CheapAlert@Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:51 am :
I couldn't find much info on google about this.

Basically I exported my low and high poly models to ASE format, made an appropriate material for renderbump use (the material *is* correct), however trying to run renderbump on my low .ase file whines there's no material for _emptyname, when there's actually a valid material path in the .ase file

Anyone got a working low-res ASE file to share that renderbumps, so I can solve this problem?



>~runaway~<@Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:23 am :
Post your ase and mtr files so we can see whats wrong.



Enforcer@Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:28 pm :
i had no probs with my low poly renderbump, its gotta b the the way your setting up the model or the mtr

http://quake4arena.planetquake.gamespy. ... Border.zip

theres a small sample i did. it works.

Just copy the files to q4base or d3base dir

the files included are

materials/Renderbump.mtr
models/Renderbump/Supporborder_hi and lo.ase
textures/renderbump/
max model/supportborder.max (for max 8)- you can try other version but i wont garuntee anything

to test the renderbump

for quake 4, load up quake4.exe not the editors and bring the console down and type ( Renderbump models/renderbump/supportborder_lo.ase)

then it will start the renderbump process

for doom3

open the models/renderbump/supportborder_lo.ase in a text editor.
Change the bitmap path from //q4base/... to //base/...

then run the Renderbump

IE: Renderbump models/renderbump/supportborder_lo.ase



CheapAlert@Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:54 pm :
ah, so THAT'S what's missing in my ASE file (the bitmap defining portion). Renderbump actually works now. Thanks!



MichaelZee@Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:34 pm :
I am running into a simular problem I want to render out my characters high poly mesh into a normal map using this method. I think every time I try to renderbump in the consol its not reconizing my mtr file.

This is my mtr file code
Code:
//----------------------------Faction_Grunt---MatierialCode-----------------------------------------------

textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt

{
        noselfShadow
        unsmoothedtangents

renderbump  -size 1024 1024 -trace .05 -aa 2 -mergehigh  textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_local.tga  models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_High.ase

// The above is one line

diffusemap              textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_d.tga
bumpmap addnormals ( textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_local.tga, heightmap ( textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_h.tga, 1 ) )

}


And here is my low poly model ase code

Code:
*3DSMAX_ASCIIEXPORT   200
*COMMENT "AsciiExport Version  2.00 - Sat Jul 01 12:49:23 2006"
*SCENE {
   *SCENE_FILENAME "FactionGrunt1.3Low.max"
   *SCENE_FIRSTFRAME 0
   *SCENE_LASTFRAME 100
   *SCENE_FRAMESPEED 30
   *SCENE_TICKSPERFRAME 160
   *SCENE_BACKGROUND_STATIC 0.0000   0.0000   0.0000
   *SCENE_AMBIENT_STATIC 0.0000   0.0000   0.0000
}
*MATERIAL_LIST {
   *MATERIAL 1 {
      *MATERIAL_NAME "orig_09 - Default"
      *MATERIAL_CLASS "Standard"
      *MATERIAL_AMBIENT 0.5882   0.5882   0.5882
      *MATERIAL_DIFFUSE 0.5882   0.5882   0.5882
      *MATERIAL_SPECULAR 0.9000   0.9000   0.9000
      *MATERIAL_SHINE 0.1000
      *MATERIAL_SHINESTRENGTH 0.0000
      *MATERIAL_TRANSPARENCY 0.0000
      *MATERIAL_WIRESIZE 1.0000
      *MATERIAL_SHADING Blinn
      *MATERIAL_XP_FALLOFF 0.0000
      *MATERIAL_SELFILLUM 0.0000
      *MATERIAL_FALLOFF In
      *MATERIAL_XP_TYPE Filter
      *MAP_DIFFUSE {
         *MAP_NAME "Map #7"
         *MAP_CLASS "Bitmap"
         *MAP_SUBNO 1
         *MAP_AMOUNT 1.0000
         *BITMAP "\\base\textures\faction_enemies\Faction_Grunt"
         *MAP_TYPE Screen
         *UVW_U_OFFSET 0.0000
         *UVW_V_OFFSET 0.0000
         *UVW_U_TILING 1.0000
         *UVW_V_TILING 1.0000
         *UVW_ANGLE 0.0000
         *UVW_BLUR 1.0000
         *UVW_BLUR_OFFSET 0.0000
         *UVW_NOUSE_AMT 1.0000
         *UVW_NOISE_SIZE 1.0000
         *UVW_NOISE_LEVEL 1
         *UVW_NOISE_PHASE 0.0000
         *BITMAP_FILTER Pyramidal
      }
   }
}
*GEOMOBJECT {
   *NODE_NAME "Faction_Grunt_Body_Low"
   *NODE_TM {
      *NODE_NAME "Faction_Grunt_Body_Low"
      *INHERIT_POS 0 0 0
      *INHERIT_ROT 0 0 0
      *INHERIT_SCL 0 0 0
      *TM_ROW0 1.3319   0.0000   0.0000
      *TM_ROW1 0.0000   1.3319   0.0038
      *TM_ROW2 0.0000   -0.0051   1.7821
      *TM_ROW3 -12.0706   -4.0410   177.3410
      *TM_POS -12.0706   -4.0410   177.3410
      *TM_ROTAXIS -1.0000   0.0000   0.0000
      *TM_ROTANGLE 0.0028
      *TM_SCALE 1.3319   1.3319   1.7821
      *TM_SCALEAXIS 0.0000   0.0000   0.0000
      *TM_SCALEAXISANG 0.0000
   }


