And set it to what lod it needs to be
#arma3_model
silver zenith
yeah I think I know how to do the copypaste stuff but how can I change a lod?
oh from properties?
stuck oyster
Yes
silver zenith
oh that did it, thanks
stuck oyster
๐
silver zenith
I hate it when I find the answer right as I ask the question
happens a lot
old gulch
Okay! Fun new project I've been working on, my first gun
It functions, approximately correctly (not a fan of where the origin has to be for everything to line up.)
Now, the current issue I have is there's no casings ejecting.
old gulch
Any ideas?
wispy sage
You have a nabojnicestart and nabojniceend defined as memory points?
old gulch
Yep
polar fiber
It functions, approximately correctly (not a fan of where the origin has to be for everything to line up.)
@old gulch what do you mean by that? Weapon should have autocenter 0 property in the geometry LOD. Then all points that it uses [0,0,0] origin
old gulch
Just for getting it into the right position for the animation.
The geometry LOD does have autocenter = 0 as a property.
Based off the zubr, etc, everything seems to be slightly to the left of the origin instead of on the center line
wispy sage
What are you using for the weapons magazine and ammo in the config?
old gulch
So, I based it on the Zubr, but I replaced cartridge =... value with "FxCartridge_127" for now, The gun fires and everything, so it works.
wispy sage
@old gulch It's very possible the Zubr doesn't use the cartridge system and instead uses an animated vertex group.
old gulch
Potentially!
I'm not sure yet
Oh, no, I got it working. I think I just had the pathing on the cartridge wrong the first time around
strong plaza
does quads/tris matter any in the MLOD when it's converted to ODOL, does everything get triangulated anyway?
polar fiber
Yes, it's all tris ingame
wraith tendon
Yeps
north sundial
Can you hide a light position in the memory lod? Itโs a marker light and Iโm trying to hide/show two different ones but they are both just displaying
Itโs not the hiding thatโs a problem in terms of animation or config
I just assume itโs not possible
stuck oyster
I think it should be possible
north sundial
Well the hide works on the model but the light doesnt "turn off" or on
the light pos is tied to the emissive hiding/showing
so its working but not on the light
stuck oyster
The light memorypoints is part of the hide selection?
north sundial
yeah
its a blue and a red one so atm they are making a white light
I wondering if the hide selection just hides polygons rather than memory points
rough idol
marker lights cannot be animated
runic plover
But Reflectorlights can be animated
marsh canyon
But not for marker lights
Since marker lights are placed at memory points which can't be animated
runic plover
Havent tried markerlights yet, only reflectorlights, and these work ๐
rough idol
they can be hidden
if both pos & dir is at 0,0,0 (which hide basically does) then light is no longer rendered
stuck oyster
Could the marker light be turned off in the same action the door is used though
With this
rough idol
that will kill all marker lights though ๐
stuck oyster
in the object yes
but as far as I can tell that door is separate object
the lamp could also be made as separate object if it is a larger multi door/lamp object?
charred plaza
So, I have Something Iโve always wanted to ask Mod makers: Could someone make some terrain objects that look like โTiberiumโ Crystals from command and conquer? Would it be hard to do?
(Moved from terrain makers)
stuck oyster
@charred plaza you were answered when you last asked this...
north sundial
im not sure if i like it with the blue however, kinda gives a little visual cue to the player that the door can possibly be unlocked
Would change the top of the left one to be blue but
@charred plaza theres already a C&C mod called tiberium genesis, headed up by sentry i thin they are working on crystals
stuck oyster
Sentry answered him already
stuck oyster
No problem, just odd that he did not see it.
I must admit I'm not big fan of that much lights on things
Some of the lights could still be blue and off when it's just locked then maybe the mid section could be red
charred plaza
Iโm aware my question was answered, I moved it here becuase I was asked to
stuck oyster
Yes well but if you already got the answer do you need to ask it again ๐
charred plaza
Ok, my bad.
stuck oyster
I mean you can ask it if you need more than what sentry has to offer
somber zephyr
Greetings, may I ask if anyone has a good source for making an object from scratch? I wish to possibly make tunnels. (I believe this is the right channel)
median bough
what kind of source?
how to, or reference data?
somber zephyr
I know nothing of that. 
I'd most likely have to do it from scratch? Since I don't know where I could get the tunnels from.
Honestly my attempted adventure into this is because I'm angry at FATA Tunnels.
median bough
well... learn the 3d software first. blender for example. it's free and has a lot of tutorials on youtube (blenderguru). after some weeks of practice, you can then maybe start with the tunnels
somber zephyr
Fair enough, I'll have to look into that. Thanks!
Honestly, didn't know exactly where to start. Thank you for the direction.
stuck oyster
well said
dont look for anything tunnel related, just generic tutorials on how to use the program
making something specific comes after you know how the tools work
median bough
dont look for anything tunnel related, just generic tutorials on how to use the program
the notorious blender donut ๐
somber zephyr
Yeah, was going to do that
median bough
๐
somber zephyr
I know someone who uses blender to make 3D models so I'm pretty sure I can hit them up
median bough
all you need to start
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjEaoINr3zgEq0u2MzVgAaHEBt--xLB6U
stuck oyster
you can expect mastering Blender (or any 3D modeling program) to take years
you dont however have to be master to do stuff
but there are a lot of techniques and tools available to create things
somber zephyr
I just want to make claustrophobic tunnels that can, you know, have AI not walk out of the walls.
stuck oyster
"I just want" does not make it any less complex process. Tunnels are especially difficult to produce for Arma. You just have to accept that you have a long road of learning ahead of you.
If you keep at practicing and get familiar with all the different parts of making a game asset (making the model, unwrapping, texturing to name couple of big ones) you could be ready for actually making one and figuring out what it needs to work in Arma in few weeks.
somber zephyr
Oh I know it's going to take a bit. Just like welding took a while to learn
somber zephyr
Thanks!
quick terrace
@median bough this blenderguru guy is possible the worst guy to make tuts for blender tbh
somber zephyr
If you have better suggestions, go for it. I'm going to pass out now though.
quick terrace
arrimus 3d for instance
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxt9ZAGPLIpcuPkSTGOJ9iZssTG3o1a0p
although a max guy, he recently jumped into blender wagon
in any case, people who self entitled themselves as lords, gurus etc are to be avoided, just my 2 pennies
median bough
my 2 pennies
i just read something completely different here and had to doublecheck ๐
i need sleep.........
north sundial
arimus is great for both
started doing tutorials that include how to do what hes doing in blender and max
north sundial
Well it depends entirely on whats broken
bold flare
that screenshot is surely not a geometry lod, it looks too detailed, and also not sure if the components are right?
port from which game?
From stalker?
cyan heart
You can't port stuff from other games
If you don't have explicit permission from the Author to do so you can't
I'm not sure if the Stalker assets are free to be ported to other games, but I'd guess not
cyan heart
You won't recieve help if you want to do something illegal.
I might be wrong by saying you cant port stalker content, if you are allowed to and can prove it, then you'll get help
north sundial
You are probably best learning the basics of modelling before importing models
if you dont understand the basics its going to be very hard
cyan heart
Doesn't matter if it's non commercial or not
marsh canyon
Non-commercial doesn't matter
north sundial
look further up for some links about that, and what they are saying ^
Did he delete his stuff?
cyan heart
Either him or a moderator
bold flare
Non-commercial doesn't matter
in this case it does.
Atleast some stalker games allow their content to be freely used for non-commercial purposes
not sure if it applies to all games
marsh canyon
Ah well
north sundial
Didn't like being challenged about ripping assets
marsh canyon
Looks good than more work for you
bold flare
Guess they knew what they were doing wasn't 100% clear
fierce rain
Hello, i have a question: is there any tutorial that explains how i can add number plates on my car? Im lost and don't know what to do. IM new to this. But i have setup Blender with the ArmaToolBox addon and know the basics of Belnder and A3 Object builder.
stuck oyster
Concerning STALKER I am under the impression that the material from all 3 released games are allowed to be used. If not all 3 then at least the 1st one.
@fierce rain hopefully your cars are not from some other game.
cyan heart
Concerning STALKER I am under the impression that the material from all 3 released games are allowed to be used. If not all 3 then at least the 1st one.
