[TrashMan]

PCS gives me the "Illegal operation" message every time I want to convert the Iowa (luckily, I edit it and save it before I press O.K.), but every time I convert it some surface goes transparent. I converted it several times and every time some other surface goes screwy!!!!
Looks like I'll have to make the hull again (should take me about 1-2 hours, coause I'm good)!

[EdrickV]

Originally posted by TrashMan
PCS gives me the "Illegal operation" message every time I want to convert the Iowa (luckily, I edit it and save it before I press O.K.), but every time I convert it some surface goes transparent. I converted it several times and every time some other surface goes screwy!!!!
Looks like I'll have to make the hull again (should take me about 1-2 hours, coause I'm good)!

Is the surface bad in ModelView or in the game itself? If it's bad in the game the face may be non-planer. (In otherwords, the face isn't flat.) If you split the face up it might do it better. D3 also has problems with non-planer faces, but it's level editor at least can tell you which faces aren't planer.

[TrashMan]

ALL THE FACES ARE FLAT!
Arghhh....
I made the Iowa from scratch, and again the surfaces bug me!

[EdrickV]

If you want to send me a copy of one of the cob files I could see if I can figure out what is happening and why. Otherwise I would suggest you try splitting the offending faces into triangles different ways and see if it helps.

[email protected]

[TrashMan]

I sent you three versions..try them out!

B.t.w. - I made a capship weapon (looks like the Terran Hudge Turret, but a LOT more powerfull), does anyone know how to make it so that it only targets capships, not fighters (it kinda destroys them with one hit)?

[CP5670]

There are versions of both Cob2Pof and Cob2FS2 out there with Widnows GUI shells; just use those instead.

[karajorma]

Where do you get them from?

[TrashMan]

Yeh, I want those too!

[TrashMan]

Thanks for the help EdrickV. What I don't get is that the textures on the (as you name it) sail are fine in the game. The textures that go screwy are on the completly good part of the model, where are points are conected (the main "main" hull).
I'll try to make the hull again... for the x-th time

b.t.w. - for multi-part turrets. In PCS there is a subobject section. PCS automaticly enters values for all subobject (including gun barrels). The entery's for the barrels are the same as for the turret base. Is that o.k.?
In the game I can target and destroy the turrets, but they don't fire!

[StratComm]

OK, you need to assign rotational submodels and firing points to your turrets.  The POF editor in ModView works pretty well for that.

[TrashMan]

The PCS put the same entry for the turret base and the barrel. Is that o.k.?

I have to addd the rotational axis? Fort he turret base that woul be the y axis, and the barrel z axis, right?

[StratComm]

Originally posted by TrashMan

The PCS put the same entry for the turret base and the barrel. Is that o.k.?

Use modelview, not PCS, for turreting.  Yes, the turret barrel should be set as a rotational submodel to the turret proper, and firing points are much easier to do in the real-time updating of modelview.  Turrets and their barrels are usually set to rotate on the z axis (it makes no sense, I know, but again Modview will help you see that); so long as the barrel subobject is set to rotate, and it is the rotational submodel, the turret should track correctly.

Item 2: edit turrets, not gunpoints.  PCS automatically makes turret systems for any submodels named "turretxx", and you assign firing points there.  From your description, you are trying to add weapon hardpoints, like on a fighter, instead of turret firing points.  That could be why your weapons are not firing.

[EdrickV]

In ModelView32 you can edit turrets a heck of a lot better (for now at least) and actually see which way a turret part will rotate. It'll also show you if your axis is totally screwed up.

[EdrickV]

Concave Faces 101:


The object on the left has a concave face. The object on the right shows the same face (mirrored) but sliced into two convex faces.
As to why I said there would be problems with that sail on the Iowa, here is an in game example:


Also, compare the 3 Sail Front images here:
http://members.aol.com/ArisKalzar/Iowa/
SailFront.jpg is how it should look, SailFrontBad 1 and 2 are how it sometimes looks. The same is true for the back and for the back of the thing on top. In the pic you posted did you notice the white texture in the target view box? That was caused by two faces that weren't connected but were flat against eachother with normals facing the opposite ways. My Iowa pics are a bit outdated, I've got a much better looking main hull model (that's actually in one piece) that I'm working on. Had a time getting it into Wings3D without screwing up it's geometry though. Had to open in TS1, export to DXF, open in GMax, delete the DXF's double faces, export to MD3, open in LithUnwrap, export in Wavefront OBJ, and then open in Wings3D. It triangulated a lot of stuff, but didn't screw up the geometry too much. And I haven't had any problems converting. (One thing of note though, your IowaMainLOD.cob file seems to have 68 different materials without any textures which makes no sense to me. You only need one material per texture I think.) On my copy the dimensions are a bit off probably due to all the conversions. My copy also doesn't have crawling textures like I saw on the IowaMainLOD.cob I converted. Also, I have just been working with the main hull not the turrets.

[TrashMan]

I think I got it. I shouldn't have united some of the parts with the main hull (at least not on those places). They weren't connected with lines to other points. I know how to do it now. Thanks!

[TrashMan]

Why didn't I think of this before!?

I'll just use polygon draw, and connect those faces with others!
Should work.

[EdrickV]

I have no idea how you can join faces together in TrueSpace. But then, my copy isn't even in the same galaxy of usability as yours.

[TrashMan]

It works!
Got it working. Has more poly's, but IT WORKS!!!!!:D

[StratComm]

If the faces are touching, and you don't mind sorting out a whole nother series of invisible face problems and textures, you may try setting down a box around the model and doing a boolean union.  That will join the faces you are having trouble with.  That always helps fix geometry issues before textures are laid out.

[TrashMan]

No, that doesn't work for me, tried it. The model is a bit too complex.
I managed to fix 90% of all bad faces, only 10% to go. Looks menacing now, I'll post some pics later.

The problem is that it has around 1400 poly's (LOD1), and LOD0 will have around 50 simple turrets more ( + 300 poly's). Gonna be a big one.

PCS messes with the turret14. In Modelview32 the fireing point is set to 0.0.0., alltough I've set it to +-8, 40, 0 in PCS?!:mad: