Murphy's Irrlicht Mesh file format

cmoibenlepro · Post by **cmoibenlepro** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:21 am

Please excuse my ignorance but how does one obtain slim shady?

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

Murphy: If you decide to make a b3d converter, maybe this could help you...
http://www.blitzbasic.com/sdkspecs/sdks ... _specs.txt

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:24 am

cmoibenlepro wrote:The real thing to ask: Is it a lot of work to add it?

Well, how much work it would be is relative to how useful it'd be.

I've already done converters for DeleD DMF, Cartograph Shop CSM, and OpenBSP OBSP (and was there another? I can't remember!) as they seemed like they'd open up a lot of possibilites for free/cheap lightmapping. At the time I wrote them, the DMF and CSM loaders didn't exist yet (though there are still potential wins to using MIM). I am just wondering if a B3D converter would have similar utility. It'd open up a Slimshady workflow...

cmoibenlepro wrote:Murphy: If you decide to make a b3d converter, maybe this could help you...

Yup, thanks. Can I convince you (or anyone) to toss me a sample lightmapped B3D file? PM me if interested.

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:08 am

heh, Ultimate Unwrap can export a b3d file...with lightmaps in any mode.

so, I can

And I will

Give me an hour or two...

BTW, slimshady does not support curved surfaces, like neither fsrad or Trancos Lume tool tool. It's the same deal.

Only thing that Max users that use b3d pipeline, or Quill 3d tool customers, (Giles users also, but as I mentioned, the OBJ+OBJ from giles is better: I can strip my name and surname from an th ascii obj; not so easy from b3d; Giles has that bad habit of exporting that data into each file...Maybe is a good security reason, but I'm much about my privacy... ) ...could also benefit from b3d format.

In terms of quality, there you fall in an area probaly similar to Trancos Lume tools, never as good as FSRAD (though fsrad has the prob of curved surfaces)

True that b3d pipeline users (and extremely good max plugin, free, in case it exports lightmaps, most probably) have not got the curved surfaces problems: Max lightmap everything perfect.

I didn't mention it to you as a possibility for terms of universality: The OBJ+OBJ way is by far the most unversal. Even more: you can use Blender with MIM tools. I knew it was possible, only a bit complex to bake illumination in blender using vertex count based radiosity into a low pol mesh, but in channel 1. MIMtools should allow to grab the obj with texture, and a second obj with radiosity lighting baked into a low copy of it, and get a multi uv MIM file, like allways. (and no curved surfaces there) I just don't recommend a method that I have not tested and that I think can be quite complex to the average joe...

But I may end up making a patient test of it (have some trick explained by a guy) and if I find it easy, I'd post in thi sthread, so Blender users may have also that possibility (those not advanced enough to have already guessed them selves!

)

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 8:28 am

done...

is in ur PM inbox...(it's the old sample of allways)

not sure, but b3d with lightmaps can be exported from Max+pipeline free plugin...Deled(not sure... Giles... (probably CSM too) ...Ultimate Unwrap (this one I made for u) ... Mapplet (yep! is not only a very basic map editor, it has some sort of very basic lightmapping...) ...quill3d....dunno if something else....

Imho is quite of less use than OBJs, (mainly I'm of the opinion all the level editors become allways short in modelling features, but for the huge range of users that don't know deeply a highend tool, don't have it, or haven't the patience for Blender/wings...well.... ) but yep, it has some nice direct use from some tools.

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:07 pm

See this thread about Maplet for more thoughts on B3D support.

The short of it is that B3D support seems likely at this point.

Murphy · Post by **Murphy** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:37 am

It's been a hectic week, and I hit the road early tomorrow morning.

I got so close to a MIMTools release, but a whole lot of today got wasted on unrelated things going wrong. I'll do my best to get the release done from Arizona.

If Vermeer is interested, he and I may be able to pull together a mini release before that...

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:17 am

You know you can count on me

I hope I have not left some PM unanswered...

I have had an strange week, too, but I think I can find well the minutes needed for testing and stuff

Tomorrow...hey, good news, finally

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:20 pm

Today is the Tomorrow you feared Yesterday

my week was also bizarre, tiresome, unproductive, etc etc etc so these will really be good news to cheer everyone up.

ps. I think this week had a cosmic problem.

Michele · Post by **Michele** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:53 am

MIM looks pretty interesting. Maybe Im a bit slow or lazy, or both, but I cant seem to find any place to download it. Have you released MIM for public review? If so where I can I download it.

thanks.

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:59 am

Michelle, is not you, is that it's just not uploaded in its latest version...Really, I've been playing with a close to final one, and it's dream like thing.

I bet he'll post soon a final one...he may first send me it for some final deep testing before release...

The very direct link will be posted here and sure in his news page, but I guess the safest place to check is this thread.

And yep, I also think MIM is *very* interesting. It puts itself perfectly in the middle of any artist chain work, ending with a perfect multiuved and lightmapped level for irlicht.Everything very seamles. There are other valid ways, I as an artist, just really like this one.

Murphy Needs His Password · Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:11 am

Hmm... I gotta remember my password or make a new one.

There's a brief update on what's up with me (and, thus, MIM) in this entry on my website.

The short of it is that my stuff and I are now in Arizona. I brought along a better machine than this one to do dev on, but it's not set up. I'm sure I'll be pretty busy for a while, but when I can I'll set that up (hopefully all will go smoothly) and then put the final touches on the MIM release (it really is almost done -- I wrote the readme yesterday).

Unfortunately, neither of the video cards I have here are pixel shader capable, so no GLSL implementation in the near future (I'm on a pretty tight budget until I get a job out here).

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:18 am

Afe is da man. (able to even overcome cosmic weeks...)

Afecelis, Alvaro, hey, compadre....

give him a password or somethinng...

Sorry if I don't tell you this in a PM...
hehe

not sure if u'd see it...

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:22 am

I don't have either a shaders 2.0 3d card (this is a ti4200)....and would be my third priority once I have some money... and mainly to output that kindof graphical stuff...well, even just to check it. As producing it is just doing the hi res versions and have a good workflow... i downloaded that ORB tool before the site vanished...lol.

But first must come a good TFT (if that exists) to enjoy properly my xsi at 1280, and for easier working...

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:26 am

rawly OT (or not such) but...which is the crappiest , dirty cheapier 3d card having support for normal maps? I mean, for outputting it? I don't mind nothing if performance is just like the ti4200, I wont buy to play, just to test my artwork...

Murphy Needs His Password · Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:31 am

I might just be able to remember it (my password) if I try a bit harder.

Yeah, a nice TFT (if it exists) would probably be a higher priority for me too, as this is a pretty shallow desk and my good monitor would barely fit.

A flat panel would be ideal. And I have a card that can do pixel shaders back in California anyway. That box just didn't make it out here on this trip. So I should actually have it in a month or two.