Problems and questions about maps in the editor.....

[maxdamage]

Has anyone been able to extract the ancflame2 and ancflame3 from Unreal and UT? The reason is I am trying to convert a UT based CTF map for UT2004 and what I did was take a screenshot of the greatfire.ancflame2 tex in unrealed2 and saved the cropped image as a bmp file and imported into unrealed 3 but when I set bmasked to true in its properties nothing happens yet the last time I had tried it on my main pc it had worked?Busy using my laptop atm as my main pc is too messed up to do much...


I had used a "frame"\screenshot of the greatefire.ancflame3 texture and it had worked but not this time.Am I doing something wrong?I would like to use frames of the ancflame2 in volumetric brush inside a lantern using Unreal\UT textures as well but can't due to the problem I have with the texs.

What is the best sized terrain for vctf maps in ut2004?Here are the dimensions for my map atm:
[Base world dimensions][6400(h) x 26848(w) x 35600(b)]

Is there a mod\mutator that adds the aqualung from Unreal\UT to UT2K4?Would like to use it on a underwater UT map that I had converted over to UT2k3 format with the original UT bsp based terrain before I fixed some stuff in it after importing it into UT2K4 format.

I recently installed the original version of Unreal(I have the gold version but not enough hdd space for it to be installed on my laptop though).I patched the game to version (can't remember atm.will put the version number here when I go online next time) and I tried to run unrealed v1.0 but the editor keeps crashing and displays a window with the

Unexpected error

message and ok button to close it.I did re-install the game in the hopes get it to run but still no success.Is there a way to get the editor to run with command lines?

[Heimdallr]

About your terrain.
You creat a terrain (by the TerrainEditor) with a xsize 256 X xsize 256. You could put 512 x 512, but i affraid for the FPS.
Now, i use xsize=128 and ysize = 128 for a usual terrain. And only 32 for a terrain which use for the deco (The player don't go on it).
Firstly, your terrain is too small for your scene.

In a second time, you could change the terrainscale (proprities of the terrain ->TerrainInfo->TerrainScale-> X=512, Y=512, Z=0). Don't change de Z value.
Normally, if you use xsize and ysize at 128, change your TerrainScale X and Y at 256.
Now, your terrain cover all the scene.

The size of your terrain must be 2^n x 2 ^n (2^n = 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, ...)
Otherwise, you should have some bugs with the editor (sometime).

I don't know how is your VCTF map, but you can use several terrain also.

[maxdamage]

I have a couple of problem I need help with regards some porting over of Unreal2 meshes into UT2k4.Everytime I use Unreal2 editor I keep getting this message after a certain number of minutes when I start using unreal ed v3.0 for Unreal 2:
.
I keep getting the message even though I am not trying to save something in the editor all the time.

I got the Dorian Grey model imported into ut2k4 but when I tried to replicate the shader used on the surface of each of the textures used in Unreal2 I get this:
instead of like this in Unreal2:.
The following pic on the left is what the shader is suppose to look like in Unreal2:
but looks like this when applied to one of the surfaces of the model in ut2k4's unrealed in the image to the right:

Have I done something wrong as I have replicated other cube maps\tex env maps from Unreal2 and they work and look right but some go like this...?Click on images to see high-res versions.

[maxdamage]

Help anyone?Please?

[Skred]

I have a couple of problem I need help with regards some porting over of Unreal2 meshes into UT2k4.Everytime I use Unreal2 editor I keep getting this message after a certain number of minutes when I start using unreal ed v3.0 for Unreal 2:
.
I keep getting the message even though I am not trying to save something in the editor all the time.

I got the Dorian Grey model imported into ut2k4 but when I tried to replicate the shader used on the surface of each of the textures used in Unreal2 I get this:
instead of like this in Unreal2:.
The following pic on the left is what the shader is suppose to look like in Unreal2:
but looks like this when applied to one of the surfaces of the model in ut2k4's unrealed in the image to the right:

Have I done something wrong as I have replicated other cube maps\tex env maps from Unreal2 and they work and look right but some go like this...?Click on images to see high-res versions.

Okay, for the first part, just make sure all file names use camel casing (which you've clearly done in some areas) or use underscores. NO file should have spaces in the name. This is mostly for Linux/Open GL compatibility.

