37 réponses à ce sujet

[Estelindis]

I finally figured out enough about robes to turn my longer corset from the September 2010 CCC into a robe.  (Turns out I just needed to notice the giant "paint weights" button.)  Now I've got it working without the clipping that made me shorten it when it was just a chest part.  Compare (ignoring the texture differences, please, as I'm still deciding whether or not to swap back to the old one):





However, I'm now finding that the robe looks darker than the rest of the body. I've tried a bunch of difference ambient/diffuse/specular settings, but nothing can quite make it look the same. Does anyone have any idea what might work?

[-Paganini-]

You could try lightening the flesh parts in the plt if you haven't already.

[Estelindis]

I guess that's a last-ditch possibility. The problem is that because each skin tone uses the PLT differently, it wouldn't give uniform results. It could also mislead people if they're building without turning on their area lighting. Still worth considering. Thanks for the thought.

[CalSailX]

Estelindis I know it's not much help, but your not the first to bump in to that weirdness. I seem to remember someone on the old site fighting with it he might have slain the problem with the ambient/diffuse/specular settings. However I don't think so... it got filed under strangeness which is why it's still rattling around in my skull somewhere.

Really like the look of it so far, and if something bubbles to the surface of the grey matter when I go to bed tonight I'll jot it down on a notepad for you.

[Estelindis]

Thanks, CalSailX!

[PLUSH HYENA of DOOM]

Evidently the model worked fine, clipping aside, as a standard chest part. Thus, the problem is due to being a robe - no astounding revelation there.

Robes use skinmesh, right? Skinmeshes are... insert a few suitable unfavourable epithets of your choice. We all know they can be troublesome.

Now, I haven't rigorously tested this in a series of morally unethical experiments, but I have come to the conclusion over the years that skinmeshes make any texture look darker. Why, I don't know, other than that the usual ambient/diffuse/specular settings don't seem to be a big part of it.
The only time I ever - sort of - found a solution was on a Creature model, not a robe, but it comes to the same thing...

You could try giving the model just a little bit of "selfillumcolor" to give it just a tiny bit of brightness of its own whilst still responding to Area lighting.
As I say, I tried this (after lots of other things failed) on a Creature model with more or less useful results so it might help with your corset...

Anyway, it's another unclutched straw - might as well get out there and clutch it.

[Master Jax]

This is actually a problem present in lots of robe models. It is even more apparent when dynamic light sources are activated and the entire robes look black instead of showing the same shadows and glimmers as every other part. Like it has been said, even if you would lighten the texture a bit, the issue seems to be particular to the way robes work, rather than a particular mixture. You could try and search for differences in the robe models not ailing from such, especially the specular and diffuse options. Maybe you will be the one to find a solution for this! ^__^

[Estelindis]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I sincerely doubt that I will be the one to find a solution, given how many talented people have already worked on robes, but it's certainly worth a try!

[Draygoth28]

I want to start by saying that this looks very nice and I know little to nothing about creating robes. That said in the past I have had issues with my TGA textures being dark on some parts of a model but not on others. I don't know how PLT's work compared to TGA's, but I found if I add the trimesh to the model piece and select over ride then set the middle color selection to white that this solved my problem.

[Draygoth28]

Guess I left out important information. This was done in G-max.

[Estelindis]

Trimesh and skinmesh don't work together on the same object, but thanks all the same.

[Pstemarie]

Skins can't have a trimesh modifier. I've always fixed this error by verifying that the ambient/diffuse/specular settings are correctly defined and that ALL instances of the word “selfillumcolr” have been replaced with “setfillumcolor” (the correct spelling). NWMax used to change the spelling when exporting and I'm not sure if MDA has fixed this yet.

Its not a guarateed fix, but it might help. Also note that even after fixing the ambient/diffuse/specular settings, if you select the skin object again (say after reloading the model for more changes), the settings get borked again on export.

Modifié par Pstemarie, 18 décembre 2013 - 01:27 .

[Estelindis]

I never knew about that misspelling. Great bit of info to learn. Doesn't apply in this case, but I can think of plenty where it would. Thanks, PSM!

In other news, I converted the texture back to the earlier one and added a variant of the robe with straps.  I'm considering making some versions with skirts as well, seing as a robe corset won't be able to combine with robe skirts.

Modifié par Estelindis, 18 décembre 2013 - 01:37 .

[Pstemarie]

Estelindis wrote...

I never knew about that misspelling. Great bit of info to learn. Doesn't apply in this case, but I can think of plenty where it would. Thanks, PSM!

Something I picked up from OMB along the way - the mispelling actually has move to do with compiling models than anything else, but I've seen it affect things as well. 

That being said, I've really missed your work these past few years. Great to have you back!

Modifié par Pstemarie, 18 décembre 2013 - 01:48 .