@stuck oyster This is the only thing I was able to find:
Our company allows non-commercial use of mods for our computer games. If you want to use mods developed for our games (such as from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series) with another game, you have to turn to that game's developers for permission.
bold flare
There was a specific forum post from the devs about stalker games
fierce rain
@stuck oyster no xD. I have a friend that models cars in his free time and makes them ready to use in Arma he gave me source for some of his cars but they don't have any plates. So i want to add them but i don't know what i have to do and i don't have a model for it. So i thought maybe there is a Turoeial i can read trough.
quick terrace
i have heard the friend thing more than once before
if he makes em ready to use for arma, maybe he can also add the plates - i mean your friend
woeful viper
if he is your friend, he surely will add such a simple thing as a number plate...
its almost as if every one with a car model has got it modelled "by a friend".
uneven sluice
Hey there, I'm trying to modify the Type 115 at the moment. My goal is to add a standard version (without underbarrel), keep the one with the underbarrel, add a grenade launcher variant and a marksman version.
I'd like to ask if anyone has any idea where to start with this. Sorry if I'm in the wrong channel, but since mine involves some model changing I'd thought about asking here first.
polar fiber
It's not possible to edit the game models in that way
uneven sluice
Is it possible adding a Grenade Launcher underbarrel though? Or is that more config related?
polar fiber
Using the same model and reconfiguring it to fire grenade ammunition instead of the 12.7mm or whatever ammo it uses now. Yes that's possible
uneven sluice
Could I also 'remove' the underbarrel .50 caliber or is that just part of the model?
polar fiber
It's part of the model
uneven sluice
Ah damn. No problem, we can just imagine the .50 cal as a small grenade launcher then ;) Thanks man, I'm trying to get a small change going for a campaign I'm doing. The Type 115 is awesome to use but problematic since it's very limited in use :/
Hopefully I can figure a way out :) Thanks!
rugged rock
What is the best programme to use to try and start making my own equipment to make a small helmet mod?
median bough
blender. it's free
rugged rock
oh? ok i will have a look now, thanks ๐
cinder meteor
Regarding the CompartmentsLights: Is there any animation source that goes with them ? Or any hint on when they are turned on ? Something I could use in the model to make certain geometry visible when the CompartmentsLights are on ?
stuck oyster
MarkerLight source perhaps could tie to it?
sonic valve
So I'm trying to use https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/createSimpleObject
To make my p3d appear to just see how it looks ingame. But despite having the model.p3d in my mission folder and writing the path it doesn't seem to spawn in?
I tried even just a basic cube as well and no luck.
marsh canyon
What is the path you wrote?
Didn't tried yet to spawn a object in a mission folder, but maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe you need to write absolute path from the root eg C:\
sonic valve
just mine.p3d
It was in the root of the mission folder
I mean, at minimum all you need is a cube, component, and then save as p3d yea?
white jay
Hi, can somebody tell me how to make ARMA poses work?
BIS examples
A2_animation_poses
marsh canyon
No crossposting @white jay
white jay
@marsh canyon What topic is the question related to, modeling, or animation?
marsh canyon
Depends on your question but animation would work for it?
stuck oyster
It works with a lot of work introducing the A2 animations (or any other animation) into the A3 animation/cfgMoves system.
Requires understanding how Arma configs work so one can interpolate how animation configs work and inject their own animation in there without breaking the originals.
Use #arma3_animation or #arma3_config for further inquiries.
@white jay
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
quick terrace
@vapid leaf there is no fix โbudgetโ. weapons that have tona of rails will take always take more polygons, same for things with lota of rounded parts. always make HP model first though, a lot of the details can be baked down into textures
oak lintel
at custom lamps is there a distance before you can see the light? can you setup that?
the last lamps are off... i go in the near, lamps go on
rough idol
@oak lintel probably you are reaching limit of dynamic lights - check your video settings
oak lintel
ah merci. i check it ๐
my video settings is completly high (ultra)
i read, the lightsources limit is at 32. but my settings are ultra and i have 20 lightsources in screen. but my limit is at 19 or 20.. ๐ฎ
rough idol
32 is engine hard limit. Ultra preset in vanilla Arma is set to 20 light sources
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1223309664 you can crank up light sources to 32 with this mod for instance
oak lintel
ok thx
white jay
Is 7 million polygons too many
runic plover
@white jay yes. Tooooo many and makes no sense at all
white jay
@runic plover is 19k too many?
pastel oyster
In object builder, I have a named selection of a proxy which I somehow seem to have 'tied' to a different named selection. When I select it, rather than being all red and having red corners, the corners are purple.
In the bulldozer & ingame when I run an animation using the selection it is stuck too, it follows along it, but obviously it shouldnt. How could I fix it/'unstuck' it?
And what possibly could I've done to have it stuck there in the first place?
Also from my limited knowledge I believe that the issue atleast isn't from model.cfg
runic plover
@runic plover is 19k too many?
@white jay depends what it is, vehicle, building, weapon, object
white jay
Vehicle
keen prism
19k is fine for a vehicle for the most detailed lod
white jay
Not sure where to ask this exactly, but I've just gotten my hands on a trackIR 5. Fiddling around with it for a bit, I'm wondering how boundaries for the head movement are defined when sitting in a vehicle, especially in the md500 where trackIR users can simply stick their head through the side door and look around like in the doorless variant. Although it's probably not intended on the helicopter, I'd like the inhabitants of the car i'm currently modeling to be able to stick their head through the window just like you would be able to do when the window is lowered. Thanks in advance for any input ;)
stuck oyster
I'd say no info available on that at all.
hasty relic
I guess it's a config thing, have a look what Feint did in his addon: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=630737877
stuck oyster
It may make things go bonkers for non trackir users. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
marsh canyon
So continued from #arma3_scripting , what determines the direction of a ladder on a house object?
polar fiber
memory points
IIRC with vertical ladders, the bottom point needs to be very slightly closer to the side of the ladder you want the unit to climb it from
so that it's actually a very slight slope
marsh canyon
Hmm, thanks
stuck oyster
๐ the above is exactly as it is
turbid cove
@cinder meteor!!
So it's you!!
โฆthat created this screenshot ๐
https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/File:2013-03-08_00004.jpg
cinder meteor
Hah! Yeah, back when Arma 3 was still in Alpha
turbid cove
the font gives the earlier times away ๐
marsh canyon
Just realized that image is OA style loading screen ๐
cinder meteor
Yeah, it was taken from an Arma 2 mission... I was just playing around with the mission presentation and added what I found out to the Biki
turbid cove
I like these bits of stories behind History ๐
pastel oyster
Any possible answers or tips to my question earlier? Am not able to find anyting about it
stuck oyster
you need to redefine the selections so that the proxy is not part of them
for example, select selection, deselect the proxy, redefine selection
white jay
@hasty relic cheers, I'm gonna start digging around for a bit
pastel oyster
Thank you, not exaclty that, but it still helped me solve it!
runic flare
Hi, I'm new to model making
Why second part from the same file (sign1_ca.paa) is not transparent?
https://imgur.com/27qb7uW
quick terrace
alpha sorting
runic flare
lol, thanks
silver zenith
made a simple cube but while all other lods work fine(including roadway) vehicles, corpses and grenades go through it
polar fiber
Has Geometry LOD? And you have done Structure\Topology\Find Components in said Geometry LOD?
silver zenith
yes and yes
polar fiber
Structure\Convexity\Find Non-Convexities shows no problems?
silver zenith
checked non closed aswell and its alll fine
polar fiber
Ah nvm, I think vehicle, ragdoll and grenades interactions are done by PhysX LOD
so need to do those checks there too
silver zenith
that didn't work @polar fiber
the model inherits from house_F
what should I inherit from
runic plover
You added mass in the geometry LOD @silver zenith ?
silver zenith
yeah @runic plover , found out the problem, had accidentally gave mass sto the geometry phys
pastel oyster
When I spawn the vehicle all is fine, but after doing
this setObjectTexture [0,"asd"];
Nothing changes
polar fiber
sections[]
@pastel oyster Note that arrays generally have plural names, since they usually listing multiple values
pastel oyster
yeah, it is sections[], just misswrote here - sorry
I solved it while waiting for the responce, and it was very similiar to what you wrote - my addon builder was packing into "modname/addon" instead of "modname/addons"))
so everything was wokring afterall
stuck oyster
Id suggest using PboProject...
