you mean creating an env map from the mission background setup (not the one in the shine map)? is it posible to set it up so that you could use a user defined bitmap for the environment under opengl, rather than have them generated automatically from the background?
Yes, that's how I've been testing it recently (easier than actually starting a mission). The feature needed (or what I'm going to use) to automatically generate the envmap isn't supported by all video drivers, but the ability to actually use an envmap should be. So I want to be able to let people who can't automatically generate a mipmap still use one. I'll probably set up some sort of cmdline option which will allow someone to generate an envmap for a mission and then have it automatically save to a file so that others could make use of it. That would also allow easier use of nice envmaps in the techroom and the lab.
The problem with the current code (on non-Windows systems at least) is that it links to the OGL libs at build time. That means that if the build computer has the required features, and someone using that build doesn't, it wouldn't run for them. The OGL commands (anything beyond the 1.2 feature set) really need to be properly virtualized basically so that they can not exist and it will still work for everyone. I'm also adding error checking into those commands so that it's easier to find problems, since we only report errors once per frame and it only says what the error is and not where it came from. This really should have been done a long time ago but it wasn't a concern for anyone using Windows and most of my time has just been spent trying to get OGL more feature complete as well as to get the Linux and OS X versions up to speed.
That said.. would I be correct in assuming that the best way of being able to access all the major graphical ability of the current build is to have the 4.3Cats in use? Be that as it may, where can I find a copy of them?
Not sure actually. You should be able to get older Cat versions from ATI's website. The main problem now is that with current builds envmapping in D3D appears to be causing crashes so env may not work for you. Specmaps would work in D3D with the older Cats though. But you need to use current Cats in order to run OGL so it's a trade-off and you'll have to decide for yourself which you want to use.
Very interesting. Will it work just as the D3D using the alpha channel?
And do you have any vague idea when the env mapping reaches the public release state?
I do like the env mapping a lot, but it's just too slow in D3D, or maybe due to D3D.
1) It will end up doing whatever D3D does so though it's not perfect now it will eventually do whatever is wanted
2) Nope. Just when I have time to do it and I have had very little time lately. The little time that I have had has been mostly spent on fixing bugs and not working on the rather massive amount of new features that I've started.
3) Maybe due in part to D3D. In OGL at least it shouldn't be too much slower than using specmaps. It will certainly be slower than not using envmaps though, more work needs to be done by the video card to handle environment mapping.
