IrrLua, IrrWizard, Bones animation, and polycount
Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:03 am
Just making sure, with IrrLua, you can code your own classes in C++ and then call them from IrrLua without much trouble, right? We want to use IrrLua as a general scripting language for all our non-programmers, since our group is mostly artists, and I would like to make sure this is a good idea first. Also, with IrrLua, you can type in commands and have them run during the game right? Does this work with, say, loops?
Second, is it possible to split the bone animation files from the models themselves? Reason is, we have a lot of different models that we plan to make use the same animations. I would hope that we wouldn't have to attach every single animation to every single mesh, as that would seem to be a huge waste of resources and a lot of needless copying.
Third, what is the approximate poly range you'd use for a bone-animated model? We have some 3000 poly models, and some 16,000 poly models. Much of the team wants to use the higher-poly ones, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. Is anyone who understands this engine able to make a recommendation? What's the approximate maximum of polygons you'd want in a scene?
Fourth, would it look weird to apply a lightmap to a static object and then use bump mapping or parallax mapping on that surface? I'm not sure if this has been tried before or not.
Fifth, I noticed all the animated meshes I've seen have had a really weird bulging effect going on with their skin. I think it has to do with the low precision of animation in MD2 models, but I'd like to make sure. If this bulging carried over to other models, like those with bones, that would not be acceptable at all.
Finally, I rebuilt IrrWizard as an Inno Setup installer for the members of my team to use. The version I made took up like half the space and installed a bit easier. Does anyone think this is worth giving to the guy who made it?
Thanks for reading all that! We haven't decided on an engine yet, and if someone could answer some of these questions, that would really help us decide.
Second, is it possible to split the bone animation files from the models themselves? Reason is, we have a lot of different models that we plan to make use the same animations. I would hope that we wouldn't have to attach every single animation to every single mesh, as that would seem to be a huge waste of resources and a lot of needless copying.
Third, what is the approximate poly range you'd use for a bone-animated model? We have some 3000 poly models, and some 16,000 poly models. Much of the team wants to use the higher-poly ones, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. Is anyone who understands this engine able to make a recommendation? What's the approximate maximum of polygons you'd want in a scene?
Fourth, would it look weird to apply a lightmap to a static object and then use bump mapping or parallax mapping on that surface? I'm not sure if this has been tried before or not.
Fifth, I noticed all the animated meshes I've seen have had a really weird bulging effect going on with their skin. I think it has to do with the low precision of animation in MD2 models, but I'd like to make sure. If this bulging carried over to other models, like those with bones, that would not be acceptable at all.
Finally, I rebuilt IrrWizard as an Inno Setup installer for the members of my team to use. The version I made took up like half the space and installed a bit easier. Does anyone think this is worth giving to the guy who made it?
Thanks for reading all that! We haven't decided on an engine yet, and if someone could answer some of these questions, that would really help us decide.