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Old 23-04-12, 23:18   #2911
FHead
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I'm actually having trouble, I guess I'm not doing things right. Whenever I try to connect a head to a body it either still acts independently from the body or I get an error. Not only that, but all the bones for the rest of the heads body are still there (even tho the body is turned off).
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Old 24-04-12, 05:14   #2912
XNAaraL
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Default How To Ask Questions The Smart Way -- Eric Steven Raymond

Quote:
Originally Posted by FHead View Post
I'm actually having trouble, I guess I'm not doing things right. Whenever I try to connect a head to a body it either still acts independently from the body or I get an error. Not only that, but all the bones for the rest of the heads body are still there (even tho the body is turned off).

- Which 3D application do you have used? There are so many. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_comp...phics_software
- Which tutorial you follow?
- Which models do you want to combine?
- What tools do you use?
- What is the exact error message?
- Whenever you try to connect a head to a body, you has trouble? Whenever? Then try to follow this instructions, with exactly the same models:
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...postcount=2285
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...postcount=2536
If you have done something that works, then maybe you recognize the difference to your work flow.
Perhaps you have used some models, which are not well made according the XNALara specs.

Perhaps you have used a wrong converter.
Perhaps you may have skipped important steps. Or you have made the steps in the wrong order​​.
...
Test your tool pipeline http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...&postcount=930 without make any modification!

BTW:
"Not only that, but all the bones for the rest of the heads body are still there (even tho the body is turned off)."

Hide a mesh has nothing to do with showing a armature (sceleton).

"It either still acts independently from the body"
If you want to move a object along with a other mesh, then: Parent the bones, or weight the skin, or group the mesh parts, or use XPS-->Options-->Add to, or ....
"I get an error."
Make a screen shot and post the image here.


You have not informed us enough to give a special help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FHead View Post
You've informed us of which version of windows you're running, but not of your PC's actual specs. It appears you don't have a graphics card or integrated graphics advanced enough to handle XNALara. Most PC's nowadays come with the specs needed to run XNALara, but older systems do not.
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way -- Eric Steven Raymond

Last edited by XNAaraL; 24-04-12 at 05:32.
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Old 25-04-12, 05:29   #2913
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Might I ask what that quote has to do with anything? It wasn't even in this thread.
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Old 25-04-12, 08:23   #2914
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Default Reports that don't give enough information

-- English is not my native language; please excuse typing errors. --

Introduction

The quote is in your native language. The text was written by yourself, so you understand the important content.. Written in clear, grammatical, correctly-spelled language. It describes the same problem:
Too few information, to give a qualified answer. Therefore I ask probing questions to elicit more details.

Reports that don't give enough information

Show me

If you saw error messages then tell the supporter, carefully and precisely, what they were. They are important! At this stage, the supporter is not trying to fix the problem: they're just trying to find it. They need to know what has gone wrong, and those error messages are the computer's best effort to tell you that. Write the errors down if you have no other easy way to remember them, but it's not worth reporting that the program generated an error unless you can also report what the error message was.

Be precise and informative about your problem
  • Describe the symptoms of your problem or bug carefully and clearly.
  • Describe the environment in which it occurs (machine, OS, application, whatever). Provide your vendor's distribution and release level (e.g.: Blender 2.49b etc.).
  • Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question.
  • Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question.
  • Describe any possibly relevant recent changes in your computer or software configuration.
  • If at all possible, provide a way to reproduce the problem in a controlled environment.
Do the best you can to anticipate the questions a modder will ask, and answer them in advance in your request for help.

Giving modders the ability to reproduce the problem in a controlled environment is especially important if you are reporting something you think is a bug in code. When you do this, your odds of getting a useful answer and the speed with which you are likely to get that answer both improve tremendously.

Be explicit about your question


I found no question here. How to answer surch a non questions in a gentle Helpful Way?

Open-ended questions tend to be perceived as open-ended time sinks. Those people most likely to be able to give you a useful answer are also the busiest people (if only because they take on the most work themselves). People like that are allergic to open-ended time sinks, thus they tend to be allergic to open-ended questions.

You are more likely to get a useful response if you are explicit about what you want respondents to do (provide link to the base models, used tutorials, error message screen, used application name and release level ... whatever). This will focus their effort and implicitly put an upper bound on the time and energy a respondent must allocate to helping you. This is good.

To understand the world the experts live in, think of expertise as an abundant resource and time to respond as a scarce one. The less of a time commitment you implicitly ask for, the more likely you are to get an answer from someone really good and really busy.

