Compound models

[bkloster]

For the Christmas Prototype, we could really use some models for compound particles. The planned compounds are:

• ATP: Energy, used for moving and some metabolic processes
• Glucose: Raw material for ATP
• CO2: Waste product of some metabolic processes and, raw material for others
• Sunlight: raw material for photo-synthesis
• RpAse: Reproductase, causes cell-divison / evolution at a certain threshold
• Oxytoxy: Poison, destroys RpAse

The models should be easy to distinguish from each other, ideally even for color-blind players.

[TheCreator--]

For an oxygen emitter I was thinking we could have a bubble or maybe a small seaweed. Nitrogen could come from something that looks like a sea vent, same for co2.

[sciocont]

Don't worry about compound emitters, worry about refinign organelles. We don't need generation upon generation of placeholder models. The compound emitters will eventually be completely absent; therefore there is no point in refining them further.

On Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 10:30 AM, TheCreator-- notifications@github.comwrote:

For an oxygen emitter I was thinking we could have a bubble or maybe a small seaweed. Nitrogen could come from something that looks like a sea vent, same for co2.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive/issues/78#issuecomment-32377913 .

[ChizuLaCheese]

Ok

[tjblazer85]

Sorry guys but I'm confused, are we still going to make models for the compounds?

[jjonj]

I think the flat ones we have now will do fine :) Just need to figure out the proper conversion method

[tjblazer85]

Ok

[tjblazer85]

I was looking through some of the issues here and in this one: https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive/issues/75 I have found Nimbal's way to convert files! Here's the link that was provided: http://www.ogre3d.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=65993

[jjonj]

Very nice, good find! It seems that I'll have to compile this myself on linux which is not in my comfort zone but It should just take me a little time to figure out.

[jjonj]

After attempting to compile for a couple of hours, i gave up and actually found a compiled version that nimbal had linked (and I missed -.-). However it reports that it can't convert the files. I tried both yours and TritiumHs models. The log doesn't provide any insightful information as to what the error could be. EDIT: So the next logical step was obviously to try to convert the old blend files we've been using, and it fails on those too, hrmm. EDIT2: It works! I tried opening your original glucose model in blender, converted it from blender to 3ds and used the conversion tool on the 3ds file. It still reports an error but it actually produced the mesh and material files and they work in-game! I'll work on implementing them soon!

[jjonj]

Btw it seems we need a model for oxygen

[tjblazer85]

That's awesome!

I thought that Oxygen didn't need a model?

[jjonj]

Oh I guess that's because we'll just use the existing model, right!

[jjonj]

I... can't reproduce my success, I still have the working model from yesterday but i can't do it again on the same or any other model. This is really wierd.

[jjonj]

Okay, I spent a lot of time with different converters and then started actually looking into the file formats themselves and I pretty much have everything but the blender aspects figured out. I can kinda get the models to work now but there are some things that i don't quite understand about the .blend files.
First of all, all i want is a single .blend file with everything needed packed into it, I don't need any png textures or anything like that, which you have been including in some of the zip files. If you prefer them in there for your own sake, thats a-okay, just know that i dont need them for anything.

Turns out that the above total BS. It does try to use the png texture when i tried putting it in there for oxytoxy, however only the material for the square surface (see below) seems to want to use it, tried adding it to the model itself in the material file, but that didn't look right at all.

Secondly, what are the flat square surfaces you put behind of some of the models? They are on Glucose and Oxytoxy but not on ATP and CO2, they show up in-game and look weird :P Finally, I'm a total newbie to blender, but when i open your files in my blender, what i see is often not what you show on the pictures you post here. The way i watch the models is I open the .blend files with blender, and under the render tab, i try both "Render image" and "OpenGL render image", For Glucose, ATP and CO2 in 3D everything is good, I see exactly what you show in the picture and it is the same that i see in-game.
For the flat material version of CO2 I just see a blank window. For the flat texture version of CO2 I get the model but with a screaming pink texture/material instead of what you show in the image. For 3d version of Oxytoxy I get either a grey model (no texture/material) if i view without openGL and a screaming pink if i view with openGL. In-game it looks like it has no material as well. Flat version of glucose i haven't tested in-game but it looks fine in blender.

It seems like the advanced materials you have attempted (such as co2 material and oxytoxy) just show up as missing textures in blender for me. Are you sure you are packaging them correctly in the .blend files or am i perhaps doing something wrong? (I imagine you can verify this by trying to open the .blend files you have uploaded, yourself, and see if you can see the advanced materials)

[TheCreator--]

If you see pink when you render that means that the person who made the mesh did not save the textures in the blend file.

[tjblazer85]

When I started to make Glucose and Oxytoxy, I decided to use the sprites that sciocont made as guideline and I imported them in as planes, I accidentaly left them in the files, you can delete them. I will also look into the problem with the materials and textures.

[jjonj]

Awesome :)

[tjblazer85]

Everything is fine except for the Oxytoxy which dosen't have the correct texture because I don't think I put the texture file in the Winrar.

[jjonj]

Could you upload a zip version without the extra surfaces and fixed textures? Either 3D ones (preferably rotated correctly like the billboard counterparts). Or the billboard versions with ATP included.

Personally I like the 3D models better and we won't actually be using billboards for now (no reason to change what we already have working).

[tjblazer85]

Sorry for the late reply I have been busy with school but now I have some time. Which ones should I give you? The Billboard or 3D models?

[jjonj]

I'd prefer the 3D models correctly rotated :)

[tjblazer85]

Ok I'll get to it!

[tjblazer85]

I double checked the files, once before i put it in the folder and another time when It was in the folder. Here's the download link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/137682043/ATP%2C%20CO2%2C%20Glucose%20and%20Oxytoxy.RAR

[jjonj]

Great! I'll have a look at this later today

[jjonj]

Okay i got them into the game and they look great! Here you can see them in action: http://i.imgur.com/lts2M2D.png
I will scale them correctly before finishing the issue :)
Three things however...
First of all, I couldn't get the new CO2 models to convert, neither the material or the textured version, the conversion tool just refused to do anything with them (not even a log file like I've gotten every other failed attempt). What i used in the picture here is your old incorrectly rotated model which converts fine. Can you identify anything to you did differently with the co2 ones causing this issue? If not, the old model works well enough :)
Secondly the ambient lighting of all of these latest materials have had the value 0 0 0 1, which make them very very dark, i simply changed the ambient lighting to be equal to the values of diffuse lighting (0.20511 0.64 0.05015 1 for glucose) and that make them display properly as you see in the image linked. Your previous models have not had this issue
Thirdly, during all the conversions until now, the tool as posted that there was an error with the conversion, but the conversion has worked anyway. However, for your new oxytoxy model it did not post an error at all, it even displayed the model in the tool! Did you change anything specifically for oxytoxy?

[tjblazer85]

I didn't do anything different, I just rotated the 3D models 90 degress on the x axis and then I just removed the image planes in the Glucose and Oxytoxy models. I have no idea why the CO2 models wont convert though, I didn't change anything there besides the rotation but as long as we got a few working we've made some progress and that is awesome! :)

[jjonj]

Strange, since a couple of things have seem to changed. Anyway I will just use the current models then and get them merged!

[tjblazer85]

Ok cool.