L3DT Users' Community

Help and support :: RE: L3DT matterials not showing up in TGEA

Author: aaron
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:48 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Hi GI_JOEJK,

Could I ask you to share with the other L3DT/TGEA users what the problem was, and how you fixed it? It might help if anyone else gets in the same situation.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: RE: L3DT matterials not showing up in TGEA

Author: GI_JOEJK
Subject: !
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:44 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

It works now!

Thanks

Help and support :: RE: L3DT matterials not showing up in TGEA

Author: aaron
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:36 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

Hi GI_JOEJK,

Did TGEA report any errors when you exported the Atlas file from L3DT? Please check the 'console.log' file in the TGEA directory; it may contain some useful information as to why the textures weren't loaded.

Also, are you trying to make blended or unique textured Atlas terrain?

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: L3DT matterials not showing up in TGEA

Author: GI_JOEJK
Subject: L3DT matterials not showing up in TGEA
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:31 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 3

I am new to L3DT

I am using this tutorial to try and get a terrain into TGEA.
http://www.bundysoft.com/wiki/doku.php?id=tutorials:torque:aaron#exporting_to_tgea_atlas_file

When I load the Atlas demo I have no terrain textures besides the detail texture. The land mass is all a bright white. I have also tried to create textures within TGEA but thats not working either.

Please help

Btw, I'm currently using the free basic version on L3DT.

Thanks

Help and support :: RE: Complex number problems in stitching

Author: aaron
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:16 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

Hi Gregery,

That vertical error will be due to the compression loss in HFZ. If you want two tiles to have exactly-matching binary values on either side of a tile boundary, you should use the HFF or TER file formats with the GrowTilesByOne plugin. These formats will use the same scaling values across all tiles, so the (equal) values on either side of a border should be identical when read out.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: RE: Complex number problems in stitching

Author: gregery
Subject: sort of a fix
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 11:28 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

After analysing the data, the results are accurate to within 0.0001. But for some reason this problem manifest itself when viewing the terrain seam at close range or when it's far with the polygons almost reduced to a few pixels. As you move towards the line it animates in a sort of 1d moire pattern.

I hid the issue by using bankers rounding in assembly.

_control87(MCW_RC, RC_NEAR);

...

float fHeight = *pData * 10.0f;
asm
{
fld fHeight
frndint
fstp fHeight

}
p.y = fHeight / 10.0f;

Help and support :: Complex number problems in stitching

Author: gregery
Subject: Complex number problems in stitching
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:40 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 2

L3DT stores it's height values with the formula VerticalOffset + Height * VerticalScale. When the grow by 1 plugin is used, it recreates the side values from neighbouring tiles, but with possibly different VerticalOffset and VerticalScale.

So what is trying to be achieved is
VerticalOffset + Height * VerticalScale = Neighbour.VerticalOffset + Neighbour.Height * Neighbour.VerticalScale.

Unfortunately with how floating point numbers work when VerticalScale and Offset vary between tiles, they only intersect with complex numbers. With the imaginary part being the derivative of the function ( infinitesimals have a magnitude of discreet steps of accuracy possible at a given exponent). Binary floating point numbers have a fixed number of accurate digits, and the rest is imagined. The difference in the precision forms a sine wave which only makes height values equal in interpolation when the two sine waves intersect.

Aliasing manifests when rendered, even though the actual height values always equate to the same start and end pixel, the different frequencies inherent in the numbers cause polygon edges to be rendered with differing frequency of pixel steps in the line. Causing a dotted line of missed pixels.

I've tried the unify scales utility but it doesn't fix the problem, for this problem to be fixed the offset, vertical scale, and height value would all have to be equal. To hopefully create an equal, as in binary equal, seams.

I guess I'll play around with a creating a plugin.

Here are some images of what is happening, including a wireframe to show that it's not a product of t-junctions, my terrain renderer has so far eliminated t-junctions and texture discontinuity with a nice framerate.

[/img]

Announcements :: L3DT release 2.6 - Standard Edition

Author: aaron
Subject: L3DT release 2.6 - Standard Edition
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:05 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 0

Hi Everyone,

On the downloads page you will now find the version 2.6 update to L3DT Standard edition.

What are the changes?

