Structure Improvement

[Colditz]

wrt: download/file.php?id=5733&mode=view

Those are octagonal pipes... Seems a bit excessive... You could save a whole bunch of triangles just by cutting them all down to hexagonal.

Which is also to much with 16 pipes, 16 pipes x 6 sides x 4 high units = 384 quad faces or 768 triangles. As you can see in my last picture, I reduced the pipes to 3 sides with 4 high units and have 192 quad faces or 384 triangles.

[Zarel]

Hmm. Maybe knock a few triangles off the module cylinders? Halve the number of pipes? Reduce the number of "high units" (I assume you're referring to pipe segments)? (4 seems a bit much - why not 2-3?)

Also, you might be able to reduce the number of sides on the module cylinders...

[Zarax]

Stupid question: Does the engine support LODs?

[i-NoD]

Stupid question: Does the engine support LODs?

Hmm...
There is mipmapping for textures, but nothing similar for models.
Maybe, it's because all current models are very low-polygonal?
I think it shouldn't be too hard to implement LODs for models if need be.

[Zarax]

Well, if they are not too difficult to implement a simple LOD system would allow us to use low poly models from afar and better quality ones when closing up.

For simplicity sake we could test the "low poly" LOD as the current models with more detailed ones as "high poly" one.
I know that it's pretty different but Rome: Total War and its sequels uses a mix of sprites and LODs to have a lot of units without lagging.

Just my 2 cents.

[MaNGusT]

Per, here was your question, it was a long way to find and explain what smoothing groups mean. Originally it was called Gouraud shading. (may be I'm wrong )
You can read more about it here:
http://khed.glsl.ru/manual_en/manual_groups.htm
http://www.learngamedesign.com/gdt_A2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouraud_shading

I understand that to implement that function to the game you need to make changes in .pie format(and in blender's export plugin of course) but without smoothing groups we never can get the wz2100 graphic at a new "visual quality level" because that "lighting trick" was used even in half-life 1, IIRC.

[Rider]

To my knowledge, the World Editor does support "Gouraud Shading" for the terrain so I imagine it'd be in the engine, right?

[YouKoAnDy]

just beautiful i`m speechless


i didnt read what everyone was talking about here just look`d at the photos


please continue by all means, i`v been wanting for semeone to redo the original buildings (seeing how i have 0 skill)

when are the buildings gonna be put in the game? or is there a mod ?

[Olrox]

just beautiful i`m speechless

those are also skillful, IMHO

when are the buildings gonna be put in the game? or is there a mod ?

As far as I know, Colditz didn't get his models into the game yet, and didn't release working mods. The only model that has a released version is the cyborg factory so far. Colditz produces his models in his spare time - when he has the inspiration for that, of course - and is naturally frequently busy with real life stuff. I myself have encouraged him to keep his own pace, so that the production of those models doesn't get boring or tur into a nuisance, in any means.

He is sporadically online in the forums - hence why I'm giving such a detailed reply so promptly

His models are indeed intended to be used in the Art Revolution mod (AR for short), which involves artwork under development by MaNGuSt, me, and colditz himself (those models you see here, yes). Me and MaNGuSt are currently adapting all of our (already made) textures and models to support bump mapping, so it'll take a while for us to release new versions of it. There is a version for the standard and beta releases (such as 2.2.4 and 2.3 betas), posted somewhere in the last pages of this topic, with some primitive artwork made by me and Mangust. The future versions of this mod are going to work only with trunk releases, due to support to Teamcolor Masks (TCMask), and most probably, in the future, normal mapping (advanced bump mapping) and some other features that are currently being decided by the Development Staff.

I hope this was helpful for you to get the pic of what's going on with the artwork for WZ2100, in a general overview! Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about AR, and please continue giving your comments in the forums - as an artist myself, I can say that appreciation and, more especifically good demonstrations of appreciaton, are one of the most important things for an artist!

I'll make no longer post: after all, Colditz probably has something to say and I must avoid geting ahead of myself, making huge posts saying everything I think

~Olrox

[DuKe2112]

While you did an awesome job of remaking the original style, I also really like this new hexagonal style:
http://developer.wz2100.net/attachment/ ... ergen.jpeg
does anyone know what happened to those?

[Olrox]

While you did an awesome job of remaking the original style, I also really like this new hexagonal style:
http://developer.wz2100.net/attachment/ ... ergen.jpeg
does anyone know what happened to those?

Those are elio's New Base Structures models, there are many other models, for the base structures, as well. This is what you could call an "official structures mod", I'm not sure if that's the default in the trunk.

Here's a link to the specific post, you can find more info about it here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3568&hilit=base+structures#p34551

[Zarel]

I honestly prefer Colditz's newer work over Elio's older ones. Keep in mind, though, that Colditz has access to quite a few rendering engine features that Elio never used, and that aren't available in Warzone yet.

[Zarel]

Whatever happened to this project?

[Olrox]

Whatever happened to this project?

Colditz is only rarely online, and he works on models only sporadically. He was going to make the structure models at his own pace, regardless of what me and Mangust are making - if we finish the bodies and propulsions, and the structures aren't done yet, we'll work on what Colditz didn't already. I'll not ask him for speeding up (he made it clear that there are many other priporities and that's only a hobby, and I think that's perfectly understandable), I know it's not what you mean - just to avoid questions about the time gap between his models.

~Olrox

[Colditz]

What's about the progress of the implementation of normal mapping and smoothing groups, anyway?