Hint

Simon Tatham has written an excellent essay entitled How to Report Bugs Effectively. I strongly recommend that you read it.
Eric Steven Raymond has written an excellent essay entitled How To Ask Questions The Smart Way. I strongly recommend that you read it.

We're (largely) volunteers. We take time out of busy lives to answer questions, and at times we're overwhelmed with them. So I filter ruthlessly. But it's simply not efficient for us to try to help people, who are not willing to give us the possibility to help.
I invest my time to formulate questions about the details. Might I ask, why you are not willing to give the details of your problem?
When you report a problem, you are doing so because you want the bug fixed. There is no point in swearing at the programmer or being deliberately unhelpful: it may be their fault and your problem, and you might be right to be angry with them, but the problem will get fixed faster if you help them by supplying all the information they need. Remember also that if the program is free, then the author is providing it out of kindness, so if too many people are rude to them then they may stop feeling kind.


Abstract:


In a nutshell, the aim of a good report is to enable the tutor to see the tutorial failing in front of them. You can either show them in person, or give them careful and detailed instructions on how to make it fail. If they can make it fail, they will try to gather extra information until they know the cause. If they can't make it fail, they will have to ask you to gather that information for them.

Last edited by XNAaraL; 25-04-12 at 13:35.
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Old 26-04-12, 12:54   #2915
ProtocolX27
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I apologize for changing the subject. I have a transparency question.

What is the best image format for using transparency?

Do I need to modify the image's alpha layer and change render group to 7?

I have had mixed results using .png's and .dds files would not save correctly.

Thank you.
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Old 26-04-12, 12:56   #2916
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by protocolx27 View Post
i apologize for changing the subject. I have a transparency question.

What is the best image format for using transparency?

Do i need to modify the image's alpha layer and change render group to 7?

I have had mixed results using .png's and .dds files would not save correctly.

Thank you.

I recommend to use the .png format for using transparency. Right, modify the alpha layer.

Render group 7 works well. Or any of this render groups:
6
7
8
9
20
21
25
27
29

Every render group from this table http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...postcount=1735 with Alpha=Yes and Poseable=Yes (Third and fourth column)

BTW: XPS-->Modify-->Save_Generic convert the texture images automaticaly to .png
And XPS-->Modify-->Load_Generic or AutoTexture.exe generate depending on the render group all needed images.

Mixed results using .png's and .dds works fine

EDIT: Blender can not save .dds correctly!

Last edited by XNAaraL; 26-04-12 at 13:22.
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Old 26-04-12, 13:35   #2917
ProtocolX27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XNAaraL View Post
I recommend to use the .png format for using transparency. Right, modify the alpha layer.

Render group 7 works well. Or any of this render groups:
6
7
8
9
20
21
25
27
29

Every render group from this table http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...postcount=1735 with Alpha=Yes and Poseable=Yes (Third and fourth column)
Thanks! Gracias!

I was looking at another mesh.ascii as a reference and it looks like this

7_meshname_0.1_16_20

^ Does the 20 still refer to a bump map even if there is not one? There is only a diffuse texture and no bump map.
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Old 26-04-12, 16:55   #2918
XNAaraL
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Default Which render group number need a model for XNALara XPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by ProtocolX27 View Post
Thanks! Gracias!

I was looking at another mesh.ascii as a reference and it looks like this

7_meshname_0.1_16_20

^ Does the 20 still refer to a bump map even if there is not one? There is only a diffuse texture and no bump map.
The 'render group' 7 supports transparency and only a diffuse texture.
Render group 20 need exactly 6 texures with exactly this order: Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you do not attach these 6 textures and choose render group 20, then XNALara can not load this model. XNALara display then this error message:
[IMG]http://i51.************/snnp81.jpg[/IMG]
^^ The render group 20 still refer to a bump map even if there is not one. In this example there is only a diffuse texture and no bump map. ^^

If you do not attach these 6 textures and choose render group 20, then XPS create the missing textures as unicolour image and attach this images.
The outdated tool AutoTexture make the same.

Summary
Choose the render group number of dependent on the available textures for your model part.
  • If you have Diffuse then
    • if you want shading, then use render group 7_
    • if you want flat color without light depend shading then use render group 21_
  • If you have diffuse and bumpmap then 6_
  • Diffuse, lightmap, bumpmap then 8_
  • Diffuse, lightmap then 9_
  • Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2 then 20_
  • Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, Specular then 23_
  • Diffuse, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, enviroment then 29_
  • 25 and 27 never, because deprecated

If your model has a combination of textures and this combination is not entered in the list, then search a number which contains all the required textures.

