Well, I'm (very) close to release a new updated map (for this weekend normally) but I would like to fix a "texture/collision" bug just before...
I'm trying to create a transparent water texture plane (with Voda.dds, and in 3ds Max 5.1) but despite all my trials, I still can't find where is the problem! Whatever the opacity and the "type of transparent" selected (I tried them all), my water surface remains "opaque" in the editor! I checked my older "water files" and it should work but I must do something wrong...
It would be nice if someone could point me in a direction where I forgot to search...
Thanks!
maybe its the texture itself, and not your 3dsmax trials. Unfortunately i am at work away from home, so i cant open my photoshop program to look at the texture. Can you attach the texture here? So when i get home i can make it work for you?
For transparent water I normally use 2 textures. Second is TDD_FADE.DDS(its texture with smooth alpha channel) , with that texture I can set exact transparency what I need.
Chavez_US wrote:
maybe its the texture itself, and not your 3dsmax trials...
I don't think it's the texture because she's the one already used in the map (Ambush2), and she's transparent close the shore side.
But here she is anyway...
I still haven't found the solution about the transparent texture but the subject isn't a priority anymore...
I fixed the collision bugs on the map with another method that works as good in my opinion. But I won't tell you what I made (don't worry, it's a "known" method), so you will never notice the fixes! lol
Thanks for the support, and I will post the solution as soon as I have one to propose!
I am not sure at all, just wondering. Isn't it irrelevant which transparency-mode you choose when there is no alpha-channel inside the voda.dds to indicate opaque and transparent parts? Or is the opacity from the Pterodon-shader actually adding transparency to dds's no matter if with or without alpha-channel?
If nothing helps I'd suggest an alpha-channel for the voda.dds.
yes, it does matter which transparency mode you choose.
if you choose eg. '
#4 - translucent - add with background, no_zbufwrite, sort'
the texture isn't applied depending on it's alpha channel. Then the color (gradient) is chosen for the opacity. it's like the multitexture channel shader, but reversed.
So an alpha channel of 50% (grey) added to this texture would help Intruder with this transparency for his water texture...Once again i am at work, i am sorry i didnt download and look at your texture yesterday Intruder. I promise i will when i return home in 4 hours...I will also be playing in the coop servers this evening, hopefully i will see you there...
I will attach voda.dds once i finish the alpha transparency...unless someone esle wants to assist before i get home...
Ok Intruder, after numerous trials at different settings i believe i have what you want...
I created an alpha channel in Photoshop, and set the opacity to 5%, then i adjusted the brightness so you can see the water texture best. I made a simple 2-sided plane for you to see and i will include the texture file, of course...it works perfectly...let me know if you need any adjustments...
Ok Intruder, after numerous trials at different settings i believe i have what you want...
Thanks a lot for your help Chavez_US! However you hadn't to DO it for me, but the texture can be used by many mappers too now, even "new comers"!
I appreciate!
She's perfect to be used to put some water in te bottom of craters! By the way, what kind of "H type of water" you used (for the level.ini water sound)?
The texure works very good but you already knew it! lol
I just made the test in the Editor but like I explained in the post "above", I won't finally use it in the map I'm updating... Not because of the texture, but simply because the final result is still not convincing "for a bug fix" (compared to the fix I'm using), in my opinion...
I used "H- water surface (no collisions) ground" - as the collision
You mentioned a bug in the first post, what bug is it?
if you chose the wrong "type of transparent" assignment in 3dsmax, some of the background objects will dissappear behind your textured plane. This happened to me when i was making jungle vines and using transparency instead of translucent. So, I use #2-translucent so objects do not disappear behind the texture plane i created.
Chavez_US wrote:
I used "H- water surface (no collisions) ground" - as the collision
Ok, thanks for the precision!
You mentioned a bug in the first post, what bug is it?
...
I hope that is the bug you are describing...
No, not at all...
Well, I think it's better I explain what I made, because it will be "easier" to understand for all, but it won't be easy to explain! lol
The map I'm updating is Moorland...and we have 3 craters on it. One of them is "normal", but the others are "buggy"! Indeed, if you shoot in the craters, you will see "splashes" of the water because the big water surface (plane) is passing under the terrain...to cover the bottom of the craters. But, that water surface is soo transparent that it's like if no water was in the craters! My first intention was to create another water surface to increase the transparency of the water and to place it just above the actual water surface, so we could SEE that water... But it wasn't enough to fix the bug because if we walk in the craters' water, we have no water sound! The solution was to create another "water collision plane", to put it under the water surface but then, another problem appears... The water collision plane (ground) AND the water surface should have around the same kind of area; so when we walk in the water, we hear the "splashes" accordingly. But it's almost impossible to "make it right" because it's a hole having the shape of a reversed pyramid!
With the new water surface we can better see the bottom of the craters, and so their "deepness". But because the water "ground" has to match the water "surface" as much as possible it becomes almost impossible to really walk IN the craters, to the point we can't even be completely covered by the water (when we lie down)! The result is, we can see the deepness of the water that covers the bottom of the craters BUT we stay "floating" on the water surface! And if I lower the water "ground" plane, we will already walk in the water without "splashes" sound, excepted a very small area in the center...
Whatever the decision I was going to take, it wasn't the good one!
So, I finally decided to create a "simple" ground texture plane having the same collision as the bottom of the craters and, "thanks" to the "deep black" (original) texture used for the craters, I can put that plane JUST above the water surface without to notice the "real" deepness of the crater(s)!
The final result is...
We have craters "like" the non-buggy one, without "splashes" when we shoot (or the rain falls) on them; or without a "water view and sound" when we lie down in the craters!
For me, it was the best solution to "fix" those craters' bugs!
As you can see, the transparent texture you created wasn't the problem, but I've had to take the "best solution" amongst all the possibilities I had in hands...
For "all":
I know, it's A LOT of work and testing for "almost nothing"...but "you" have to know that this IS my way to update every original map to a VC_ or FA_ "quality level"; to bring you the best looking maps, free of bugs (almost), and with the best gameplay!
Thank you to have read the explanation till the end.. lol
I could collect the terrain (Moorland), import the.BES into 3dsmax, and at the very bottom of the craters (each one) assign the collision (puddle edge of water)...and export the .bes, and upload it here...unfortunately i just arrived to work...so it will be a few hours...
I could collect the terrain (Moorland), import the.BES into 3dsmax, and...
...assign the collision (puddle edge of water)...and export the .bes,...
That would surely fix the bug Intruder.
Honestly, don't loose your time on that terrain Chavez_US...
Editing the terrain could be another solution indeed, but adding a collision ("puddle edge of water" is not the best to use in my opinion) won't be enough because it's the craters' meshes that must be rebuild too...
In fact, it's not the terrain that should be edited but...the water plane that passes under the terrain (she's not supposed to be there)! But that water plane should have polygones (to simply delete them) in the craters' area...
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