Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: SSC-ADMRL on June 16, 2002, 08:50:55 pm

Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: SSC-ADMRL on June 16, 2002, 08:50:55 pm
has anyone thought of making a new updated and improved graphics engine for this game.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: IceFire on June 16, 2002, 09:22:59 pm
It doesn't really need a "new one".  I think people are working on OGL and DX8 versions of the FS2 engine however.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Grey Wolf on June 16, 2002, 09:25:44 pm
Also, developing a new graphics engine would probably take more work than it would be possible for amateurs to do without professional rigs...
Title: Re: NEw graphics engine
Post by: WMCoolmon on June 16, 2002, 11:41:57 pm
Quote
Originally posted by SSC-ADMRL
has anyone thought of making a new updated and improved graphics engine for this game.

Yes.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Eternal One on June 17, 2002, 03:30:00 am
I don't think a new gfx pipeline would be worth the effort. I've been rather optimizing the current one, since there's quite a lot of room for that.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Inquisitor on June 17, 2002, 08:35:33 am
Well, there is the openGL port of the source code project (as well as the one released by icculus). While there were stubs, that was written from "scratch."

There has also been talk (but we have as yet to find someone to take up the challenge) of updating the DX5 windows code to DX8.

Does that count?

Anyone want to start the DX8 upgrade?
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: phreak on June 17, 2002, 11:30:11 am
i'd want to do a dx8 upgrade but i dont know a lick of DX
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Inquisitor on June 17, 2002, 01:44:05 pm
Can't hurt to try :)

CVS means we can roll back bad code ;)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: YodaSean on June 17, 2002, 06:26:30 pm
I would like to see someone get rid of the need to use POF files, and enable to mod makers use an easier to use 3D file, but I doubt that will ever happen...
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Fry_Day on June 18, 2002, 12:31:31 am
Yeah, well, it won't. POF models have data regarding collision and lighting, so you'd have to totally rewrite that code to actually be able to replace the type of model, and then rewrite the loader code, and the rendering code a bit, and it'd probably break a lot of things on the way, so it's unlikely at best.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: EdrickV on June 18, 2002, 06:17:51 pm
Quote
Originally posted by YodaSean
I would like to see someone get rid of the need to use POF files, and enable to mod makers use an easier to use 3D file, but I doubt that will ever happen...


Would probably be easier to make a 3D modeller that uses POF files. :)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Fineus on June 19, 2002, 02:28:18 am
If someone could make an export plugin for Truespace, LW or 3DS - that'd be a great start.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: mikhael on June 19, 2002, 11:59:01 am
Quote
Originally posted by YodaSean
I would like to see someone get rid of the need to use POF files, and enable to mod makers use an easier to use 3D file, but I doubt that will ever happen...

Mmmm. Like the ship setup in Iwar2. Very very groovy. Hiearchies, arbitrary animations (including weapon effect animations), insane polycounts... all I could ask is complete support for all the surface mapping channels (like bump mapping).
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: JC Denton on June 20, 2002, 08:13:21 pm
Well, I'm about 1/3 done with downloading the DX8 SDK...all 160 megs or so of it.   Plus I'm getting a C++ compiler this weekend, so maybe I'll finally have a look at this monster.

BTW, I'm worse than Bobboau...I am frickin' clueless with C.  I skimmed a Teach yourself in 24 hours book once, and didn't learn a bloody thing.

Trial and error is a good way to learn, no? :D
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: YodaSean on June 24, 2002, 09:52:13 am
Quote
Originally posted by mikhael


Mmmm. Like the ship setup in Iwar2. Very very groovy. Hiearchies, arbitrary animations (including weapon effect animations), insane polycounts... all I could ask is complete support for all the surface mapping channels (like bump mapping).


Exactly.  Its so much easier to use than Freespace's ship setup :)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Skippy on June 24, 2002, 11:11:27 am
(Direct link to DX8 SDK) (http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/dx/8.1/w982kmexp/en-us/DX81SDK_FULL.exe)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: phreak on June 24, 2002, 11:13:51 am
Quote
Originally posted by JC Denton
BTW, I'm worse than Bobboau...I am frickin' clueless with C.  I skimmed a Teach yourself in 24 hours book once, and didn't learn a bloody thing.


no offense or anything, but programming a graphics engine takes a whole lot of skill and technical know-how
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: penguin on June 24, 2002, 02:07:21 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Thunder
If someone could make an export plugin for Truespace, LW or 3DS - that'd be a great start.
This may be a dumb question, but as IANAM*, what tools do people use to create models?  Version numbers as well, please...

----
* I Am Not A Modder ;)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: phreak on June 24, 2002, 02:19:41 pm
trueSpace  v1-6
Lightwave   5.6+
3d studio max r3 & r4
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: penguin on June 24, 2002, 02:45:52 pm
Quote
Originally posted by PhReAk
trueSpace
Lightwave
3d studio max
Quote
Version numbers as well, please...
:p

(sorry PhReAk, couldn't resist :wink:  And there are many different SDKs for TS, hence my question.  I haven't looked into LW or 3dsmax yet)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: EdrickV on June 25, 2002, 03:33:52 pm
I use the nice, free, Wings3D (the current version) from Wings3D.com for modelling, Lithunwrap (the last freeware one) is good for texturing, and have to do hierarchy stuff in Truespace 1. (Though I've now got TS2 which I'll have to try.) Getting a model with the right hierarchy and good texturing has been tough though, TS1 seems to screw up the UV map. (Wings3D can, with the right plug-in, do UV maps but they need tweaking and making maps in Lithunwrap, or a comparable program, is probably better.)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Inquisitor on July 02, 2002, 02:18:24 pm
Does anyone use Milkshape?

I use it for TQ projects, but I haven't ever seen people here talking about using it. Did I miss it?
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: aldo_14 on July 03, 2002, 04:53:02 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Inquisitor
Does anyone use Milkshape?

I use it for TQ projects, but I haven't ever seen people here talking about using it. Did I miss it?



I think there are a few...not many, though IIRC.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Martinus on July 04, 2002, 01:22:47 pm
I'm currently working with GMAX right now.

As some of you might be aware there is a quake3 plugin for it which means you can export md3 format models. These can be converted using milkshape or 3Dexploration. It's showing promising results as you can fully build and texture the model within Gmax then export it, convert it to 3ds format or use lithunwrap on it.

It's a whole lot more powerful than Milkshape but not as format flexible.
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Darkage on July 04, 2002, 01:56:13 pm
You already got a engine the FS2 one, just improve it and it wil be fine:)
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: SSC-ADMRL on July 04, 2002, 11:43:09 pm
thanks for fixin some of the graphical problems darkage
Title: NEw graphics engine
Post by: Darkage on July 05, 2002, 03:08:13 am
Quote
Originally posted by SSC-ADMRL
thanks for fixin some of the graphical problems darkage


Glad i could help:)