Vehicle setup
by Andrew Locko · in Artist Corner · 12/20/2004 (3:42 pm) · 14 replies
For those of you using the 2.0 DTS exporter in GameSpace, here are some things to keep in mind to make your vehicles work right in Torque:
1.You need a bounds ( outside of the heirarchy ),as well as "_collision-1", "_mount#", "_hub#", "_cam","_eye" nodes.
2."_hub0" should be driver side front, "_hub1" should be passenger side front, "_hub2" should be passenger side rear, "_hub3" should be driver side rear.
3.Bounds, collision, and nodes should have no scale factors on them. This is achieved by exporting them in .X format then re-importing them into your scene.
4. Whatever # is at the end of the detail node should also be at the end of mesh object names
5.Use .cfg file to comment out group nodes ( i.e. base01 and start01 and include any subgroups )
6.For tires, the axis for the bounds, collision, and mesh should be at the objects center and there should be no rotations applied to the tire mesh. You should also have a collision object for your tire mesh.
Any discussion on this is welcomed.
1.You need a bounds ( outside of the heirarchy ),as well as "_collision-1", "_mount#", "_hub#", "_cam","_eye" nodes.
2."_hub0" should be driver side front, "_hub1" should be passenger side front, "_hub2" should be passenger side rear, "_hub3" should be driver side rear.
3.Bounds, collision, and nodes should have no scale factors on them. This is achieved by exporting them in .X format then re-importing them into your scene.
4. Whatever # is at the end of the detail node should also be at the end of mesh object names
5.Use .cfg file to comment out group nodes ( i.e. base01 and start01 and include any subgroups )
6.For tires, the axis for the bounds, collision, and mesh should be at the objects center and there should be no rotations applied to the tire mesh. You should also have a collision object for your tire mesh.
Any discussion on this is welcomed.
About the author
#2
AlwaysExport
mountpoint
mesh1
etc.
Never Export
detail1
start01
etc.
NeverAnimate
12/29/2004 (6:33 am)
A text file where you specify what nodes to export and not export, as well as ones that won't animate, i.e.AlwaysExport
mountpoint
mesh1
etc.
Never Export
detail1
start01
etc.
NeverAnimate
#3
Also, do i have to do anything in gamespace to 'link' it up with the cfg file, or does it auto-detect it?
Thanks!
[EDIT]
ah, nevermind, found it on page 15 of the manual x.x /mestupid
thanks anyways!
[/EDIT]
12/29/2004 (6:56 am)
And i put this cfg file in my gamespace directory, or in my data/shapes directory? (i noticed in starter.racing, the buggy.cfg was in the /data/shapes/buggy/ directory...)Also, do i have to do anything in gamespace to 'link' it up with the cfg file, or does it auto-detect it?
Thanks!
[EDIT]
ah, nevermind, found it on page 15 of the manual x.x /mestupid
thanks anyways!
[/EDIT]
#4
no matter where i position my _eye and _cam nodes, they don't display my model correctly according to where i put them. I have to look down at my plane in order to view it from third person mode, since it always seems like its below the camera..
i have it to alwaysexport eye and cam, so i don't think that's the problem...
I also tried putting the _eye and _cam nodes independent of the base01, as well as into base01 - niether worked
any help?
12/29/2004 (7:29 am)
Hrm...now i have a different problem....no matter where i position my _eye and _cam nodes, they don't display my model correctly according to where i put them. I have to look down at my plane in order to view it from third person mode, since it always seems like its below the camera..
i have it to alwaysexport eye and cam, so i don't think that's the problem...
I also tried putting the _eye and _cam nodes independent of the base01, as well as into base01 - niether worked
any help?
#5
12/29/2004 (8:05 am)
All of your named nodes should be in the group start01
#6
here's a few screenies...
my gamespace scene editor:
how it looks like from thirdperson perspective (without me moving anything - and yes, i am sure it is thirdperson)
and here's how it looks like when i have to move it back in order to view it (what i explained earlier)
and here's my scene file....
help x.x
many thanks!
12/29/2004 (8:17 am)
Hrm.....i treid putting _eye and _cam into start01, but still didn't have any effects...here's a few screenies...
my gamespace scene editor:
how it looks like from thirdperson perspective (without me moving anything - and yes, i am sure it is thirdperson)
and here's how it looks like when i have to move it back in order to view it (what i explained earlier)
and here's my scene file....
help x.x
many thanks!
#7
Also, make sure the scale of your nodes are frozen using either the scale normalizer tool or the save to .X file trick.
12/29/2004 (9:26 am)
Look in your dump.dmp file that is create in the directory where you export your DTS. Open it in a text editor and make sure the exporter is finding you .cfg file.Also, make sure the scale of your nodes are frozen using either the scale normalizer tool or the save to .X file trick.
#8
in dump.dmp...
it looks like it's getting the cfg file correctly...
then i scroll down a lil more and i see this...
wha???? is that supposed to happen?
12/29/2004 (9:32 am)
Yeah, i installed and used the normalizer tool.in dump.dmp...
it looks like it's getting the cfg file correctly...
Quote:
Begin reading config file "C:\torque\torque\example\starter.racing\data\shapes\vehicles\flyer.cfg".
Always export node: "_eye"
Always export node: "_cam"
Always export node: "_mass"
Always export node: "_mount*"
End reading config file.
then i scroll down a lil more and i see this...
Quote:
Third pass: Collapsing unneeded nodes...
Removing node "base01"
Removing node "start01"
Removing node "eye"
Removing node "cam"
wha???? is that supposed to happen?
#9
12/29/2004 (9:39 am)
Regarding the exporting of meshes to .X format, when I load the .X objects back into GameSpace, the scale values aren't set to zero. Shouldn't they be or do the values just get frozen. For example once I bring the hub nodes back into Gamespace in .X format, the scale values still are set .125. Am I exporting the nodes incorrectly? 
#10
12/29/2004 (10:00 am)
I'm confused by the first posting in this Thread...and the image from the SE posted. I thought the nodes used; ie, Mount0, Eye, Cam, and the emitters named contrail, etc, need to be part of the shape subTree of the object??? They appear[in this thread] to be at the Detail subTree???, and not part of the shape...! Is this how a vehicle needs to be setup? I don't find anything in v2 of the Dark Industries documentation demonstrating that.
#11
12/29/2004 (10:25 am)
In your .cfg file make sure you don't have the _ in front of the node name. The _ should only appear in the name of the node mesh in the scene editor and not in the cfg file. This is because there are no non geometry objects in gameSpace (nulls) so we use the _ as a switch to tell the exporter to ignore the mesh of the object and only export its location.
#13
The easiest option is to use the scale normalizer TSX that was written by Luke Derossi to freeze the object scale because you don't have to export and then re-import all of your objects back into the scene.
12/29/2004 (10:30 am)
If you select an object in gameSpace and then under the axes tools click on the icon "normalize scale" if the object resizes to its actual size then there is still a scale factor applied to the mesh.The easiest option is to use the scale normalizer TSX that was written by Luke Derossi to freeze the object scale because you don't have to export and then re-import all of your objects back into the scene.
#14
12/29/2004 (10:36 am)
Dont forget to move all of your nodes into the start01 group. In your screen capture your mount, mass, jetnozzle and contrail nodes are in base01 and should be in the start01 group. 
Torque Owner Josiah Wang
my scene is called flyer.scn, and i don't see an cfg file for it...do i have to make one? If so, how?
thanks for helping a noob ^^