pastel oyster
I've found Addon Builder to be more comfortalbe, this being first time I've had an issue with it
and tbf, it was due to my own carelessness)
stuck oyster
well Addon Builder lets you pack just about anything
it gives you almost no feedback on your errors
so if that is what makes you comfortable, go for it. but it is likely all kinds of errors slip by.
pboProject on the otherhand is designed to spank you for every error you make
so that you produce error free mod
median bough
I've found Addon Builder to be more comfortalbe
screams internally
stuck oyster
well Im sure its nice when it does not nag you for every issue your configs and models have ๐
median bough
but the text editor will scream if you try to load the first RPT after a 2min test run that has 2GB of error lines
๐
pastel oyster
No I actually do prefer getting stopped due to errors, didnt know PboProject did that
But I also always manually check the RPT files to look for errors, so if PboProject does that automaticly, would save me alot of time
Thank you for the suggestion)
median bough
pboProject is the superior way
quick terrace
by a long ducking shot
median bough
it tells you exactly where you ๐ฆed up
pastel oyster
Well, always better to learn the hard way and then discover there is an easier way afterwards I guess))
quick terrace
it's not really easier, but it tells you where you had the ๐ฆ
pastel oyster
Well, asumed it is since you say it tells me where I failed , rather than having to dig through everything to find all the ๐ฆ 's
quick terrace
it won't let you pack stuff with either config or model issues
yes, in 95% of the time, it will
stuck oyster
it catches most of possible errors you can make
quick terrace
still wondering how addon builder is even allowed to be as an official tool tbh
stuck oyster
it works if you feed it gold ๐
median bough
b/c it kind of "works"
pastel oyster
Well, it seems it already caught a problem with "giberish@giberish@giberish could not be located in the dynamic link library DePbo64.dll" even through I have already installed DePbo64 ((
Which channel do I go to to ask about that? ๐
quick terrace
#arma3_config and see if @sturdy parcel can lend a hand
pastel oyster
Makes sense, his name is on the tools afterall, thanks!)
stuck oyster
probs need that one windows thingy updated. theres link somewhere for it
hardy oar
Hey guys, having some issues with my shadow LOD. Getting the usual weird tearing thing that would suggest non-closed structures. Except, I've already fixed that bit....
Everything is closed, geo is triangulated, edges sharp, nothing in the texture path
The shadow itself is displaying on the ground alright, there's just all those artifacts along the way
vapid nexus
have you checked for degernate faces ?
hardy oar
Is it possible the selections are having textures applied via hidden selections?
Eg; my "receiver" selection could be having textures applied via hidden selections?
stuck oyster
if you have any hiddenselection selections in the shadow lod then yes
and you should not have them there
hardy oar
Degenerate faces are a no, I've just deleted the selections. Trying now. I kept them there for the sake of animations, but TBQH I'm so over these shadows now I just want it to be over haha
hardy oar
I was a naughty boy and re-used some of them for both
stuck oyster
๐
hardy oar
It's alright, I should be able to re-jig things. I'm just glad to have it narrowed down
Fresh set of eyes helps so much
stuck oyster
hardy oar
O lawd those look my eyes at 2am
hardy oar
It appears that did not help
I've got to go to bed now, but I'll check back in the morning in case anyone has any suggestions. I feel like I've checked everything 100 times.
runic plover
Just check with structure/topology/find non-closed (OB)
hardy oar
Everything is closed ๐ฆ only thing I can think of is perhaps it is wrongly closed
hardy oar
All fixed now! The hidden selection suggestion was correct, turns out the PBO was not packing correctly after making that fix and took some figuring out. Man, that drove me crazy
vapid nexus
Welcome to arma ๐คช
radiant dirge
Hi, anyone know how to keep a grenade from going through a shield? (shield defined as a gun in the config.cpp) ?
median bough
iirc the shield model needs fire/geo LOD
stuck oyster
perhaps you cant. Arma is not really designed for shields.
also if you mean handgrenades, they dont collide with characters at all
launcher grenades should explode on characters
last star
I took it from arma 3 samples, I feel stupid but it gives error to this line class UniformItem: InventoryItem_Base_F
class UniformItem: InventoryItem_Base_F
{
type = UNIFORM_SLOT;
};
class UK_WDL_uniform: Itemcore
{
scope = 2;
allowedSlots[] = {BACKPACK_SLOT};
displayName = "Woodland Fatigues (UK)";
model = "\A3\Characters_F\characters_f\BLUFOR\b_soldier_01.p3d";
class ItemInfo: UniformItem
{
uniformModel = "-";
uniformClass = Test_Soldier_base_F;
containerClass = Supply90;
mass = 80;
};
};
๐ข @stuck oyster sad
stuck oyster
@last star what gives what error?
last star
File uk_uniform\config.cpp line 0: .Uniformitem: Undefined base class `InventoryItem_Base_Fยด
stuck oyster
@radiant dirge yes. different simulation
radiant dirge
๐ข
stuck oyster
nothing you can do about as far as I know
@last star the error is pretty self explanatory
radiant dirge
Sad news
stuck oyster
the inventoryItem_base_f is not defined anywhere
as class inventoryitem_base_f;
@radiant dirge dunno how much a shield would do anyway if grenade hits it and bounces in front of it to explode
last star
and to fix it I define it how? (I don't know how to write configs, I just use arma 3 samples and a lot of help from the community)
stuck oyster
https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Class_Inheritance time to git learned then
if you want to make mods you got to understand the stuff.
radiant dirge
@stuck oyster She kill the guys behind ?
stuck oyster
no amount of crying will change that
radiant dirge
and btw do you know how to make a Static HandAnim ? Because mine are broken ๐ข
@stuck oyster
stuck oyster
well yes, but it should be pretty straightforward. I use Blender and export to rtm with Arma toolbox addon. works 10/10 on my end.
if you got issues I recommend checking out related topics on BI forums
or write detailed question on #arma3_animation
radiant dirge
Ok because I do the same but in game the HandAnim is buged ๐ข
So I go to #arma3_animation
stuck oyster
most basic issues are explained either on the blender addon thread on BI forums or the Macsers armarig thread
Id wager you find the answer there
cursive yew
I am trying to open Object Builder but it crashes everytime I do. I have mounted my P drive and can use Addon Builder
stuck oyster
Probably something messed up in your tools setup.
Or you are trying to open binarized p3d
Which you can not do.
The A3 p3d or p3d from mods can not be edited and you would not have permission to do so anyway.
quick terrace
OB never crashed on me ever when just opening itself
woeful viper
does he try to open a binarized p3d?
silver zenith
how should I make shadow LODs for an interior considering its going to be 100% always in shadow except for a single face?
silver zenith
@stuck oyster I know there is a renderflag called alwaysinShadow
would that make the interiors always dark?
silver zenith
its a simple tunnel
https://imgur.com/a/PgU1jzi
there is an outside entrance and the rest is underground
I still have some doubts on shadowlods
could I just cover the entire underground part covered by a cube or should I do it like every other model and have a similar model but slightly smaller?
stuck oyster
use sbSource = visualex
silver zenith
I'm on its biki page
what does it do exactly?
stuck oyster
casts shadows from your resolution lods
silver zenith
that seems extremely convenient
any drawbacks?
silver zenith
oh I see so it forces soft shadows
I do like the sharp ones but it should be irrelevant for something like this
stuck oyster
it does not force them, it just draws them like that
there is no shadow lod needed or used at all
silver zenith
wow thats pretty cool
white jay
Does it matter if I'm going to make model from boxes or plates?
silver zenith
@white jay if you mean planes no, a cube is just 6 faces
quick terrace
@white jay it doesnโt matter at all, minus the end result, which should be a triangulated mesh. you could use nurbs, splines, whatever
white jay
cheers lads
livid kelp
Hello, I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with player interactions and moveable memory points. I have a elevator model, within the first 2m I'm still able to interact to close the doors and move the elevator up and down. However when i go above the 2m in height from teh origin I'm unable to interact with the memory points anymore. I've applied particle effects to the memory points to see if they are moving with the model and they are. If anyone has any experience with this, its will be much appreciated.
stuck oyster
interaction points might not move with animations
actually post pics of the model itself
in OB is fine, just need to see the size of it
livid kelp
yes, it works when the stroke of the lift is only 1~2m, when its further away its not giving me the scrollmenue
condition is true
stuck oyster
probably the point does not move but you move out of its influence sphere
or the memory point moves as you can see but the action point does not
likely same thing as with the license place/dynamic text points
they do not animate either
livid kelp
are action points attached or generated fix on the mempoint position (and later not updated when the mempoint moves) ?
stuck oyster
that is what I think. Cant remember if I have animated action points anywhere
I have a remote memory that I've tried it but it could not be done
livid kelp
hm thanks anyways
naive kindle
Hello, i have a question regarding uv layouts. I've made my model in blender and defined the uv layers there. When i open the p3d file in object builder i have 2 UVSet slots, as i have defined in blender.
