1. Is there a way in the model converter to make parts of a model into transparent “glass-like” surface? I have seen things like the bank windows, greenhouse and other “windows” in models. Is that something done through the model converter as an added on model or something?
I note that Global Properties allows for transparency, material lighting, and other things what (in lay man’s terms) do these mean and can you give an example explination of what these do? I’m assuming to get glass I use this/these functions some how.
2. Collisions: My models tend to have wrong collisions, either inside the model or extending beyond it a distance, for instance my airport is long and narrow the collision seems to be across it. I assume that you use the 3ds model for the collision through the Model converter. I have used it and most of my models and the collisions match up, a few like my airport and my bridge do not match up.
3. Attaching “wheels” and “turrets”. I click on add turret and it opens up a folder with all of my models, I do not have a turret model. Could I add like a tree to a house lot? If so how does that work into the texturing?
4. Gouraud Shading: What is that?
I guess what I am really asking for is a manual to use the model converter more effectively. Mind my model making history is about as old as my history with The Universal… meaning up until The Universal I never worked with model making programs before.
Thanks for all your help.
Model Converter Questions:
A lot of this is answered in the model converter manual, which does indeed exist. It's in the MC installer: http://theuniversaldownloads.com/ModelConverter19.zip.
You might also find a couple of tutorials I made helpful: http://theuniversal.net/artsection.php? ... ltutorials. I did these a while ago, but who knows... might be informative.
Ok:
1. Yes. It's one of those "features" that mit didn't know about, but I discovered this is possible...hence the greenhouse etc. An .atm file is only supposed to be able to remember one material property, but actually, it can remember two - one for the main model, one for submodels. So here's how you do it - let's say you wanted to make a building with transparent windows:
- make your building and ensure you have all of the transparent bits as distinct shapes within your model (so in this example, you'd have the wall of your building, then rectangular planes in the wall for each of the windows
- when the model's completed and mapped, ready to go, detach all the transparent bits (this in your modelling program, obviously)
- export the solid and transparent bits as separate models
- in the model converter, load up the transparent bit (so in this example you'd be looking at a load of rectangular windows hovering above the ground)
- go to Special/Global properties, and choose the blend type you want. "Blend alpha" would be standard for a "glass" effect. Set the opactity as you require (maybe 50% or something - depends how much of the inside of the model you want to be seen). It usually makes sense to tick "Show double sided" too if your "glass" will also be seen from inside, if you see what I mean
- "Ok" that. Then save the model as an .atm file - make sure you've got ""Export Global Properties" ticked in "Export Options", or else it'll forget about the material settings you just made.
- Load up the solid bit of the building model; save it as an atm file
- Now we're going to attach the transparent bits as a turret. Re-load the solid .atm file. In Animations menu, choose "add horizontal turret" and point the dialogue box at your transparent bits .atm file.
- ding... if all has gone well, you should be looking at your solid model with transparent windows. Save the whole thing as your finished model.
1(a): I can only explain these in layman's terms because I don't understand all of them, either.
As in the above example, "Transparency type" is all about making models transparent. best way to see what they do is to play with them. "Blend alpha" is the most common use, for normal transparent glass effects. "Additive alpha" combines two overlapping transparencies, making the overlapping bits brighter (try it on your transparent window model above, and see the difference). Subtractive alpha's the opposite of that - overlapping bits get darker. The "colour" options do something similar but work on the hue of an object rather than its transparency... kinda. I'm not sure how to describe it - but I am sure mit'll be laughing if he sees these explanations. Anyway there ya go :)
Of the other global properties options, only "show double sided" and "do not clip with landscape" are of any use at the moment. The first one, well that shows both sides of your model, so for instance a building would have its texture on the inside as well as the outside (this is useful for planar models like plants, flags etc - you don't have to build both sides of the model, you just build one and show it double-sided).
The other one changes how the model is clipped on a world: ie, when the game decides not to draw it cos it thinks you can't see it. Building models are placed at the corners of tiles on a world, as I'm sure you're aware. If it's a small model, then normally you only see it when you're looking at that building position. If it's a large model, potentially you might still expect to see it even when the coordinates it's at are off-screen... but the game won't draw it normally. With this ticked, it will.
2. I'm actually not sure whether collision models are working or not. They've made no difference when I've tried them. The main thing that works is choosing the right collision mode (5 or 7) but as noted on the bug reports board, there are issues with each of them. Use 5 if you want the most realistic collisions we can do today. Use 7 if you want players to be able to climb on top of things (ramps etc).
3. Wheels and turrets are both different types of "submodel". In other words, a model you attach to another model, specifying a specific attach point for each one. While they're called wheels and turrets, actually they can be anything. So you could attach a tree to a car model and have rotating conifers as wheels.. or attach a house to a tank, or anything.
However, you do have to choose the type of submodel to attach, as you know - wheels or turrets - and the game code interprets them in different ways. Wheels are always rotated in-game (which way they rotate depends on the wheel setting in the main interface). So for instance I've used wheels to make, er, wheels for car models; propellers for plane models; and rotating signs on buildings.
Turrets are a bit different. If you have a model with a turret, and use it as a vehicle in-game, then you'll be able to control the turret with the mouse (if you have the right control modes etc set up). That's great for tanks, mechs etc. But you can also have turrets on buildings. This can also be used for weapon-like purposes: defence buildings, for example, that have a rotating/swivelling gun (autodefences etc). But also you can use turrets on normal buildings, as in the transparent window example above.
