True 3D models - SOLVED

[j-dub]

You did that today!? Awesome! In theory the same script could be used for a blinking signal or something similar for a non-network traffic decoration.

[NCGAIO]

For intermittent signals that you mentioned there are already three models in the game rendered in 3D to work in different ways:

- The rotation of a plane with the texture applied to a single face

- A plane with texture animation interval (Blink)

- The animation with fade in fade out (color gradient in texture)
.                              more like a traffic light

If you have any idea to use ... I can gather the material to show them here ....

[NCGAIO]

solved?? ... dear friend, if only by the comments already resolved.

Who am I to prevent the subject that interested me most do not continue ....

I limit myself to reading your topic.

[Lowkee33]

solved?? ... dear friend, if only by the comments already resolved.

Who am I to prevent the subject that interested me most do not proceed ....

I limit myself to reading your topic.

The purpose of this thread was for me to figure out if there was a faster way to create a fully 3d model than by scratch.  The answer is yes, so the thread is "solved".

However, you are certainly welcome to continue the discussion.  In fact, I invite you to start a new thread in another area of this forum (this is the help thread).  You may find BAT projects or Mod Projects to suit you more. 

By all means, keep up the good work.  I'm interested to know how you made the 3d model move in-game.

[NCGAIO]

Very good ... I thought that somehow I was intruding on some development for you.

I do not think I am best suited to start a new topic about it but if they do I will be there to collaborate on what you can.

I look forward to ... greetings.

[catty]

...However, you are certainly welcome to continue the discussion.  In fact, I invite you to start a new thread in another area of this forum (this is the help thread).  You may find BAT projects or Mod Projects to suit you more. 

By all means, keep up the good work.  I'm interested to know how you made the 3d model move in-game.

...I do not think I am best suited to start a new topic about it but if they do I will be there to collaborate on what you can...

Like Lowkee33 I would like to see you continue with this, if you guys would like this topic splitting leaving Lowkee33 topic here, and creating a new topic for NCGAIO in the Modding section ... I'd be happy to do so, but only if NCGAIO wants to do it   

[jondor]

I'm a little late to the party here, but I would like to point out that I also discovered independently that animated True-3D (RKT0) S3Ds could be used as props and these are the basis behind my railroad crossing props.  (You can ignore the first few posts about ATC props, I dumped them after I had z-fighting issues.)

I personally used Blender to create and animate the models and exported animation frames as 3DS objects, importing them into the Reader and copy/pasting vertex groups and setting up my MATS and UV coordinates.  It was tedious, but doable and I'm sure something better could be devised.  I do also plan to make a tutorial explaining the process, I just haven't had time to put one together yet. 

[Lowkee33]

... importing them into the Reader and copy/pasting vertex groups and setting up my MATS and UV coordinates....

Pretty much what I would do.  Reader has problems reading all of the vertices while running LUA scripts, so I nothing much for automation there.  When I was talking about this, I actually made an arm that went up and down.  For an animation like this, it was simple enough to do the vertex math in Excel.  All of the animation blocks can use the same MAT and other blocks, it's just the vertex blocks that change (know what I mean?).  I was kicking the SC4 gods for putting you through so much animation work when perhaps an S3D approach would get better results.

[NCGAIO]

Despite being RKT0 the animations will only appear in RKT4 as you have in your models and the same way that Maxis has implemented own the game

There is a trick that makes it much easier to transfer the animations in 3DS made ​​directly to the S3D without having to copy and paste vertices

In fact may be done in two ways .. or using the script for direct export to the Gmax ... or animation in Max and import the Reader ... as did Jondor just missed the trick that makes it unnecessary to copy and paste the vertices..








If you guys are interested I can gather the material here.

