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How do I edit the light and shadows on a character mdl?


redrob41

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I've tried searching for some answers, but I'm not sure what exactly to search for. What I'm doing is editing some character models (like my K1 Tusken), and really moving the verticies around using G-Max. When I do, I sometimes end up with some of the original highlights and shadows still showing up, but not where I'd want them now.

 

A specific example is that I've flattened the eye goggles so that he looks like he has a full face mesh sleeping mask. The problem is that the goggles still have the highlights and shadows on them, instead of flat lighting. It also still shows up around the area that the back pack harness used to be, but isn't as obvious. I don't know how to use G-max well enough yet to fix it. Or maybe the light and shadow is embedded in the .mdl and .mds files? Any help would be great.

 

wiptuskunderwearproblemet9.th.jpg

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If you used Mdlops those are cuts in the mesh, there are one or more vertices overlaped creating those lines, since mdlops doesn't recognize smooth groups those lines appears. One solution is to merge the overlapped vertices, but it will screw the bone weights, and some cuts you can not remove because how the texture is handled in the game engine. The other is use Taina's Replacer if you only moved the vertices.

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If what your actually refferring to is the appearance of the texture/skin on the model that needs to be edited in a graphics program like GIMP or Photoshop. As most of the highlighting of a skin and shadows are done when you edit the texture of your model. It might be best to create a new UVmap for your edited model to get the desired effect your wanting with highlighting and shadows.

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well, I edit all my textures in photoshop, and I've made sure that the area around the eyes has no textured shadows. It should show up as a flat area, and I've made the 3D mdl appear flat as well (screenshot on left). But, after I've used Taina's replacer tool to replace the verticies of the mdl and uvw map, and start a new game, the environmental lights will affect how the model appears. It only looks like the eyes are 3D because of the environment highlights and shadows (screenshot on right).

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But, after I've used Taina's replacer tool to replace the verticies of the mdl and uvw map...
My mistake, the Taina's replacer will only smooth the cut lines that are already smoothed in the original model.

 

I've never changed a model with the head included in it, so I would suggest to compile the model you edited using mdlops and see if it works in the game, if the head or its vertices are placed in the wrong position there is not much that can be done.

 

On the other hand if it works you can edit it and join those overlapped vertices to remove the cuts.

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This is another shot of my modified model in gmax, along with the flattened out texture tga. I've also added a "before" pic of the Tusken with full head gear (goggles are what I'm having problems with).

wiptuskengmaxxg1.th.jpg wiptuskengmax2nv2.th.jpg

So, what part of the mdl and mdx tells the in-game engine how the environmental lighting will cast shadows and highlights? Could they maybe have something to do with the Gmax Material Navigator? Or would it be the bones? I'm still guessing.

 

As for the cuts in the texture mapping onto the model, I don't think that's my problem here (good suggestion, and worth checking out tho). There are a couple easily visible cuts. For example in the Left view, the part of the resperator mask that comes up from the bottom (darker), doesn't blend because of the texture. But, on the side of the head where the ear would be (in the Perspective view), the vertical cut that separates the front of the head from the back is only visible here, and is hard to see in-game.

 

The problem is still that the goggles that have been flattened out in the model, are still throwing shadows as if they were still 3D.

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