texture blending?

(c--b) #41

Wings3d does have somthing similar to Vertex Paint called Vertex Color. I just watched the Terrain blending tutorial and you’ll need to make the heightmap with Photoshop (Or some other program) and then convert it using an external program. One such as the one I’ve found called CyberMesh.

http://www.ancientidolstudio.com/darkcreations/ext_tools/cybermesh.zip

If converts greyscale.bmp images into usable formats (supports .LWO files which can be imported into blender and exported from there into wings in .OBJ format. I’ve tested it)

One thing Im uncertain of is wether the vertex colors will be retained in the final model file.

(ratty redemption) #42

k, thanks, but do you mean the .lwo from cybermesh can be imported into blender and then exported into wings? I wasn`t sure if that was a typo.

and when you have time, do you mind testing the vertex color in wings and then loading the final .ase into doom?

I would test this myself only I dont have doom yet, and I havent yet built anything in wings, just been getting a feel for it and reading through the wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf which is pretty informative :slight_smile:

(c--b) #43

What typo? :stuck_out_tongue:

Ok, I’ll try and get a terrain model with two blending textures into Doom 3 using blender and Wings3d.

One thing I was confused by in the video tutorial was that the two textures seemed to be streched over the whole terrain, Would you be required to set the material file (Doom 3’s equivalent to Quake 3’s shader files) so that the texture repeats a certain amount of times? Or is there somthing Im missing (Might be hard to get it to look right)? Oh well, minor detail. I’ll see if I can get it working.

(ratty redemption) #44

thanks, and I would assume we don`t use repeating or scaling on ase models, but I might be wrong.

(c--b) #45

OK, I got it to work.

Heres how I did it (This is more for me, so I can remember :P)

1: Took a greyscale bmp and ran it through CyberMesh (Cybermesh is a standalone program) Cybermesh exported a .LWO file.

2: I took the .LWO file into blender to convert it to .OBJ so I could modify it in wings.

3: In wings I added a UV map to the terrain as well as added a Random texture to it (The actual texture wont matter, this wont be used. It just needs to have a texture so the USMExporter in Blender will allow me to convert it into a .ASE).

4: I then converted the wings file into .OBJ format, so it could be used in Blender.

5: I opened blender and used the Vertex Paint function to draw a smiiley face on the terrain using pure black.

6: I opened the text editor built into blender and loaded the USM Export script, I then pressed Alt-P to start it.

7: I clicked the button to export it into .ASE format (Button doesnt really have a name…)

8: I used the .ASE text format to edit the Bitmap line to say “//base/textures/terrain/hbars” This actually is to tell the model where the material file is, and the material file tells it which textures to use and how to use them (Such as blending them as terrain should be blended).

9: I copied Brian Trepaning’s material file (Accounting for file names and such) started up DoomED loaded the .ASE terrain file added a light and it worked perfectly. It blends my two textures I specified in the material file in the smiley face pattern.

Anyway Ratty, I’ll start working on the Two Tutorials for you when you give me the word that you’re comfortable using this method. Its rather long winded :confused:

But it works (Frustrating as hell, the Vertex Paint function in Wings3d didnt work, but blenders is much easyer to use anyhow) :smiley:

Heck, later on you may even find Blender to be better to your tastes.

(ratty redemption) #46

thanks c–b, and until a time when we can afford a professional modeling app, this sounds like our best solution …it`s just a shame there is so much swapping between apps …but please do compile some tutorials on this if you have time :slight_smile:

btw, Ive dl several of [brians](http://www.planetdoom.com/leveled/videotuts/brain/index.shtml) video tutorials and their very inspiring :slight_smile:

also Ive just ordered doom3 so should have it in a few days ...keeping my paws crossed it doesnt get lost or delayed in the xmas post.

