What's the best way to import a level from a modeling program?
by Adam Zeliasz · in Torque 3D Beginner · 10/14/2009 (3:14 pm) · 4 replies
I'm using Softimage 2010 and I'm trying to find a solid work-flow for creating a level. I've created some various shapes that are UV'd for testing, and Im exporting the scene with COLLADA.
Some questions:
1) The entire scene comes in as one file. How do you ungroup each object so I can apply textures?
2) I asked about tiling a texture in which the dev team said I had to do that in my modeling program. Does T3D only let you bring in objects that are UV'd, and not textured? The docs say "In general, the COLLADA loader supports polygonal geometry, simple materials (no CG/GLSL shader support yet)." What are simple materials then?
3) Does anyone have any suggestions about how they would go about creating a level in an outside program, and bringing it into Torque 3D?
Thanks!
Some questions:
1) The entire scene comes in as one file. How do you ungroup each object so I can apply textures?
2) I asked about tiling a texture in which the dev team said I had to do that in my modeling program. Does T3D only let you bring in objects that are UV'd, and not textured? The docs say "In general, the COLLADA loader supports polygonal geometry, simple materials (no CG/GLSL shader support yet)." What are simple materials then?
3) Does anyone have any suggestions about how they would go about creating a level in an outside program, and bringing it into Torque 3D?
Thanks!
About the author
My name is Adam Zeliasz. I'm a designer testing out Torque 3D for an independent title. I specialize in modeling and animation, and well as web and print design.
#2
10/14/2009 (5:35 pm)
Thanks for your suggestions. You were talking about checking the collisions. What did you mean by that? 
#3
10/14/2009 (8:19 pm)
many times especially with stair objects or the player bounded collisions it is easy for you to get stuck! or things not to work just right. such as the player camera looking through a wall or the player collision box being larger than a doorway for example. The visible mesh collisions can be a bit finicky if for example the quads or triangles are too close together. Instead of going back and re adjusting geometry to force the visible mesh collision to work it is easier to create a collision mesh and assign that for collisions for various areas within the level.IE a ramp object works great as a collision mesh for stairs. Just be aware that if you build collision meshes they MUST be convex. Concave shapes will not work.
#4
10/15/2009 (10:31 am)
Thanks for the tip. 
Torque Owner Ken Johnston
Indiestructable Systems
2. short answer yes, simple materials would be a material that say is composed of a diffuse map, and a normal map. once in the engine you can apply any shaders you wish through code.
3. typically my own work flow is i work on an individual asset than import it into game. Check the materials to ensure it came in clean and adjust as needed, either with torques material editor for simple fixes or from the modeling app or from the material.cs file. for interiors or a level such as a cave scene which I have been designing for sometime now, I model all of the pertinent structural geometry and apply my UV mapping and texturing. I make sure everything is looking good using a Direct X 9 Real time viewport shader to simulate how it will look in game, and than export. Check to make sure everything is good and repeat as needed. Once it is in the engine the fun part of checking the collision comes in and many time requires to go back in and set up collision meshes as needed. once the primary "superstructure" is working well than comes adding in individual art assets to make the level more apealing, such as vegetation, crates or whatever.