TGEA 1.7] Issue with lighting of static shape (bug?)
by Frank Bignone · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 05/29/2008 (9:45 am) · 17 replies
I'm trying to display some hexagonal DTS (used for our map), and we have some issue with some some triangles missing, some weird things on the shading and texture too.
In the next screenshot, you will see the issue from stock TGEA 1.7, and you will see also the rendering inside TorqueShowToolPro which is correctly rendering.
You can download here the different DTS models if needed.
Note: I know that these models have many small triangles... It will changed, nevertheless I will like to know why it is an issue?
Thanks for all your help.
In the next screenshot, you will see the issue from stock TGEA 1.7, and you will see also the rendering inside TorqueShowToolPro which is correctly rendering.
You can download here the different DTS models if needed.
Note: I know that these models have many small triangles... It will changed, nevertheless I will like to know why it is an issue?
Thanks for all your help.
About the author
Real programmers don't waste time recompiling; they patch the binary files... ... Real programmers don't waste time patching binary files; they patch memory.
#2
By the way, I have checked with Basic lighting or Synapse Lighting and I got the same result.
05/29/2008 (11:17 am)
@Joseph: corrected now. thanks for your support ;)By the way, I have checked with Basic lighting or Synapse Lighting and I got the same result.
#4
05/29/2008 (12:52 pm)
Frank, Joseph, i was curious to see if this is a problem really, but when imported it in TGEA 1.0.7 as a static shape i don't see any problem with the geometry. huh! 
#7
The TGE stuff seems to be rendering correctly.
05/29/2008 (2:26 pm)
I loaded it in TGEA 1.7 (top) and TGE 1.5.2 (bottom) to see something was amiss.The TGE stuff seems to be rendering correctly.
#9
05/29/2008 (8:59 pm)
I have made a test with a new one, and it seems inside TGEA 1.0.3 it is correct but not inside TGEA 1.7. I'm asking my artist to provide the max model so I can share it with you in order to help for the bug resolution. 
I don't see any problems ,
#12
Did someone have some hints so I can try to solve this issue.
05/30/2008 (1:29 pm)
By removing sun light interaction, I can lower this artefact (www.garagegames.com/blogs/3519/14808); but the problem still occurs as I have a strange hexagon light inside the model and still the black triangle. Moreover, my artist sent me a new model and this one is almost completly dark...Did someone have some hints so I can try to solve this issue.
#13
There are a few things that could be wrong:
1. Using an old exporter? When I run this in the debug version of my codebase I end up with a weird assert that I think is being caused by memory corruption. This only happens when I load this shape, so maybe the data is bad or the TSShape/TSMesh code is reading it wrong. The bump map flag that Joseph mentions is also "fishy". I'd get the exporter version and settings straight.
2. Your clue about the sunlight made me think about the normals. I rigged up the TSMesh to dump the normals of your shape and they are all 0,0,0. You can also see this problem in the show tool (in a very subtle way). If you enable lighting and make your ambient and diffuse very strong colors, you'll find that you never see the diffuse only ambient, but if you load another model you'll see both. Which leads me back to wondering about the export.
It's interesting that 1.7 is failing in this way, we may have removed some support for older model formats? I don't really remember.
Hope this points you in the right direction.
05/30/2008 (4:19 pm)
The screenshots in your last plan look great!There are a few things that could be wrong:
1. Using an old exporter? When I run this in the debug version of my codebase I end up with a weird assert that I think is being caused by memory corruption. This only happens when I load this shape, so maybe the data is bad or the TSShape/TSMesh code is reading it wrong. The bump map flag that Joseph mentions is also "fishy". I'd get the exporter version and settings straight.
2. Your clue about the sunlight made me think about the normals. I rigged up the TSMesh to dump the normals of your shape and they are all 0,0,0. You can also see this problem in the show tool (in a very subtle way). If you enable lighting and make your ambient and diffuse very strong colors, you'll find that you never see the diffuse only ambient, but if you load another model you'll see both. Which leads me back to wondering about the export.
It's interesting that 1.7 is failing in this way, we may have removed some support for older model formats? I don't really remember.
Hope this points you in the right direction.
#14
@Brian: you are talking about an old exporter? Is the newest exporter the one available on your artist resources?
Thanks for support, I will look on my side too to see if I can find the issue... I need to solve it for my board map system.
05/31/2008 (7:51 am)
I just received the MAX model from the artist. If you will like to look at it, here it is for download: 3D Max model (for the texture, use from the first DTS archive)@Brian: you are talking about an old exporter? Is the newest exporter the one available on your artist resources?
Thanks for support, I will look on my side too to see if I can find the issue... I need to solve it for my board map system.
#15
I can't figure out why is this happening. However this problem must be solved the reason about it must come to light.
05/31/2008 (12:09 pm)
Yes, Joseph, i don't see them , I sought for the dark spots but i can't find them , huh .I can't figure out why is this happening. However this problem must be solved the reason about it must come to light.
#16
05/31/2008 (12:13 pm)
Look at the texturing on the same model in the screenshots I posted above and you'll see the texturing artifacts. You don't seem to be missing any faces, though.
#17
05/31/2008 (11:41 pm)
Oh, the shades, yes, I was looking for black spots. 
Torque Owner Redacted