Light Maps

posted on July 11th, 2011, 8:39 pm

I just added an alpha channel to a texture however this has made the parts of the ship that were to be illuminated the only parts that are visible, unilluminated parts have become invisible. I can't work out what the problem is. The texture wasn't originally using any commands in its name but adding !phong didn't help anyway. I'm using 3DS Max 5.1 anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

posted on July 11th, 2011, 8:50 pm

Is the ship for A1, A2, or FO?

posted on July 11th, 2011, 9:38 pm

I just added an alpha channel to a texture however this has made the parts of the ship that were to be illuminated the only parts that are visible, unilluminated parts have become invisible. I can't work out what the problem is. The texture wasn't originally using any commands in its name but adding !phong didn't help anyway. I'm using 3DS Max 5.1 anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

make sure your materials are !phong_whatever_!default, and not !noaplha as that is what usually messes it up.

posted on July 11th, 2011, 9:49 pm

Is the ship for A1, A2, or FO?

It's for FO

make sure your materials are !phong_whatever_!default, and not !noaplha as that is what usually messes it up.

done previously it was "hull" I then changed it to "!phong_hull" and I've now tried "!phong_hull_!default"

All have the same effect.

I've attached a screenshot. The grey bits are a different texture and should be hidden inside the ship.

Any more ideas would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I've had this problem before but I just can't remember the solution.

posted on July 11th, 2011, 9:52 pm

Can you upload the texture itself? Also, what program are you using to make the texture?

posted on July 11th, 2011, 11:10 pm

Can you upload the texture itself? Also, what program are you using to make the texture?

Sure it's attached to this post along with the screenshot I meant to include with the last post.

I'm using Paint Shop Pro X3

Attachments

incursi1.tga (1 MiB) Viewed 378 times

posted on July 11th, 2011, 11:34 pm

Yeah, it looks like somehow you have it set so that the black on the alpha is invisible.(duh ) 

maybe try !lambert_name_!default, or !lambert_name_!phong ?

This is something you might have to ask at msfc.  There are alot of more modelers there far more experienced than me.

posted on July 12th, 2011, 12:34 am

Looking at the channels I think I see what's wrong. It looks like alpha channel may have been done incorrectly. When I open up the channel menu in GIMP, I should see the entire texture rendered in the RGB channels and the alpha channel should mask the non-glowing parts. Instead, all four channels look about the same. Unfortunately, I don't know how to use PSP so I can't really help otherwise.

posted on July 12th, 2011, 12:58 am

what program are you using if milkshape make sure you defiantly chose the a2 sod option if 3dmax then unsure but i some times get this error just make sure you applied the lightmap texture settings and done everything correct

posted on July 12th, 2011, 1:03 am

Hello,

Cabal here PMed me over on MSFC asking if I could help out. I know you're using 3dmax 5 and having so little experience with that program I may not be much help. I would assume the textures alpha channel is set up right and it's to do with the model and not the textures.

First thing I would do is test the mod in game, not in Storm3D as S3D has been know to not show models correctly and make textures grainy at time.

I also use the !lambert_name_!phong tag on my models and it works fine.

The problem if continues could have something to do with the material settings themselves, here is a thread on MSFC that describes what should be what. Again I am not sure if it works for 3dMax as I have no experience with that yet.
Milkshape 3D A2 Material Settings - MSFC

If it is the texture, I use Photoshop and not PSP, however they are pretty similar and what Cabal said is how it should be done. However looking at that image I feel it's more to do with the model than the textures.

posted on July 12th, 2011, 11:22 am

Yeah, it looks like somehow you have it set so that the black on the alpha is invisible.(duh ) 

maybe try !lambert_name_!default, or !lambert_name_!phong ?

This is something you might have to ask at msfc.  There are alot of more modelers there far more experienced than me.

Tried all the different material settings and started a thread at msfc (here)

Looking at the channels I think I see what's wrong. It looks like alpha channel may have been done incorrectly. When I open up the channel menu in GIMP, I should see the entire texture rendered in the RGB channels and the alpha channel should mask the non-glowing parts. Instead, all four channels look about the same. Unfortunately, I don't know how to use PSP so I can't really help otherwise.

I had a look in GIMP and I think it's reading the channels wrong. I tried recreating the texture with TGA Tool and it also ended up with all channels looking the same in GIMP when there is defiantly 4 different channels.

what program are you using if milkshape make sure you defiantly chose the a2 sod option if 3dmax then unsure but i some times get this error just make sure you applied the lightmap texture settings and done everything correct

I'm using 3ds max and have used the same method the BBOM uses for applying a light mapped texture.

Hello,

Cabal here PMed me over on MSFC asking if I could help out. I know you're using 3dmax 5 and having so little experience with that program I may not be much help. I would assume the textures alpha channel is set up right and it's to do with the model and not the textures.

First thing I would do is test the mod in game, not in Storm3D as S3D has been know to not show models correctly and make textures grainy at time.

I also use the !lambert_name_!phong tag on my models and it works fine.

The problem if continues could have something to do with the material settings themselves, here is a thread on MSFC that describes what should be what. Again I am not sure if it works for 3dMax as I have no experience with that yet.
Milkshape 3D A2 Material Settings - MSFC

If it is the texture, I use Photoshop and not PSP, however they are pretty similar and what Cabal said is how it should be done. However looking at that image I feel it's more to do with the model than the textures.

It seems like your right about it being the model. Applying the textures to Admiral's Sovereign and the lightmaps work fine. Admiral's Sovereign textures turn out transparent on my model.

I've tried various material combinations I'm wondering however whether they need to be applied via command node in 3ds max. I thought !phong_name_!default was the setting normally used by armada 2 anyway so it shouldn't need setting but I'll try experimenting anyway.

posted on July 13th, 2011, 12:55 am

Perhaps some of the faces are reverted on the model, you know upside down/backwards. If you were using Milkshape I could be more help but in 3DMax I can't as I have not idea how to operate the program even though I have v5 as well.

posted on July 13th, 2011, 1:30 pm

Perhaps some of the faces are reverted on the model, you know upside down/backwards. If you were using Milkshape I could be more help but in 3DMax I can't as I have not idea how to operate the program even though I have v5 as well.

All sorted now. There is an extra instructions in the BBOM in picture form following the lightmap instructions. They're mostly the same but in pictures but there is an additional last step (simply ticking a checkbox) that the instructions in the lightmap section don't mention.