[LAW ENFORCER]

OK, what is wrong with this? what have I done now? it seems to be scaling the whole object - but I was under the impression it scales it outwards and you set it at its default position
also insignias are going no where! I have concluded that the info I recived from bob is suspect or something but it aint working


Please explain (then madby I can get more work done)

by the way I added a debris object, of-centre, woops! but it is half one of the engines and looks cool and has bent fins aswell!

this is OFF, i guess its scaling it to far
   
this is ON, it flickers like this??? I put the axis so that the points at the back are in -X so whats wrong???
   

------------------
I can try...

[This message has been edited by LAW ENFORCER (edited 08-13-2001).]

[Taristin]

When you hit tha fter burners, did they enlarge?

[LAW ENFORCER]

no they stay same (this is FULL power, I set is as smallest for some reson but that should not make it do this) and go 'afterburner' color

[Taristin]

Well, I can't help... sorry... I'm new to everything with TS myself... I try to avoid making models, though. Rendering is much more fun.  

[Nico]

did you normalize the thruster object axis and put it where the thruster meets the hull (base of the thruster object)?

[LAW ENFORCER]

I put them in the middle of the object, wait a minuet, is that the scaling point? I though it was points (vertex) that scaled?
know anything about insgnias?

------------------
I can try...

[LAW ENFORCER]

oh and does this texture look any better?

[Nico]

 

Originally posted by LAW ENFORCER:
I put them in the middle of the object, wait a minuet, is that the scaling point? I though it was points (vertex) that scaled?
know anything about insgnias?

-Yup, the axis is the scaling point.
-nope, sorry
-about the texture, I really think you shoulc stick with standard hull maps.

[LAW ENFORCER]

K I put it (very) near the base but it is still sticking through the engines, as if its scaling the whole object forwards? any ideas (it really does look good when flying around, I think blue makes it look sleek, but the red made it look shvian (even though there arn't any in this universe)

[LAW ENFORCER]

still dodgey... it looks like it has a serious twitching problem (i only noticed other flames twitch just now, but mine looks bad) I wanna fix it so I can move onto inserting LOD1 etc
I dont have to move the actuall fighter do I? because it seems to be resting a the fighters middle cord??? whats this?

oh added 2 more debris Woohoo it looks well cool in game!

[Eth]

Thrusters -

Maximum size (at 100% engine power) is the size of the thruster mesh.

Minimum size is determined by the position of the axis.  If the axis is at the base of the thruster, then the minimum size is zero.

Scaling - the size of the thruster varies between its min and max sizes in direct proportion to engine thrust.  Afterburner does not increase the size past that of 100% engine power, it simply alters the color.  The scaling is _only_ done in the Freespace Z axis (length, front to back).  Also note that only the parts of the mesh that are "behind" the axis are scaled (the parts of the mesh which have a more negative Z value in FS than the axis itself).

Flicker - it's called the thruster animation... crack open the VP file and look at the animation  

BTW, I notice you haven't added engine glows to your model yet.  This is a distinctly seperate task that is done within the POF Fuel Chunk and can be done either with PCS or FSMM2 (or a Hex Editor, LOL).  The engine glow is normally placed at the base of the thruster and it's radius set to a value close to the diameter of the thruster plume (varying opinions what looks best - same, slightly larger, slightly smaller ).

[LAW ENFORCER]

eth, I know most of what you are saying (had to peice it tigether for over 4 months but...)
Yeah engine glows will be added when ships is almost final (to save on work)
I just added the other 3 LODS but they stay in LOD0 for some reson?? how do you glue them?

flicker: Not the .ani, actualy thruster model flicker, well a least mine does or seems to (go back and forth, but mine seems to doing it more)
Axis is set near the base and seems to scale it to that point - BUT it also moves it way back almost to the ship axis (which is why I asked if I had to move teh ship)
 
debris look nice...

Do YOU know about insignia?

[LAW ENFORCER]

Does ANYONE know?

[Eth]

LODs and Debris are glued as siblings to the top level LOD.  (I use TrueView though, makes life MUCH easier   )

It should look something like this:

FreespaceModel
+-Lod0
..+-Main Hull
..+-local light
..+-Thruster01a
....+-thruster mesh
....+-local light
+-Detail1
..+-Main Hullb
..+-local light
..+-Thruster01b
....+-thruster meshb
....+-local light
+-debris01
..+-debris mesh1
..+-local light
etc.

 

Axis is set near the base and seems to scale it to that point - BUT it also moves it way back almost to the ship axis

Sorry, you lost me there, don't follow what you are trying to say it is doing.  But... make sure that it is the mesh-light combination's axis that you are adjusting, NOT the actual thruster meshes' axis (which should be the center of the thruster mesh).

Insignia... I only know the old fashion way with a Hex Editor    Haven't tried to use Kaz's insignia tool in PCS yet.  In general though... the area assigned for use by insignia MUST be triangulated.  Also, think of the area defined as a "license plate" area upon which the "insignia stamp" will be  placed by the FS2 graphics engine.  This "plate" has its own set of vertices and its own UV space which must be defined.  Also, you usually want the area define to be approximately square in shape so that there is no stretching of the insignia texture (which are 128x128).  For an idea of how one is put together, open up one of the   fighter models with PCS and look at the insignia chuck  

[LAW ENFORCER]

already looked, bob gave me instructions but they semed rushed and din't seem to work???

[LAW ENFORCER]

thruster mesh axis - ah... that sounds like a proable candidate!

I might just post some more pics of stuff I is doing, to say what people say about my designs etc... humm...