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Noob needs begs for help getting L3DT map into TGEA

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Noob needs begs for help getting L3DT map into TGEA

Postby torgado » Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:52 pm

Hey all- here I go, back to noobland yet one more time in my life!

We have Indie licenses of TGEA and L3DT Pro.

I've created killer map in L3DT:
Version: Pro 2.5b build 27
Build date: 18-Jan-08

I'm using the new Export to Atlas2 plugin released 28-Feb-08.

The export seems to work fine, no errors, but the big question remains... what do we do with the files to get them working properly in TGEA? I've spent literally hours browsing, searching GG forums and here looking for how to properly implement an L3DT Pro Atlas2 map into TGEA... just coming up short. We've played endlessly with the .mis file and still the best we get is the terrain but no texture...

Here are the files I end up with after exporting from L3DT:
testmap02a.atlas
testmap02a.deleteme.chu
testmap02a.deleteme.geom.atlas
testmap02a.deleteme.tex.atlas
testmap02a_HF.raw
testmap02a_TX.mmf
and 64 .jpg files.

What are we supposed to do with these?

Thanks for tolerating the noobial question! :D
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Postby Q-dad » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:01 pm

Not sure if they're what you're looking for, but there are some tutorials over here...: http://www.bundysoft.com/wiki/doku.php?id=tutorials
TXP (Terrain Xpansion Pack) for DF2: txp.df2.org

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Postby torgado » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:24 pm

Q-dad wrote:Not sure if they're what you're looking for, but there are some tutorials over here...: http://www.bundysoft.com/wiki/doku.php?id=tutorials



Thanks Q-Dad! Been there quite a bit, but I'm not making the connection between what I get out of the new L3DTio_Atlas2 plugin and what I need to do to get those files into TGEA looking as spiffy as they do in L3DT. As it stands, we can get the terrain into TGEA, but the texture map does not come in, so it still looks like cr*p.

About L3DTio_Atlas2 plugin? Is it supposed to create everything I need for TGEA? Or is there still more massaging that needs to be done on my part with the L3DTAtlasExport.cs script? Or is all I need encompassed in the single .atlas file created by the plugin?

I've been all over GarageGames forums and wiki's and blogs but nowhere do I find specific instructions on what to do with a new .atlas file...

Any clues out there? Anyone? Thanks so much for your help!
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Postby Aaron » Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:14 am

Hi Torgado,

In theory, you just need the 'testmap02a.atlas' file and an appropriately modified mis file. The other files (*.deleteme.chu/atlas/etc) are temp files, and may be deleted.

Have you seen this TDN article? As far as I know, this is the most complete reference for using Atlas. This forum thread on Atlas terrain may also help, though it's a bit old and pre-dates the L3DTio_Atlas2 plugin.

As it stands, we can get the terrain into TGEA, but the texture map does not come in, so it still looks like cr*p.


Can you post some screenshots of how the map looks in L3DT and how it looks in TGEA? Thay might help diagnose the problem. (you can upload images to the users' gallery.)

Is it supposed to create everything I need for TGEA?


At the moment, it just compiles the Atlas file. It doesn't do things like write mis files, or any other poorly-documented tricky bits that may or may not be required by TGEA. It will probably be extended in the future, if and when I can find some more comprehensive documentation for TGEA and Atlas.

Or is there still more massaging that needs to be done on my part with the L3DTAtlasExport.cs script?


Not as far as I know. That CS file is only used to generate the Atlas file. More precisely, the plugin feeds it into into TGEA, which does the Atlas file building. It can be deleted afterwards.

I hope this helps.

Cheerio,
Aaron.
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Postby torgado » Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:53 am

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for getting back to me on this one- I think I see where I was going wrong. I was creating a 1024x1024map with 8x8 xy yielding a 8kilometers by 8kilometers.

When generating the texture map, I was using "Create Hi Res texture" and setting it to "4". Seemed reasonable except this is nowhere near the detail of terrain for an 8x8kilometer map. The terrain was just coming out way stretched.

I dropped the size of the map down to 2km x 2km and increased Hi Res texture to 8 and it created quite a nice map with decent enough looking detail that doesn't crash TGEA.

I'm still playing with it. Good news is that I write documentation for troubleshooting and technical walkthroughs nearly every day of my day-job, so, when I get this process down and documented, it might end up in a form usable by other folks trying to get some of their awesome output form L3DT into TGEA.

How I wish GG had really finished dev of TGEA... <sigh>

For what it's worth- L3DT is, IMHO, a phenom in the software world- you aren't charging enough for it... :-) Very excellent work, Aaron!
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