Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Bobboau on May 30, 2004, 08:56:31 pm

Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Bobboau on May 30, 2004, 08:56:31 pm
ok, currently we're reverting to the old STL code to render jump nodes, this makes then the slowest rendered thinig in the entier game, one jump node in mission costs my ATI Radeon 9800 pro 10 fps, despite being nothing but an extreemly low poly un textured _wire frame_. so I need someone, or someones, to make a good new jump node model, a new model is needed becase, as odd as this sounds, it actualy would be extreemly complicated to get the old node model working, and I'm not going to go through the unnesisary complication, just for jump nodes (if untextured wire frames were used any ware else I'd think about it, but there not).

so you have the following limitations:
*the new node must be entierly made out of triangles, if it isn't the model reader will make it so, and it won't look like it's suposed to.
*it must be textured, give it a 1X1 green if you have to, but it must be textured, you have the option of giveing it something more complex though if you'd like and I think that could be cool
*fully smooth shade it, we're useing Index buffers now so I don't want to waist any band width, seeing as this is just going to be used for rendering, you don't have to use PCS if you don't know how to get it to do full smooth shadeing.

here is a build with a simple sample node (http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater/node.zip)
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Taristin on May 30, 2004, 09:07:34 pm
Why not just take the pof, put it into 3dmax, and use the lattice modifier on it?
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Bobboau on May 30, 2004, 09:58:29 pm
becase I wanted to give people an opertunaty to make a cooler looking node model that would become standard issue for SCP releses
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Black Wolf on May 31, 2004, 12:02:21 am
A Cooler looking node? :wtf: It's a HUD projection - it's not supposed to look cool - the current one looks just about exactly right IMO.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Rictor on May 31, 2004, 12:07:22 am
bob: great idea.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Liberator on May 31, 2004, 03:17:48 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Black Wolf
A Cooler looking node? :wtf: It's a HUD projection - it's not supposed to look cool - the current one looks just about exactly right IMO.


He means the Subspace Vortex at the end of every mission.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Lightspeed on May 31, 2004, 03:32:35 pm
Wrong.

He indeed means the node model.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Gregster2k on June 03, 2004, 06:19:49 pm
Fascinating. I can think of tons of ideas for this *EDIT:No i can't!*...one of which being simply a sphere with wireframe green edges...I always thought that a wireframe sphere might be more interesting than your standard jump node...

...or, go for the Babylon 5 look and make straight-looking green wireframe gates =)

Or a gigantic smiley face.

Um...I'm stumped...LOL. Out of ideas already atm, ill get back to you :)
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: WMCoolmon on June 03, 2004, 06:36:15 pm
Asking for the FREDders here, does this mean it'll be possible to change the color of the jump node to represent its 'status' in the story?
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Bobboau on June 03, 2004, 07:36:19 pm
eh..mmm, no...
is that something that a lot of people realy realy want?
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: ShadowDrakken on June 03, 2004, 09:57:41 pm
well, if you're gonna make it a model, may as well give it model features right? although I imagine it'll just be one big glow map for the whole model so it doesn't ever get effected by light sources ;)
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Knight Templar on June 03, 2004, 10:13:24 pm
Dude, no. The wiremap is exactly how it's supposed to be. Don't **** with the node model.


:p
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: WMCoolmon on June 03, 2004, 10:15:44 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Bobboau
eh..mmm, no...
is that something that a lot of people realy realy want?


I haven't heard anyone ask for it, but I can remember a mission or two that involved an unstable jump node stabilizing. It'd be a nice touch IMHO. :)
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Rictor on June 03, 2004, 10:23:09 pm
heyyyyy now there's an idea. Glow map the relevant sections (if its still going to be a wireframe), so make it looks extra nice. I never even though of that, its such a no brainer.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Lightspeed on June 04, 2004, 04:38:40 am
Dont map the node model at all. That would be pointless and ugly. Keep it to wireframes.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: ShadowDrakken on June 04, 2004, 07:32:29 am
no, ugly would be a node model that's effected by lighting because you decide to make it out of a mesh... it's supposed to be a HUD overlay, not something actually floating out there in space... and as a HUD overlay, it needs to glow
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Lightspeed on June 04, 2004, 08:29:22 am
The nodemap IS, WAS and will always BE a model.

