problems with 'shadows' showing up where they should not...

[daringd 2]

I've been working on a new model, and so far I have had no problems until now.

I have used proxys for all of my windows, and have now noticed in buldozer that they are tracing a weird shadow some surfaces of the model.

I've double checked all of my settings, even doublöe checked that all faces are closed and sharp edges in the window models, I've checked for everything I know of, but I am still getting this problem.

I have also takedn a screen shot so you can see what I mean, if you need to know anything else, then just ask, I can give you any and all settings you need to know.

It has something to do with it being a proxy, because when I add the window as a proxy next to it's self, it also behaves differntly, its shadow is fine as a primary model, but as soon as it is a proxy, it doesn't like it, as you can see here... the one on the right being the proxy....

so is this normal? will it just work correctly in game? or do I need to worry that something is wrong?

D

---------- Post added at 12:33 ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 ----------

As a secondary question, does a proxy act as a normal model in game? for instance, if I create a destruction model of the windows, will they become destroyed as though they are normal models or will they stubbornly remain intact despite having a satchel charge detonated on them?

[m1lkm8n 411]

Hi daring good to see you back at work. The shadow thing I'm not entirely sure of. I would try binarizing the model and see if it works fine in game. I know that in buldozer on things I proxy in the shadow goes through the floors of the buildings and shows up on the walls down below but in game it works fine.

So for the window destruction properties : you can animate the entire proxy inside a model but not an animation inside the proxy inside the model. So since the first thing is what you want your good to go. You'll need a proxy of the destruction model in the exact place of the non destructed model so when it gets destroyed the one will disappear and the other model appear.

When your ready I can share the code with you for the animations. I've been animating most models we use on Sahrani with glass.

[daringd 2]

Ha... good stuff, this modelling lark is really no joke, I don't think i have ever had to devote so much of my brain to mathematics in the pursuit of leisure before! I'll be glad of the code, of course, but I wil first finish off what i am doing here, since the windows are proxies I can iron out problems with them later.

It's good to be back to work on the project too, I'm now in the stage of realising that there are just too many unique areas of the town I'm modelling, and that to only use the stock buildings will make the map just feel like Chernarus all over again, I think even with only a few new objects I can give it a new feeling and character of it's own... This is really the third model i have made, the first was a simple "block" with a rail i can use to clean up the tow-paths of the canal, one is a town square (trapezium more like, old towns have very little in the way of right angles) though, for complex buildings, would you suggest a limit to faces I should be using? I'm constantly thinking in terms of economy, but there are just some areas where you can not skimp on faces... the next few buildings will be only partially enter-able so I can be quite lean with the faces there... the other great thing is now, for those places where you think "if only there was an object that was...." I can just whip one up!

D

[m1lkm8n 411]

I don't think you need to worry about face count so much as the rest of the resolution lods that go into it.

How many faces are we talking?

One thing I was thinking which many be more of a pain in the rear at this point, but maybe for the future, I would just proxy the window pane itself and not the entire window unit. Probably would be a bit easier on yourself.

[daringd 2]

I think finished it should have about 2500 faces, but I'm wondering about the amount of windows really restricting the least amount of faces I can have since there will always have to be 4 faces surrounding each one, it might be better to use an alpha channel to knock out the holes for windows and I could get away with just using 1 face per side in the very lowest resolution LOD. I'm also trying to figure out a way to cheat and get the least amount of faces possible in my shadow, fire and geo' LODs.

RE the windows, it worked out way easier to create one window model and then proxy it around complete with its own LODs and such like, I know the pane could be re used on various buildings over time, but I think what I might do next time is create proxy frames and then I can simply proxy into each building the frame and then also the pane, it should work, and avoid the proxy-in-proxy problem.

Ironically right now I fear my own windows are taking a beating from storm Xaver, if Bamberg takes any more of a beating I'll be able to make accurate models of what the windows would really look like should they break.

D