[Snail]

I have a request for anyone capable of coding out there. Can anybody create a build of ModelView that is capable of viewing models with .dds format textures? The creator of ModelView released the source code for modelview somewhere, but I couldn't do ****, because I have no programming experience at all. So a plea to all those coders out there.

[Mobius]

Geez,I was going to make the same proposal,but I think that our request will be denied.Sorry.

[Flipside]

It's not so much denied as just very very difficult to do from what I understand.

[taylor]

The code is so bad that it needs to be completely rewritten to allow multiple image formats to be supported properly.  The current stuff is so hackish that it's amazing that it works at all.

[Cobra]

you mean the hipoly modelview or the original?

[taylor]

you mean the hipoly modelview or the original?

It's the same.  The hipoly one just has bumped limits.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Bumped by someone with only the most rudimentary programming knowledge at that.

[Mobius]

So we have no chances,sigh.
woo said that all his new ships will use dds

[Snail]

So we have no chances,sigh.
woo said that all his new ships will use dds

That was one of the main reasons. And also I want to view Nuke's ships in modelview. And in the HTL version of modelview, for some reason I am unable to import shields (I'm trying to get a working version of the SF Chelub).

[Mobius]

I have dowloaded Modelview high limits time ago,but I made something wrong because I still can't open HTL models.

[Speeder]

Well... I'll tell ya what... If I'll get the newest Media VPs, then I'll convert all the models to something else, that you can view more easily... Like Lightwave or something. But you can convert them to cob with the pof to cob converter, then you can view them with DeepExploration for example, it handles any texture about. Getting the proggy on the other hand... well, good luck

[Vasudan Admiral]

I have dowloaded Modelview high limits time ago,but I made something wrong because I still can't open HTL models.

With the exception of broken or super overly complex models, the high limits version has opened absolutely everything I've tried it with. I wrote up an installation guide here: http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/ModelView

Try doing that and see if you have more success, but make sure you have 256 colour PCX textures in a place modview can find them or there'll be nothing to see. I create a dummy FS install containing just a copy of sparky.vp, and the directory "data/maps", and tell modview that's my FS install. Into the dummy maps folder I place batch converted 8bit (256 colour) PCX versions of my real maps folder. Not particularly elegant, but it works fine for quickly displaying models.

That was one of the main reasons. And also I want to view Nuke's ships in modelview. And in the HTL version of modelview, for some reason I am unable to import shields (I'm trying to get a working version of the SF Chelub).

Use PCS for the shield import if it doesn't work in modview. Really you should use PCS for most things - and use modview for the itty bitty things for which PCS is unsuited or can't do, such as locating co-ordinates or entering MOI data.

[Mobius]

Thanks,I'll try it.

[CP5670]

Modelview works pretty well for me, but it seems to have massive memory leaks and can eat up several hundred megabytes in just a few minutes, especially in the pof editor mode.

[Getter Robo G]

OR just plain old conversion to POF (PCS - BSP recursion error strikes again!)

Once again Modelview to the RESCUE!!! The second EOTP fighter I just converted now appears on screenines in game only because MV exists...

I still needed PCS to finish it off (of course).

 

[Taristin]

Would it be easier to just make a completely stripped down version of the FS Lab and make it standalone, and use that as a pof viewer with DDS support? >..>;;

[Vasudan Admiral]

I think it'd be handy, but not particularly practical - depending on how modular the FSO code is now, I expect there'd probably be an _awful_ lot of redundant code to either strip off or pull out. So much so that it could well be quicker to hack in DDS support for modview. :\

OR just plain old conversion to POF (PCS - BSP recursion error strikes again!)

If that error is occuring, it means there's an error in the geometry that should be fixed - not that PCS is less powerful than modview when it comes to converting. In fact, in the few experiments I did, modview's cob-pof generated meshes with very faulty collision data, if it generated any at all.

Modelview works pretty well for me, but it seems to have massive memory leaks and can eat up several hundred megabytes in just a few minutes, especially in the pof editor mode.

Yeah, the memory leak is considerably worsened by the high limits version, but it rarely becomes unusable for me. Does it for you?

(That said, I do have a special separate extra high limits build for just one particular model that will eat up over 1.2 gigs of memory and begin to chug my machine in short order while pof editing.)

[Getter Robo G]

So... how much "extra" is that special high limits build??? 

I'm sitting on a 50k Deadelus (SGA)... 

[Vasudan Admiral]

Enough for a 62 000 poly monstrosity that now works in game. It comes with a matching memory leak.

[Mobius]

Modview high limits doesn't work with most of 3.6.8 Zeta models...