working with custom objects

[shezan74 11]

Hi guys, i'm working with some "external" objects (not default ones from \ca folder)

my situation is the follow:

project is:

p:\shez\spritzisland

within p:\shez i have p:\ca

In folder p:\shez\ i've added a new folder called rnwy that contains some custom runway parts, so i have:

p:\shez\rnwy folder

Objects are loaded into Visitor from this location, and shows correctly in V3 and bulldozer.

Now the question is: i've created the file $PBOPREFIX$ in p:\shez\rnwy

and contains "shez\rnwy". I have also pbo'ed this file

When i will create my island package with binpbo this rnwy folder will be included into MAIN pbo or i ,must include it with the project in the addons folder? (i mean include the nrwy.pbo file into the addons folder)?

these are my binpbo options:

source: p:\shez\spritzisland

destination: c:\bohemia...

path to project: p:\shez

use source path: no

addon prefix: shez\spritzisland

automatically: no

Thank you for explaining me this :)

Edit:

with and without the rnwy.pbo file placed in my @spritzisland\addons folder (the same of the island) i get an error:

"cannot open object shez\rnwy\runway_end36.p3d"

Edited July 1, 2010 by shezan74
update

[bushlurker 45]

Hi Shezan...

OK - a quick reply for this one I'm afraid... I owe you an enormous PM sometime soon, so I'll stick to the question for now...

OK... I've got a couple of "additional pbo's" for my island... one for object and one for plants...

Currently I've avoided the $pboprefix$ thing entirely, and my "addons" is just a folder on the root of P:\

Objects are added from this location to Visitor, and "bushplants" and "bushmodels" are quoted in the "required addons" section of the main island config...

Bushmodels has objects which need config stuff, so I've got a config in that one... in Bushplants, even though they don't require configs, I have a "config.cpp"... it just contains this...

class CfgPatches

{

class bushplants

{

units[] = {};

weapons[] = {};

requiredVersion = 0.1;

requiredAddons[] = {};

};

};

Just a header, basically.... Bushmodels has this too, but then it goes on with sections for cfgVehicles, etc and all the stuff the buildings and things need...

For testing, I just PBO the folders as they stand, and just drop them into the same modfolder as the island...

This whole procedure is working fine for me so far, though I'll probably rearrange things before I release anything... guess I really should have the $pboprefix$ in there and the folders in my namespace

I'm kinda on thin ice here myself with this topic... whereas Beton and IceBreakr and Old Bear and some of the other guys have all dealt with these issues before and pulled them together for stuff they've released...

Hopefully one of them will wander by and drop us a few hints.....

Meantime... folder on P:\ - add stuff to visitor - wee possibly unneccessary config.cpp in there - PBO folder as it stands - chuck it in modfolder with island file... seems to be working OK for me...

B

[shezan74 11]

Thank you bushlurker

I've fixed the problem for now, by adding a config.cpp file on my pbo file.

I've originally read an old post from you about using the root folder, but in this case i've "updated" an existing object via hex editor. In this way i have updated original paths, but their length must remain the same in the binarizede file. So i was forced to use a path outside the root.

Now some friends of mine are testing the results. Thank you guys for reading and supporting me :)

EDIT: i'm waiting for your PM or skype/MSN call :)

[[aps]gnat 28]

Currently I've avoided the $pboprefix$ thing entirely, and my "addons" is just a folder on the root of P:\

Yep, no need to do any prefix thingy, but then again I alway BinPBO every time before testing. Been too many wasted hours search for silly problems that were caused by not using BinPBO.

In my SANDS terrain (p:\GNT_Sands\) I placed a subdirectory called runway (p:\GNT_Sands\runway\) in which I placed my new p3d file (runway_main_40.p3d), a texture and the "patch" config.cpp per Bushlurker post.

Note that this runway p3d file references its textures in O2 through the SAME full "p:\GNT_Sands\runway\" path.

To add the object to terrain in Visitor you simply "add" this p3d to you list of placable objects in the Visitor dialog. In the dialog is doesnt appear as "ca\Road2\....." etc like all other BIS objects, it appears like "gnt_sands\runway\runway_main_40".

