Game Development Community

DTS shadows

by DarqueLord · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 05/20/2008 (2:26 pm) · 4 replies

How do I get a DTS to cast a shadow? Like for example a tree model? I created some houses and the shadows bake into the terrain after relighting the scene. This is not the case with my DTS trees. I have been using the sharp trees. Please help, DL out.

#1
10/25/2008 (8:57 pm)
Sorry for hijacking this old thread, but just for anyone else who chances upon this post.

TSSTatic shadowing is currently done based on the DTS objects's collision mesh. So yeah, your trees will NOT show up with tree-shadows when you relight the scene.
#2
10/26/2008 (5:57 am)
Unless you add a collision mesh, Or a null mesh.
#3
10/26/2008 (10:02 am)
You can also bake your own shadows into the terrain to make it appear as if a shadow is cast.
This doesn't work if your project has a moving Sun or Moon light but is fine for appearance otherwise.
#4
10/26/2008 (10:30 am)
You can use polysoup for collision, and make sure the replicator uses polysoup on the replicated statics. There's a resource on modifying the shape replicator to allow this.

Then you'd have pretty good shadows, but for trees it would probably not be the best approach, since the leaves on a plane would cast a shadow based on the plane, and not the texture's alpha. It'd still work for anything that doesn't use transparent textures though.