Poly count for BZII models and props to optimize performance in game.

[mrtwosheds]

You can, but there is no point to do so.  BZ2, when it reads the xsi or whatever, triangulates things anyway.

There is one reason, A triangulated xsi-mesh will show the triangulations on the build effect, an untriangulated xsi-mesh does not.

[Avatar]

Yes, for BZ2 models you want to 'optimize/auto edge' when finished, to eliminate that.  The MSH maker may triangulate everything but somewhere it's keeping track of a 'hard' edge vs a soft one.  It may simply be a matter of winding order, as flames demonstrate...

-Av-

[OvermindDL1]

That is probably due to unified normals between them, or due to detected flat adjacent edges, do not really know, have not seen into the renderer...
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[TheJamsh]

so basically flame meshes are hard to do... tsssk.

someone needs to fix the ISDF puma flame mesh. its a bit.. um. broke.

[GreenHeart]

Speaking of engine flame, i've posted the old flame repair tutorial on bzcommand.com

Model :: Engine flame repair tutorial (3ds Max)

[Nielk1]

There is a 2nd one I don't like as much too. It shows making the flame a few times and testing in game to see which one exports right, then removing the others.

[Avatar]

That is probably due to unified normals between them, or due to detected flat adjacent edges, do not really know, have not seen into the renderer...
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In Max it's shown as a solid line for 'hard' edges, and dotted for 'soft' ones.  A 'hard' edge will show in BZ2 no matter how planar the face, where a 'soft' one won't.  It's a simple matter to hit OPTIMIZE, select Auto Edge, and dial down the threshing to the point where all it does is soften any edge possible.

-Av-

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Here's a simple way to add a lot of  detail to a single sided object without a ton of polygons. I wanted to make a nice wheel and rim to one of my models, but didn't want the 192 faces that make up the 3d object shown on the right in this pic. So I face painted it with the material editor and from the top view did a screen grab and opened it in my paint program. After I cropped off what I didn't want to keep I saved it as a BMP file. Then I created a 2 faced wheel object and placed my BMP on to it using the material editor and UV map editor. The biggest problem was adjusting the UV lines to fit with the texture file, and boom a nicley textured object with only 2 faces verses the original 192 faces. PS: I save all 3d objects in my GSL library folders for future use and the collection of objects in the library has grown to hundreds of such little objects.

[Dianoga4]

Can someone please tell me how this mrmfactor works and what the settings are?

Dia

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

You know what really seems to work very effectively is starting models using the nurbs creation tool in GSL. Then converting it into an editable mesh patch, mirroring it, and then welding the 2 halves as a single object.

Afterwards, I can add detail via adding new edges and drawing additional polygons on the resulting geometry. This way my models are somewhat optimized as I construct them. Now if I can only figure out how to paint better texture files look out world!

I've been creating a ton of plant based props like leaves, bushes, and trees using the nurb creation tool, mirroring tool and my imagination. Eventually, I'll upload them for others to download too...BNG.

Oh BTW, the draw polygon tool works great at creating human facial details like eyes, lips, ears, etc. A bit much for pilot figures but really neat for creating detailed texture map screen grabs.

PS: I too would like more info on the mrmfactor thingy myself.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

One useful option to working around the 650 poly face limited in Gamespace Lite is to download Truespace 7.6 free from Caligari.com and use the TS6 file icon to load and save older GSL model files into the TS 7.6 work space. There's no poly face limit to file saves, and unlike GSL  7.6 supports Meta and Plastiform objects. It's not really a licence too make models with like a gazillion polygons, but opens up the possibility of more detailed models and props for the game.
 

[mrtwosheds]

Speaking of engine flame, i've posted the old flame repair tutorial on bzcommand.com

Model :: Engine flame repair tutorial (3ds Max)

I was just going to use this, except bzcommand.com seems to have vanished.
Has anyone else got a copy of the flames tutorial?

[OvermindDL1]

BZcommand.com works for me.
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[mrtwosheds]

Its back now.
Doesn't seem to be much help to me, I noticed some time ago that the conversion process I use is a bit odd.
An 8 sided polygon converted from .3ds, to .x to .xsi has 18 vertex instead of just 8, I cannot understand why, it works fine as an xsi and in game.

edit:
Don't you just hate it when 3 years after starting and near the end of a mod you suddenly discover a better way of doing things....

[OvermindDL1]

Because it has to be split up into 3-triangle parts.  Even if you do not do that in the xsi itself, BZ2 will still do it on the split to .msh, and it can split it different then you wanted at times, you should always have it pre-split.
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