Then you just BinPBO the whole (GNT_Sands) project and the new (runway) bit is fully incorporated.

Obviously if you have lots of new models and plan to do lots of islands like the other terrain makers here (good job guys! ) then you wouldn't do it this way, you'd make separate PBO's filled with objects like the other boys here. More flexible arrangment.

[bushlurker 45]

Gnat to the rescue!

Thanks mate!... pretty much as I'd surmised then... good to know I was on the right track with the "external objects pbo and wee cfgPatches thingy"...

Of course, I did forget to mention that if it's just one or two models, they could just be incorporated into the island itself... I had that arrangement myself to start with actually... tho come to think of it, I abandoned that for a reason - which may affect Shezan too, since it was a similarly hex-edited A2 item... it's binarized already! - it doesn't really want binarized again...

So - if the objects in question are already binarized, shez - all they need is wrapped up in a .pbo as discussed before...

P.S.

... the paths don't have to remain the same length... impressively, Mikero's "Move Object Tool" will allow you to change the paths inside the binarized model to new ones of ANY length you need to put the model wherever you want... It's the usual Command Line Fuss to use, but DOES actually work...

B

Edited July 2, 2010 by Bushlurker

[shezan74 11]

Ahhh... this is what does the Move Object Tool! I suggest a tank of beer for Mr. Mikero's... anyone joins? :)

Grazie BushLurker!

[geloxo 2]

Hi, I have an strange behaviour with some custom objects I use on my map. Situation is as follows: when inserting them in Visitor3 and preview island in buldozer the look and work fine, but after I binarize the island with BinPBO and load it in game, when I look to them in game I see two tipical behaviours:

1. In some objects I do not see some textures properly (either are blank or are deformated)

2. Other objects directly crash game as aparently there´s something wrong with lods or textures (I see tree branches as a combination of flat objects with no texture at all anf few seconds after game crashes). Example from Unsung mod ones, which drop the following errors in the map binarization:

SW keep height animation used for uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d

Strange convex component uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d in component04:geometryFire

Strange convex component uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d in component08:geometryFire

Strange convex component uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d in component12:geometryFire

Strange convex component uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d in component16:geometryFire

Strange convex component uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d in component20:geometryFire

uns_plants_clutter\unsjungle21gc.p3d: wrong land flags 800

I imagine the problem is that the binarization process creates problems while processing those custom objects but why if everything looks fine in buldozer the binarization brakes everything so that game even crashes?

This problem also appeared with vanilla tools setup and in that case it was buldozer the one to directly crash when I looked to the objects. I decided to update the files and now my configuration is as follows: for drive p:\ I replaced the bin, core and product.bin (in Dta) folders with the latests versions of the arrowhead ones (taken from the expansion folder) and CA from Arma2 addons folder and use arma2oa as buldozer as it´s suggested in other posts, but for binarize.exe I left the original bin folder that comes with the tool setup as I didn´t get it to work using the bin folder I have in drive p:\ (which is the updated one) because it produced lots of errors and the problem described above still remained. In addition to this, I copied textures which were missing each time buldozer droped the "can´t load texture" errors.

Does anyone know what can I´m doing wrong to cause those problems?

Thanks a lot

Edited January 9, 2011 by geloxo

[[aps]gnat 28]

... but why if everything looks fine in buldozer the binarization brakes everything so that game even crashes?

Binarization doesn't "break" anything.

As a general rule, just because it works in Buldozer doesn't not mean it will work ingame. MUCH experience with this. Buldozer is just a very striped down version of the engine.

I've changed the armaoa.exe and the Bin, Core and languagecore before, but these do not go into a DTA directory inside P drive, they all go into the root.

ie Directories;

P:\Bin\

P:\Core\

P:\languagecore\

In the end, I suggest theres something wrong with your P3D files.

[geloxo 2]

Thanks mate. I didn´t explain it properly. I indeed took the content from Dta and extracted to P: as you say. Folders are ok, I guess you are right and there´s must be something dealing with the P3D.

Thanks for the comments ;)