Still, this does not affect the way its rendered.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: DaBrain on June 04, 2004, 12:25:54 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Lightspeed
Dont map the node model at all. That would be pointless and ugly. Keep it to wireframes.


I alway wanted to see glowing lines in FS2.
This could be done by giving the node textures, aswell as all the other lines.

Like this:

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040604/1086369463.jpg)
 
The texture would look like this:

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040604/1086369770.jpg)

Alway turned to the viewer.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: aldo_14 on June 04, 2004, 12:48:04 pm
Quote
Originally posted by DaBrain


I alway wanted to see glowing lines in FS2.
This could be done by giving the node textures, aswell as all the other lines.

Like this:

http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040604/1086369463.jpg
 
The texture would look like this:

http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040604/1086369770.jpg

Alway turned to the viewer.


What happened to Sticks' (IIRC) 'overburn' effect?
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: jdjtcagle on June 04, 2004, 12:48:47 pm
No, just leave it all alone...
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: kasperl on June 04, 2004, 12:56:43 pm
jdj: mean the node? It's costing us 10 FPS at least.....

Icefire: merged it with the code, code got fubared, rolled code back, waited for 3.6.......
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: DaBrain on June 04, 2004, 01:41:16 pm
Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14


What happened to Sticks' (IIRC) 'overburn' effect?



Yeah, it's cool, but not for all things that are on the screen ;7
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: jdjtcagle on June 04, 2004, 01:48:02 pm
Quote
Originally posted by kasperl
jdj: mean the node? It's costing us 10 FPS at least.....

Icefire: merged it with the code, code got fubared, rolled code back, waited for 3.6.......


No, I mean the changing it around partand making it look different... fix it, but don't make it glow or anything
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: terren on June 04, 2004, 05:33:59 pm
if your going to make it a modal, let the moder descide which one to use.  I thought that was the goal of FSO.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Woolie Wool on June 04, 2004, 06:06:47 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Bobboau
becase I wanted to give people an opertunaty to make a cooler looking node model that would become standard issue for SCP releses


Why would anyone want a cooler looking node? It's simply a HUD display that shows the pilot the position and boundaries of the node. How cool it looks is irrelevant.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: WMCoolmon on June 05, 2004, 02:16:42 am
Quote
Originally posted by Woolie Wool


Why would anyone want a cooler looking node?


Because it would look, well, cooler? :p

I'd like to see someone make an ordinary node model though...
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Turnsky on June 05, 2004, 02:27:30 am
i'd like to see what people come up with before i pass judgement.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Bobboau on June 05, 2004, 02:35:46 am
look it's a technical issue, the model has to be made out of triangles the exsisting one isn't a new one is needed, it's a HUD display, wooptie, I guess that somehow makes no one make any evaluations of it on terms of asthetics, becase by some law of he universe if they did all matter within a fourty kilometer radius would colapse in on there heads.

we _NEED_ (need: the state of requiering, non optional, must happen) a new one, I figured I would give people a chance to make a new one that looks better, if were going to make a new one, why not try to make it look cooler/better?

why are people fighting this like it's some sort of important thing?
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Blaise Russel on June 05, 2004, 02:46:35 am
Because they like the old one and don't want it changed to something else? 'Cause, you know, it wouldn't really be Freespacey?

I say make a new node, but keep it the same as the old one.
Title: new jump node needed
Post by: Bobboau on June 05, 2004, 03:10:10 am
the nodes from fs1 and fs2 look totaly diferent, I'm asking from something that would fit in with the level of diversity shown as cannon

and it can't look exactly the same becase as I said, the old one is mad eout of sevral more than 3 sided polygons, and that's a no.