free compiler with lightmaps?

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vermeer
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Post by vermeer »

Ouch!

Nor Blender neither Anim8r support generation of second UV channel...I really hope FSRAD does this or at least, it can be generated by your code... (generate it and copy UVs from channel 1 to 2, maybe...)

Maybe seing that sample ASE of FSRAD we would know if it already include a second uv channel generated inside Max, or FSRAD is so freaking good that generates a second uv channel in the proccess...
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Guest

my lmtools

Post by Guest »

Yep, my lastest lmtools released lmtools version does not support per vertex normals (so not used while computing lightmaps).

But, an alpha (never released) version already supports it. Maybe it's time i finish it. :wink:

Althrough that, i know that GI is far times better than the DI. So that's why i stopped lmtools development. I was thinking in using a tool like FSRad.

I would like to help, ¿what do you think it's needed in order to use FSRad? I only tested it a few. Works fine ? Would be nice to have a open source GI program. ¿Anyone knowns if Blender would have something like?

Doubst, doubts and doubts.... that life :roll:
Guest

Post by Guest »

Ops. Sorry. I forgot to tell u.
I'm Lord Trancos. The developer of Pulsar LMTools.
Nice to meet you. :wink:

pd. sorry for my english
jox
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Post by jox »

Thanx for your brainstorm vermeer!

You know, having a second uv channel in the source mesh is really not the issue! It'll be generated by the whatever lightmapping tool export part. No need to have it beforehand.

The Anim8or route is interesting. Though using *.an8 would be the only choice, since *.c does not include lights as well, as far I can tell.

I think *.ase will not necessarily be needed. At least in the way I would go. I think my solution would be:

AN8- or 3DS-Loader for FSRad
and
OCT-Loader for irrlicht

(an8 would be limited to Anim8or. 3ds would exclude Anim8or but be more flexible since its more spread... dunno)

But there I'm asking myself: is the OCT file format itself free for commercial use??

@Lord Trancos:
Nice to meet u 2! :)
Thanx for your great work on LMTools! To bad it's written in pascal not c++. ;)

Maybe would be nice releasing your normals supporting alpha. My loader works and it's for now the only alternative using lightmaps in irrlicht besides BSP.
Btw, what do you mean by GI/DI?
Guest

Post by Guest »

LMTools Alpha - Sample screenshoots
http://www.geocities.com/dxlab/tmp/lmnew.htm
(antes = before, despues=after)

Old LMTools Alpha (only modified binaries and some new data; so you'll need also current official release)
http://www.geocities.com/dxlab/tmp/lmtools_alpha.html

The final output file it's in the same format/version that the current official release of LMTools, so if somebody has written code to use LMTS files, there is no need to modify that code. (Once you've the lightmaps there is no need for normals, so they're removed).
Guest

Post by Guest »

GI - Global Illumination
DI - Direct Illumination
vermeer
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Post by vermeer »

hey , people, great to meet you all in a thread :)

to tired tonight to write now, tomorrow I will, and tell you some thoughts fo the stuff how it is now... :)

Really glad have you here Trancos!!

I'll answer you th eothe rmessager tomorrrow too... ;)
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jox
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Post by jox »

Very nice Trancos! So this version is supporting rounded surfaces. That's really great! :)

Unfortunately the crashs get worse... Now I get these "Exception EAccessViolation in module LMPack.exe at 00001A6F." all the time. And also tons of "- Warning! cannot create a lightmap for triangle #1. Maybe triangle shape it's a line or a point." :(

Maybe the 3ds's are bad? But It worked so well before many times (as you see in the screenshots)...

I'm also a bit tired and will take a frash look at it tomorrow...
Guest

Post by Guest »

Two things I've forgot.
- The shadows don't work fine with the new per vertex normal stuff. You will need to disable shadows to get good results. I've just uploaded a new alpha that it's already configured to do that.
- The 3DS to LMTS isn't yet capable of creating LMTS files with normals so, the only way to use (right now) normals with the alpha version of lmtools is to use the .X to .LMTS feature of LMDx.
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Post by Acki »

LMTS seems to be preatty usefull... :)
But how can I use the generated light maps with Irrlicht ???
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vermeer
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Post by vermeer »

@Acki

That's the thing: Jox is coding a loader for the Lord Trancos lightmapper :)

@Trancos and Jox


I think is good to have support for the alpha version of Lmtools. There will be always problems with any solution, so , to have both imho is safer, mostly as the lmtools path in irrlicht is practicaly done now :)


BTW, for we all (including Trancos and his other projects ;) ) is interesting also to see if it can be added too Fsrad.

Anim8or's 3ds file, as I posted before, does not export lights. So, the Anim8or--->3ds--->Fsrad route is impossible.

As you said, Anim8or route would be surely Anim8or->an8 native format-> etract the chunk you need only to load the mesh, uv, lights , into fsrad.

I always thought fsrad needs the intervention of a coder, as they say.

The problem with Blender, Trancos, is that besides I am not sure if the ase plugin is usable or export lights with latest blender (an issue of all what is a plugin) , the main issue is....Mainly the users in Irrlicht, for what i have been seing for long, are coders. Or as much level editors with some experience in Max. Very few are blender users.

Those who are blender users -like, somehow, me- would adore any plugin for Blender...indeed I already proposed it as a level editor for irrlicht (porting all scene, no need the complex thing (armatures) ...as that is taken care of , finally, by the x exporter) ... But...the people here being coders, not having even heard of a 3d tool, or just knowing some basic editing in max, or milkshape, or the like...

Well, Anim8or is a way easy software to learn for anyone...

