Lightmaps baked from Lightwave into Torque
by Tim Betts · in Artist Corner · 03/25/2005 (9:58 am) · 7 replies
Let's say I have a valid MAP file and I use QuArK or some other tool to save it as a DXF file and then import it into Lightwave. Is it possible to use Lightwave's lights to bake illumination such that it could subsequently be used to generate a lightmap that Torque could use? Does such a process already exist? Is it unrealistic?
Perhaps I mean being able to substitute map2dif's lightmap generation with my own lightmap? I'm sure this has come up before? Sorry if this is a game-development newbie question.
Thanks -- Tim.
Perhaps I mean being able to substitute map2dif's lightmap generation with my own lightmap? I'm sure this has come up before? Sorry if this is a game-development newbie question.
Thanks -- Tim.
#2
Gnometech did the DTS exporter.
Both different companies. Greenbriar's exporter for GameSpace is pretty nice, though.
@Tim
You would have to reprogram the lightmapping routines in the engine and in the exporter to support LW baking, I believe.
EDIT: Attempt to answer Tim
03/14/2006 (6:01 pm)
That's Greenbriar...and it doesn't support texture baking. I can't say right now that I'd recommend it as a tool. I'm going to do some more playing but I remember now why I stopped trying to force a polysoup castle peg through a pinhole sized csg hole and used Quark instead (now 3DWS).Gnometech did the DTS exporter.
Both different companies. Greenbriar's exporter for GameSpace is pretty nice, though.
@Tim
You would have to reprogram the lightmapping routines in the engine and in the exporter to support LW baking, I believe.
EDIT: Attempt to answer Tim
#3
03/14/2006 (6:24 pm)
Erm... why bother about texture baking? The lightmaps are generated on the fly by Torque. Or am I missing the point?
#4
Yeah, guess I was wanting to do all my lighting design in Lightwave so I could do it very rapidly in conjunction with FPrime, then find a way to get that in to Torque. I guess if everything was static DTS with simple collision meshes I would simply have to make sure everything is UV mapped and bake the lighting into the textures. However, I was wondering how I do this for DIF's though on a large interior building. I guess if I bake large enough textures.
Guess I was just trying to avoid using Torque's lighting and the cycle of having to go into the Torque Editor, place a light, fiddle with the parameters, compile and run the map, etc., and never really getting the look I'm want, when I would prefer to design it in realtime with FPrime in Lightwave.
I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice to get me on the right production path from the start utilizing Lightwave.
Cheers -- Tim.
03/15/2006 (4:48 am)
Hey Andy. Yeah, guess I was wanting to do all my lighting design in Lightwave so I could do it very rapidly in conjunction with FPrime, then find a way to get that in to Torque. I guess if everything was static DTS with simple collision meshes I would simply have to make sure everything is UV mapped and bake the lighting into the textures. However, I was wondering how I do this for DIF's though on a large interior building. I guess if I bake large enough textures.
Guess I was just trying to avoid using Torque's lighting and the cycle of having to go into the Torque Editor, place a light, fiddle with the parameters, compile and run the map, etc., and never really getting the look I'm want, when I would prefer to design it in realtime with FPrime in Lightwave.
I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice to get me on the right production path from the start utilizing Lightwave.
Cheers -- Tim.
#5
03/15/2006 (7:55 am)
I would honestly recommend using multiple tools unless you want to hire a tools programmer to make your workflow work perfectly for you.
#6
03/15/2006 (2:25 pm)
Off topic how is FPrime? How much and where can I get it? I heard it was taken off the market at one point...
#7
Just go to www.worley.com. It's $399. Expensive, but it's truly amazing with Lightwave, just look at the videos they have of actual real-time usage. Even tweaking lights with radiosity enabled is extremely fast. Just perfect for developing lighting setups in real-time.
I know it's still active because I recently asked them if it worked with Lightwave 9 (Open Beta) and they said it did, although it doesn't support Lightwave 9's new features as yet. However, that's no big deal to me. I've been out of the game development for a while, so I haven't taken the plunge, but I would buy it in a heartbeat, it's a no brainer if you're doing anything serious in Lightwave.
Just my 2 pennies worth. Cheers -- Tim.
03/16/2006 (4:26 am)
Hey Andy - Just go to www.worley.com. It's $399. Expensive, but it's truly amazing with Lightwave, just look at the videos they have of actual real-time usage. Even tweaking lights with radiosity enabled is extremely fast. Just perfect for developing lighting setups in real-time.
I know it's still active because I recently asked them if it worked with Lightwave 9 (Open Beta) and they said it did, although it doesn't support Lightwave 9's new features as yet. However, that's no big deal to me. I've been out of the game development for a while, so I haven't taken the plunge, but I would buy it in a heartbeat, it's a no brainer if you're doing anything serious in Lightwave.
Just my 2 pennies worth. Cheers -- Tim.
Associate Andy Hawkins
DrewFX