I would like to copy the uv layer in UVSet 1 over to UVSet 0 as in the picture below. Does anyone know of a way to do this?
https://i.imgur.com/mkPqC1Z.png
stuck oyster
those are not uvset slots im afraid
Blender handles uvsets here
those might work with UDIM workflow
but Arma does not use that
naive kindle
I figured it out after i wrote my coment above. I copied the data from UVSet 1 over to UVSet 0 and aligned it in the second slot. Then deleted UVSet 1 and now it works as intended!
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/739878003731071086/unknown.png
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/739877941197930506/unknown.png?width=740&height=659
stuck oyster
sure that works too
naive kindle
been stuck on this problem for days. I guess sometimes writing out the problem helps one come up with a different solution ๐ค
Thanks for the quick response anyways! @stuck oyster
stuck oyster
for future models it is simpler to set it up in Blender to begin with
๐
nice helmet too
naive kindle
How would one go about setting it up in blender to begin with? Would you somehow extend the uv layout?
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/739880828795879424/unknown.png
stuck oyster
well for starters
the 0-1 uv space is shared between different materials
so doesnt matter if uvs overlap if they use different textures
as only the different textures are drawn on the surfaces
the second uvset is reserved for special textures that need different kind of uv layout on the same mesh
so basically forget what you know already if its related to UDIM and such
in your case the helmet probably uses 2 textures?
or is the netting all mesh and not alpha transparent surface
Arma 3 samples on steam contain uvs too although the texture are not assigned
you can assign them via the camo selections for example if you like
but main thing is normally a Arma model has only 1 UVset
languid anvil
Anyone know how I could export a model from Arma 3 to remodel it. Basically there is a vest that I want to remodel and add some more variety to it.
stuck oyster
that would be the only way
polar fiber
Unless it's the "Tactical Vest", in which case BI released the model for it in the Arma 3 samples pack
junior saddle
sbsource - viusalex vs shadowvolume
What's the diff?
stuck oyster
visualex newer implementations and draws shadows from reslods. no shadowlods needed
junior saddle
Ok but I see the same results with shadowvolume setting in sbsource.
Sentry recently informed me about these shadows. They seem like a great idea, but I wonder if they have been fully thought out?
When the object casting the shadow is close to the surface the shadow appears, the shadow should be little crisper. But for a tall pole, for example the shadow should be crisp at the base and gradually get more blurry at the top, especially in early and late daylight.
As you may have just heard, there is also no affect on the viewPilot LOD
polar fiber
You'll probably notice that BI only use them on buildings, rarely on light poles and other small props, and not vehicles and characters/equipment
junior saddle
right
polar fiber
They're not precise enough for some applications
junior saddle
looks funny to see a character in a vehicle with differnt shadow types
quick terrace
you can get shadow buffer shadows from a SVLod just as well, not just stencils btw
and not, the shadow implementation (both stencil and sbuffer) are pretty primitive tbh
that being said, the only few games i know that actually use softer shadows depending on distance of shadow cast to surface, have been released starting 2019
stuck oyster
cryengine also needed a supercomputer to run ๐
junior saddle
LOL
stuck oyster
back in the day that is
stuck oyster
todays machines probably could yes. just needs a good engine programmer to make it so I suppose
junior saddle
I only stopped using Crysnegine because the bullet flights had no decay
junior saddle
good point
junior saddle
It was
I never made a shadowLOD
Here are several models I made back then, which all sported shadows and no shadowLOD:
https://www.deviantart.com/rooster3d/gallery/55557180/crysis-mod-gi-joe
quick terrace
fair enough then
junior saddle
Yes, but we are talking about A3 and visualex. It's exciting, but I'm only just now learning about it because I haven't made any buildings yet. I understand that it gets improved with most new updates to A3?
Is there a solution for glass shadows yet?
Hehe. you guys must be rolling your eyes at me.
naive kindle
I've been trying to achieve a similar result to the helmet below, with the grass patches on the model.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738773536524468224/739611616353714456/20200803002917_1.jpg?width=1187&height=643
I made the model in blender with some "planes" scattered around the helmet;
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/740201611514740816/unknown.png?width=816&height=659
I then made some textures in substance painter by first applying opacity to the square planes, and then drawing in some grass patches. This is my co map after exporting the textures (please excuse the bottom half of the map, this was made for testing);
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/740202337154629662/unknown.png?width=666&height=659
Lastly, when i try to apply these textures to the model in object builder I'm not quite getting the result i was hoping for;
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/587776185401081886/740203818565894244/unknown.png?width=802&height=659
My question is whether this is the wrong approach to achieving the same result as in the first picture? Have any of you experimented with making "grass patches" on models? I would rather not have to 3D model each piece of grass, and i figured it must be possible somehow to create the desired effect in textures.
Thanks!
polar fiber
The main problem you have by the looks, is that your alpha sorting order needs adjusting
But your foliage planes don't really seem to have much "volume" to them. The RHS helmet has a pretty dense bundle of planes with the grass alpha applied on top (middle part) then applied over the net on the right
The foliage planes are textured on both sides, fairly large, and are not simply flat planar surfaces (here I have exploded them a bit)
Really there only seems to be two or three kinds of grass geometry in the model, copied and pasted at different orientations around the helmet
naive kindle
Seems that I have a bit more experimenting to do ;)
Thanks for the quick reply! I will add some larger planes and adjust them with some curves to achieve a more "natural" look, and also attempt to fix the textures.
polar fiber
Oriented the two kinds of grass object so you can see that the only real differences between individual pieces is size, orientation and some slight variations in the way the verts are pushed to give depth/curvature to the surface
thick harness
Hi everyone! I'm quite new to modeling and modding. I've been doing some modeling practice the past few months and I have gained the confidence to try making a weapon mod. I've started making a model (Blender) and everything is going well. In fact, too well that it's kinda scaring me because I went with the boolean workflow for the handguard and there are only minimal artifacts. My question is how well does this translate to Arma 3? Do the smooth shading and the sharp edges translate well to Arma 3? Also, how do I use Substance Painter to texture it? What template do I choose? Tips? Thanks in advance!
woeful viper
yes they translate (otherwise something is borked on export/import/ with the mesh itself). "How do i substance painter" -> plenty tutorials on youtube.
thick harness
Thanks for the response! I'm sorry, the substance painter question was quite ambiguous. What I meant was more like "Can I do anything I want in Substance Painter? If I do something in Substance Painter would it look the same in-game?"
woeful viper
1 depends on skill (and what do you want in the first place?)
2 hm no. Arma does not use PBR rendering technique so you have to adapt to that
there are some things to help (theres a arma shader for SP)
stuck oyster
Arma uses very similar shading with smooth and hard edges so that should translate over pretty well. Main thing is to get good textures on it though and the common method of producing them starts with highpoly to lowpoly baking and continues from there with number of different methods. Substance painter workflow being one of them. For that you probably should do a search on this channel for useful tips and do tutorials on the program itself to understand how it works.
Also it is important to understand the Arma material workflow with specula/gloss lighting that is different from substance painters default metalness/roughness workflow. There is more discussion about that in the maker channels history.
Substance painter can be set to use custom shades that mimic Arma render quite closely but I don't have those links at hand. It is possible though.
silver zenith
I'm trying to assign 2 faces to a named selection but whenever I do it also select any face between the 2 faces
silver zenith
so there is no way to avoid selecting that face?