[jondor]

The RR crossings do use RKT4s because they are multi-state, but for regular props (not timed or day/night dependent), RKT0 is fine.  Just make sure the kSC4BuildingModelClassProperty exists with 1 rep (not 0) and that one rep has the value: 0xAA123BF9  That tells the game that this is an animated prop (ATC or S3D), otherwise it will act like a static prop and only display the first frame.  I got True-3D traffic lights to work this way, as well as turning the riot squad into a generic prop as a test.

And one last thing, in the case of transit props and T21s, the RKTMisc property needs to point to a mirrored version of the prop.  I find that the SC4 Model Tweaker is the best way to generate these.  Just make a copy of the S3D and mirror it across the X-axis, it changes all the vertex groups and triangles perfectly.

[NCGAIO]

If you refer to doing the lights for the exchange of texture as used in their models can even agree but when it comes to animation in motion they'll only come up with RKT4.

I did not understand very well what he said about the Shock Troop. it is the animation ATC / AVP you're turning into real S3D?
Edit: Ok! you referred to the group of three with cassette and shield ... I thought I was referring to troops on the march!

Cogeo  - ModelTweaker is a really brilliant tools that have appeared here ...  so the Devotion is still the best technical site for SC4.

[NCGAIO]

You did that today!? Awesome! In theory the same script could be used for a blinking signal or something similar for a non-network traffic decoration.

As the material was in the same place I will enjoy the visit and leave an example for the question.

[jondor]

In lieu of a pending tutorial, here's an example using the same riot squad animation from SimCity_1.dat that I used when I figuring this stuff out.  Drop the attached dat into your plugins and plop either a road stub or find the included lot in the parks menu (I used the 1x1 open paved area, so it should be near the top, look for the riot squad in the preview pic).  Both of them animate just fine as a RKT0 prop.

[NCGAIO]

Small problems ...

[jondor]

Set the "is Ground Model" property of the prop exemplar to false, adding it if necessary (it should be a zero-rep property with the single value 0).  Animated props can't cast shadows correctly, unless they don't change shape.

This will completely remove the shadow, but it's a small price to pay.

[NCGAIO]

Ok! Could you tell me where I think this table with information about the data that you quotes for properties? .. I have seen some data only in the posts between the mod creators.

Thank you!

[Lowkee33]

In my C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps folder (the one with the .exe) I have a file "ingred.ini".  This is a great source of information.

It is interesting that you have shadows at all.  I guess that means animations don't have to be 3d.

Nice ferris wheel.  A little to narrow though, and moving pretty fast.

[jondor]

I got most of my info just by looking at existing exemplars in the Reader.  For instance, create a simple test prop using the BAT/Maxis PIM and look at the properties it creates, then copy and adjust them as necessary.

[NCGAIO]

In my C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps folder (the one with the .exe) I have a file "ingred.ini".  This is a great source of information.

This file that everyone talks about is not present on my server maybe for being the original game to update patches. If not bother could put it in the mail I gave you. Thank you.

It is interesting that you have shadows at all.  I guess that means animations don't have to be 3d.

But it is precisely because of the way the animations are in 3D rendering we can see all the details in the shade that allows light to pass through ..

Unlike the Ferryswheel maxis that as you can see below has two planes with texture alpha to show the rings.





So maybe eliminated the shadow only show the square.

Nice ferris wheel.  A little to narrow though, and moving pretty fast.

Thanks again .may slow down the decrease of the frame rate but to avoid hiccups would have to increase frames ...  for now I'm still behind a solution for shadows maybe making a model like Maxxis makes your animateds

I got most of my info just by looking at existing exemplars in the Reader.  For instance, create a simple test prop using the BAT/Maxis PIM and look at the properties it creates, then copy and adjust them as necessary.

Yes it seems a good option but not used for example to know what types of data to be inserted in the properties as I said .. . Copy is always useful to play but when we encounter a new problem then just having the data to resolve.
Thanks

[Lowkee33]

Shadows are made from the other rotations, so it is no suprise a 3D S3D can have no shadows:


This was me trying to be fancy  .  Got my own type of shadow issue.