New Building Placeable Imports

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <Acting, as always...>

Re character type: because I was lazy and a bit squeezed for time :-P
That was simply the last setting I had on clean models and didn't even notice it. I'll have to revert them :-/

Clean models does a lot of different things, not all of which I've used or even completely sure about, but it does a couple things excellently - optimize vert's & tverts and fix (if possible) shadow casts. It also works great on a whole directory of models at once. I have mine set up in the root ( c:cleanmodels) with an input and output directory. Drop all the models I want to clean in the input folder let it work for a while (some of your models took 15+ mins) and collect the cleaned models from output.

After I finish that batch (and revert model type), I'll load them up and see about making a few shadow-casting PWKs. If you want to share a Dropbox folder with me, I'll drop them in there for you to update Empire Buildings 1 :-)

PWK is non-rendered, but I think (not sure) you can drop a trimesh modifier on it and use it to shadow-cast. If not, clone it and make a purpose-built shadow-caster (which I know works).
The thing about shadows is either casting or having shadows self-cast on geometry that is too complicated (particularly with concave aspects) will crash the game.

Only a few of your models had shadows turned on, but those models (all the ones I tested) all crashed. Turning off shadows helped as long as the model was static, but as soon as I made it useable it crashed again. I solved that by welding vert's (on such a large model .8 cm is unnoticeable) and added a usenode at the edge of the PWK.

That worked fine :-)

And the easiest way to weld vert's and turn off shadows is with cleanmodels.
I *love* cleanmodels (even if I'm fatally drawn to naughtymodels ;-)

<...quite the character>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               Thanks for all the info. Most I didn't know and some over my head.

I'll look for cleanmodels and see if I can set it up to use on the new additions to Empire I'm working on. NWGmax plus has a bunch of options that look simular - besides a remove shadows button, there's a set under clean model for weld verts and tverts among other things. Will using these as I work be the same as using clean models?

Probably the reason I wasn't seeing a crash was I had them set as static while testing. But I saw no crash on any model I tested, even without welding verts, turning off shadows or having no usenode.

Also thanks for;
                       1) running the 1st batch thru. If you're running the whole group of 65 thru, might as well delete the 1st empire and got to the 1.1 version.

                       2) trying to make some shadow casting pwks. Is this as simple as just using and shaping a box around the mesh instead of a plane? I understand about adding a trimesh modifier to it, not sure about the cloning route to do it.

It seems stange that some have shadows turned on and some don't since I started with a nwn2 import building from cep, deleted everything but the aurura base and ngon, and saved that for my starter for all future work.

From my convo with Nessa in the other thread, I had decided to not use a box or to add a usenode. I figured most people would set the building as static and it wouldn't be needed.  

Am I wrong in thinking this? If so, I can go thru the new ones I've done so far and add the box/ usenode to them if you're looking at the original set. Let me know which ones you're looking at and I'll try to redo the ones you don't do.

Have never used dropbox so not sure how that works.

Once again, thanks for all the help.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Randomdays, 21 avril 2013 - 08:50 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               Tested a new mesh I just converted. With nwmaxplus, I used the remove shadows function and the clean model function, did not do any vertice welding. I used a 10 sided cylinder for the pwk and shaped it around the mesh. Tested in game as both useable and static with no crash. pwk worked fine. Tried to set up a usenode but the character didn't react to it - not sure how to do that yet I think;

1) aurora base named e2_house3fe

2) pwk named e2_house3fe_pwk

3) created a small dummy and placed it on the ground in front of the mesh. named it house3fe_pwk_use01. parented it to the pwk.

In game, the character circled the mesh trying the reach the center and ignored the usenode.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <just a quick reply...>

You're doing the usenode right, you're just making the names too long. Any names longer than 16 characters are invisible to NwN.

Re Dropbox: one of my most valuable free tools! It will create a "Dropbox" folder on your computer(s) and synch it with an online folder. Within that folder, you may have any number of folders that are either private or shared with others -very handy for collaboration! You also have a public folder where you can drop pics or files, right click on them to get a link and post the link allowing public read-access to them.

The best way to get Dropbox is with a referral link. Doing it that way instead of going directly to dropbox.com gives both you and the Referrer free bonus space.

