Macser

How did you convert your textures? Did you use the correct naming conventions for them? The suffixes are important. They tell the convertor exactly what kind of texture is being processed. Diffuse, alpha, normal etc.

I'm not actually modding for A3. So there's a limit to how far I can take you. Does the model have any materials applied? Check page 9 of the user guide for the toolbox for more info on paths for materials/textures.

Scaling and rotation looks ok. So with the object selected, hit CTRL-A. Then apply "location". Confirm that this sets all the values to zero for location. Then try exporting it again. It's likely the mesh will be sitting up higher than you'd like. But sorting out the distortion is the main thing for the moment.

What values does the object have for the location, rotation and scale, as in the image above?

I think the best place for this question would've been Al's dedicated thread. But it's also possible it's nothing to do with the toolbox. That looks like a scaling issue due to transforms not being applied to the object. Have you already done that? By that I mean, while in object mode, select the object and hit Ctrl-A. Apply scale. Or to be sure apply all 3. Location, rotation and scale. Then export. You can confirm the object is ok for export by looking at the properties panel (N key). The values should be zeroed out for location, rotation and scaling while in object mode. If not, you'll have problems with exporting. Always make any changes in edit mode to keep things tidy. Applying the transforms and rotations is only necessary when you make changes to the object. As opposed to the mesh data. Which is what you change in edit mode. Hopefully that's the source of the problem. :)

Hey Sapper. That first image looks like the original harvester. Not the one I worked on. As for the PBO. That looks like it's completely destroyed. I can't compare with what I have personally, as I only worked on the assets. The config I used would be for testing in game. Revan's would probably have been created to suit his own needs. I'm sure he'll address it when he logs in next. :)

I don't think I've ever seen that particular error before. Can't think what it might be. I know the configs or scripts don't have anything specific to version 1.99. So it's not likely to be that.

The poor developer was probably chuffed about introducing a great new feature. I doubt they were expecting a discussion on budding graffiti artists drawing knobs. :D

Hey HG. Thanks for the compliments. The turn-over was pretty fast. The main aim was to get Revan some assets to work with. Functional and acceptable were the keywords. So that's reflected in the overall look. The content certainly isn't for the folks who like to scan every detail with a magnifying glass and move on. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....:D

That was a pleasant diversion. I doubt I'd qualify as an elite operator though. Low speed, high drag. :D Nice job all round krzy.

Essentially. Although in technical terms a normal map is more advanced. http://blog.digitaltutors.com/bump-normal-and-displacement-maps/ That should give you an idea of what you're dealing with.

I won't go into any lengthy descriptions as there's plenty of resource material on the wiki and here on these boards. But yes, you need to apply an rvmat to have your normal map rendered. If you want to get rid of those "lines" (flat shaded faces) then select the entire object in Object builder and set the edges to smooth. You can do the same from blender. On the properties panel in the 3d view window look for "Shading". If you need sharp edges you're better off adding them manually. Just be sure to enable autosmooth for the object. This acts like the edge split modifier. It will make any sharp edges you define visible in the viewport and mark them for the exporter. Just use them sparingly. If you need the mesh to look a little "smoother", cut in some extra loops near the end caps, using CTRL-R. I'll let you find the rest. Just look for anything relating to rvmats. Good job so far. Keep at it. :)

Nice work Krzy.Good to see there's still some activity going on in the now rather small CWA/OFP universe. :)

Aside from what Pufu mentioned, I'm not modding for A3 myself, but with characters, if a selection gets moved to the ground then it's probably not being transformed by the current running RTM. So that could be a range of things. Like typos or missing config entries. Or mesh parts and memory points not being included in the appropriate selection.

You picked a good object to start on. Regardless of hardware, it's a good practice to only use as much geometry as you need. If the model looks like what it's meant to be, then your job is done. Shovelling more polys into that particular model, isn't really going to do much to change the appearance. If you start with a subsurf modifier you'll get a more refined mesh for baking. It's especially good for hard surface work. For something like that, a low level would be good. You can duplicate it when your happy and turn off the subsurf to use the base as a target for baking. It might need some tidying up before-hand though. Once you get rid of the triangle end caps, the subsurf modifier should work well with it. Adding something else might help generate some interest though. What visual effects artists would call "greeblies". They don't necessarily do much. But they look cool. Piping that runs out of the drum that could be positioned next to a building. Or runs down into the ground. Some valves or pressure gauges. Some labeling. That kind of thing. Nothing excessive. One other important thing. Invest some time in UV unwrapping. Reduce your seam count and try to hide them as much as you can. Sometimes normal maps can refuse to behave at seams. So putting them out of view is the simplest way to get around it. If you want to improve lighting across cylinder caps, try using grid fill after extruding in from the edges. It usually responds better than triangle fans. :) I quickly outlined grid filling here: https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/180240-wip-halo-covenant/page-12#entry2875671

Oh it's out there alright. The rtms it generates are still compatible with A3. As great as it was though, I'd have to be forced to use it at gunpoint these days. :D

I think the only reason they'd want to reach out, is to wring his neck. :)

I'm sure they're all cowering just inside the tree line. :D You're making great progress though. Nice work HG.