For example:
Your mesh part has
  • diffuse color texture
  • and a enviroment texture
and no bumpmaps, then choose render group 29. This render group support diffuse and enviroment textures. Copy the missing flat texture images from folder XPS_10.8.5/data/common inside you MOD folder.
bumpmap_flat.png -- used for any bump map
lightmap_white.png -- used as lightmap, mask, specular or enviroment map.
Change the Generic_Item.mesh.ascii file and attach all necessary 6 textures Diffuse, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, enviroment <-- with exatly this order

29_jacket_1.0
1 # uv layers
6 # textures
jacket_diffuse.png
0 # uv layer index
bumpmap_flat.png
0 # uv layer index
lightmap_white.png
0 # uv layer index
bumpmap_flat.png
0 # uv layer index
bumpmap_flat.png
0 # uv layer index
environment.jpg
0 # uv layer index


OR
Make this .mesh.ascii file wit all available textures according the XNALara texture name specification:


29_jacket_1.0
1 # uv layers
2 # textures
jacket_diffuse.png
0 # uv layer index
environment.jpg

and XPS make the rest
0 # uv layer index

Hint:
I need only
  • Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2 then 20_
  • Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, Specular then 23_
  • Diffuse, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, enviroment then 29_
Forget all the other 26 different render group numbers. Why make you life complicated?
Of course, if there is only a diffuse texture, then you can use render group 7. The group 20 offer the same functionality. The missing textures are achieved with 5 dummy textures.

Last edited by XNAaraL; 27-04-12 at 05:06. Reason: tired and finish
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Old 27-04-12, 13:29   #2919
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Thank you, that was very well explained. I think I was unclear when I meant '20'

I was not referring to render group '20' but the random number 20 in a file I was using

7_meshname_0.1_X_Y

Where Y is a normally a bump map even though render group 7 does not use a bump map. What does 'Y' represent when there is no bump map?

I saw this reference in the Lady of the Forest mesh.ascii, that's why I was curious.
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Old 27-04-12, 17:21   #2920
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Default What does the 'mini bump map' repeater represent when there is no mini bump map?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ProtocolX27 View Post
Thank you, that was very well explained. I think I was unclear when I meant '20'

I was not referring to render group '20' but the random number 20 in a file I was using

7_meshname_S_X_Y

Where Y is a normally a bump map even though render group 7 does not use a bump map. What does 'Y' represent when there is no bump map?

I saw this reference in the Lady of the Forest mesh.ascii, that's why I was curious.
Oh I understand.
  • 'X' and 'Y' represent nothing when there is no mini bump map. You can use any value. XNALara/XPS ignore this value.
  • 'S' represent nothing when there is no shading.

You can write:
7_meshName
7_meshName_0.1
7_meshName_0.1_0_0
which is the best, because now you can add camera targets behind. ==> 7_meshName_0.1_0_0_cameraTarget_boneName
or you can write any value for 'X' and 'Y'
7_meshName_0.1_16_12

All this lines descripe the same material settings.
With 'camera pivot targets':

7_meshName_0.1_0_0_head_head jaw
7_meshName_0.1_0_0_head_head eyeball left_head eyeball right
7_meshName_0.1_0_0_center_hair ponytail 0_leg right toes_leg left toes
....

If a render group does use a mini bump map, then
'X' == 2 means: XNALara use a new texture image. This image a created by 2 times to repeat the 'mini bump1 map' horizontally and 2 times vertically.
'Y' == 3 means: XNALara use a new texture image. This image a created by 3 times to repeat the 'mini bump2 map' horizontally and 3 times vertically.

There are only 1 exception, the render group 22:
'X' means by this render group the Reflection value and
'Y' is the 'repeater for both minimaps 'bump1' and 'bump2'

22_suit_0.7_20_1
22 == render group 22 with 7 textures Diffuse, Lightmap, Bumpmap, Mask, Bump1, Bump2, Specular -- exactly in this order ! --
suit== a unique mesh part name
0.7 == Specular higlight value
20 == Reflection value !!! This is a special case for render groups 22 and 23 using the old Generic format. The new Generic_Item format 2.3 fix this problem.
1 == Bump map 1 and bump map 2 repeater!!! This is a special case for render groups 22 and 23 using the old Generic format. The new Generic_Item format 2.3 fix this problem.

BTW:
Ol.a has written a tutorials about render groups:
What is a render group?
How to set up a render group? -- I missing the link

Last edited by XNAaraL; 27-04-12 at 17:40.
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