(c--b) #47

Ooh, ouch. Cristmas. You may have troubles :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway, I’ll get those two tutorials done definatly before you have Doom 3. Should’nt take long at all, and even if it does take long I might still get them done before you get Doom 3. :smiley:

(ratty redemption) #48

thanks and dont rush, the first few days of me having doom, Ill be just playing it :smiley:

(blushing_bride) #49

maybe if you ask santa nicely he will deliver it on time

(ratty redemption) #50

hee hee, I guess that couldn`t hurt… so does santa hang around these forums much? :wink:

(ratty redemption) #51

hi, me again :wink:

I recieved d3 just before xmass and after a couple of days playing the sp, I knew I really wanted to work with this engine :slight_smile:

since then Ive done a ton of mini mod stuff for my demo project, even tried my hand at some weapon scripting, but the only mapping Ive done is small test maps.

Im getting my pc upgrade soon, so Im going to start mapping properly with d3, and I`ve been thinking again about the texture blending.

would it be possible to build terrain maps from brushes in one of the stand alone radiant versions, compile them with q3map2 so they could be built using alpha volume blending, then use q3map2 to export an .ase model to work in d3?

(Detoeni) #52

The ase’s would need reworking in a 3d model program, it would be quicker to do the whole thing in a modeling app’ tbh.

(ratty redemption) #53

thanks Detoeni and can anyone list what the main approaches for making terrain are, ie which apps people are currently using with d3?

I know c–b got the wings3d, blender approach to work, but it does sound long winded, especially if I was tweaking my terrain a lot, and I have a ton of it to build for my project… saying that, Im not dismissing the free apps, but Im still considering pro apps, if they make the process a lot quicker?

(kat) #54

fit-zack-er-ly. What you could do is use brushwork to blockout ‘where’ you want the map to go, export that to OBJ (using Doom3Edit) or ASE using q3map2 and get it into a 3D app. Once there you can actually build using that object as a template.

By the way… Blender now has 2 ASE exporters available for it, the newest one is better as it’ll export multi-subobject meshes.

I’m writing a tutorial of sorts on this atm but for now here’s a link to a page at mapcenter where I explained the process of ‘modeling a map’
http://www.map-center.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=6377

(ratty redemption) #55

thanks kat, that template type approach should mean I get the scale right in a modeling app :slight_smile:

Ill go read the link youve posted.

Im really glad you guys have been working with these various approaches as it means Im not going to be stumbling blindly into this.

(ratty redemption) #56

kat, I just read your map center topic and although interesting, I`m a tad confused where the blending would be done for d3 terrain maps?

as you seemed to use blender to add detail to the mesh and make the uvw maps, but then do the blending in gtk with the alphamod volume brushes and q3map2?

I think vertex painting sounds the quickest way of doing blending but are there any tuts or articles on doing that in blender yet?

I think c–b said he was going to write one, but as I know from my own attempts at tutorials for blending in q3map2, it`s very time consuming and the technology sometimes changes before we have finished preparing a tut or we move onto other projects.

however, I am very committed to working with d3 terrain and since most of my intended demo is set in outside areas or caves I think its more important I get to work on them rather then the man made buildings, which Id pref to then add to the terrain afterwards rather then constructing terrain around the buildings.

also like kat, mentioned in his map center tut, I too work more productively from an organic flow approach to mapping as opposed to working out the player, bot paths before hand… tbh, I don`t think one approach is less or more professional then the other, just different mind sets are needed.

(kat) #57

Yes, you have to consider the context of that ‘tutorial’, it’s about modeling a map and ‘blending’ relative to Quake 3 powered games rather than the specifics of Blending for Doom3.

I’ve not yet physically played with Blending in Doom3 but it works on the principle of using two colours to blend, black and white, to which a texture is asigned in the material files (shaders of Quake 3), black has one texture and white the other. The blending itself is control by these two colours as they are applied to the vertices of a mesh object (what’s called ‘vertex painting’), where each colour appears the associated texture appears in game ‘blended’ between the two.

The principle of working with this is the same as for Blending in Quake 3 games so have a read of socks tutorials on this as you need to do the similar approach with Doom3 (esp the multiblend related stuff)

(ratty redemption) #58

thanks and I already can make my own textures and write complex d3 material shaders, so their np for me, its just how exactly do we apply the vertex painting in blender?... Ive seen from one of brian`s vid tuts on doing it in max so I think I understand the principle used there.

Ive just dl the latest blender version 2.36 and Im going to have a play with it, but even with me being able to more clearly read the buttons and menus now, it`s still a very daunting gui that app has.

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