Possible glitch with the terrain editor...

[8thJinx]

...or I am doing something that now doesn't work, but used to.

This process worked 5 months ago, but now doesn't:

1. Create custom object in AC3D
2. Edit the .ac file to include the proper flags and materials
3. Create the diffuse (32 bit), normal (32 bit), alpha (8 bit), and spec (8 bit) BMP files.
4. Open the OE, and select File/Convert AC3D File. 
5. Close the OE, and re-open, and the new shape file appears in the shape list.

====== up to this point, everything works as it used to ===============

5. Copy over the .shp and .htx files to the texsrc folder in the terrain folder being worked on.
6. Open the TE, and you're supposed to see the new shape in the list, but it is not there

This doesn't happen.  I even tested this against objects I already had in the TE, by erasing the .shp and .htx files and re-converting them.  They no longer show up in the TE.

[hitech]

Sigh, just finished to days build, this would most likely be a quicky. I bet that if you are replacing an existing named shape it works.

HiTech

[8thJinx]

A couple months ago the process worked no matter what I called the shape. Am I reading you correctly that I should retry this by naming it something that is already in the shape list?

[8thJinx]

Ok, something else is going on.  It's not an issue with the file names.  I deleted some old custom objects and re-converted them, and they show up in the TE. 

One thing that seems to be going on is that the OE creates a _NEP.htx file for the older custom shapes, but is not doing that for the newer custom shapes.  Which leads me to believe this has something to do not with the AC3D files, but with the BMP files.

[hitech]

Put both shp and htx in texsrc folder.

Then also put the shp in the stdshape folder.
The bug is I am completing the htx build to the stdshape folder, but I should also be coping the shp file to that folder.

Having an issue with the build today, install breaking on patch so I should have the bug fixed for tommorows patch.

---- edit
This may not be issue: Is there an shp file in your stdshape folder?

HiTech

[hitech]

I just tested and it worked for me.

Did you also click the show all shapes in the Objects window?

HiTech

[hitech]

You can also add the shapename to the ah3terr\shpfilter.txt

HiTech

[8thJinx]

How's this for weird.  I changed the diffuse, normal, alpha, spec, and environment BMP files from 96 dpi to 72 dpi, and now it loads into the object and terrain editors, but it doesn't look like the alpha map is working at all.

I'll try your suggestions.

Also, should there be a _NEP.htx file generated?

[8thJinx]

There has to still be something wrong with my BMP's.

This is what I am using:

Diffuse: 1024x1024, 32 bit, 72 dpi, saves as 4 mb
Normal _N: 1024x1024, 32 bit, 72 dpi, saves as 4 mb (this is 128,128,256 - completely flat)
Alpha _A: 1024x1024, 8 bit, 72 dpi, saves as 1 mb (this image is all black, so all of the terrain atlas should show on it, but it's not)
Specular _S: 1024x1024, 8 bit, 72 dpi, saves as 1 mb
Environment _E: 1024x1024, 8 bit, 72 dpi, saves as 1 mb (I have this as 96,96,96, all grass)

So neither the _A.bmp nor the _E.bmp are being recognized.  The diffuse map is, since it shows up in the terrain as the color I assigned it in Photoshop.

I must be missing something really obvious, but I can't put my finger on it.

Alpha is all black, correct?  So if it's all black, the background terrain should show through, right?

This is no longer a bug, this should be in the help section.

[8thJinx]

I took the diffuse, alpha, normal, and spec maps from the revetment, and simply renamed them to my object.  Then re-converted, and everything worked fine.

I have to have something wrong with my bitmaps, but when I look at the files in Photoshop, all of the visible file parameters are the same.  I just can't get it to work with bmp files made from scratch.  Has to be something other than dpi, number of bits, size, etc.  Has to be something with the color profile.

So at least I have a work-around, even if it is a weird one.

Oh, and _NEP.htx file generated with the re-named bitmaps from the revetment.

[Easyscor]

Check your PMs, your bit depth is wrong.

[8thJinx]

Hi Easy,

I think they're correct.  If you export the revetment shape, for example, the bitmaps are 32, 32, 8, 8 bits for the diffuse, normal, alpha, and spec.  DPI is 72.

I think the issue is the color conventions used in my version of Photoshop vs whatever was used to generate the existing shape BMP's.  The bit conventions, file resolutions, etc, all match, but anything I generate from scratch in Photoshop is a four-lane fail, while anything modified from an existing shape works just fine.

I'm going to experiment a little with the files and see if I find anything else out. 

[8thJinx]

Problem solved for now.  I have a work around.  I have no idea what the difference is between the from-scratch BMP's from Photoshop, and the BMP's from the existing shape exports, but I can work around it.  I can modify the existing BMP's in photoshop and rename them to meet my needs, and everything works. 

If anyone knows of a way to find all of the attributes of an image file, maybe I can compare them side by side and find out what's different, but for now I'm ok and moving on.

[hitech]

If you don't need alpha you don't need an _A bitmap.

HiTech