.

 

textures/darkmod/decals/dirt/footprint01r_spectrum

 

{

DECAL_MACRO

noimpact

spectrum 1

{

blend gl_zero, gl_one_minus_src_color

map textures/decals/footprint01r_d.tga

clamp // we don't want it to tile if the projection extends past the bounds

rgb decalFade[(time - Parm3)/(parm4 - parm3)]

vertexColor // oblique projections will be slightly faded down

}

}

 

 

[spectrum 2 gets the same results as spectrum 1.]

 

 

Also, leaving spectrum aside for now, the footprint decals - textures/darkmod/decals/dirt/footprint01 and footprint 01r - behave very strangely. I've cloned a dense and regular pattern of footprint patches all over a room and only about every 8th footprint shows up, some are extremely faint. This still happens even when I use a monotonous floor texture, baize green.

Spectrum alters how surfaces get rendered in dependence to light. If the light don't match the spectrum of the surface material, the interaction wont get drawn. Decals are processed in a different way in the engine, so this may cause the spectrum spawnarg not to apply there.

 

Regarding the footprints, depending on how the material is defined, you may have to place them slightly above the underneath surface to avoid z-fighting.

 

How can I use a variable in a displayed message? I have created a message entitiy to give the player a response on how many special loot he has found, yet, and want this message to give the current amount. The number is already defined in a script, but entering the variable only displays the message with varibale's name. So, how can the message know that it should display the value and not the name of a variable?

Also: How can I change the message not to be displayed on the parchment in the corner but rather in the design of a "Object competed" in white letters in the center of the screen?

You have to write your own gui file for that. The gui that get's used is set in a spawnarg on the messge entity. There are script commands to alter gui parms, which could then be shown in the message. So your gui file needs a float as well as the specific code to put the message together.

 

If it should look like the objectives complete message, I would suggest starting with that gui file (rename it ) and alter it to gain the desired effect.

[SteveL]

Would be most effective if the script could assign an alpha to a material at runtime, but as far as I'm aware scripts can't influence materials. No matter what, I'm more than pleased with the options that are already available.

Scripts can use setShaderParm() to do this, and the material can set alpha using parm3 (or whichever). It'd also need the translucent keyword, and I don't think it would cast shadows unless your model has a shadow mesh.

 

Edit: I don't think this will work, on second thoughts. Translucent materials are drawn as an additive blend and they ignore the alpha channel. You could do it as a custom blend material, but it wouldn't be lit it'd be fullbright.

[SteveL]

So, how can the message know that it should display the value and not the name of a variable?

Since you're already using a script, try using $messageEntityName.setKey() to put your variable's value into the spawnarg that holds the text to be displayed.

[Destined]

You have to write your own gui file for that. The gui that get's used is set in a spawnarg on the messge entity. There are script commands to alter gui parms, which could then be shown in the message. So your gui file needs a float as well as the specific code to put the message together.

 

If it should look like the objectives complete message, I would suggest starting with that gui file (rename it ) and alter it to gain the desired effect.

 

I saw the "gui" spawnarg, but have not worked with them, yet. Well, a first for everything... Thanks!

 

Since you're already using a script, try using $messageEntityName.setKey() to put your variable's value into the spawnarg that holds the text to be displayed.

 

Right, I knew that it is possible to set spawnargs via script, but did not think of changing the whole displayed message. I will try that. Thank you!

[demagogue]

Speaking of alpha matters, I'm playing with a custom lightgem. Making the thing is easy, well the 32 things. And just dropping them in the right folder with the same file names works fine to supercede them. The problem is I've used 2 dds converters (and the game won't recognize tga's or png's), checking the box to keep the alpha transparency, and the first one shows up in game with the transparent parts still white, in the 2nd they show up in game entirely white. I'm thinking something more basic may be wrong, but I don't know what else I can do. I have to convert them, and there's just the one checkbox for transparency. I don't know what else I can even do.

[nbohr1more]

Speaking of alpha matters, I'm playing with a custom lightgem. Making the thing is easy, well the 32 things. And just dropping them in the right folder with the same file names works fine to supercede them. The problem is I've used 2 dds converters (and the game won't recognize tga's or png's), checking the box to keep the alpha transparency, and the first one shows up in game with the transparent parts still white, in the 2nd they show up in game entirely white. I'm thinking something more basic may be wrong, but I don't know what else I can do. I have to convert them, and there's just the one checkbox for transparency. I don't know what else I can even do.

 

Use ATI Compressonator for Doom 3. Make sure that your DDS is DXT5.

 

http://darkmod.taaaki.za.net/tools/ati_compressonator_v1.21.zip

 

Feel free to supply me with a source image and I can happily supply a working conversion.

[Destined]

There is a gui explicitly for what I wanted called "tdm_message_no_art.gui", so this was very easy, as soon as you know what to do :-)

 

The script also worked, although I had a few hiccups due to my very little scripting experience. For example I did not know that the spawnarg you want to change has to be set in quotation marks. And for the text to be displayed, it also took some time to get, where to put quotation marks and where not, but it works right now and that is all that matters :-) Thanks again for the help.

[SteveL]

And for the text to be displayed, it also took some time to get, where to put quotation marks and where not, but it works right now and that is all that matters :-) Thanks again for the help.

Cool. Feel free to post a line of code if you want any help. You can't use quotation marks in the text to be displayed, but it'd look something like this:

 

$messageEnt.setKey("spawnargName", "You have " + myFloatVariable + " widgets");

[Dragofer]

Spectrum alters how surfaces get rendered in dependence to light. If the light don't match the spectrum of the surface material, the interaction wont get drawn.

Spectrum light does interact properly with spectrum materials, but when the spectrum light goes away the material becomes pitch black - I was expecting that it'd become invisible.

 

I was wondering whether I need to change something else in the material definition, i.e. add an alpha. Unfortunately Katsbits has nothing at all on spectrum.

 

Decals are processed in a different way in the engine, so this may cause the spectrum spawnarg not to apply there.

There simply must be spectrum decals, that's the best part! Nothing like ghostly writings or runes to lead you to obscure locations or give story clues. Besides, the example material the Wiki points to is a pentagram decal.

 

Regarding the footprints, depending on how the material is defined, you may have to place them slightly above the underneath surface to avoid z-fighting.

It's not z-fighting - my test setup had footprints both on and over the floor. Most were invisible, the few visible ones ranged from almost invisible yellow to bright red to dark purple; the height didn't make a difference. Probably belongs into the bug tracker.

[Obsttorte]

Remove the rgb line from the material of the ffotprints.