Rolo Redhand

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

                <washing his hands...>

Ok, another oddball problem.
I imported an emitter (Omen) from the weapon acid effect, trying to get a blood dripping effect on the altar. Changed the color, made it "splatter" and affected by wind. Exported it. All fine, but no effect in game :-(

node emitter OmenEmitter01
  parent rforearm_g
  position -0.124529 0.299238 0.127036
  orientation -0.267436 -0.933846 0.237506 -2.69538
  wirecolor 1.0 1.0 1.0
  update_sel 1
  update Fountain
  render_sel 1
  render Normal
  blend_sel 3
  Blend Lighten
  spawntype_sel 0
  spawnType -1
  xSize 5.0 
  ySize 5.0
  inherit 1
  inherit_local 0
  inheritvel 0
  inherit_part 0
  renderorder 0
  threshold 0.0
  combinetime 0.0
  deadspace 0.0
  opacity 0.5
  colorStart 0.780392 0.0 0.0
  colorEnd 0.615686 0.0 0.0
  alphaStart 1.0
  alphaEnd 0.3
  sizeStart 0.1
  sizeEnd 0.1
  sizeStart_y 0.0
  sizeEnd_y 0.0
  birthrate 150
  lifeExp 0.7
  mass 0.0
  spread 0.523599
  particleRot 0.0
  velocity 1.0
  randvel 0.2
  bounce_co 0.0
  blurlength 10.0
  loop 0
  bounce 0
  m_isTinted 0
  Splat 1
  affectedByWind true
  texture fxpa_flare
  twosidedtex 0
  xgrid 1
  ygrid 1
  fps 0
  framestart 0
  frameend 0
  random 0
  lightningDelay 0.0
  lightningRadius 0.0
  lightningSubDiv 0
  lightningScale 0.0
  blastRadius 0.0
  blastLength 0.0
  p2p 0
  p2p_type Bezier
  p2p_sel 1
  p2p_bezier2 0.0
  p2p_bezier3 0.0
  grav 0.0
  Drag 0.0
endnode

[edit: sorry, just noticed the formatting was snafu :-P]

Anyone see anything obvious that I'm missing? Because I played with the blasted thing 'til my battery ran dry, and I'd really like to pump up the effects on that Nasty Thang.
<...over and over again>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 02 novembre 2011 - 04:45 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Just a guess- change your spawntype from -1 to 1.  Do this in a text editor.  Try it again.  IIRC, this is a bug in NWMax.

To save lurkers from having to read the whole thread:
The problem wound up being the spawntype setting of -1.  There is an issue with NWMax which causes the spawntype to be set like this either some or all of the time, probably when you make a new emitter from scratch.  The solution is to set it to spawntype 0, usually by editing the model's text file.

This reminded me that there was a really cool and old reference on emitters posted by a guy named Xahlt.  I just checked and it was culled into Neverwinter Realms CC - Neverwinter Nights Miscellany, which looks like it covers all kinds of goodies, information-wise.

You can also find it in the Omnibus by searching for "particle emitter properties" (with quotes)
               
               

               

                     Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 02 novembre 2011 - 06:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <tosses off...>

Tried that, just now. No change :-/

<...a wry grin>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Weird, I have memories of having to change that setting by hand in a text editor.  Hrm.  What I do when I'm working on emitters like this, transferring them, is transfer it over to your model and then export and make sure the emitter is working with the old settings before changing anything.  Then make teensy, deliberate changes.  Export & test.  Then rinse and repeat.

When I first started working with emitters under NWMax (as opposed to the BioWare Aura export scripts) I ran into lots of problems like this which caused me to slow down and get really careful and deliberate with changes.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <taking another stab...>

Framestart/end 0? Shouldn't that be the range of the anim?
[Edit: no change :-/ ]
[Edit: reset framestart/end to 0, reset splat to 0 and wind to false.  At this point, only dif versus original effect is color. Still no effect]

<...in the dark>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 02 novembre 2011 - 04:56 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Take the model with the same emitter you have quoted...in the toolset, move the model around.  See anything?  I'm seeing an effect when I move the placeable around and I just cut and pasted your code into a text edit with a sample model.  Trying to suss out what's causing that now.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 02 novembre 2011 - 05:03 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Ah, here we go.  Set your spawntype to 0 in a text editor.

Model, which overwrites Armoire here.  Should be your exact same emitter, just with spawntype set to 0 instead of -1. You should see a white box next to it- that's just a bit of sample geometry I use to confirm the model got loaded ok.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 02 novembre 2011 - 05:10 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <decidedly...>

Good instincts, OTR! If I move it in the toolset a fountain of blood sprays (not the effect I want, but an effect).

Cut and pasted the original effect from the vpr_aroacid.mdl.ascii. Now I have a fountain of acid that does not need to be shaken (not stirred) to be visible.

So, now to turn it into a drip.  grav and splat and birthrate of 1 or 2?

