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how can I get the same effect I had with DIF portal?

by Karen Geffert · in Torque 3D Professional · 01/13/2011 (10:19 pm) · 5 replies

I apologize if this is already explained, but I can't seem to search for this topic (even using the Google link) or find it discussed in other areas in a way that I can recognize. In TGE, I used DIF portals to make areas like tunnels and walkways dark (see screenshots, area in red boxes). Now I've ported to T3D and have lost that effect in my DIFs--I am still using DIFs because the texturing is messed up when I export to DAE and I don't have a DAE tool to fix, nor the time at this point.

Is there an equivalent lighting type functionality in T3D and if so, can you point me to the documentation, or tell me what I need to do?

On TGE:
www.virtualchurch.org/BRising/tge.jpg
On T3D:
www.virtualchurch.org/BRising/t3d_advancedlighting.jpg

Thank you in advance for your help!
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Torque Owner Brian Mayberry
Dead on Que Productions
#1
01/13/2011 (10:40 pm)
You might be able to tweak the SSAO post effect to give you decent looking results. Also, try fine tuning the sun's ambient to a darker blue for more contrast. However, short of running these through something like pureLIGHT I feel you might otherwise be out of luck.

Torque Owner Ian Backlund
Default Studio Name
#2
01/14/2011 (9:09 pm)
I am struggling with stuff like this too. I think what we really need is some way to define an area that lets you specifiy a different ambient value than the sun. That combined with SSAO I think will produce a pretty good dark interior appearance.

My 2 cents anyway.

Torque Owner Andy Hubbard
DS3D
#3
01/15/2011 (8:28 am)
I was hoping the zone system we have available now would do this but it does not seem to. Ideally we could place a zone and have a field that you set to use ambient light or not use ambient light.

Torque Owner Karen Geffert
Default Studio Name
#4
01/15/2011 (1:51 pm)
Yes,I too, was hoping that zones would allow us to control lighting as well, but didn't see any documentation on how to to do it. Thanks Brian, Ian, and Andy for responding. I'll play with the sun and shadows to see if I can get the effect I want.

Torque 3D Owner Andy Wright
BrokeAss Games
#5
01/15/2011 (7:41 pm)
You wont get it directly with just the ambient settings from the sun. you will have to use SSAO to get something close to it, but it still wont look like it did with TGE/TGEA portalled dif's

What you'll need to do is use them as shapes (DTS/Collada DAE) and externally lightmap them.

You will also 'need' to port all your old art from dif to dts at somepoint as difs are being depreciated and the lighting effects arent fully working on them. the same model as a properly exported dts looks so much better then the same model still in dif format. You can use something free like Deled to get from the Map source to Dae and keep the textures working good like they did as a dif.