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Total Members Voted: 306

[Ducimtabar]

Hey Japa have new questions =)
Actually only one. I have tried to understand the specifications of XML-files and it's pretty not obvious. Some details is clear, but far not all of them. Can you give me some kind of scheme what you are using in work or even docs with descriptions of parameters?

[Rose]

Which one are you trying to understand? then I can explain better.

[Ducimtabar]

All of them XD I will need all parameters anyway for creating different models for different purposes and making textures for them. And creating combination of models, for example to workshops. And combinations of materials. Etc.
Ok. I wanted to create different materials for chair what I made. There is a pillow with its own material and a wooden elements what is global for wooden objects.
So I create new mesh "BaseMaterial" and include in it my pillows. For experiment purpose I started AV and there was no pillows on the chair, its not rendered. How to create a material for compound object?
Then I tried to find mentioned "BuildingMaterial" in XML-files to use it as a template. But I didn't found one.
So I was dissapointed in my brains.
But I wanted a new experiment! I wanted my chair to be mirror. So I looked what the wood is it made from, it was "WALNUT".
In "\StreamingAssets\Colors\Colors_Wood_Newer.xml" I found my walnut and append " metal="yes" " in its color.
By the way, so I suggest there is "metal="yes"" for metallic="1" and metal="no" for metallic=0 without any other possible values, am I right?
Also I went to "\StreamingAssets\MaterialTextures\MaterialTextures.xml" and change specular for my wood to "Mirror_S.png".
When I started AV there is totally black material instead my walnut.
So I was dissapointed in my brains once more time. 

[Rose]

Okay, so "BuildingMaterial" means that that part of the chair takes the texture from the material the chair is made from in the game.

If you put it "BaseMaterial" then it actually won't work for buildings at all, if I understand things correctly.

The cushion, which should be its own texture, you name it "NoMaterial"

Then I will have to add ability in the next version to give your own color texture to it, because right now, it's more complicated than it needs to be.

[Ducimtabar]

So you will give me more information about XML after you add some features in future updates?
Okay, then I will just create models without import it in actual game for now, and will be waiting for news =)

[Rose]

I will give information now.

Just the way to add custom texture to parts of the model that don't take the material is difficult.

Let's take simple example, cabinet.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <- This is the standard XML declaration.
<buildingMeshes> <- This declares what is being described in this file.
  <buildingMesh <- This begins the definition for a single building.
    file="built_cabinet_0.obj" <- OBJ file for your building
    normal="built_cabinet_0_N.png" <- These are all different texture maps to apply.
    occlusion="built_cabinet_0_O.png"
    alpha="built_cabinet_0_A.png"
    rotation="AwayFromWall"> --- Next version, I will add color texture maps here, for parts of the building that don't use texture.
    <buildingType token="Cabinet"/> <- This says which building to apply the model to. You can use more than one to apply to more than one building type.
  </buildingMesh> <- End of this building definition.
</buildingMeshes> <- End of the file.

There's more stuff, like subobjects, but I'll describe those tomorrow.

[Ducimtabar]

Thank you very mush for explanation.
One detail.

<buildingType token="Cabinet"/> <- This says which building to apply the model to. You can use more than one to apply to more than one building type.

What is "token"? Is it a building name right from DF?

[Rose]

Generally yes, but with buildings it's not, because they're not on the raws.

For that reason, AV creates a file called buildintypes.csv when you run it, that lists every possible value.

[Ducimtabar]

Still asking about glossiness and metallic.
There is a two gems in the jeweler workshop what is look like... Mmmm... Dont even know, like models?
So I wanted to make them shiny.
I can apply normal, occlusion and alpha for them in the "buildingmeshes.xml"
I can apply pattern and specular in the "materialtextures.xml".
But it's not make them shiny. Gems already have Mirror_S.png as specular and it look like it didn't applied.
By the way, just my thoughts, but if you replace occlusion with metallic, it can be extremely useful for complex materials. Occlusion as itself can be including to pattern, its just shadows, didnt it?

[Rose]

The gems in the jeweler's workshop are supposed to be shiny, actually, but if they're not, then I'm not sure what's wrong. I'll have to check.

As for using the occlusion map, I can't put the occlusion map into the pattern map because the pattern map shouldn't depend on the model in the way the occlusion map does.

What about merging the specular and metallic maps? Regular specular is between 0-0.5, and metallic specular is from 0.5-1?

[Ducimtabar]

Nevermind, just need to set fantastic graphics quality

What about merging the specular and metallic maps? Regular specular is between 0-0.5, and metallic specular is from 0.5-1?

I tried it in Unity and there is not to much changes... In general I working in specular workflow instead metalness and specular map look overimportant for me. There is not too much importance in this map in that workflow, as I see now.
But anyway merging two maps together can be good idea in purposes of texturing simplification. Or it can't? It's actually very interesting question.

[Rose]

I think I'll just add a new map to the list. This will have the metalness map, as well as self illumination map on it, plus whatever other ones we think of on the way.

[Max™]

Speaking of maps, I know in many ways AV can replace what isoworld did (and as I still have had no luck getting it to compile for Arch, nor was Wine able to get the windows version working) but it won't load areas on the world-map unless you are near them in travel mode, or at all from say, the embark screen. Is that a ridiculous idea or a simple change? I know when you zoom way up above the map it has the general elevation stuff displayed but it's the lowest resolution version until you visit it directly.

Oh wait, you gotta zoom out with the scroll wheel to get the overview display don't you?

Dammit, I should see how to remap scroll wheel functions on my trackball.

Oh ho! I didn't know Arch stored a 10-evdev.conf under the usr/share folder so that's why my other attempts didn't work, much better when I can zoom without grabbing a different mouse just for that one function!

[Rose]

The problem is that currently, Armok Vision only loads what's loaded up in the DF memory, while ISOWorld loads up the exported maps, which are higher quality.

If I make a 3d map viewer, I'd have to do some trickery to make things still perform well.

[Max™]

Makes sense, and yeah, I saw that just now when I was traveling around and then drop out of travel mode, you can see your visible portion of loaded map pop up high-res.

It would probably be a big hassle to get AV to check for the exported maps like Isoworld huh.