As far as the shader is concerned: I'd go backwards with it and do some testing. See how the base texture looks on the model first. I'd also try to make the sahder again from scratch. You may have something checked that affects the display of the shader. ALso check the alpha channels on the source texture files to make sure those are correct. You just gotta re-trace the steps and see what's going wrong. Be a detective because it's really hard to see what the problem actually is without seeing it in person. I hope that helps without being to vague....

[maxdamage]

Okay, for the first part, just make sure all file names use camel casing (which you've clearly done in some areas) or use underscores. NO file should have spaces in the name. This is mostly for Linux/Open GL compatibility.

As far as the shader is concerned: I'd go backwards with it and do some testing. See how the base texture looks on the model first. I'd also try to make the sahder again from scratch. You may have something checked that affects the display of the shader. ALso check the alpha channels on the source texture files to make sure those are correct. You just gotta re-trace the steps and see what's going wrong. Be a detective because it's really hard to see what the problem actually is without seeing it in person. I hope that helps without being to vague....

Firstly even when I just browse the editor I keep getting the message no matter what I do or don't.Will retry the shader and recreate the env and cube maps to see if I am doing anything wrong.From what I can remember I copied them exact but there are options that ut2k4 has with textures,etc... that Unreal2 doesn't and vice versa.

thanks.

[Skred]

Np, let us know what you discover.

[maxdamage]

Np, let us know what you discover.

Will post a pic about it.

[maxdamage]

Np, let us know what you discover.

Here is the screenies:
and

As you can see in the first pic is the shader from Unreal 2 and the one on the right is the one from UT2k4.As you can see the UT2k4 shader has more options than the Unreal2 shader.Same thing for the texevnmap as well:

and

Re-tried creating the texev and cubemaps for the dorian grey model but the same thing happens and I did change some of the options in the shaders and texenv to see if that helps but nope.

[Sly.]

You are using a texture which seems to lack alpha channel/mask in the SelfIlluminationMask channel. In the original it uses a texture called "DG_1_Sl", however, you are using the regular "DG_1" texture instead of the Sl one, which seems to lack alpha and which is the reason why you have no visible specular.

[maxdamage]

You are using a texture which seems to lack alpha channel/mask in the SelfIlluminationMask channel. In the original it uses a texture called "DG_1_Sl", however, you are using the regular "DG_1" texture instead of the Sl one, which seems to lack alpha and which is the reason why you have no visible specular.

Thats not the problem as I have problems with replicating some of the tex env maps and cube maps as seen further up in the thread.

[Skred]

There is a seperate texture for the self illumination mask in the U2 version. That's probably it right there. Pic2 is missing what the red arrow points to in pic 1. You need the texture DorianGray.DG_1_SI (Self illum mask texture from U2)

[Sly.]

That's what I've been saying too. Without the mask you will have a ugly environment map displayed on your texture but you just want certain parts to shine, right?

[Skred]

Just trying to put the visual to what you said buddy

[maxdamage]

That's what I've been saying too. Without the mask you will have a ugly environment map displayed on your texture but you just want certain parts to shine, right?

Firstly in Unreal 2 the _si has an alpha channel but bmask and alpha is set to false.I added the _si textures to the shaders in UT2k4 but I still get the same problem with the env and cube maps.

One thing I see is that the U2 shader has a different parameter at the bottom. In UT2004 is has "surface type," in U2 it has "texture type." That may be the issue right there and soemthing you'll have to find a work around for somehow.

I did fiddle with the shader settings but all I did was stuff up the shader in ut2k4 with no success.What I can't understand is that I got the glass door in the building on Delta Avior 7 "Sulferon" to work as another glass texture's env and cube map comes out darker than it should be.The thing is that in Unreal 2 the glass textures are not linked to a final blend to make them transparent as I checked which is weird as they are transparent?Will check again on that just to be sure.

[Skred]

Firstly in Unreal 2 the _si has an alpha channel but bmask and alpha is set to false.I added the _si textures to the shaders in UT2k4 but I still get the same problem with the env and cube maps.