So I hereby invite some Dropbox user to post their referrer link, because I have maxed out *my* bonus (16 gigs) and would like to see someone else benefit :-)

If no one offers a link, I'll post mine in a day or so. You'd still get the bonus, only mine would be wasted :-/

Dropbox usage once a shared folder is set up? Update file. Drag and copy to Dropbox. My folder synch with online folder synchs with your folder. Er, drop file in your Dropbox, I have it in mine. Hard drive crash, copy is online and with shared computers. Neat :-)

<...from my mobile palantir>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <pulling out...>

I'm really digging this project, so I'll offer to redo Empire:
1) rename to emp_buildings1.hak (a bit more descriptive and allows multiple haks)
2) Cleanmodels the lot
3) Build solid PWKs
4) Enable simple shadow-casters
with enhancement in the future:
5) add 1/10th scale miniatures for overland map use (using armory) ;-)

Discussion: is 1/10th about the right scale? Feedback? Shad? Tarot? PstMarie?

You work on emp_buildings2 and share a folder with me :-)

What do you think?


<...all the stops>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               @Randomdays Here's my referal link if you choose to use it. Thanks in advance.

@Rolo, Eeeek! I can't remember what scale I used for the map mats minis that I put in my cast-offs project. I would aim to scale them so that in game terms they are about between a half and one meter tall. That way they should match the scale of the ones that thegeorge made.

TR 
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Tarot Redhand, 21 avril 2013 - 03:52 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               Thanks alot guys. I'll look into dropbox later tonight.

Thanks Rolo for going over the 1st empire hak. I'm going to be working on the new models tonight, mainly houses and market places, doing the nwplus clean and remove shadows on them plus the 3D pwks. If Rolo is willing, I'll upload it to dropbox in a pack of 20 or so to check if there's any problems. If not, then I'll update empire to a 2.0 when I get to another 50 so.

So of the models are little groups like a small village or some ruins. Not very useful as a group normally since walking thru the group would be hard with the pwk problems it would have, but would be very useful I think for the maps.

Thanks again guys.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ShadowM]

               Great work Randomdays. Just a suggestion to put links to you stuff and threads you want in your profile/set at the bottom of you posts, similar to everyone else. So we can jump to your stuff real fast. Thanks again for the contributions '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               Link added Shadow.

Rolo sent me a pm - I guess I need to go back over the new mdls - It seems they should be created as characters and not items after all.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <just getting a...>

I'm not sure *why* I feel that way other than the thought of someone picking up a castle and sticking it in his backpack seems a mite absurd.

Well, there's also the anim set for items being very restricted and the engine searching for icons that don't exist and... well, I'm *pretty* sure it's a bad idea...

<...funny feeling>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               I don't remember seeing anything in tutorials specifying, I think I picked item over character since I thought it made more sense - an inanimate object instead of a mobile one. I'll go ahead and switch to character unless someone comes in and contradicts it. Easy change to do as well.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jenna WSI]

               Opened in nwn explorer. Looks great! I hope the bugs work out
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               I think they're solvable. I'm almost done on a expansion set of 25 more to be added to the hak, mainly houses and a few markets. I've changed to character type, welded vertices where I could (a few cases caused graphic errors like half a  fence disappearing, so I couldn't weld all of the model, just 95% of it), used 3D pwks that block line of sight and targeting as well as casting shadows and added usenodes. I created a new mod and added them in as usable and no crashed at all.

Of course I had no crashes with the others either.

I'll finish the 1st 25 in a day or 2 and let Rolo look at them if he's willing when I set up dropbox.

more screenshots soon.

Thanks for all the support, advice and interest.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Killmonger]

               Go Randomdays Go !!
From the good stuff that I've seen so far, I'm just itching in anticipation of your new release...
Keep us "in the loop"
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               Thanks for the support KM. I'm done with the new pack but want to run them through cleanmodels to make sure they're right. The only issues I'm seeing is after meld, part of the mesh is lost sometimes, and that parts of the mesh are black instead of transparent since I don't know how to set up alpha/ transparency on the mesh/texture.

Still need to set up dropbox so that Rolo or anyone can look at them when done.

A couple of quick shots of 2 different markets - each was one mesh but I split them into 2 so you could use just 1 if you wanted or walk between them if you  used both. The second one has a winter version as well.




               
               

               

                     Modifié par Randomdays, 29 avril 2013 - 09:32 .