Whilst the v2.6 update mostly adds new features to the Professional and L3DT for Torque editions, the Standard edition does get some nice new features, including:

New brush tools for painting the texture and attributes maps, in both the 2D and 3D view (e.g., see here).
New heightfield algorithms to play with, including four versions of 'Design/Inflate' to allow finer-grained control or greater automation, depending on your preference.
A tabbed map view, for faster and easier navigation around your map project.
A new mesh decimator for OBJ/X mesh exports, with an integrated 3D mesh preview display.
Support for Windows Vista in user mode, and better support for Linux via WINE (see Linux guide).
More scripting options, including a script editor and many examples (see here).
A generally tweaked and improved user interface.
The usual swathe of bug-fixes.

The full list of changes is available here.

How much does it cost?

L3DT Standard is free.

What about L3T Pro?!

The version 2.6 updates to L3DT Professional and L3DT for Torque editions should be available in about a week. In the mean-time, please feel free to make use of the latest beta-release of L3DT Pro, which you'll find on the Pro downloads page (consult your reg/sales e-mail for the link, or else contact me at aaron@bundysoft.com.) The beta release is almost indistinguishable from the final release.

Feedback / bugs / comments

If you find any bugs in the new release, please report them as soon as you can in the bug reports forum. Any and all bug reports will be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to make any other comments or suggestions regarding this update, please reply to this forum thread.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: RE: Export to Atlas2

Author: aaron
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:51 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 1

Hi Turin,

The fix for too many polygons for Atlas is to increase the Max Error further still. This always reduces the triangle count.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: Export to Atlas2

Author: Turin
Subject: Export to Atlas2
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:56 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 1

Hi

I've got real problem with export my project to .atlas file. Program is refusing to export and is projecting statement:

L3DT wrote:

AtlasOldActivationHeightfield::GenerateNodeData - Max Exceeded! May have paging issues!

I tried to export with varius parameters of Max Error (from 1 do 0.01) or Tree Depth (from 2 to 5). Always same: exported map is unuseable, always same statement.
Screen from export-report

For more, i need to say that I exported my map to atlas2, once. And all was ok. Have no idea why i've got problems this time.

Feature requests :: RE: My hot requests. Part 1. :)

Author: aaron
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:59 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 20

Hi Everyone,

If you use the aforementioned ordinal padding option with the alpha map generator and then try to export a blended texture Atlas file for TGEA, you will get an error message like "The alpha map not initialised'*. The solution is to disable ordinal padding and re-generate the alpha maps. Note this only applies to users who intend to export blended Atlas terrain and have previously enabled ordinal padding.

Cheerio,
Aaron.

* I apologise for the poor grammar in the error message. I'll fix that shortly.

Bug reports :: RE: Pro 2.5d build 20 bug: texture generation not completing

Author: fusi
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:19 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 10

ok cool thanks Aaron ill give it a whirl and let you know

Bug reports :: RE: Version: Pro 2.5d build 21 -small bug

Author: aaron
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:40 am (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 1

Hi Demi,

Thanks for the bug report. I'll look into it.

Edit: How did you manage to save to an non-existent directory? When I use the 'File->Save->Save project as...' menu option or the 'save' toolbar button, L3DT opens a standard windows file picker dialog, which shouldn't ever show you non-existent directories.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Help and support :: RE: errors

Author: Pez_man
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:03 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 4

hello aaron, sorry for the long reply, but I was preoccupied with buisness and the log file slipped my mind. In any case, the new version of L3DT seems to have fixed the error, so i am back to work.
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General discussion :: RE: 3D Game Studio and Terrains

Author: DeathTwister
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:43 pm (GMT 0)
Topic Replies: 7

Hay bro,

Oh I C, well I have gotten some nice terrains in almost to 3DGS, but the texturing changes and a few other things besides when it imports in it is not the right math, I know in A7 it is doable now or so they say, but was hoping someone had the tweak lol. So K as the link you tossed at me is way awesome bro and we getting into that whole multiverse thing now, WOW COOL stuff thanks for the FYI. My programming partner is going nuts as it has speed tree and so many other cool goodies in there that he wants to jump ship today ROTFL. HAha you started something /giggles.

OK I get back to yaz all need to go play with all this new stuff and see what I can do. Thanks for the links and I love the way they have it set up by the way for paying them, makes scence and they do all the PR, very well thought out.

DT
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