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Creating .ase models from brushwork

Postby ReD NeCKersoN » Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:04 am

Rotating my trees and resizing them causes horrible results so I needed to find a way to convert them into models that are more easily manipulated. I stumbled across this info at http://www.leveldesign.nl/modules.php?n ... wforum&f=8
Some wonderful tutorials there! :D

How are .ase models created then? Well, it''s not that complicated. Select the geometry you want to convert into a model. Copy it. Save the map and open a new map. Paste the copied geometry into the new map. Slap a caulk box around the geometry and throw in an info_player_deathmatch entity. Select the entire map and move it so that the centre of the geometry is somewhere close to 0, 0, 0 on the grid. This is necessary as the model control point is always created at 0,0,0. If you don''t move the geometry the result can cause a leak if you insert a model into a map with it''s control point in the void.

Save the map, with an appropriate name, I normally use something like mymap_tallarchase. Open Quake toolkit or Q3map2 toolz, or what ever front end compiler you use. Compile with:

bsp -meta -patchmeta -subdivisions 6

Then compile the new .bsp (not the .map!) with:

bsp -convert

You have now created your first .ase model. I normally move the model into a mymapname folder inside the models/mapobjects/ folder.

Open your original map and delete the old geometry. Insert the model by dropping the entity menu and selecting misc_model. In the window that pops up, change the file type from .md3 to .ase, then select your model. Move the model into position. You can rotate it in any direction (using the angle keys in the entity editing window, and/or by setting the key angles with a value n,n,n for pitch, roll and yaw. GTK 1.5 will allow you to free rotate models around any axis), just as with an .md3, this is the other benefit of creating and using models. It is not normally a good idea to rotate brush or patch work, but with models there is no problem. All map models are non-solid. You will need to place a playerclip brush over the top of them to make models solid, or weapclip if you want weapon impacts as well. Cut the clip brushes into more or less the correct shape, but don''t be overly fussy. Try to keep clipping simple. It is possible to auto-clip models by setting a key of spawnflags and a value of 6, however I strongly recommend NOT going down that route as the load placed upon your CPU increases hugely once weapons start getting fired into your models. If you want explosions, use simple weapclip brushes. You will need to set the key spawnflags and a value of 4. This will allow your model to be lightmapped (cast and receive shadows), it''s also often a good idea to set a key of _lightmapscale and a value of 0.125. This sets a high resolution lightmap on the model, resulting in much sharper shadows.
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Postby Breli » Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:51 pm

Did you include the weaponclip brushes in your modelfile? I tried that, but the whole thing was nonsolid. Or did I forgot a special compiler switch? Weaponclipping it later is not really nice, since the weaponclip brushes have to be rotated and don't line up nicely with the model :?

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Postby ReD NeCKersoN » Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:54 pm

You must weaponclip the model AFTER you place it in your map. Don't worry about making it perfect. I find that something that comes close to the shape of the model is good enough in most cases. Look at the HN2 map file to see how I did mine if that's a help to you.
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Postby Breli » Mon Feb 06, 2006 6:57 pm

Yeah, thanks! Just did that. Why can't things at least SOMETIMES be easy ;)
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Re: Creating .ase models from brushwork

Postby Breli » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:47 pm

ReD NeCKersoN wrote:-subdivisions 6 as a compiler option


Which has to be entered manually since q3map2toolz does not support the switch.

ReD NeCKersoN wrote:spawnflags 4 will pimp my models quite a bit.


That's not a compiler option AFAIK. Do I have to group the model's brushes and set it as a key-value pair?

confused ...

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Postby ReD NeCKersoN » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:59 pm

After you insert the completed ase model into your map, bring up the entity window and manually enter the key spawnflags with a value of 4. This will allow your model to be lightmapped (cast and receive shadows). Doesn't seem to work well with md3 models but makes a big difference for ase models.
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