That doesn't matter. If the texture has an alpha channel, it does not have to be set as an "alpha texture" to behave as a mask or what have you. For example, Sly and I both have done work on porting the weapons from Unreal Championship to UT2004, and each weapon texture has an alpha channel that allows it to be used as a self-illumination/specular mask, but the textures are not set as "alphas." That's only "required" if your using say a glass texture that must appear clear throughout. A good deal of textures in the Unreal series have this feature. You import the texture normally, and compress it to something NOT DXT1 (use DXT3 or DXT5) and it will retain it's alpha channel as a "hidden" but useable layer to the texture. The DG_SI texture in this case is probably the same exact texture with a different alpha channel. I can guarantee you with about 90% certainty without seeing it that what Sly and I are saying is your fix.

[Sly.]

Yeah, you probably compressed it to a wrong type. DXT5 has a very accurate alpha whereas DXT3 is more "rough".

[maxdamage]

*SIGH* Firstly thats not the problem I am having in the first place as it doesn't affect the env\cubemaps!!!!!!I still get this:

[Skred]

*SIGH* Firstly thats not the problem I am having in the first place as it doesn't affect the env\cubemaps!!!!!!I still get this:

It shouldn't affect the TexEnvironmentMap (made from a cubemap). You have the environment map set as the specular in both versions.


If the "Specular" is not displaying correctly it's either one of two things. 1. The alpha channel is screwed on the diffuse texture or 2.) The specular is DRAMATICALLY different than what was originally used.

For now let's eliminate self illumination. Just clear those fields and see what you get and let us know.

Also try clearing all the fields in the shader (specular/selfIllum/ and masks). Try the diffuse as self illum mask, and the environment map as the self illumimnation. I've ran into situations porting stuff from UC2 where that had to be done, and doing it the "normal/specular" way looked really strange.

[maxdamage]

Also try clearing all the fields in the shader (specular/selfIllum/ and masks). Try the diffuse as self illum mask, and the environment map as the self illumimnation. I've ran into situations porting stuff from UC2 where that had to be done, and doing it the "normal/specular" way looked really strange.

Will try that.

[maxdamage]

It worked as seen in the first screenshot:
and

Unfortunately as seen in the last pic the cube\texenv map doesn't look like the Unreal 2 version here most likely due to the fact that ut2k4 doesn't have all of the same features Unreal2 has:

[Skred]

I'd double check the base texture for the cubemap and see if it matches up to what you're using. Check for an alpha channel and if it's an alpha texture and so on. It could just be that this version of UE2 for UT2004 is a bit different with how it handles speculars and so on and you might not be able to get the exact same look. So far, it looks pretty good though.

EDIT: Maybe setting modulate specular 2x to false will make a difference. It shouldn't but you never know. Try playing with output blending options as well, and see what making the shader 2-sided does.

[maxdamage]

I'd double check the base texture for the cubemap and see if it matches up to what you're using. Check for an alpha channel and if it's an alpha texture and so on. It could just be that this version of UE2 for UT2004 is a bit different with how it handles speculars and so on and you might not be able to get the exact same look. So far, it looks pretty good though.

EDIT: Maybe setting modulate specular 2x to false will make a difference. It shouldn't but you never know. Try playing with output blending options as well, and see what making the shader 2-sided does.

I have checked the 6 textures that are used for the cube map as I extracted them using utpt so they have all their stuff with them as I saved them as .dds files and checked the unreal 2 cube map to see if I had them in the right order and yes I have.Like you have said ued most likely handles specular differently and as a result will not be able to get the same results at all. Wish someone who worked on Unreal 2 could come and help us.....

Will retry changing those settings in the shader properties but I doubt it will work as I had already tried changing those settings to no effect....

[Skred]

Well, sometimes you have to go with what you have, and it may be near that point. You might can try making modification to the cubmap textures in photoshop or something to get a more accurate look. The output blending may somehow tone it down or something, but it's hard to say...just a possibility.

[maxdamage]

Well, sometimes you have to go with what you have, and it may be near that point. You might can try making modification to the cubmap textures in photoshop or something to get a more accurate look. The output blending may somehow tone it down or something, but it's hard to say...just a possibility.

I don't think editing the cubemap textures will help though.will retry the output blending options.