I could add an extra cut but I don't know if that will compromise the already created UVmap
it shouldn't right?
stuck oyster
yeah it should just cut uv too
hardy oar
I have created a custom identity which uses a new face mesh. This is working in game. Is there any way I can customise what mesh the arms and legs use, or is this restricted to textures and mats? I would like to have the arms switch to the arms of a human skeleton when a certain face is chosen.
stuck oyster
the arms are part of the character and do not switch with the head proxy
hardy oar
So even though your character can switch skins through the head you chose, there's no way to change the mesh those skins apply to?
stuck oyster
not possible yeah
or well sure if you made a custom character that has the hands in the head p3d
then they would change with it as far as I know
but that naturally would not be compatible with other models
hardy oar
Hmm I wonder if applying a fully transparent texture to the default arms, and then adding new arms into the head/bust .p3d could work. Eg; old arms are made invisible, new "skeleton arms" are added in alongside the face's proxy...
rough idol
@silver zenith there is face selection tool in ob
You can also have face based sel3ctions
silver zenith
oh interesting, never done it trough OB
thanks @rough idol
solid sonnet
Hi guys, I want to ask a question about the normal texture of the model
The normal texture of this normal is also raised due to the smoothing problem of the high poly model, but there is no problem in Substance Painter.
Can this problem be fixed in ARMA?
polar fiber
have you flipped the green channel for the normal map already?
polar fiber
I guess it's a problem with the model's vertex normals not matching then. In general it's best to triangulate the LP mesh before exporting. And you want to bake the normal map on the triangulated model too, so that triangulation is hopefully consistent across all 3D aps
If you select the parts of the model that have weird looking normals in Object Builder, press Shift+E to bring up the vertex properties window, and change the option from by dimensions of face to by impedance angle (experimental) you might see some improvment
It's fixed some weird normals on cylindrical objects for me in the past
solid sonnet
Ok i try now, thanks for your help
dense hearth
i was wondering if you can decimate in OB like you can in Blender and if so...how
polar fiber
Nope. The closest you might get is using points\merge near to collapse some of your smaller polygons
rapid bay
Hello, I've just implemented MagazineWells to my weapon config and it is now accepting the appropriate magazines.
However, the magazine model remain the same. How do I replace hardcoded magazine to a MAGAZINESLOT proxy in a binarized p3d without object builder? For educational purpose I tried to convert the binarized .p3d files to editable MLOD format and load it up on object builder which works but the geometry is quite messed up. I replaced the existing hardcoded magazine selection with the MAGAZINESLOT proxy and the magazine model now works perfectly in game. However the weapon model geometry is all over the place due to debinarization.
Is there any way to fix the magazine model compatibility issues for this weapon without access to the source p3d?
quick terrace
@rapid bay no
dense hearth
thank you @polar fiber
main jasper
Anyone here able to help me out a bit with ladders?
I have put some memory points down but I am getting 2 issues. First one is climbing the ladder backwards (I have tried rotating the vertices, nothing changed.) Secondly, my lower vertice is located near the middle of my object but the only time I get the action is when I am looking at the far right of the object.
https://i.imgur.com/3d2qGG2.png
So if I could get some help with those two issues I would appreciate it! I also heard something about maybe requiring a ViewGeoLOD in order to see the action? Also any ideas on how to fix the inverted climbing would be appreciated.
polar fiber
Your mem points axis can't be completely verticle. Needs to be slightly sloped so that the bottom vert is slightly closer to the direction you want the player climbing from
stuck oyster
usually yes
main jasper
Alright that has fixed the rotation issue. Any ideas how to fix the issue of the action not showing up in the right place
mossy violet
Hello, was wondering if someone could help me with a really weird dilemma I'm having. SO I'm trying to get the bullets to hide out of my gun but instead of hiding when I fire they get instantly resized, stretched and dragged away from the clip like in this image:
https://imgur.com/e6MsjUg
The same thing is happening when I use my usual hide magazine animation.
Animation class used class Bullet001 { type="hide"; source="revolving"; selection="bullet030"; sourceAddress="mirror"; minValue = -1; maxValue = 0; minphase = -1; maxphase = 0; hideValue = 0.001; };
extra info: I've tried this both with and without autocenter property.
Also tried other animation classes.
rough idol
@main jasper action is available only when you are looking at some geometry - I guess your rope ladder obstacle is transparent in view geo?
main jasper
I don't have a viewGeo but yes
I will put a large peice of geometry in and that should fix it I guess
muted prairie
any common reasons PBOproject would give error code 31 and complain about missing .rvmats and .paas that are present in the specified file paths after triple checking for typos a hundred times in every file? haven't done this in a few years so theres probably something obvious i'm missing
median bough
@muted prairie
never use drive letters (p:\) in paths
worn crow
Does anyone have any idea why my plane won't takeoff it flies fine but can't get off the ground https://youtu.be/4bHx624jkQU
undone pagoda
(Not a model specialist) Could the hitbox somehow be stuck in the ground or something like that? If you use the settings from a vanilla airplane would it fly?
Perhaps #arma3_config could be more helpful
worn crow
well I went through lod by lod replacing the samples planes lod with my own and this issue first arose when I replaced the memory lod so I assume the most likely reason is something to do with that but I honestly haven't got a clue what that could be. In the case of the hitbox I tried starting it a few metres off the ground which (in theory) would prevent this issue but it still wouldn't takeoff. Also wouldn't explain why it cant take back off after landing
stuck oyster
if it was collision issue you would not be going forward
youd either be stuck in place or go boom
muted prairie
@median bough ๐คฆโโ๏ธ thanks, about the only place in configs I forgot to not include the P drive
median bough
๐
lavish jay
My vending machine has a weird shadow despite its smooth surface
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/738288971108319254/741282929992400956/unknown.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/738288971108319254/741260834470232124/unknown.png
What do I have to do to fix the shadow?
stuck oyster
Use hard edges
lavish jay
thx
silk glacier
Hi guys. I've been reading up a bit on shadow LODs. I'm having an issue where it's hard to make a shadow from my object due to the way it looks.
Would "sbSource = visualex" just let me generate a shadow from the resolution LOD without having to go through the pain of making a shadow LOD?
quick terrace
yes
but it is shadow buffer
so it is soft, not stencil
doesnt matter how the object looks on the other hand, one should be able to do it
silk glacier
It's mainly the scaling to make the shadow fit inside that's giving me issues
I tend to make shadows by copying the resolution LOD, clean it of details, then scale it down to go inside
I was told that the shadow has to be 100% inside and can't stick out anywhere, else you get weird shading issues
stuck oyster
That can work sure, but for some things shadowlod just needs more manual work than that. Visualex is worth trying though
silk glacier
Yeah, might have to do that.
Is it true though that the shadow can't stick out at any one place at all?
stuck oyster
Yes, it will cast shadow on itself then
For some things it is also possible to invert the shadow mesh
Shadowlod can also often be made from bunch of simpler shapes
Instead of scaled first lod. For complex things the scaling rarely works right.
If you want good shadow mesh there are no shortcuts to it.
quick terrace
@silk glacier youy might wanna use some sort of push modifier instead of scale tbh
naive kindle
I'm having some trouble with what I'm thinking is the rvmat on a helmet I'm trying to make.
I have a "base" version of my helmet that is working fine in-game and reacts to shadows properly. I have tried making a different model, based of the "base" version helmet, with some pine branches attached.
The problem is that, when i select the helmet in-game, it's almost as if the rvmat isn't working. And for some reason that I have trouble figuring out, the material on the "base" part of the helmet also changes and lightens up.
I have tried changing the nohq, as, and smdi to working versions and also blank versions but nothing really seems to do the trick. I have changed the values in the rvmat to different settings but it seems I keep getting the same result. I'm not quite sure what else I can try that might fix this problem.
I have also tried making a different version with different "grass" textures, but I'm getting the same result there also, where the model does not react to being in shadows and the "base" part of the helmet also lightens up.