<...confused>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               

Rolo Kipp wrote...
So, now to turn it into a drip.  grav and splat and birthrate of 1 or 2?

Mass, not grav.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               BTW, this reminded me that there was a really cool and old reference on emitters posted by a guy named Xahlt.  I just checked and it was culled into Neverwinter Realms CC - Neverwinter Nights Miscellany, which looks like it covers all kinds of goodies, information-wise. 

You can also find it in the Omnibus by searching for "particle emitter properties" (with quotes)
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <puts on some...>

OldTimeRadio wrote...
Mass, not grav.

Ahhh... Any recommendation on value? Gotta darken the color, also :-P

Can't get back to my tools until this evening (off-grid), so I'll be storing any more tips :-)
I'll be uploading the whatever I've finished tomorrow morning, but I've a lot of stuff undone on this one :-/ 
Still, it's useable... and I'm pretty happy (but not really done) with the OffToOn anim =)

<...serious weight>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               Be sure not to miss my post above about the NWN Miscellany doc- really good stuff.  As far as mass, I did it a few minutes ago in the toolset with birthrate of 2 and mass of 1.0 and it looked like you'd expect.  It should be noted that based on the orientation of the invisible emitter face, your particles may "pop up" before falling.  This is due to the current setting (that you quoted) of velocity 1.0 and randvel .2.  For just a straight drippity-drip-drip, I think you want to set those two to 0.0 and let your mass setting do all the work.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <eyeing the old appliance...>

Oh, I don't miss much of what you write, OTR :-) Like Funky and a few others, I read everything you post =)

On the Velocity and randvel: on my list to experiment with, good to have a direction :-)

I've already grabbed the miscellany =) Now, to read it!

<...intently>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <turning to face...>

Ok, the effect works. But not quite right.
I'd like to:
1) align the particle so it always faces the VP. Which setting is that?

2) get the blood to splatter. What does it splatter against? Collision with the PWK? Wherever its splattering, its not visible ;-P But then, my PWK geometry is at 0cm and the top of the altar is at 25cm.  How will moving the PWK (geometry, not pivot) up 25cm affect the walkmesh?

3) I also need to turn it back to "lighten" as Normal just doesn't look good with the default texture. But I know how to do that ;-/

<...the music>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               

Rolo Kipp wrote...
Ok, the effect works. But not quite right.
I'd like to:
1) align the particle so it always faces the VP. Which setting is that?

When you say VP, what do you mean?  So it always faces the player?  You'd be wanting to use a Render type which is some flavor of "Billboard".  BUT, I think if you use anything other than Render type "Normal", it's not going to splat.  I could be wrong about this but I just carried out some quick tests which seem to indicate that.

2) get the blood to splatter.

At least the following combination works:
render Normal
bounce 1
bounce_co 0.0
Splat 1

How it works I think goes something like this: Render Normal is necessary for whatever reason to get the effect to work.  Although it's non-intuitive, setting bounce to 1 turns on the collision checking- if it's set to 0 you can see them fall right through the WOK in the toolset,  If splat is also set to 1, when it collides it'll splat.  However, if bounce_co is set to anything greater than 0.0, the particles are going to bounce before the settle down and splat and their LifeExp is probably going to time out while they're still bouncing and they'll have just appeared to bounce and not splat.  Make sure that bounce_co is 0.0 and they'll splat perfectly.

What does it splatter against? Collision with the PWK? Wherever its splattering, its not visible ;-P

I'm going to say WOK and that might sound unnecessarily niggly but there isn't guaranteed to be a PWK underneath the particle so nomatter what, it's really stopping at the WOK.  Whether it'll stop at a PWK if the Z of the PWK is higher than the WOK's Z...I dunno.  See the next answer for more.

But then, my PWK geometry is at 0cm and the top of the altar is at 25cm.  How will moving the PWK (geometry, not pivot) up 25cm affect the walkmesh?

Interesting question because it brings up something I had made up my mind about but I know there is some difference of opinion on: Whether or not a PWK serves much of a purpose when shaped as a 3-dimensional object as opposed to a plane.  First, I don't know (as I said above) whether the PWK will act as a collision mesh against an emitter.  I would love to know the answer to that, though- so if you find out, post your results!  Some people, and probably in some circumstances especially, like to make their PWK as a cube instead of a plane.  I can see why they might want to do this but haven't ever been in the situation where I'd need to do it, myself.  I've always been under the impression that since the PWK is allegedly sliced into the WOK on the fly, and since the WOK is 2-dimensional, that the PWK is always flattened into a 2-dimensional object whose dimensions are projected downward onto the WOK...in some fashion.

This is just a guess though, so you might be able to make a box of a PWK and have emitter particles collide against it before hitting the Z level of the WOK.  Again, I don't know the answer and do things in such a way that I wouldn't have come across the answer so...I'd like to know what you find.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 03 novembre 2011 - 09:19 .