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000 06.01.2006, 13:47 genesys |
Hi! I'll write in english cause i think everyone who could help me on this problem knows it good enough... But you can answer in german if you like - i understand it... What i figured out so far is that both, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Counter-Strike: Source use the source engine which is quite advanced! The Source engine supports up to 7500 polys for a character, diffuse normalmapping, lightmaps and (now that's what i like!) High-Level shaders with shadermodel 2.0! Unfortunately i can't find any good references for creating a full feature model for HL2! -2: Since the source engine supports CG and HLSL shaders, is it possible, if I create a character for HL2 or CS deathmatch, to use such a shader with my model? (without writing any mod! The contest asks for making a character that works directly in the Deathmatch mode of one of these games!) If yes - in what format do I have to create them? .fx files or just .txt files? What variables do these games pass to the shaders? (like ViewProjectionMatrix? time? lightposition? and so on...) -3: For CS and HL2: Do i have to use one of the standard Bone systems? And will my model then use just all the default character animations defined in CS/HL2 or can i create my own rigs (for example one with 4 legs and tentacles) and create my own animation sets? (the only tutorial i found which covers a little bit of this topic uses a predefined HL2 rig) -4: Is there somewhere a complete reference on how to create a playermodel which will work in one of these two games? -5: What's the best place to get information about this topic? please - if you have ANY information about that topic, then tell me! :) |
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001 06.01.2006, 20:34 Alatron |
I think you should use the following link as a first stop for creating HalfLife/CS Models: This does not cover everything, but has some good points to look at and also a linklist at the bottom of the page with different tutorials. --Vor der Umstellung als Alatron bekannt |
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002 07.01.2006, 13:24 Adrian_Broher Admin |
That's no problem. You are welcome to ask. I think the bigger problem for you is to understand the englisch answers. :) That is only a choise of you personal flavour. I actually prefer models, that doesn't fit to the standard content. Why should I download a model that I already have? I don't know the technical limitations of the UT2k4 engine, but I don't think that the alot of differences. But there is a small trapfall. To edit games, that are based on source you must have a valid steam account and also a buyed copy of hl 2. I you didn't have those thing you can't edit the game ( this also includes things like studiomdl.exe, the modelcompiler of hl2 or some sample files and documentation ) Wrong. The upper limit for models lies around 15000 polygons per model, theoretical. The actual limit for polygons depends on the number of used smoothgroups. The more smoothgroups you use, the less polygons you have. I here alot of models, where I must reduce the amount of polygons. Most of these models are vehicles with alot of different smoothgroups and they have up to 12000 polygons. About the lightmap stuff: I don't know where you have read this but it is definite wrong. Models in source only support lightning per vertex. Only world brushes have a lightmap. And I'm also sorry that Imust tell you, that there is a shadermodel 2.0, but you can't create new shaders as a modeller without creating a mod. It is possible to use some of the predefined Shaders, that's all. But you forgot two things: Source also supports boneweightmaps and vertex animation( for mimic animations, the really cool stuff in source ). Unfortunally I think there is no documentation. If you want to do something like a fullfleged player model it is better to use and understand the sample files of the goven sdk playermodels. It is almost the same. Because it is the same engine it is almost the same work. The only diffence are the animation names. A I said before: no it's not possible. You can only use the predefined shader. This shaders a written in the vmt files. This files are textfiles with some control statements and also variables. And like most of valves stuff: it is not (okay, a _LITTLE_ bit ) documented at all. No, there is no limitation. you can use every rig and every animation you want. But I don't know if there a limitations for CS:S and it's hitbox system (maybe yes, because it is a possible way to cheat). no. @see Alatron post I wish you luck for this contest. --There is nothing wrong with high standards. It's your problem that you don't meet them. |
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003 07.01.2006, 14:10 genesys |
first: thanks a lot for your help! @Adrian_Broher: Do i need a steam account only if i want to make a mod or do i need one as well if i only plan to create a character that works in HL2:Deathmatch? I think the thing with the smoothing groups is because SGs are created in source by unwelding the vertices... Thats why vertices along SG's edges are counted twice - am I right? It's a pitty that i can't create new shaders - but some of the predefined ones are quite cool i think (i saw for example the refraction shader which looks quite nice). Can i just apply different shaders to different smoothing groups (actually there are no SmoothingGrous in XSI but "Clusters"... i think they get converted to source smoothing groups) by editing the textfile you mentioned? How can i acces a certain SG? Can i use a texture or a shaders to blend between two other shaders? Is there any limit in the number of used textures? May i use animated textures as well? Do the predefined shaders automatically set the D3D renderstates (for example alpha_testing or alpha_blending or cullmode or whatever) or do i have / am i able to set them somewhere? (for example if i'm creating a billboard with a flametexture on it i'd like to blend it over the background by "adding" the pixelvalues instead of regular alphablending) Can i use as many bones as i wish for my skeleton? i think i read somewhere that it's limited to 15-20... or applies this only for the ragdoll? Again - thanks a lot for your help! -- |
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004 07.01.2006, 14:40 Adrian_Broher Admin |
Yes. Only people, who have buyed a Copy of hl2 have access to the starter development kit that includes serveral editing tools like Hammer ( the world editor of hl2 ), studiomdl ( the model compiler ) and, of course, the sourcecode for creating source mods. Yes you are. They are counted twice. That is maybe possible. I actually use 3dsmax in combination with an custom exporter. This one allows to export as much as you want. A question: what actually exports the xsi exporter? smd files or a mdl file? Whoa, good question. I didn't use xsi but I know there is no connection between smoothing groups and textures. Shaders are applied per texture, smoothgroups only define only if the edge between 2 polygons is drawn hard or smooth. The way how you apply shaders to a polygon is simply to put this shader on this polygon. ( In max for example this is done by applying a regular bitmap on the polygon. This bitmap will be replaced by the same named shader. example: you put mytexture.tga on the model in 3ds max and while the compile it will be changed to a reference to a vmt file named mytexture.vmt ) Yes. Afaik 16 materials per model. Yes. I not really get the point what you mean... oh wait. Sure. Yes it is possible to use this kind of effects. You can use something like a 'shader-tree'. On the top level you have a shader (in a vmt filed ) that uses a 'vertexlitgeneric' shader for, you maybe mentioned it ;), generic vertex lighting. This shader has some materials, base material, alphablending material and so on. Every of this materials can contain a link to a texture or to another vmt that maybe contain a shader, that adds the pixel per value. Also you can use serveral runtime modifiers like an animated frame material or moving matrials or distance to player and so on. the upper bone limit is 1024 bones per model. This 15-20 you mentioned is the upper limit for the number of convex mesh elements inside the ragdoll. -- There is nothing wrong with high standards. It's your problem that you don't meet them. Dieser Beitrag wurde am 07.01.2006 um 14:43 von Adrian_Broher bearbeitet. |
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