The "base" version of the helmet with rvmat working properly;
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/587776185401081886/741710306455191632/20200808191743_1.jpg
The pine branch version that's got the bug with shadows;
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/587776185401081886/741710479574958240/20200808191751_1.jpg
Has anyone run into this problem before, and have they potentially found a solution?
stuck oyster
what shader are you using for the grass?
naive kindle
In the rvmat? Or the shadow lod?
naive kindle
I wasn't quite sure what you meant by shader, so I thought maybe you meant something in the shadow lod.
Is the shader a specific stage in the rvmat?
naive kindle
"Super"
stuck oyster
yeh that wont make grass looking grass
you likely will want to use the grass shader on them
you can find examples for that in the P:\A3\
naive kindle
thank you very much, I will try that then ๐
quick terrace
define complex
afaik topmost is 60-70k ish for the stealth hawk or whatever it is called
stuck oyster
@ornate meadow please remove the messages on other channels. Cross posting is considered spam
ornate meadow
Sorry
silver zenith
how can I unselect a face from O2/OB?
stuck oyster
With the face select tool yeah
silver zenith
thats to select but to unselect?(without unselecting every other selection)
lavish jay
what causes it and what should I do?
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/482868731085848577/741823969958821968/unknown.png?width=877&height=684
lavish jay
I added class Cfgskletons{}; into P:\bin\config.cpp, and buldozer frozen again by another error
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/562513047500095500/741836430946336789/unknown.png
hybrid frigate
Any ideas why an object when loaded into the game would tell me a texture is missing after I defined it in the Object Builder? No errors in packing. I apply the texture to two components in OB.
I only get the error in the game itself when I try to spawn the object. Is Object Builder caps sensitive?
I notice my file path I type has caps in it while the error I keep seeing shows the path in lower case.
quick terrace
@hybrid frigate what is that path? what do you use to pack?
lavish jay
stuck oyster
well it is the size you modeled it
lavish jay
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/738288971108319254/742075904532021348/107410_20200810024424_1.png
I fixed the size, but the glass material didn't fix
old gulch
Fun new issue! In the process of putting a gun turret on my boat, and getting in game to test it, I have discovered that climbing into the gunner seat crashes the game
Any ideas?
solid sonnet
Hi, everybody. I want to ask how to make a โshadow modelโ
polar fiber
Just make a low poly version of your object. It's a silhouette as much as anything so doesn't need most concave features of your resolution LOD. Parts don't need to be as round etc. etc. Caveats are that all mesh components MUST be closed, and must be triangulated
solid sonnet
Ok, thanks
hybrid frigate
@quick terrace Addon Builder. I will get you more specifics when I get back to on
quick terrace
donโt use addon builder
subtle bison
in object builder, is there a way to edit the uv map in every lod at the same time?
i need to shift some stuff, but having to do that on every lod is a bit... annoying
it's about a plane that exists in every lod
hybrid frigate
@quick terrace why and what would you advise?
This is just frustrating. The object shows up fine with a texture in Object Builder but wont show up in the game...
stuck oyster
Addon builder has no error checking.
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
stuck oyster
yes
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
stuck oyster
there is a lod wikipage that can answer that and lot more
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
old gulch
I've still got that gunner seat crashing issue, if anyone has any ideas
quick terrace
in general if you want someone to throw their pennies your way, you might wanna pastebin the config /model.cfg and provide aditional info such as RPT files, screens etc
@old gulch
stuck oyster
for crashes look into the rpts
or get teh dev build diag.exe as it often reveals more issues
old gulch
Good point, I completely forgot about RPTs, one sec
old gulch
Config:
https://pastebin.com/YZbkh160
Model.cfg:
https://pastebin.com/2WaRcXD2
I can't provide the RPTs as they're too big at current. Gonna see if I can shave that down.
lavish jay
I built a vending machine but it is like an ice in Tanoa and ignores shade
It looks OK in VR...
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/707218502146064466/742428350349443092/107410_20200811020442_1.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/707218502146064466/742431041632993461/107410_20200811021310_1.png
Further more, bullets passes completely through
polar fiber
500 points/vertices
stuck oyster
Tris
quick terrace
actually, reading a few years back some DX documentation, the lowest is actually 400 verts. under that number the GFX card takes more time loading a 1px by 1px texture than loading that 400 vert mesh
sure, things have evolved, but for whatever reason my lowest LOD is always around that mark
woeful viper
theres also no more recent updated value put out there (at least not to my knowledge)
given how well even Arma can cope with millions of verts, object and material count is the most significant impactor it seems (oh and alpha overdraw <<cough>> particles )
i forgot how much, but i think livonia coal powerplant is the building with the highest vert count of all
quick terrace
yeah vert count should be looked over and kept within reason, but section count is N times more important factor
woeful viper
i spawned it dozends of times, and fps stayed high. I think in fact the LOD changing while panning around the scene caused more damage than if it was just kept at highest LOD
i'm convinced the best cause of action for making a large city is making 50x50m chunks with multiple objects inside one p3d (using as few sections as possible)
drawback is reduced resolution for AO and low resultion macro texture
hardy oar
Re; sections and optimisation, is that any section or only ones used for animation and/or hidden selection?
I have a few in my p3ds which I primarily use to easily seperate parts for modifying the model, should I be reducing these?
polar fiber
Those are selections, not sections
Sections are contiguous faces sharing the same texture and .rvmat
Ideally you should only have one section per texture+material but sometimes theyโre created accidentally by copy and pasting parts of the model with the same texture set, out of order. And need to be fixed by selecting the faces and Move Top/Bottom to make them correctly ordered again
Other times they can be necessary to make separate sections to overcome alpha sorting issues
lavish jay
@silver zenith I have 10 LODs for that vending machine
hybrid frigate
@quick terrace I have tried both a path to my P drive and a path with the P drive removed. I have a new issue where I can see my textured objects in the viewer but in the game the entire object or just the texture are missing.
I have a single object that worked but no explanation as to why it is working while the others are not.
stuck oyster
Hidden selections do split into sections too right? As they are defined in the model.cfg sections list?
hardy oar
I have a single model with 5 different grip options. Currently these grips are applied/hidden via hidden selections. Re; optimisation, would it make a noticeable difference to put all these grips on one UV sheet? even though only one is active/visibile at any one time? They are currently each on their own 1024 sheet, was thinking I could pack them onto one 2048 sheet if necessary.
Because currently, each grip creates it's own section. I assume packing them onto one sheet would reduce this to a single section for all the grips?
Or is it irrelevant because the other grips are hidden?
stuck oyster
combining them would probably be more optimal
but since you have also a hidden selection section for each I think those would still work separately
since they are not all hidden/shown at the same time
hardy oar
I imagine it would help at least a little, would it be the end of the world to leave them as they are though?
hardy oar
I used to have them as different P3ds, but I switched to the hiddenselection method to try and keep things more concise
Yeah, it is a bit. But seeing as my focus is Aussie SF gats, and we only really use the M4, I think it is warranted.
Eg; I would not have this level of customisation in a project with a much wider scope, but I have a pretty narrow scope so I can afford to flesh out the options a little more
lavish jay
How do I apply a shadow to an object? My vending machines look very weird in the shade
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/738288971108319254/742697115259502683/107410_20200811195055_1.png
marsh canyon
https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/LOD#ShadowVolume
Check/make this LOD
stuck oyster
its probably due to wrong kind of texture and shader applied to the model
your whole model is currently treated as transparent in the engine
old citrus
Morning I have a Question regarding lightmaps and light baking It seems to be a untold secret since I cant find anyone that is talking about that. Well Im just gonna show you some pictures of the Casino from Nopixel since they did exactly that with only 1 lightsource.
stuck oyster
its not related to your shadowlod @lavish jay
old citrus
@lavish jay go into your Gemoetry lod than Structure than Topology and than find Components
old citrus
xD
lavish jay
๐ค
stuck oyster
for your problem @old citrus you go to figure you that part in the 3D program you use
those lights you see in the pics you linked are all faked
as in baked into the textures
old citrus
well i know they are all baked they are not actual lights they are baked
yeah I know xD
quick terrace
and sorry, what is the untold secret here about light bakes?
old citrus
well it seems there is nothing regarding light baking in arma 3 like tutorials or anything else. If you want to get it working its trial and error.