[maxdamage]

I have been fixing up my event horizon for my stargate maps with the stargate but I have a problem.In the picture as you can see I used a screenshot of the water material from vctf-suspense from ut3 and added a mask to it and it worked but I used the fluid occillator from ctf-face3 but the texture appears to be repeated on the surface.I used a tex scaler to get the texture in the center of the fluid occillator but it still repeats the texture on the fluid occillator.



I have no clue on what to do next as I like the effect of the event horizon texture although it could be higher res though it still looks better than what I had before!

[Skred]

I'll just point out that making a good water shader that is "proper" looking for a unique level can be one of the more labor intinsive things involved in making a good level, but it seperates the wolves from the sheep in a big way. You see lots of levels out there where if you look into the reflection of the water, you'll see some unknown level staring back at you, or even WORSE, a level you recognize. "Hey man, why can I see a reflection of Rankin in my egyptain map's water?" Don't be that guy


I'd just use a different fluid texture that's stock to UT2004. A screenshot of a water texture is going to look funky, hence the issues you see in the screenshot.

I have lots of decent water materials in my UCBP levels. If you want to steal one of those, that's fine, but you'll need to make a new enviornment map for them since you want to see the reflection of your level in the water's reflection. DM-UCBP-Aqua_Mortis has a good water shader in there. Just lift that texture from myLevel and remove the env_map from the shader and replace it later once your map is nearly complete with a environment map accurate to your level.

This is a tutorial on how to create your own environment map for a level.
http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/Materia...nmentMaps.html

(This is the more literal sense of using an enviornment map...it'll make senes if you use the tutorial to make the env. The use it as the specular in a water shader)

Yeah, I took a look at the level I'm suggesting you lift a water texture from and it'll be perfect. Find the map by searching "UCBP" in the UT2004 beta release area. It's still on the main page in beta releases. Open DM-Aqua Mortis and go to the myLevel textures and find the group "water" and you'll be able to figure out how to trace it all back and use the various materials I used to create a really nice water texture. There really is not a base texture as you'll figure out. You'll want to replace "material1" in the combiner later one to match your level. You can also change the constant color to match something more like what you want. If this is all like "WTF" to you, download the level and take a look and it'll make sense. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out looking at the materials in myLevel>Water (and enviornment maps)

[maxdamage]

I'll just point out that making a good water shader that is "proper" looking for a unique level can be one of the more labor intinsive things involved in making a good level, but it seperates the wolves from the sheep in a big way. You see lots of levels out there where if you look into the reflection of the water, you'll see some unknown level staring back at you, or even WORSE, a level you recognize. "Hey man, why can I see a reflection of Rankin in my egyptain map's water?" Don't be that guy


I'd just use a different fluid texture that's stock to UT2004. A screenshot of a water texture is going to look funky, hence the issues you see in the screenshot.

I have lots of decent water materials in my UCBP levels. If you want to steal one of those, that's fine, but you'll need to make a new enviornment map for them since you want to see the reflection of your level in the water's reflection. DM-UCBP-Aqua_Mortis has a good water shader in there. Just lift that texture from myLevel and remove the env_map from the shader and replace it later once your map is nearly complete with a environment map accurate to your level.

This is a tutorial on how to create your own environment map for a level.
http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/Materia...nmentMaps.html

(This is the more literal sense of using an enviornment map...it'll make senes if you use the tutorial to make the env. The use it as the specular in a water shader)

Yeah, I took a look at the level I'm suggesting you lift a water texture from and it'll be perfect. Find the map by searching "UCBP" in the UT2004 beta release area. It's still on the main page in beta releases. Open DM-Aqua Mortis and go to the myLevel textures and find the group "water" and you'll be able to figure out how to trace it all back and use the various materials I used to create a really nice water texture. There really is not a base texture as you'll figure out. You'll want to replace "material1" in the combiner later one to match your level. You can also change the constant color to match something more like what you want. If this is all like "WTF" to you, download the level and take a look and it'll make sense. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out looking at the materials in myLevel>Water (and enviornment maps)

The thing is the water texture doesn't really need a env map as if I remember correctly the event horizon in stargate doesn't reflect anything.Sure it may look funky but I like it.I just need to fix the repeating problem unless the fluid occilator is too big and all then I have to do is adjust the fluid occilator's size and the texscaler to look right and that should hopefully fix the problem.

