God Damnation!

[Inferno]

I'm having a few problems with the next 3 maps I've been working on. 3 quick questions.


First
http://dedi-servers.net/ftp/dmt/images/UE3%20Issue%201.PNG
This happens all over the map. Dunno why but it's fugly and I want to fix it.



Second
http://dedi-servers.net/ftp/dmt/images/UE3%20Issue%202.PNG
How do I figure out which bitmaps go to which faces on the cubemap?


Third
http://images.wikia.com/halo/images/4/4e/Chill_OutPC.JPG
How would one do fog like that?

[SonicXtreme]

Inferno , fogs easy , its under actors , info height fog .... if you have msn add me , it`ll be easier when you ask questions lol.

[Inferno]

I've got AIM and Xfire. I don't really want to get more than 2 messaging clients at once. Can you get one of those?

[Phopojijo]

First
http://dedi-servers.net/ftp/dmt/images/UE3%20Issue%201.PNG
This happens all over the map. Dunno why but it's fugly and I want to fix it.


You're on static vertex lighting... play with static lightmaps and dynamic lights.

http://www.hourences.com/book/tutorialsue3lightmap.htm

[SonicXtreme]

I've got AIM and Xfire. I don't really want to get more than 2 messaging clients at once. Can you get one of those?

Xfire : sonicxtrem3

[Inferno]

Cool.

Also I'm trying that lightmapping tutorial. Hopefully it will sexify the maps.

[Phopojijo]

Yeah it's picky, you'd need to have a second UV channel just for lightmaps if you want anything to occur.

That's not unique to Unreal btw... that's just lightmapping in general.

[Inferno]

Yeah. Halo does it automatically. Unreal should to. :saddowns:

[Phopojijo]

Nah... it's to give the artists more control...

[Llama Juice]

You can have UT3 generate UVs for you, but they usually turn out garbage.

Your UVs for your lightmaps can just be an auto map on a 2nd UV channel... it doesn't have to be anything fancy.

[Phopojijo]

You can have UT3 generate UVs for you, but they usually turn out garbage.

Your UVs for your lightmaps can just be an auto map on a 2nd UV channel... it doesn't have to be anything fancy.Yeah that's usually what I do, but if you can take the extra few minutes for an important wall to remove as many seems as possible... makes it look a bit better... also optimizes lightmap usage...

[Inferno]

Yeah I just did a flatten mapping on the 2nd channel for all the meshes. Looks decent.

[Roostervier]

Your cubemap is set up incorrectly. There shouldn't be any visible seems in the view of the collective images. Should be more like this:

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4574/cubeut3.png

[Llama Juice]

Yeah that's usually what I do, but if you can take the extra few minutes for an important wall to remove as many seems as possible... makes it look a bit better... also optimizes lightmap usage...

Yea, usually for mine I'll either just not tile any textures (on a static) so I can use my primary UV set, or if there's overlapping UVs I'll just run a Layout UVs and that'll lay everything out so there's no overlapping stuff... doesn't work so well with tiling textures and such though.

[Inferno]

Your cubemap is set up incorrectly. There shouldn't be any visible seems in the view of the collective images. Should be more like this:

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4574/cubeut3.png

Um... I know. That's why I posted it. What order do i put the bitmaps in.........

[Phopojijo]

Actually for Chimpire I'm going to be using this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaMVg4vJDFA&fmt=22

So I'll be avoiding Unreal lighting for most things... mixing in pre-computed GI lightmaps into the shaders themselves. The only thing that'll affect lighting outside of the lightmaps are like -- dynamic lights on characters. A good substitute for the elusive Unreal Lightmass.

Still have to deal with the terrible material-lookup lag... but the textures can be much more simple with the massive lighting detail... also can script lightmap swapping if say -- someone turns on a lightswitch or something.

[DEElekgolo]

Setting up different shaders for each object just for lightmaps?
D:

[Phopojijo]

Setting up different shaders for each object just for lightmaps?
D:Shader instances with a texture parameter... not sure if there's some overhead to that though.

... and it saves me time in the optimizing phase... since there's only like -- 2-3 lights in the level otherwise.

[Inferno]

That lighting method looks nice but complex. I'm still learning the engine.

[Roostervier]

I had to guess with the order, and my bitmaps are named forward back front left right etc so I can't really help you there. Tbh it looks like your top and bottom bitmaps arent rotated correctly or something. trying to fix it would really be trial and error.

[Inferno]

That would be annoying to do. There are so many possible combinations.

There has to be some order.

[Inferno]

For fucks sake. This new light map method takes ages to do.

Also it's messed up in some places. I'll post a pic in a bit.

[Phopojijo]

Yeah you're not going to get Purelight... they're charging 500$ a seat for it...

[Inferno]

:ohdear:

Must be some nice shit then. Isn't that what mirrors edge used or something.

[Phopojijo]

No, Mirror's Edge used an in-engine variety that's integrated with Unreal Engine (From Illuminate Labs... Purelight on the other hand is a small ~3-4 person company from Calgary). It still only operates on the lightmaps... but it does all the backend stuff for you.

This guy is a stand-alone program that sits between Maya/Max and Unreal Engine. You export to Purelight... set up your scene... use Purelight to automatically generate the most appropriate Lightmap UVs for you... then light the scene using those lightmaps... then export the objects to ASE and import to the UnrealEngine.

Once in the UnrealEngine, the objects have all the new UV layouts and such... you then mix in the lightmaps that Purelight spits out into the shaders for the objects you create.

[Inferno]

Sounds like a bitch to do for every static mesh.

Also. How fucking long does it take to lightmap 5k polys in UE3. Jeez. I've been waiting for 15 minutes.

-edit
30 minutes....

-edit 2
So bored I'm editing this post again.

