free compiler with lightmaps?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:37 pm

hi, i searched the forum but did not find any free compiler that builds lightmaps. i want to load a level with precalculatet lightmaps..dont want to slow the game down with using dlights..is there any working editor/compiler for that? it dont have to buid bsp-trees, im just intrested in the lightmaps

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:38 pm

forgot to say: free for commercial use..so all the q3-stuff etc wont work

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:13 pm

http://www.melog.ch/slimshady/

but it does not deal well with other than flat surfaces.
you will need some software like Ultimate Unwrap (40$) to make 2 uv channels , as always fo rthe lightmaps, and export as x to load into the lightmapper.

another one, same problem:
http://www.geocities.com/dxlab/index_en.html

another one, just can load ASE files, is way tricky, and u'll need a software that can output lights and 2 uv channels into an ase file to open in this lightmapper.Maybe Pretty Poly Editor,(free. exports ase) I dunno. Ultimate Unwrap, comercial, can't create lights.

http://www.fluidstudios.com/fsrad.html

-Best quality is Gile[s] , but is 40$ and u'll still need a software like Ultimate Unwrap(40$) to generate the uv coords and uv channel 2 where it will store the lightmap, as much as I'm concerned.

3ds Max does all this and top quality.

nitroman · Post by **nitroman** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:45 pm

if you buy it, you can export your map with a lightmap rendered with gile[s] directly to .x
but saving is disabled for the demo version...

this is what I found on its webpage.
And I agree that it render beautiful lightmaps when global illumination is enabled.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:29 pm

hm..has anyone used giles with irrlicht..seems to be very nice, but i dont want to buy it, bevore trying it out; and the trial with disabled saving is pretty useless

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:43 pm

I may be wrong, but I think I read irrlicht can't have lightmaps if not inside a bsp...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 3:00 pm

that would be bad, would it be difficult to make the engine load some other format with lightmaps?

jox · Post by **jox** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:58 pm

vermeer wrote:I may be wrong, but I think I read irrlicht can't have lightmaps if not inside a bsp...

What about the E_MATERIAL_TYPEs EMT_LIGHTMAP and EMT_LIGHTMAP_*? (see SMaterial.h). But I'm not sure if these support a second u/v channel...

jox · Post by **jox** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 7:09 pm

jox wrote:But I'm not sure if these support a second u/v channel...

Looks like they do...

At least in DirectX the following code in CVideoDriverX8/9.cpp is setting it up:

Code: Select all

...
pID3DDevice->SetTextureStageState( 0, 3DTSS_TEXCOORDINDEX, 0);
...
pID3DDevice->SetTextureStageState( 1, 3DTSS_TEXCOORDINDEX, 1);
...

jox · Post by **jox** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:07 pm

Mhh, it seems that in irrlicht X file format doesn't support 2 u/v channels. But 3ds does...

I already did sucessfully create lightmaps with this LMTools. Looks good so far. But output format is *.lmts. Just quickly wrote a loader for it, now trying to find a way to output it to an irrlicht loadable format...

I still don't really know if the EMT_LIGHTMAP actually works. Maybe I should do some tests before. But I dont have any mesh with 2 u/v channels yet... (well only in *.lmts format...)

hang on...

agrif · Post by **agrif** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 12:18 am

I can't get 3DS Max to export a .3ds with two UV channels. I can get it to export the first channel, but never the second. Am I doing somthing wrong?

agrif

nitroman · Post by **nitroman** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:07 am

I already did sucessfully create lightmaps with this LMTools. Looks good so far. But output format is *.lmts. Just quickly wrote a loader for it, now trying to find a way to output it to an irrlicht loadable format...

I'm interested in that... do you think it would be possible to create a loader for lmts for irrlicht or to convert it to 3ds?
because it would be a good opensource and free alternative to proprietary q3map.
Also the screenshots look great (I like the windows with colored light)

jox · Post by **jox** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 10:17 am

nitroman wrote:do you think it would be possible to create a loader for lmts for irrlicht or to convert it to 3ds?
because it would be a good opensource and free alternative to proprietary q3map.

Should be possible. I also need some alternative, so I'm going for it. I hope its not taking too much time for now, because it's got not the highest priority on my list. But it's challenging...

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 12:59 pm

X file format does support 2 uv channels, even dx8.0 version. Maybe is that Irrlicht hasn't it implemented.

3ds format does not support two uv channels. In every 3d tool, package, if u save 2 uv channels, u loose them, as 3ds, ms3d or OBJ.

But x support it .And v9 x files support more channels, but seems in a more complex ways.

BTW, I have been allowed to "distribute" , that is, to pass it to someone with ftp space, I mean

, the last beta test version of the x exporter (btw, refering to the case, blender does not support yet lightmaps, 2 uv channels.)

I have recently purchased Gile[s], and I have since long ago, Ultimate Unwrap, which helps me generate th etwo uv channels and do the mapping of both, or just copy from 1 to 2, if I'm too lazy.

Lmtools or slimshady have their limits...slimshady cant lightmap well curved surfaces, and lmtools, something related to that is not elated to normals...basicly I think it'll also do for flat surfaces, only.

Fsrad(free, radiosity based, high quality) is a way more well worked tool, but i don't know yet of any free tool exporting an ASE file with light imformation in it; seems the free tool was made for work with Max...

I am not sure, but i think 3ds supported lights and camera, but not sure...

That or make a mini editor that put lights and geometry and export as an ASE format that Fsrad can read...

jox · Post by **jox** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:24 pm

vermeer wrote:X file format does support 2 uv channels, even dx8.0 version. Maybe is that Irrlicht hasn't it implemented.

That's it. Irrlicht hasn't it implemented (yet).

vermeer wrote: I have recently purchased Gile[s], and I have since long ago, Ultimate Unwrap, which helps me generate th etwo uv channels and do the mapping of both, or just copy from 1 to 2, if I'm too lazy.

Sounds good. And Gile[s] is not too expensive with 39.95€. But you don't have been using Gile[s]/Unwrap generated lightmaps in irrlicht, do you?

vermeer wrote: lmtools, something related to that is not elated to normals...basicly I think it'll also do for flat surfaces, only.

Yes, just discovered also that the exported *.lmts files ain't have no vertex normals. But the format supports it. From the specs: "You can use [User Data] to store vertex normals, vertex colors or whatever you want.".

Dunno with only flat surfaces. Probably it is like so. But might be still ok for certain purposes.

vermeer wrote:I am not sure, but i think 3ds supported lights and camera, but not sure...

3ds does support lights.

vermeer wrote:That or make a mini editor that put lights and geometry and export as an ASE format that Fsrad can read...

Hmm, Fsrad / ASE. Might be next thing I look at. What formats does Fsrad export?

btw, my CLMTSMeshFileLoader() supporting lightmaps is almost finished.