Rendering Tree Leaves
by Chew Hong En · in Artist Corner · 11/05/2008 (4:46 am) · 4 replies
Hi people,
I have a tree modelled in 3ds max.
The leaves is plane primitive while the tree trunk is cylinder primitive.
The model imports properly into TGE but when I am standing under the tree the leaves
disappear. Can anyone tell me why this is so?
I mean when I am standing far away I can see the whole tree and the tree has been
scaled down so it's not so super tall.
I have a tree modelled in 3ds max.
The leaves is plane primitive while the tree trunk is cylinder primitive.
The model imports properly into TGE but when I am standing under the tree the leaves
disappear. Can anyone tell me why this is so?
I mean when I am standing far away I can see the whole tree and the tree has been
scaled down so it's not so super tall.
#2
11/05/2008 (4:22 pm)
Yes they are rendered on a single plane to save polygon. Isn't that how they do it for game elements such as hair.... leaves... windows.... What do you think?
#3
11/05/2008 (4:57 pm)
There should be an option in the DTS export window in Max, to set the material to "double sided".
#4
The default settings for the DTS exporter already has this "double sided" feature checked. I tried to disable node culling but it still did not work.
I listened to my friend's theory about this normal flipping thingy, fired up 3ds max and found the modifier "Normal", applied it to my object and export the DTS to torque. Sure enough, the leaves are visible when I am underneath the tree but not when I am above the tree in camera view!
SOoo, I went back to 3ds max and copied the planes where the leaves are and applied a "normal" modifier while preserving the default planes (which appears only from the top). Then I merged my mesh with the new copy of leaves and export the whole model to DTS again.
Open up torque and viola it works.
====
Basically, when a texture is mapped onto a plane it covers only the top of the plane. Imagine you have a paper with some drawings on it and now you place the paper on top of a pen. When you are holding the pen above your head you can't see the drawings unless your draw on two sides of the paper.
11/06/2008 (12:31 am)
PROBLEM SOLVED!The default settings for the DTS exporter already has this "double sided" feature checked. I tried to disable node culling but it still did not work.
I listened to my friend's theory about this normal flipping thingy, fired up 3ds max and found the modifier "Normal", applied it to my object and export the DTS to torque. Sure enough, the leaves are visible when I am underneath the tree but not when I am above the tree in camera view!
SOoo, I went back to 3ds max and copied the planes where the leaves are and applied a "normal" modifier while preserving the default planes (which appears only from the top). Then I merged my mesh with the new copy of leaves and export the whole model to DTS again.
Open up torque and viola it works.
====
Basically, when a texture is mapped onto a plane it covers only the top of the plane. Imagine you have a paper with some drawings on it and now you place the paper on top of a pen. When you are holding the pen above your head you can't see the drawings unless your draw on two sides of the paper.
Torque Owner Christian S
Oak-Entertainment