So, wheels, turrets - they're just one model you attach to another. So yeh, you could attach a tree model to a farm model: the tree would rotate if it was added as a wheel; and it'd stay put if it was added as a turret.
Texture-wise, wheels and turrets both use the texture of the main model. So it's not as simple as attaching one textured model to another: you need to plan ahead, build the whole model in your modelling prog, then export the different bits you need for main model, submodel etc.
4. Goroud shading. Load a model and turn it off. Ugly isn't it? Turn it back on again. Ahh, that's better. That's all you need to know ;) (it's just a way of smoothing faces on your model: you'll never need to worry about it).
f
You might also find a couple of tutorials I made helpful: http://theuniversal.net/artsection.php? ... ltutorials. I did these a while ago, but who knows... might be informative.
Ok:
1. Yes. It's one of those "features" that mit didn't know about, but I discovered this is possible...hence the greenhouse etc. An .atm file is only supposed to be able to remember one material property, but actually, it can remember two - one for the main model, one for submodels. So here's how you do it - let's say you wanted to make a building with transparent windows:
- make your building and ensure you have all of the transparent bits as distinct shapes within your model (so in this example, you'd have the wall of your building, then rectangular planes in the wall for each of the windows
- when the model's completed and mapped, ready to go, detach all the transparent bits (this in your modelling program, obviously)
- export the solid and transparent bits as separate models
- in the model converter, load up the transparent bit (so in this example you'd be looking at a load of rectangular windows hovering above the ground)
- go to Special/Global properties, and choose the blend type you want. "Blend alpha" would be standard for a "glass" effect. Set the opactity as you require (maybe 50% or something - depends how much of the inside of the model you want to be seen). It usually makes sense to tick "Show double sided" too if your "glass" will also be seen from inside, if you see what I mean
- "Ok" that. Then save the model as an .atm file - make sure you've got ""Export Global Properties" ticked in "Export Options", or else it'll forget about the material settings you just made.
- Load up the solid bit of the building model; save it as an atm file
- Now we're going to attach the transparent bits as a turret. Re-load the solid .atm file. In Animations menu, choose "add horizontal turret" and point the dialogue box at your transparent bits .atm file.
- ding... if all has gone well, you should be looking at your solid model with transparent windows. Save the whole thing as your finished model.
1(a): I can only explain these in layman's terms because I don't understand all of them, either.
As in the above example, "Transparency type" is all about making models transparent. best way to see what they do is to play with them. "Blend alpha" is the most common use, for normal transparent glass effects. "Additive alpha" combines two overlapping transparencies, making the overlapping bits brighter (try it on your transparent window model above, and see the difference). Subtractive alpha's the opposite of that - overlapping bits get darker. The "colour" options do something similar but work on the hue of an object rather than its transparency... kinda. I'm not sure how to describe it - but I am sure mit'll be laughing if he sees these explanations. Anyway there ya go :)
Of the other global properties options, only "show double sided" and "do not clip with landscape" are of any use at the moment. The first one, well that shows both sides of your model, so for instance a building would have its texture on the inside as well as the outside (this is useful for planar models like plants, flags etc - you don't have to build both sides of the model, you just build one and show it double-sided).
The other one changes how the model is clipped on a world: ie, when the game decides not to draw it cos it thinks you can't see it. Building models are placed at the corners of tiles on a world, as I'm sure you're aware. If it's a small model, then normally you only see it when you're looking at that building position. If it's a large model, potentially you might still expect to see it even when the coordinates it's at are off-screen... but the game won't draw it normally. With this ticked, it will.
2. I'm actually not sure whether collision models are working or not. They've made no difference when I've tried them. The main thing that works is choosing the right collision mode (5 or 7) but as noted on the bug reports board, there are issues with each of them. Use 5 if you want the most realistic collisions we can do today. Use 7 if you want players to be able to climb on top of things (ramps etc).
3. Wheels and turrets are both different types of "submodel". In other words, a model you attach to another model, specifying a specific attach point for each one. While they're called wheels and turrets, actually they can be anything. So you could attach a tree to a car model and have rotating conifers as wheels.. or attach a house to a tank, or anything.
However, you do have to choose the type of submodel to attach, as you know - wheels or turrets - and the game code interprets them in different ways. Wheels are always rotated in-game (which way they rotate depends on the wheel setting in the main interface). So for instance I've used wheels to make, er, wheels for car models; propellers for plane models; and rotating signs on buildings.
Turrets are a bit different. If you have a model with a turret, and use it as a vehicle in-game, then you'll be able to control the turret with the mouse (if you have the right control modes etc set up). That's great for tanks, mechs etc. But you can also have turrets on buildings. This can also be used for weapon-like purposes: defence buildings, for example, that have a rotating/swivelling gun (autodefences etc). But also you can use turrets on normal buildings, as in the transparent window example above.
So, wheels, turrets - they're just one model you attach to another. So yeh, you could attach a tree model to a farm model: the tree would rotate if it was added as a wheel; and it'd stay put if it was added as a turret.
Texture-wise, wheels and turrets both use the texture of the main model. So it's not as simple as attaching one textured model to another: you need to plan ahead, build the whole model in your modelling prog, then export the different bits you need for main model, submodel etc.
4. Goroud shading. Load a model and turn it off. Ugly isn't it? Turn it back on again. Ahh, that's better. That's all you need to know ;) (it's just a way of smoothing faces on your model: you'll never need to worry about it).
f