[Inferno]

Does the lightmap size make it take longer to run. I have them set at 2048 for final lightmaps and it's taking a lot longer than the 512's I think.

[Phopojijo]

Yes!

Most meshes can make do with like a 64 or 128 lightmap... depending on how large it is. I think the max I needed to go to was like -- 256.

[neuro]

you'd be amazed at how much difference a 16x16 lightmap can make over vertexlighting.

[p0lar_bear]

I made a test cubemap ages ago when I was decompiling Halo models and trying to set up the materials in 3ds to match the game's shaders.

105

[Inferno]

Oh wow I was going overboard with the lightmaps. I reduced it to 512x512 for the final. The 2048 never even finished.

[neuro]

it's OK to use large lightmaps sometimes though, in one occasion, i has a bunch of dead trees casting a shadow on the ground below, which ended up being totally gone whenever i baked lighting, so i popped a 1k lightmap on that particular piece which i had the shadow cast on, and it looked great with the final shader with full specular and such.

[Inferno]

I have a issue with my light maps. For some reason I think the colors are bleeding on the edges in some places. Like a purple face with a random orange edge on 1 side.

What is causing that? My light maps are separated completely.

[DEElekgolo]

Is it along the edge of where you cut the BSP up?

[Inferno]

Some of then are along the edge of the BSP some are along random edges in the map.

Hey dee you wanna light theses for me? I heard you are pro at lighting and stuff.

[Inferno]

Ladders.
How does I make them?

I know there is a "ladder volume" in brushes but I have no clue how to use it.

[SonicXtreme]

create the brush the same size as the ladder then click ladder volume :/ easy

[Inferno]

I tried that and nothing happened.
:saddowns:

[Phopojijo]

Odd... I must have failed to post this...

Ladder Volumes are broken (unless your ladder happens to be against the +x wall)

http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=587364

Is a community fix... read the entire thread.

[Inferno]

Yeah I got linked off to this.

http://www.moddb.com/games/unreal-tournament-3/downloads/sw-laddervolume/#772829

Installed it. Just hope it works.

[Inferno]

Well it's still not working and It's pissing me off. I run up to the ladder and touch it but when I try to go up I just sort of vibrate on the wall. I can go up about 3 inches before it goes into HURF DURF mode.

[Inferno]

What a good way to make specific AI paths only for vehicles and others only for walking?

[Llama Juice]

place a path node, hit F4 and go to the VehicleUsage thing at the bottom, check what you wanna have checked :P

[Inferno]

Coolio.

Now about sounds. I want to use the same background sound_looping system as halo. How exactly does UT sound work? Mainly in the topic of background sound. What format do I import as? WAV MP3 OGG WMA (lul)?

[Llama Juice]

Have you been to UDN? Check this out, it'll answer everything for ya.

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/SiteMap.html

[Inferno]

That's a good resource.
I just finished up AI pathing and game play elements for wizard. Me and some friends are going to do some LAN on it today I hope.

I'll start doing online testing when I get the IP issue on my router cleared up. This problem. (http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?t=17248)

[Inferno]

Ladders are making me rage. I need help with them. I'm using the updated ladder thing but they still don't work. :maddowns:

[neuro]

just make a lift instead. they're alot more functional and generally speaking, alot easier to set up.

[Inferno]

I'm staying classic. These maps are meant to be as close as possible for the sake of accuracy. Also I figured out what is wrong. Ladders on a perpoly collision = FAILURE. I can't get the brush system to work. And I hate it tbqh.

[Anton]

Mister Inferno, add me on a messenger, unless you have none. I'll try to help you with brushes/explain.

[t3h m00kz]

Dude you gotta send me a build of Chillout when you're done. All I got is my piece of shit UT1 version which I made out of sheer boredom

[neuro]

brushes:

the red box is your build-brush, it's not a brush, only a representation of what your brush would look like if you were to make it a brush by adding/substracting it.

in your case, you'd have to shape your buildbrush (the red one) in the shape you want it for your brush, the hit the Add burron (right pannel, one of the 4 buttons at the button) and you should see a checkerboard-textured-box/whatever shape appear where you built your buildbrush.

you CAN copy/paste brushes and anythign else in the editor as well. (just try not to undo too much, because it's prone to crashing)

[Inferno]

Yeah we figured out brushes and ladders yesterday. I'm starting on boarding action btw. Once BA is done ima do rat race and a few others then release time. :iamafag:

[t3h m00kz]

go go go

Also, brushes are fun as shit to work with. I made some crazy ass box levels with them, it's like working with legos

[Inferno]

The controls suck on brushes. And the fact that it "draws over everything" IS REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING. It throws off my depth perception really fucking bad.

[neuro]

use all viewports, and don't stick to your perspective only :3

[Inferno]

It's so much easier to work 1 or 2 view ports though.

Generally I just use top and perspective.

[Inferno]

Bitches best be checking them selves.

http://dedi-servers.net/ftp/dmt/unreal%202%20screener.PNG

Ya that's right. I'm rolli'n on 2 screens now.

[Phopojijo]

Yeah I've been dualscreen for about 7 years now... couldn't handle it any other way.

Especially useful if you're writing a paper, have reference and chat on one monitor, Word on the other...

[neuro]

i wouldn't be able to live without 2 monitors nowadays.
i just cant manage my stuff one one screen anymore.

[Llama Juice]

School finally got duel monitors 27" primary with a 19" secondary, love it for UVing and photoshop... typical maya stuff one screen is fine.

UT3 however... duel screens are rather nice.

[English Mobster]

Man, I wish I had dual screens... =[

[Futzy]

I just came back from a vacation a while ago and found it impossible to work without my secondary screen.

[Inferno]

Dual screens is quit nice but I'm still getting used to it. I keep losing my windows and I HATE how everything pop's between the 2 monitors.