quick terrace
that ^^
stuck oyster
there should be plenty of lightmap baking tutorials in general for Blender and Max and most of other 3D modeling programs
basically you set up the lights on your scene and bake that
quick terrace
also, ArmA doesn't have lightmaps specifically, minus .AS (which is actually active only in shadow, so it isn't AO, it is Ambient Shadow) and .ADS(HQ)
stuck oyster
that too
in the above pics the shadows might be baked directly on the texture
or with slight chance on the AS
quick terrace
it is baked in the diffuse, yes
i guess since these days everyone goes PBR, using albedo rather than diffuse, that is also the reasons such older school methods of baking stuff in isn't all that obvious about
old citrus
๐ค well thats gonna be fun to figure that out xD but thank you very much that helped allot now I have atleast a point where to start from ^^
quick terrace
i can only talk about the tools i used (and its been a while since i baked anything in 3ds max - a mix of SP/marmoset doing it better and faster, and removal of mentalray from 3ds max and the inability of arnold to bake anything to begin with)
but what you are looking is either complete lighting (should take into consideration also specular reflections)
and / or diffuse lighting
or whatever these passes are called for the software you are using
also, belongs to #arma3_texture
old citrus
sry about that didnt really know where to put it ^^
quick terrace
no worries, just pointing you towards the channels you might find more info rather than less
lavish jay
subtle bison
converted the texture wrong
quick terrace
what is the suffix on that texture of yours
doesn't seem you have any rvmat
@lavish jay
lavish jay
@quick terrace rvmat is here https://pastebin.com/Uda5W6TQ
lavish jay
CO
quick terrace
you have a single texture and rvmat for the entire thing, correct?
can you send me that co paa file via dm?
lavish jay
Fixed!
the .PAA file converted from .PNG caused weird transparent shade
but the one converted from .TGA perfectly worked
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/320896410876772352/742798478396227604/pixlr.jpg
heady tree
Hey, so I'm really new to modelling, and my buddy gave me a little project to work on, he gave me the p3d, but when I put it into object editor or whatever it's called, it automatically crashes, I heard that Arma automatically binarizes .p3d files, but unbinarizing the files distorts the model... anyone got a fix?
It's his own model he said, so I'm not sure if he stole it or what :/
woeful viper
my bullshit detector is going off...
stuck oyster
no can do there
if he does not have the original files its not his own model
tell him stop using stolen models
old gulch
Then you're out of luck.
stuck oyster
well even if it was by some miracle his own, it cant be opened
subtle bison
he should have the source, just ask him about it :>
cerulean brook
in the depbo'd P: drive, where would I be able to find all the optics?
stuck oyster
possible somewhere near weapons
but you cant really do much with them since they wont be openable
cerulean brook
ah frick
I got some experience with 3D modelling, so I made an optic which I want to put into the game, but I don't really know how oxygen or the engine want to have it
so I just wanted to look up an example lol
cerulean brook
Ooh right! I forgot about those, already got them downloaded
stuck oyster
also guides on the subject on putting things into game on BI forums editing section
possibly not direct guide for optics but principles are the same
cerulean brook
Yeah I've been following some of that stuff. It's a bit... hectic... I managed to get a gun in game a few years ago, but never tried an optic
Seems like back then I also required way more tools, while now it's mostly all inside of that A3Tools tool
stuck oyster
I would recommend using PMCwikis tools setup guide and use Mikeros tools for packing your addons
stuck oyster
it does but has no error checking
cerulean brook
but it's not a free tool anymore
stuck oyster
there is free version still
cerulean brook
o I see
stuck oyster
on the bytex site where the subscriber version is sold
cerulean brook
If I name things correctly in my FBX export, will it automatically assign it correctly in oxygen?
IE, if I suffix _LODGeonmetry it will set it as that LOD?
And things like memory points, how do you guys handle those? What are they even? Just a single vertex or an empty group? Using 3DS Max for my exports
Also why is it so fricking small? XD Both oxygen and 3DS Max can't zoom accurately enough to work at that scale
vapid leaf
One message removed from a suspended account.
woeful viper
No, not necessary
stuck oyster
For Blender to export directly to P3d with Arma toolbox each lod must be joined as single object. So depends a little on what program you use.
polar bone
Why would landContact refuse to work? I have a power line model with two landContact vertices, and placement = slopelandcontact in geoLod, but in-game its always horizontally placed
quick terrace
is the model also horizontal placed in OB?
polar bone
Yes
stuck oyster
is the model on terrain at 0 height?
polar bone
Nope, is in the air, at the height that I placed it in OB. It seems that it started to follow terrain (why? ;o ) but it looks more like following slope than landContact
Pic related
stuck oyster
if the landcontact points are on ground level then it is on the ground
also I dont quite understand what are you expecting it to do there
it seems to adjust to the slope there?
polar bone
Shouldn't it try to keep both ends, where the LC point are, at the same distance to the ground?
Or maybe I did remember it wrong, havn't placed powerlines for ages ^^'
I just tried CUP wires and they behave just like mine, so I guess I really did remember it wrong
Thanks for you time though
subtle bison
hmm is there a trick for installing the arma toolbox for blender?
i am installing it, blender says the files exist, but it doesn't show up in the addon list
ok, got it working now..
cerulean brook
What import/export file type do you guys prefer? OBJ, FBX, ...?
median bough
if you use blender toolbox, p3d
cerulean brook
I don't use blender at all :/
I had 3ds max in college, so always stuck with that
Additionally, is there an issue with the scale of stuff? I grabbed the sample scope, and the thing is like 0.001cm x 0.009cm x 0.001cm
old citrus
In Blender and probably other Software the Sacling if you import into OB is oftan very off in Blender it helps to apply all Transforsm, that will export the correct aspects so you dont need to scale in OB
dusk topaz
Anyone got any ideas why shadow isnt applied to objs
they are same obj just different texture
but as you can see ones with lighter part in middle shadows just arnt overlaying
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/139414261934981120/743126912011862146/20200812162054_1.jpg
cerulean brook
yeah I exported a sample to FBX, then imported that into my editor and scaled accordingly
cerulean brook
what are the requirements for something to be visible in bulldozer? I just created a model, no textures, no materials, and it's completely invisible in bulldozer. Does it need all of that?
steel vector
a model is just a bunch of points, so without textures there's nothing to show
cerulean brook
I mean, every other engine in existence slaps on a default grey or checker pattern
Guess I'll UV and texture it then haha, just want to get a minimum viable thing going before I continue, just to see if it's worth the effort haha
steel vector
simply slap a grey texture on it ๐
cerulean brook
can I do that in OB?
old gulch
Object Builder will display the object purely as verts and edges.
If you can't see it, either the object is just scaled down too much, or something went wrong
stuck oyster
wut are u people saying
if object has faces its displayed as white by default in buldozer
it it does not show up scaling could be the issue yes but also it could have parts that the engine cant draw
like nGons
so triangulate your model before export
quick terrace
a model is just a bunch of points, so without textures there's nothing to show
@steel vector that is false
Object Builder will display the object purely as verts and edges.
@old gulch that is partly false - by default it will display as verts and edges, but you can switch that
@cerulean brook scaling - OB uses meters. so there's that
i personally do most of my models for A3 in either cms or mms. if you cannot see anything, it's usually either too big or too small. for ngons, you'd get an error
cerulean brook
oh so I can't have ngons? @quick terrace ?
old gulch
shrugs I was just stating what I knew, if it was wrong, so be it.
cerulean brook
Darnit, my new workflow lowkey needs N-gons lol
quick terrace
@cerulean brook quads and/or tris for any game assets is the norm. in fact, the recommendation is to always triangulate before export and/or before normals map bakes
cerulean brook
ehh debatable
on new engines that's not the case. They all triangulate themselves
stuck oyster
you want to do triangulation yourself to ensure the edges are where you want them to be
quick terrace
they do yes, but you have no control where the edge diving the quad is gonna be
cerulean brook
In school I got taught the same thing, but speaking to some senior 3D modellers told me they only bother in convex shapes, to keep edges
stuck oyster
believe what you will then
cerulean brook
Well they don't have Arma modding experience, so I don't know what arma models require
quick terrace
i am one of these senior 3d modelers (been doing it professionally for over 10 years). my export files are always triangulated, especially if these are engine agnostic
cerulean brook
I'll see if that's the reason for nothing showing up
cerulean brook
So how do you work comfortably in your editor while still keeping the correct scale of things?