Thanks Revan. :) If some folks are wondering why things aren't super detailed, it's for two reasons. I deliberately didn't want to go too far, in terms of geometric complexity. And I got the models done much more quickly than I usually would. Speed modeling in essence. Although some of the textures are fairly big on the buildings, I tried to keep it to one or two. Given the size of the buildings and the nature of them,I couldn't really go any smaller. Using more textures would've defeated the purpose of keeping the detail reasonable/playable. They could of course be scaled down at any time. Play around with the values for setpos to get the location of the weapon where you want it. The setpos array elements equate to [X,Y,Z] relative to the tower, for anyone who didn't already know. The ammo magazine is part of the stand because selections for vehicles have no weights. If it had been on the ground the feed chute would either separate from the magazine, or distort terribly.

Assuming the controls haven't changed all that much from O2PE, just band select the verts and hit Shift+D to merge (Weld).

As Pomigit mentioned earlier in the thread, they're concentrating on trying to create a new game. If that's the case it would explain why they haven't posted all that often. It could be a while before they get around to doing any more modding for A3. :)

As far as I'm aware you have 2 options. Armoured class with config driven animations, or a "character" with rtms. The tank class won't look as appealing, but offers crew and more weapon flexibility. The "character" would look the part, with less options weapon-wise and obviously, no crew. It would have the heavier workload too in terms of configs and keyframing. I don't think A3 has global mass. As in, a property that governs environment interaction based on mass rather than class. So a man class unit could still be halted by a big shrub, even if it weighs a million tonnes. Which although not a game breaker, can spoil the illusion. Perhaps someone can confirm this. Armoured vehicles wouldn't be subject to this of course. The lost dragons mod team are trying to hybridise these two class types. It's still experimental.So I'm sure they have a lot to work around. But keep an eye on it.

Thank you. I hope you can get something useful out of it. It's not as tricky as it looks. I haven't done anything regarding the configuration side of things. But there's quite a few posts about hand animations on the boards. Where problems cropped up and were resolved. So do some digging if you run into trouble. I think that's the area most likely to cause stumbling. :)

Well, if you're set on the class route, GRC 103 Introduction to Computer Graphics Not sure what exactly that entails. But if you haven't delved into the graphical side of computers it might offer some insights. GRC 110 Drawing and Illustration If it has artistic fundamentals, it could be worth doing. Understanding things like form and light are important. GRC 183B Design with Photoshop Some kind of introduction to photoshop will definitely be useful. CADD 245 Solid Modeling and Parametric Design Sounds like it might involve Solidworks. Fairly technical stuff, used by engineers and product designers. But I suppose it is does have a 3d aspect. It might require you to have done the preceding classes in that CAD list though. They're only suggestions based on what's offered. I can't see much else that would peak my own interest, if it were me. Not considering what you mentioned. The information already suggested is still valid. :) I know you mentioned OB and TB specifically. But what is it you're interested in doing? Terrains? Buildings? Characters? Vehicles? What kind of work is it you'd like to end up doing?

Yes the RTM contains positions for the bones on each frame. And the hierarchy is also part of the file. I'm not sure but I think all the transforms are rotations. In game it's still actions and states. I don't think it's necessarily the best set up I've seen for calling animations. But it's what you have. Actions are the classes that call your animations based on the situation they're in. Standing while in combat mode, prone while safe etc. The states classes, define the actual animations. Speed, whether or not they loop, the file's location and what they can link to, and so on. That's a simplistic overview. But it's the gist of it. In Arma the "skeleton" is a hierarchical list of "bones" entered in the Model.Cfg. And these correspond to the selections in a mesh with the same naming. I think the Model.Cfg is more a requirement for the engine, than having anything to do with the rtms. The naming is important though. If the naming of part of the mesh doesn't match up with the RTM and model.cfg you have problems. An obvious one is that section of the mesh defaulting to the rest-pose in game. Which usually means lots of twisting and distortion. Unless I've missed something, the A3 RTMS are still off limits legally. So that's why people would opt to use the A2 examples. The problem there, is the means by which you edit them. Currently I don't know if the 3DS max tool set can import RTMs. Alwarren's Blender toolbox doesn't. If you could get them into one of those environments retargetting would be possible. Without that option, it's down to starting with a blank canvas. The downside is the workload. The upside, is the ability to make it something very different. Object builder should be able to edit rtms too. But I doubt it would be as usable as something like CAT or character studio.