Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Bobboau on February 10, 2005, 10:32:36 am

Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Bobboau on February 10, 2005, 10:32:36 am: I've just about got the external weapon code done, mostly I need testing, but for that you need to know how to use it.
so

first off, you need (for primary waepons, this is an option for secondary as they already have a model) to make and specify in the tables a model to be rendered on a per weapon basis on the hull, on each weapon point useing the table entree "$External Model File:", this goes right after the regular model file entree that is in every weapon. the model file you make may optionaly specify additional primary fireing points (again only for primary weapons) these points will be used in place of the hard points in the ship's pof (each one will be vector added to the fireing point of the ship thus fireing from the corect place on the weapon model)
so far everything I've said is optional for secondary weapons, now is the important part for both of them.
in the ships table, you must specify wich banks are to have weapon models rendered, directly below were you specify for capacities (this _is_ an option for primarys, it is below default loadout) you need the following:
$Show Weapon Models: (yes,no)
you can have as many 'yes/no's as you have banks for that weapon system (and it isn't too picky about capitaliseation)
there is also an optional "$Weapon Model Draw Distance:" (placed directly before "$Allowed PBanks:") beond this distance the weapon models will not render (actualy I forgot to implement this but as soon as I get home tonight I'm codeing it) it defaults to 200 meters if you don't tell it any better

also there is _highly_ untested code for haveing subobjects on primary weapon models rotate when you fire the primarys, to activate add under "$External Model File:" the optional lines "$Submodel Rotation Speed:" and "$Submodel Rotation Acceleration:" with apropriate values (floats), *AND* add the string "$gun_rotation:" to the submodel properties of any submodel you want to have spin, it currently is only posable to have them spin around the Z axis, but I have a feeling that is the only one that would ever get used.
(looks at Nuke)

the most up to date version of my animation code is in this too, but that is not the purpose of this thread.

please, I beg of you test this, there are so many posable ways this can go wrong, and I only have so much time to test it myself

finaly the build
http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater/fs2_open_r_wm.zip

also for your amusement, a pic from one of the tests
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: übermetroid on February 10, 2005, 10:40:10 am: um... nice weapon? :D
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: karajorma on February 10, 2005, 10:42:04 am: Hmmmm. Almost makes me tempted to try modelling a fighter :)
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Taristin on February 10, 2005, 11:10:52 am: Like I said in the other thread, this is all well and good, but it's begining to show how completely out of scale our weapons models are.

I mean... This looks Ridiculous:

(http://3dap.com/hlp/hosted/14_year_war/Raa/wrong.jpg)

And there's no way the ship is holding more than the 6 of them. Ever. :p
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Bobboau on February 10, 2005, 11:20:55 am: yes well that's why it's off by default
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Liberator on February 10, 2005, 01:28:39 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Raa
Like I said in the other thread, this is all well and good, but it's begining to show how completely out of scale our weapons models are.

I mean... This looks Ridiculous:

(http://3dap.com/hlp/hosted/14_year_war/Raa/wrong.jpg)

And there's no way the ship is holding more than the 6 of them. Ever. :p

Those are bombs though. They aren't meant to be carried by a Serapis, but by a ship 3x the size of a Serapis. For that, they are in scale.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Lynx on February 10, 2005, 02:09:23 pm: Bobdude, you're the man.:yes:

Are the missile models now affected by ingame lightin, or still unlit?
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Taristin on February 10, 2005, 02:43:33 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Liberator

Those are bombs though. They aren't meant to be carried by a Serapis, but by a ship 3x the size of a Serapis. For that, they are in scale.

No, actually, they're TAG-B missiles. :doubt:
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 10, 2005, 04:20:11 pm: intresting. very intresting. probibly not gonna be able to use this for my 50mm+ guns as those were designed to be integrated as part of the ship. however i can use this for bolt on goodies like beam cannons and such. dont suppose you could have a weapon model with a turret? bolt on turret anyone? but il make a phalanx gatling gun for testing. i swear i have at least 50 modeled gatling guns laying around so it shouldnt be too hard to come up with a weapon model.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Mav on February 10, 2005, 04:52:10 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Raa

No, actually, they're TAG-B missiles. :doubt:

... looks like their size should be reduced by a factor of 2, then.
But still, most regular FS fighters (and bombers, for that matter) are supposed to carry their missiles internally - so it's good that this is now optional. (I can't wait to see it on some WC2 fighters, though :D )
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 10, 2005, 05:57:47 pm: did anyone ever make a "no reload" weapon flag?
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Mav on February 10, 2005, 06:02:22 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Nuke
did anyone ever make a "no reload" weapon flag?

... would be useful, methinks. :nod:
Sadly not heard of it being implemented so far.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 10, 2005, 06:49:01 pm: i modeled a gatling gun and im trying to get them to work, however bob's instructions sound like he was too excited and are confusing as hell :D i think im misinterpreting something.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Taristin on February 10, 2005, 07:08:06 pm: Wait a tick! Bob's using my Ares! :D
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Bobboau on February 10, 2005, 07:21:48 pm: yup, I have a whole mish-mash of things installed.

I wasn't exited so much as in a rush, I only had a few minutes to look up everything and type it down.

you know rather than being 'no reload' you could have a triggered animation that has some sort of reloading sleve pop out when the suport ship docks.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 10, 2005, 09:09:44 pm: who wouldd want to model it

hey bob do you mind posting table examples, im doing something wrong and i cant figure out what.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 10, 2005, 10:23:39 pm: ok i got my guns to show but still no spinny

(http://server2.uploadit.org/files/nukebomb-screen.jpg)

i didnt realise till now how pisspoor v's gunpoint alignments are till now
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Bobboau on February 11, 2005, 07:32:09 am: I never actualy tested the getling thing, so it's probly just not working yet.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nico on February 11, 2005, 08:12:42 am: So, I don't have the time, but who wanna try a... a... darn, that terran/fish fighter in the pic above, with helios? That should prove, hem, funny.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 11, 2005, 05:17:40 pm: for some reason the myrmidon doesnt use its outermost missile launchers. kina lame waste of geometry dont ya think?
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Bobboau on February 14, 2005, 03:56:54 am: so... have people been useing this?
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 14, 2005, 05:36:07 am: trying to (mostly for primarys), but this kills my ship based gatlings. tbp seems to be using them too. any chance in being able to do rocket pods?
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: aldo_14 on February 14, 2005, 05:43:01 am: I have to be honest and say I can't think of a compelling reason to use it at the moment; I could model proper firing 'holes' into my ships, but the problem is that the scale of bombs screws everything up in that regard.

It'd be really good for an old-stylee fighter with underslung missiles, but I can;t think of anyone who'd have a use for such a thing.
Title: external weapon documentation
Post by: Nuke on February 14, 2005, 06:12:02 am: i think this shows promise, but in a different way than you intended. while missiles sticking out of the front of the bays doesnt exactly look all that right, missiles hanging from external hardpoints do. and youve already implemented everything needed for that. you can do some retro ships from a time before the advent of in flight rearming. id like to do the WWII torpedo bomber thing wit my ships. nothing like having a fat bomb bolted to your hull.