I set my display unit on mms
but it's still tiiiiny
quick terrace
if you export as FBX, you have the option to triangulate on export anyways
cerulean brook
yeah true, that's what I was thinking of doing tbh
quick terrace
if you use mm in 3ds max, you need to set the correct import scale in OB
because it doesn't know how to convert on its own more often than not
cerulean brook
I scaled my model down to the sample optic
quick terrace
the grid in OB is 1x1m btw, just so you have some scale referance
cerulean brook
so in max I just downscale to 1% once I'm ready to do an export
quick terrace
did you got that sample imported in 3ds max
quick terrace
do not scale to 1% on object level, but at subobject level
or if you do scale at object level do a reset xform
quick terrace
if you scale at object level, you will notice max knows that you are at 1% on all axis (XYZ)
cerulean brook
quick terrace
if you do the same at subobject level in a modifier stack - edit poly for instance, it will keep the referance local scale intact @100% and allow you to switch from work mesh scale to export mesh scale)
but whatever, this is sort of basic export knowledge for most game engines out there
in general i work in real life units (max system units to cm or mm for modelling things that are pretty small like weapons and the like)
and adjust fbx import scale directly from OB
or have a copy of the object scaled up and with a reset xform collapsed over
my 2 pennies anyways
cerulean brook
Alright giving that a shot ๐
thanks for the tips so far! Really helps
is there like a bulldozer error log somewhere?
I merged my scope into the sample scope in OB, and now both don't show up
I triangulated
quick terrace
can you take some screens maybe
and imgur these?
do they show in OB, but not in buldozer?
cerulean brook
I wish I could upload them straight on here but yeah I'll get some on imgur
yeah they do
quick terrace
did you zoom in into buldozer?
cerulean brook
yeah I held W for a while haha
quick terrace
can you send me quickly that p3d via DM?
cerulean brook
It's really weird. I managed to get a gun into Arma a few years ago, and now a little optic is giving me a headache haha
It's still far from finished, not even unwrapped or anything. Just wanted to get something in game to see if I was heading down the right path
cerulean brook
cerulean brook
I don't see those
quick terrace
then copy pasting the mesh to an edit lod and back
also, i have removed its color
dunno why it behaves that way but never seen it before
quick terrace
no worries
cerulean brook
Would those animation key frames come from my FBX export?
quick terrace
in general, for meshes and the likes make sure you don't export/import animations
but again, never seen this sort of stuff before, so i have no idea what is causing it
cerulean brook
Yeah that is strange, there are keyframes in my max file
maybe at some point I accidentally opened the animation bar and added a couple
:(
quick terrace
that's ok, i always have these for various purposes, just untick animations from FBX export options
cerulean brook
Yeah, done that now!
quick terrace
have fun
cerulean brook
Thanks a bunch! I honestly thought I was going crazy haha
cerulean brook
ahh yeah, that could be advantageous
already have max and OB open for that same purpose
silver zenith
so I've made a 5km long object
what should I do in order to be sure I can at least see it within its 5km radius(assuming my ingame viewdistance is already at 5k)
I've already gave it setFeaturetype =2 but it only seems to work in eden
does giving it a fake geometry LOD affect its viewability in any way and if so are there any named properties that can help me with that?
stuck oyster
see it from what direction?
silver zenith
any
silver zenith
inside the green circle I guess
stuck oyster
green is the thingy
or better yet
tell us what it is
because right now theres no context
silver zenith
yeah my bad
stuck oyster
and Id say 5km object wont even work ever
silver zenith
I got it ingame I don't need to worry about collisions or anything else
its a big platform, like an aircraft carrier(with no collisions)
I want to see it only when I'm on it
stuck oyster
doesnt mean the engine can draw it if its no in view
so likely you cant do that
because its very likely it does not register as being in your view
silver zenith
I see
weird though I'm looking in the direction of its center of mass, but even if I got it to work it would disappear as soon as I looked another direction
might try to split it in 5 pieces of 1 km
quick terrace
5kms?
silver zenith
yeah
quick terrace
i doubt 5x 1kms will work all that well either
stuck oyster
ye
silver zenith
would it not at least load the piece closer to me if I'm standing on it?
stuck oyster
the same problem of it being too far from you to register as being in your view unless you look at its center
Arma is not made for that kind of scale
I have tried
๐
silver zenith
yeah aware of that
and is there no way to tell the game to draw it no matter what? I've seen it done with some things
I recall some bridges cup maps that would be always rendered no matter what for some reason, maybe thats a terrain thing?
silver zenith
setFeaturetype =2 ?
silver zenith
that'd be what I'm looking for if it works
quick terrace
but that isnโt gonna solve what you are trying to do
it can render far away, but you want to have a large piece rendered far away
silver zenith
mhmm I guess thats different
quick terrace
and the engine cant render it close either because of its size
silver zenith
I wanna see if I can render it closer than 5k
because I remember seeing it from the ground
testing rn
quick terrace
i have tryed less than @stuck oyster did, but had my fair share of impromptu tests done, and i honestly think you are not gonna make that work as you want it to
silver zenith
yeah probably won't
I'll see if I can cheat it somehow
otherwise I'm happy to have tried
whats annoying is that it renders it just fine in eden, but that's different things I guess
stuck oyster
just split it in smaller parts
silver zenith
oh weird it works now at 5k
curious why it didn't work before
oh wait
does being outside the map borders affects it sometimes?
stuck oyster
quite likely
silver zenith
the object being outside map borders
silver zenith
yeah just placed it for testing in a 1x1 km map
probably not the best place
median bough
@ionic elk
the process is still the same / similar to the old blender
you need tie latest blender and arma toolbox plugin
ionic elk
owh
median bough
ionic elk
do you now where i can find the latest plugin of blender ?
median bough
sorry wrong link. i wanted to post this one
https://github.com/AlwarrenSidh/ArmAToolbox/releases
ionic elk
thanks
dusk topaz
Anyone got any ideas why shadow isnt applied to objs
they are same obj just different texture
but as you can see ones with lighter part in middle shadows just arnt overlaying
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/139414261934981120/743126912011862146/20200812162054_1.jpg
polar fiber
is it a _ca alpha texture?
ionic elk
aand last question someone have the dimension of a playermodel in arma for import in blender ?
stuck oyster
Arma 3 samples on steam have that and much more
dusk topaz
yea its _ca
quick terrace
@dusk topaz what is object in question? the ground plane or what?
subtle bison
is there a way to merge sections in object builder? or in arma toolkit? it's a bit weird, because i've merged my model parts together in blender, but in OB it still tells me 10 sections
quick terrace
what does these sections consist of?
dusk topaz
its a
plane with a alpha texture
used to simulate ice
so similar to a pond obj just without the water rendering
quick terrace
do you have any special named props / flags in rvmat?
dusk topaz
renderFlags[] = {"NoAlphaWrite"};
quick terrace
does it render the shadows correctly if you remove the rvmat / diffuse tex?
ionic elk
arma 3 simples dont want to lunch himself...
silver zenith
when you launch it simply open a folder
stuck oyster
@ionic elk where you installed it
ionic elk
ok thanks
dusk topaz
removing RVMAT didnt work
https://i.imgur.com/iFLwQgA.jpg
polar fiber
@subtle bison if the faces with you texture are not welded to parts with other textures/materials, Simply cutting and pasting the model back into the OB viewport works
subtle bison
i found this right now https://pmc.editing.wiki/doku.php?id=arma:modeling:section_fixing
polar fiber
If they're welded to parts with another texture/material assigned, you need to open the "Sections" part of the Resource Library, ctrl+click all the sections that have the same tex+material assignment, and Faces\Move-Top
subtle bison
is there no way of doing this in blender?
polar fiber
No idea. I don't do anything in Blender except crew animations
stuck oyster
Blender file if build right should provide correct sections when exported to p3d
but there is no same kind of functionality in it as far as I know
ionic elk
when i open my model, "object builder form arma3" say "Unable to load file, file error." someone now the solution ?
dusk topaz
thats becase arma3 P3D are binirized and you cant open them
if you are just trying to open arma3 models
steel vector
it's either binarized (so in p3d format), or there's an actual problem with your model
ionic elk
ok so it's normal