And in this case, I proposed thinking in th fastest to learn tool to build an scenery , that provides a quick workflow.Is freeware, not open source, but at least, the format has been detailed and given. After all, we're wanting to use the scene output of that ascii text format.

Blender native format I think is like binary dump or something...

Of course, there are initiatives and many script for export but...

Well, indeed, for making cool character animations, people not buying softwares is gonna need blender, the x exporter, and a deep, hard to learn knowledge of good character rig making and animation in blender. Not as easy as in other packages. And could be a reason why don't fear here to make them use the same package for creating th elights to export to the lightmapper...

But...

Thinking myself now on the people who make an md3 with other tool, or an md2. There are several free ways for this, or already users of Milkshape.

Those wont wish another complex package to learn.

I personally would prefer for some reasons Blender. But for other, Anim8or. Is mor ecompact...it always comes with direct 3ds or obj import/export, plus its native format is ascii and documented...And sems easy to parse.

Even being a Blender user now, I still see Anim8or is easier. And I'm thinking mainly in the masses, the typical coder with no knowledge of Blender. In many cases, some artist would make him some animated models and pass them to him and goodbye, he will have to care for th elevel editing (even more in free projects) .So I'd vote to make things easy.

So, as you would have expected, freaking cool good be if Jox add some port Anim8or-->Fsrad, Trancos some solution (surely python , but probably you can use other language) Blender--->Fsrad. And you both share the part of the final export fsrad---> Irlicht.

That some people think maybe duplicating the works..but I'm long time 3d user, I know it would worth it. Anyway, I'd understand if is decided make only a loader for one tool only.

the profile of the 3d newbie would have benefit of a compact and easy tool like anim8or (can use in Linux with wine, been done)

the profile of the blender user, or simply the 3d freaky (ppl like me, hehe) would benefit from the blender solution, for its power. But even so...in Anim8or is REALLY quick to mount an scene.The newbie of above would have not only learn the basic editing in Blender (quite a barrier to many I have asked) but also know where are the neeeded plugins, how to install and run them. The more factors, more possibilities to get them stuck at some step. Is like if I wanted to code , and start with a complex language.

Of course, again, if the lmts for the alpha version of lmts is done, great too :)


I am not asking or demanding anything ;) Indeed, if I had to demand it , me having Gile[s] now, I'd ask for just support of two uv channels in x files, and lightmap render from there in irrlicht, reading just the x file with its asigned texture to channel 1, and asigned to channel 2, the lightmap tga. (that is, that the artist just would provide its x file(leaving to the artist asign well the lightmap and texture and creation of 2 uv channels) with texture)

But not even that, as I am gonna probably do as I said, a project with coders using a home made engine.

All my chat about this is for I like to see Irrlicht improving and have a solid engine/comunity here :)

PD: I am not sure if Blender 3ds exporter (you need to use the plugin from holocomb, or the io suite from scorpius ) does export lights.

neither if the latest unreal ASE (I dunno how much differ from an standard ase) , -that may load well in latest blenders... - is exporting lights. As looks to me may not be needed for his purpose, maybe.


There may be other ascii format export plugin from blender, but I don't know it. Seems it'd be best to make directly a python plugin to export from inside blender, like with any format plugin. Into something that FSRAD can read. the readme included in 004 fsrad is a must to read, as well as seing the sources, python-blender doc, etc...

that and/or parse the anim8or ascii format.
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vermeer
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Post by vermeer »

forgot:

http://bane.servebeer.com/index.html

bob holocomb 3ds exporter. (besides OBJ scripts, but I rather prefer ideasman ones, seem more complete and no need of python install.remeber of the avilable plugins, only x support 2 uv channels,and obj nor x, does not support lights. For that is ASE, 3ds, or a direct python script to run inside blender for export (in anim8or, just parse a text format ;) ))

but remember 3ds kills smoothing usually, does not support shared uvs, no more than 8 characters in material names, and don't have possibilitie to load more than 65k tris in same terrain mesh.

may seem way high, but today hardware supports 100k with other engines, in not cutting edge cards and pcs...so...besides being a weak format, is definitely not for even the inmediate future-...or present, for those pushing things a bit...


hmmm...OK.

Seen now inside the *.py file , the latest Bob Holocomb python script. It seems while they could, camera, keyframes and lights, which are features of 3ds, are not supported, as the only occurence of lights is thi sentence:

" #may want to add light, camera, keyframe chunks. "

remember 3ds will make you loose the smoothing. So...a level can look bad without it. You could always just add it in a free tool supporting two uv channels, but I dunno of any...


You could just extract the light values of the scene, if that's possible, and import into your new format, if it has some sense.

or , in the case of anim8or, just parse de full scene from the ascii text file. In the case of Blender, do a python script to be run inside Blender, with scene loaded.


my long 2 cents ;)
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nitroman

Post by nitroman »

It's true anim8or is easy, but IMHO I prefer Wings3D.
It's also very easy AND very powerful.

also Trancos:
does the gmax maxscript does still works with the alpha lmtools? does it need normals?
Guest

Post by Guest »

yep. the maxscript it's just for exporting lights, not for geometric data.
vermeer
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Post by vermeer »

no doubt at that. Wings is better for modelling...but as a scene builder ...anim8or has more types of lights, camera movement even along a path, stronger materials support, more light settings...etc

So...This is not to compare both, but see which would do better for the light setup. Imho, Anim8or is more direct to newbies.

Also there's a manual with nice pics up to date with latest version always.

Is a tool made for learning.

Wings is a kickass tool for doing th ebest modelling possible :)

Is different ball game.
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