Unfortunately I can't download maps atm as my pc is too messed up and slow atm but I do have the UCBP maps booked marked for "later" download whenever that will be.

Thanks.

[Skred]

Well you can achieve a better looking event horizon or w/e without the use of a base texture is the main point. You could always make the env just silver or something to make it look even more "other worldy." I wish I knew of another level you could look at with good water in it, but off hand I can't think of any.

Use your current base texture in cube map and just assign it to all the slots and use that as your env. That'll probably look pretty cool.

Here's the basics:

1.Create a constant color material (then choose a color for it you like-possibly editing that color later in the process to make the "water" look better. Start with black-it works better than you may think)
2.Create a cubmap then envMap like I suggested above using your silver texture
3.Create a combiner materal and use the constant color material as the "mask" and "material2" in the combiner. Use the Env as "material 1"
(combine operation should be "CO_AlphaBlend with mask" and alpha operation should be "AO_usemask)
4. create a shader and use the the combiner as the diffuse "base" texture, and the fluid color as the "opacity"
5. (somewhat optional step) create a final blend material. MAke framebuffering alpha blend. Set the material slot to use the shader you created in step 4.
-

[maxdamage]

Well you can achieve a better looking event horizon or w/e withou the use of a base texture is the main point. You could always make the env just silver or something to make it look even more "other worldy." I wish I knew of another level you could look at with good water in it, but off hand I can't think of any. Well, actually DM-Rankin might be good. Check out the myLevel package on that one.

Use your base texture in cube map and just assign it to all the slots and use that as your env. that'll probably look pretty cool.

Well I did that and here is the end result:


Unfortunately as you can see I can't change the shape of the fluid occilator to a circle so there are edges sticking out of the stargate mesh. Looks much better than it did before which was okaish....

Thanks.

[Skred]

Well I did that and here is the end result:


Unfortunately as you can see I can't change the shape of the fluid occilator to a circle so there are edges sticking out of the stargate mesh. Looks much better than it did before which was okaish....

Thanks.

That looks like a MUCH better fluid. Just make the mesh a little bigger or make the fluidSurfaceInfo a little smaller. I know that can be made to work somehow.

Another option is to use an xProcMesh to get a fluid movement action going. If you're using modeling programs (which in infer that you are) make a FLAT disc shaped mesh that fits into the center of the "gate mesh." Make sure it has plenty of quads/triangles to animate. The more verts is has, the more it'll animate. For example, if you made a sheet and just had it split into a "four square" it would only ripple from the single vertex in the center. Of course, you'd need to map a texture to the flat disc mesh so that the water looks how you want it too. Just use some random base material from the game that is 1024x1024 to map the UVs (unwrapping) and then apply your fluid texture to the mesh. Then use that mesh on an xProcMesh actor.

I suggest trying to tweak the size of the mesh or the fluid surface first and playing with that a good deal before going the xProcMesh path. They are not as controllable as a fluid surface and so one, and it would take more time, but you can achieve the look you want. An xProcMesh can be your ultimate solution, that I am sure of, but see if you can tweak what you have to make it work first.

(if you're wondering "WTF is an xProcMesh" open a CTF map and find a "flag" (not the one you capture) that moves around and "animates")

[maxdamage]

That looks like a MUCH better fluid. Just make the mesh a little bigger or make the fluidSurfaceInfo a little smaller. I know that can be made to work somehow.

Another option is to use an xProcMesh to get a fluid movement action going. If you're using modeling programs (which in infer that you are) make a FLAT disc shaped mesh that fits into the center of the "gate mesh." Make sure it has plenty of quads/triangles to animate. The more verts is has, the more it'll animate. For example, if you made a sheet and just had it split into a "four square" it would only ripple from the single vertex in the center. Of course, you'd need to map a texture to the flat disc mesh so that the water looks how you want it too. Just use some random base material from the game that is 1024x1024 to map the UVs (unwrapping) and then apply your fluid texture to the mesh. Then use that mesh on an xProcMesh actor.