[Rolo Kipp]

<pushing...>

Are you sure about that, Paul? My Damned:Heartless have a trimesh modifier and I use it:


( click for video )

You *do* have to add it after the skin modifier, though. But it allows manipulating the parameters in Max instead of in Notepad++ :-P

Edit:

node skin Skin_body
  parent c_damned_h_f
  ...
  alpha 1.0
  transparencyhint 0
  selfillumcolor 0.0 0.0 0.0
   Diffuse 1.0 1.0 1.0
   Specular 0.0 0.0 0.0
   center 0.0140505 0.0880899 65.2264
   ambient 0.588 0.588 0.588
   diffuse 0.588 0.588 0.588
   specular 0.0 0.0 0.0
   shininess 10.0
  bitmap at_damned-h_f
  verts 781
  ...

Note: Didn't know about the "setfillumcolor" either... Thanks!

<...pixels>

Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 18 décembre 2013 - 02:31 .

[Draygoth28]

Yah when I use skins as long as the trimesh is lower in order it seems to work for me as well.

[Pstemarie]

Learn something new everyday!

[Rolo Kipp]

<exploring...>

As I understand it, the top-most modifier determines what type of node (skin) it is. Any additional modifiers are ignored except for NwN-specific parameter fields (selfillumcolor, alpha, etc) which are picked up in the export.

That is you can add space warp and other fancy-schmancy modifiers to it, but NwMax will not export those. Verts, tverts, weights and nwn-data.

I also add trimesh to auroraflex, again so I can control them in Max.

<...the limits of his ignorance>

[Estelindis]

This is really great to know. The thread is proving to be a great learning experience for me! Now to experiment with my new knowledge...

[Kendaric Varkellen]

Estelindis wrote...
In other news, I converted the texture back to the earlier one and added a variant of the robe with straps.  I'm considering making some versions with skirts as well, seing as a robe corset won't be able to combine with robe skirts.

Any chances of the appropriate male counterparts as well? In any case, nice to see you still working on them, I really love the pirate outfits (both male and female).

[Estelindis]

Kendaric Varkellen wrote...

Any chances of the appropriate male counterparts as well? In any case, nice to see you still working on them, I really love the pirate outfits (both male and female).

I would love, love, love to make appropriate male counterparts!  It would be very helpful if you and other chaps would post pictures of the kinds of outfits you envisage.  You see, as a woman, I find it a lot easier to imagine nice dresses than to visualise what the stylish man would wear.  I'm calling for aid!  I can do this, but only with your help.  


Seriously, I've made attempts to figure out this whole robe business numerous times.  In the end, only one tiny little thing had been in my way for years.  It's like I was blindfolded and trying to hit something, flailing around with wild punches.  Then someone removed the blindfold and my target was just a thin little papery thing that only required the barest of taps: easy once I could see it!

Anyway, here is a robe dress.  I added the trimesh under the skinmesh, and I feel like it's looking better in terms of lighting, but it could just be my imagination.  Also, the fact that the lower part and the upper part now have the same lighting probably means that any difference might not be as noticeable anyway.



I lazily mapped the skirt onto the blouse part of the texture just as a placeholder, but I'm surprised that it looks... well... not appalling, considering that the skirt is stretching a tiny portion of the texture over a large area.  I'm actually considering just leaving it as it is.  It's not 100% as I'd like, but, on the other hand, using a 512x512 texture is more efficient than the 512x1024 that I was imagining I'd have to make to incorporate the skirt (and it saves me having to remap the corset part too).  If people disagree with me and think the skirt needs a better texture, though, I'll change it.

[Zwerkules]

Estelindis wrote...

I would love, love, love to make appropriate male counterparts!  It would be very helpful if you and other chaps would post pictures of the kinds of outfits you envisage.  You see, as a woman, I find it a lot easier to imagine nice dresses than to visualise what the stylish man would wear.  I'm calling for aid!  I can do this, but only with your help.  

That's a very nice robe for female characters.
Maybe you could make a shirt and vest for male characters. Something like Codi's Harys wears but with a leather belt and different trousers and maybe not quite so fancy so it would work for commoners as well as richer people.

[Estelindis]

That sounds funky, Zwerkules. I'll give it a shot.

[Kendaric Varkellen]

Estelindis wrote...

Kendaric Varkellen wrote...

Any chances of the appropriate male counterparts as well? In any case, nice to see you still working on them, I really love the pirate outfits (both male and female).

I would love, love, love to make appropriate male counterparts!  It would be very helpful if you and other chaps would post pictures of the kinds of outfits you envisage.  You see, as a woman, I find it a lot easier to imagine nice dresses than to visualise what the stylish man would wear.  I'm calling for aid!  I can do this, but only with your help.  

What I'm mostly looking for is a robe version of the leather vest + shirt (torso + belt part joinded together) that you did as a male counterpart for the pirates! CC challenge. Good looking torso parts for males are far and few and the one you did has quickly become one of my favorites.

I'll keep an eye out for inspirational pictures of male outfits as well

Something like this would be nice:

Modifié par Kendaric Varkellen, 20 décembre 2013 - 02:15 .

[PLUSH HYENA of DOOM]

You can probably leave the texture 512x512. The skirt looks very nice as it is.
I've got a pet curtain that looks very similar.

(Yes, yes, I know you should never tell a lady her dress looks like a curtain, but no, honestly, it looks great).