[karajorma]

I`ve been using Lithunwrap to try texturing my mods but I`ve noticed that when I do the number of vertexes on my models skyrockets and Truespace claims that the models aren`t solid.

Is that normal for Lithunwrap or am I doing something wrong?

[HotSnoJ]

Never had that problem myself. Might be something to woth subdividing. You said tS says the model isn't solid. that means that there is a hole in it. Send it to me in DFX if you can and I'll try to find it for you. my email in [email protected]

[karajorma]

I`ve tried this with several models and always got the same result. None of the models had a problem in Truespace before I put them through Lithunwrap so I`m guessing that there is nothing wrong with the models themselves but that Lithunwrap is messing them up.
 I tried UVmapper and didn`t end up with the same problem but UVmapper is a pain to use (I have to convert to and from .obj and it didn`t do as good a job of applying the UV mapping).

[EdrickV]

What functions are you using in LithUnwrap? Some (like Optimize Model and Triangulate Model) will increase your poly size. Triangulating a model could double the amount of polys.

[Carl]

double? hah. it can increase your poly count 100 fold if your model is done right.

[Bobboau]

actualy it'll only do that if you're model is done realy realy wrong

[karajorma]

I followed the instructions from IP Andrews ship creation guide exactly. First for my ships and then for the cobra that he provides and I got exactly the same problem. The polygon count stays the same. The vertex cout shoots up and now I`ve discovered that the reason the model isn`t solid is cause truespace is turning the model into a collection of planer faces. Basically you can pick up and move any of the faces and it's not connected to the rest. As youj can see in the picture.



I`ve put both the original model and the hideous mistake that occured when I attempted to use LithUnwrap in a zip file which you can download from here

If someone can explain to me what I`m doing wrong I`d be happy to hear.

[IPAndrews]

The only way to... erm... achieve this is to move each of the faces into seperate groups in Lith. Groups in Lith are geometry groups. So move each face into it's own group and you end up with each face as a seperate piece of geometry.

This is why you always group things using materials, even when you're only creating a new material as a temporary workspace.

What are you saving and loading as in Lith? .cob or are you using some other formats? What version of Lith are you using? Have you tried the one from my "What You'll Need" page?

[karajorma]

Okay. I`ll go through what I`m doing to your mesh step by step and maybe you`ll spot my mistake.

Step 1: File > Open > cobramk3.cob

Step 2: Click on groups in the window to the side of main display.

Step 3: Select > All

Step 4: Tools > UV Mapping > Box

Step 5: this might be the problem. Seperate by group and apply spacing are unchecked, scale to selection space is set. Click OK.

Step 6: If I click on file > Model > Save and save as .cob binary the model is saved with the problem. If I follow the rest of your guide it still has that problem so it seems like the problem is in one of the earlier steps.

I`m using Lith 1.3 which seems to be the same one you`ve got for download.

I`ll try saving the model as a different format and see if that helps.

EDIT : Okay this gets stranger. Saving as an .obj reversed the model but saved it without the problem. Unfortunately when I did this with my model it decided to delete a few faces for no good reason.

[IPAndrews]

Those instructions do not reassign anything to different groups. So they are not the problem.

[karajorma]

I guess my copy of Lithunwrap is screwing up the cobs when it saves them. It doesn`t appear to be screwing up .obj files so I guess I need to use those for a while.

[EdrickV]

I have no idea what is causing this, but you are getting duplicate vertices. If you use Optimize Model you can get rid of them and bring it back down to it's original 12 vertices and it should save as a cob right. I used Optimize, saved, and reloaded and it was still 12 vertices. (If you uncheck "Remove degenerate triangles" in Optimize Model it won't have to triangulate it. Not that it matters for that test model.)

[karajorma]

Tried it. It removed the excess verts and then put them back as soon as I saved the cob again!

[EdrickV]

Ok, what did you do step by step? I opened the model, went to "Optimize Model" and hit Ok. It removed the verts. I then did File|Model|Save followed by File|Model|Open and it did not add any verts. (And this is with the cobramk3b.cob file.) I can't get it to add duplicate verts like it originally had.

[karajorma]

Pretty much what you did. Seems like lith is being inconsistant about the way it adds verts. I think I`ll have to reinstall.

[EdrickV]

There can be a world of difference between "pretty much the same thing" and "exactly the same thing." I don't see any reason why saving would create duplicate vertices, but other stuff certainly could. If you try doing exactly what I said with that file you put in the zip (the one with the extra vertices) it ought to work. In otherwords, open the file in LithUnwrap, run Optimize Model, and immediately save it back over the same file. That should get rid of the extra vertices.

[karajorma]

The only difference was that instead of loading it into Lith I loaded it into Truespace. But I`ll give it a try to see if the problem is with my copy of TS4

Edit: Tried it. Same problem. Lith is definately acting differently for me than it does for you guys so I guess I`ll have to reinstall.

Thanks for the help. I`m just glad it wasn`t me doing something stupid

[EdrickV]

One thing that just occured to me, you might want to make sure you are loading the model from the same place you saved it to. It can be easy to get LithUnwrap to show one folder in the Save dialog but go to another in the Open dialog. I've accidently saved models in the the texture folder and then tried to re-open them from the model folder due to that.

[karajorma]

I reinstalled Lith and that seems to have solved the problem Glad it wasn`t my fault.