I suggest trying to tweak the size of the mesh or the fluid surface first and playing with that a good deal before going the xProcMesh path. They are not as controllable as a fluid surface and so one, and it would take more time, but you can achieve the look you want. An xProcMesh can be your ultimate solution, that I am sure of, but see if you can tweak what you have to make it work first.

(if you're wondering "WTF is an xProcMesh" open a CTF map and find a "flag" (not the one you capture) that moves around and "animates")

I tried resizing the fluid occilator but it did not help at all. I know about the xproc mesh as I used one for use as teleporter points in one of my maps.I do have two 3D modelling apps Hexagon 3D v1.2 and 2.5 but have yet to get to learn how to use them....

[Skred]

I tried resizing the fluid occilator but it did not help at all. I know about the xproc mesh as I used one for use as teleporter points in one of my maps.I do have two 3D modelling apps Hexagon 3D v1.2 and 2.5 but have yet to get to learn how to use them....

The occilator just makes the fluid movement (ripples etc) more controllable. Actually edit the fluidSurfaceInfo itself (x and y size parameters)

[maxdamage]

The occilator just makes the fluid movement (ripples etc) more controllable. Actually edit the fluidSurfaceInfo itself (x and y size parameters)

Well the scale is set to 0.75 but I reduced the sizes to the fluid surface info x and y sizes to 20 each.

[maxdamage]

I have been trying to rotate this custom static mesh so it sits against the angled wall but for some unknown reason I can't get it to rotate so I can move it against the angled brush.Here a screenshot of what I am talking about:


I can rotate the static mesh in the other axis's but when I rotate the static mesh instead of rotating clockwise\anti-clockwise it does so at an angle which I can't understand why it is doing that????

[Skred]

I have been trying to rotate this custom static mesh so it sits against the angled wall but for some unknown reason I can't get it to rotate so I can move it against the angled brush.Here a screenshot of what I am talking about:


I can rotate the static mesh in the other axis's but when I rotate the static mesh instead of rotating clockwise\anti-clockwise it does so at an angle which I can't understand why it is doing that????

Yeah those meshes that do that "funky rotation thing" can be a real pain in the ass. Try rotating in one axis, and then again in another. It may work the cause is the pivot point. Sometime you can use "place pivot here or Place Pivot snapped here " in the editor to get the mesh to do what you want, but not always. If I remember properly, this is caused by the pivot point it is given in the modeling program it came from. Sometimes the axis' are a little different and that throws something off with the mesh that is in MOST cases something easily overcome, but in some cases i causes problems. You might can rotate it in your modeling program to export rotated in the manner you want it to sit, or you can probably just rotate the crap out of it in 2-3 different axis' to get it how you want it.

[maxdamage]

Yeah those meshes that do that "funky rotation thing" can be a real pain in the ass. Try rotating in one axis, and then again in another. It may work the cause is the pivot point. Sometime you can use "place pivot here or Place Pivot snapped here " in the editor to get the mesh to do what you want, but not always. If I remember properly, this is caused by the pivot point it is given in the modeling program it came from. Sometimes the axis' are a little different and that throws something off with the mesh that is in MOST cases something easily overcome, but in some cases i causes problems. You might can rotate it in your modeling program to export rotated in the manner you want it to sit, or you can probably just rotate the crap out of it in 2-3 different axis' to get it how you want it.

I also tried resetting the pivot in the Brush > Reset > Pivot and it did not work.I had to rotate the model in the other axis as it is vertical in the static mesh preview and I rotated it so it is horizontal....Will rotate the mesh from vertical to horizontal in the app I converted it from and see what happens then.

[MDK1311]

Well I use a small trick for that, make a red builder brush (rectangular) move it to the center of your mesh (make sure to keep it selected and ctrl-select your mesh and make sure your red brush is selected first) that way when rotating the brush the mesh will rotate as the red brush.
I hope this will Help.
Cordially, MDK

[maxdamage]

Well I use a small trick for that, make a red builder brush (rectangular) move it to the center of your mesh (make sure to keep it selected and ctrl-select your mesh and make sure your red brush is selected first) that way when rotating the brush the mesh will rotate as the red brush.
I hope this will Help.
Cordially, MDK

Will try that.Thanks.

[maxdamage]

The mesh did rotate but not in the way it suppose to do so it did not work at all