Questions from a beginning modeller.

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               So far I've managed to create a few simple placeable object in gmax.  The textures look fine, except when I use one that has some transparency.  Then it turns flat white.  To be clear, all I've done is put a partially transparent .tga onto an simple object.  What else do I need to do?
Edit: What I mean is that it turns white ingame and in the toolset.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par 3RavensMore, 20 février 2013 - 07:12 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy__six]

               If you're talking about the texture looking wrong in gmax, nothing. By default it won't render the transparency properly in gmax, but it'll look fine exported to NWN. It should be possible to have the transparency display in gmax too (I can't remember quite how material properties in gmax work) but honestly, as long as you can make out the silhouette just don't worry about it.



*edit for typos*
               
               

               

                     Modifié par _six, 20 février 2013 - 03:32 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               Sorry, I wasn't clear.  the transparent part looks black in gmax, and the entire texture looks white in the game and in the toolset.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <trying something...>

There are three things I can think of off the bat:

1) is the new texture where the game can find it? (Override or hak).
2) is the new texture a legal dimension (power of 2 - 64x64, 128x128, 1024x32 (I did a rune strip like that ;-))
3) was the new texture save *uncompressed*? TGAs have an option for a rather minimal compression, but NwN doesn't read it correctly.

<...on for size>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               Well that was embarrassing.  It was behind door #1.  Thanks Rolo.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_T0r0]

               In the same vein as this thread:
Not to derail you 3raven but you'll probably be interested in the answer to my question also:
To the experts, how do you work placing the plane/with alpha texture in max? In max, it was usually black or half black.  By work I mean positioning, I had a helluva time trying to position some of these in my override. I had to position, export, load game, check position, rinse and repeat till satisfied.
Do you work with a non alpha version in max?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_KlatchainCoffee]

               *listens carefully in the hope of learning something for the first gmax-nwn venture* '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               While we're here, what's an acceptable polygon count range for a medium sized placeable...say no more than a meter on a side?  Most likely to go on a table.  Yes, I'm starting out with table top placeables (be request).
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

                <lining up...>

caveat: you *can* make the map transparent in max, but it means mucking about with materials and I don't bother ( would if we had real normal/bump/speculation/etc mapping :-P )

I'm assuming you are asking how you line up an alpha mapped texture over a particular feature/pattern underneath that you can't see because the alpha is black - like lining up a summoning circle precisely within a ring of symbols or some wheel ruts along a road. 

What I do is what four-color printers and old-fashioned cel painters did -I put registers down.

In the first example, I'd drop 3 or 4 dummies on the ring of symbols, then lay down my circle texture. I line up the circle with the register "landmarks".

Put the dummies where you need the most precision and line up on them. Then delete them (or reuse them, doesn't matter if they're in the scene as long as they aren't linked to the aurora base).

Was that what you were asking?

Edit: Far more important that poly count is shadow complexity. OTR has one model (that Arcane Space behemoth) that has an astronomical poly count (oops! Did *I* pun? ;-). However, the fewer the better, especially for common placeables. I'd try to keep it under 500, generally.


<...on his target>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 20 février 2013 - 04:30 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               

3RavensMore wrote...
While we're here, what's an acceptable polygon count range for a medium sized placeable...say no more than a meter on a side?  Most likely to go on a table.  Yes, I'm starting out with table top placeables (be request).

You should check out the Darkness Over Daggerford haks to get an idea.  I seem to recall (accurately, I hope) a number of table-related goodies in there.  The guys over at Ossian are still alive and kicking so if you think you're going to use some of their stuff to build off of (and distribute), it's always a nice touch to drop Mr. Miranda a line and ask permission.  There are still NWN1 modders working with Ossian on their latest game, Shadow Sun.
Edit: Plus what Rolo said.  '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 20 février 2013 - 05:07 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               What are the common causes of a failed sanity check?
The object looks fine in the game, except it's rotated 45 degrees from what is shown in gmax.  It's a compound object based on an extruded ellipse, if that matters.

OTR: Thanks for the tip, but my purpose in attempting this is to learn by doing.  There are some great small placeables already available out there, but working through this to create my own, should teach me a lot about modelling more complex things.  I hope.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par 3RavensMore, 20 février 2013 - 07:16 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <accidently pulling out...>

There are quite a few sanity checks set by default:

But generally I get "Vertex need to be welded" (too close together) or something about my scale because I forgot to reset transforms :-P

Edit: I just installed GMax so I could grab some screenshots. I wanted to show you the output from the "View Sanity Checks" button, but my GMax doesn't seem to be putting it out :-P

<...some jolly old elf's list>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 20 février 2013 - 08:11 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_NWN_baba yaga]

               common causes for sanity check errors are everything you can imagine. Even you have a perfect modeled "object" it spits out errors.

The main "problem" the sanity checker loves is but nothing to worry about are "not welded vertices". I explained that in one other thread before. So ignore that error and just enjoy what you´ve created. '>

And one "big" advice. GEt rid of that weld vertices to next cm when you work on small objects. They wrote that thing in mind everyone uses their back in the day "units" setup for DLA but never explained what they exactly used for their base scene... It will screw up your lovely work!!!
               
               

               

                     Modifié par NWN_baba yaga, 20 février 2013 - 08:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               Okay, the sanity check error was related to my trying to scale the model.  It *doesn't* look correct when I do that, in that it's not scaled in the game.  I tried to use the Scale Wizard in General Utils but alas it petulantly informed me that I have no supermodel set.  I tried glaring at it, but that didn't work either, so....what the trick?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pearls]

               save model 1st, select entire model, under mesh tools in nwmax reset xforms