Whenever I try to type in the doom3 consol litterally......
Code:
Renderbump models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_Low.ase

I get and error just like in the picture saying to specify the -size -trace ect.

Image

I thought the .mtr file was suppossed to take care of that for me. Even when I do try as best as I can to specify it by typing into the consol....
Code:
renderbump models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_Low.ase -size 1024 1024 -trace .05 -aa 2 -mergehigh  textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_local.tga  models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_High.ase


I get an error saying

Usage: renderbump <lowPolyModel>

Image

What am I doing wrong here? I know its alot but I am so thankful for any help so please do! Thanks



Rayne@Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:04 pm :
All you guys are using 3D Studio Max, right?



MichaelZee@Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:12 pm :
yeah I used 3ds max and exported them as an ase



kat@Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:02 pm :
Have you checked the model in der_tons model veiwer just to make sure it's ok?



MichaelZee@Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 10:50 pm :
kat wrote:
Have you checked the model in der_tons model veiwer just to make sure it's ok?


I was not aware that der_ton made one, can you provide the link please I cant seem to find it on the search.

Well, I was able to get the renderer to work I had to take off the -mergehigh (which I adapted from the Quake 4 tutorial) from the code. Apparently Doom3 does not like that command so after I erased it started working. However, once again my normal maps just seems to always look bad :cry:. Such as just now I tried modeling a simple box with various shapes bevels and indentions on it, but it is still horrible looking. I tried messing with the trace alot but it just seems to render out deformed all the time.

Here is the pic of my last renderd normalmap for the simple box.

Image

I have a zipped folder of the box, if someone could look at it and give me some tips I would be really happy about it. I'll email it to you. Various members at this site have been great helpers to me on this and I hope together we can get this normapping issue stright.



kat@Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:38 pm :
MichaelZee wrote:
kat wrote:
Have you checked the model in der_tons model veiwer just to make sure it's ok?


I was not aware that der_ton made one, can you provide the link please I cant seem to find it on the search...
I've got it mirrored on my webbly site here

I've seen that error before on the forums but I can't remember what the fix was. Try splitting the top and bottom face from the mesh and processing that as it might be related to smoothing.



MichaelZee@Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:45 am :
WOW!!!!!!!!!! :shock: I just looked at the model in the modelveiwer and my normal map looks so much better :o . I was allways looking at them in 3dsmax and I was getting misleading resualts. This is a great start and even though my normal maps are currently not perfect, I'll continue to try and make them better. Thank you doom3world and everyone, Ill post here if i ever have anymore questions.



MichaelZee@Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:40 pm :
Hi

Just a little something I ran into while render bumping with the mtr code.

Code:
textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt   //Body

{
        noselfShadow
        unsmoothedtangents

renderbump  -size 1024 1024 -trace .05 -aa 2 textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_local.tga  models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Body_High.ase

}

textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt   //Chamber

{
        noselfShadow
        unsmoothedtangents

renderbump  -size 1024 1024 -trace .05 -aa 2 textures/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Chamber_local.tga  models/faction_enemies/Faction_Grunt_Chamber_High.ase

}


These are two shaders from my characters renderbump in the mtr code. How can I make it to where I can have doom 3 render them all at once. This is my code right now and with it I have to keep rendering the mtr's individually and its becoming quite a doozie having to cut out all the shaders and leave one>renderbump>then paest all the shaders back ect.
So how should this code look to where it can all render at once.

Thanks!