Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Scooby_Doo on December 12, 2006, 06:41:06 pm
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Ok I've got about 50 or so glowpoints that I'd like to add to a model. Now I can get their exact location by adding spheres to the MAX mesh, name them glowpointX-0Y. Convert it to cob, replace them with EngGlow points and convert it to pcs. The question I'd like to know is how to convert them to real glowpoints without having to slowly enter them in pcs. Call me lazy :P I remember hearing about manually entering them with a hex editor, could someone explain better?
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using a hex editor is about a bajillion times harder than using PCS, that's why PCS was made.
unless the max exporter supports it there is no real way to do what you want.
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Thats what I kinda thought...
However I was a bit inventive... I did find a way, not foolproof but it works, use a macro recorder :nod:
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(Late, I know)
The Max exporter does support glowpoints, but it doesn't do a perfect job so you still have to go back in and edit them all by hand. Better than having to enter them though, so I may as well point it out.
You need to make a dummy object called (if I remember correctly) glowbank-X that goes in some arbitrary location. Then place more dummy helpers (at the size and location you want your glowpoint) and attach them as children to the glowbank dummy.
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Actually I found a macro recorder does a very nice job, I just need to remember to move all the truespace and pcs windows to the right spots again, since it captures mouse clicks too.
Basically what I do is :
1.create spheres in MAX, position them, give them appropriate names.
2.Convert to cob
3.detach one sphere and create a lightbulb
4.run one of the macros (the sphere and the lightbulb must in a specific location on the list) the macro will copy the location (X,y,z) values from the sphere to the lightbulb
5.rename the lightbulb to EngGlowblahblahblah
6.move the lightbulb into the hull object (LOD0), move the sphere into a separate used group
7.if more then goto 3 :lol:
8.convert the cob to pof, save to a temp pof file
9. load a second copy of pcs and load that temp pof file
9.create a glow group in first pcs
10.in the second pcs switch to engine and select the first engine that corresponds to the glowpoint
11.run a second macro (it creates a new glowpoint, moves to that glowpoint, set radius to 1, copy the X,Y,Z from the engine in second pcs to glowpoint in first pcs, and finally move the engine glow point to the next glowpoint [if possible])
12. If theres more glowpoints in that glow group goto 11
13. if theres no more glowpoints in that glow group and theres more glow groups goto 9
14. Done ;)
Now that i've gotten you completely confused LOL