2 PureLight Issue that are show stopppers for us right now.
by James Brad Barnette · in pureLIGHT · 05/31/2011 (1:58 pm) · 20 replies
ok 1 when we do an export out of Purelight and then copy the files that are exported over and put the .mis file into the leaves directly and then grab the shapes folder out from under art and then insert it under art in out project, when we load the leaves created by purlight we are getting some of the objects are not using the lightmap in the correct UV set. It seems that it is inserting the light-maps using the default UV set instead of the second one.
the other issue while not that big of a deal is kinda annoying in a couple ways. First off when theT3D export is done and it builds the folders it copies everything but the light-maps. Why on earth? Second .tga? is this really the best format? isnt there something that would be better like maybe dds or something?
Anyway we are dead in the water until we can figure out what is going on this the pieces of the level and I really need to get a preview build to the client
Also am I missing something but PL creates light-maps. Right? Shouldn't they be connected to the light-map port on the material and not the tone map port?
the other issue while not that big of a deal is kinda annoying in a couple ways. First off when theT3D export is done and it builds the folders it copies everything but the light-maps. Why on earth? Second .tga? is this really the best format? isnt there something that would be better like maybe dds or something?
Anyway we are dead in the water until we can figure out what is going on this the pieces of the level and I really need to get a preview build to the client
Also am I missing something but PL creates light-maps. Right? Shouldn't they be connected to the light-map port on the material and not the tone map port?
About the author
#2
05/31/2011 (2:48 pm)
Hey James, we are just getting the next release ready and I'll mention this to Tom and see what he says. 
#3
You can convert the light maps into any format you want after the fact. TGA was chosen as its an extremely simple file format that is pretty much universally supported and is completely loseless. We do support other engines that don't allow for DDS importing at all. Though, this would be something we could add in as an option.
It should be copying in the lightmaps. Is this happening on the first time you are exporting the scene to T3D, or are you re-exporting a scene to T3D?
As for the swapped uv-channels. What type of meshes are these? And can we have an example of one that is causing this to happen?
05/31/2011 (3:14 pm)
pureLIGHT's light maps should be connected to the tone map slot, as that material slot will treat the lightmaps as having hdr data in them, and was designed specifically for use with pureLIGHT.You can convert the light maps into any format you want after the fact. TGA was chosen as its an extremely simple file format that is pretty much universally supported and is completely loseless. We do support other engines that don't allow for DDS importing at all. Though, this would be something we could add in as an option.
It should be copying in the lightmaps. Is this happening on the first time you are exporting the scene to T3D, or are you re-exporting a scene to T3D?
As for the swapped uv-channels. What type of meshes are these? And can we have an example of one that is causing this to happen?
#4
It looks great in PL but it is not exporting.
05/31/2011 (3:25 pm)
I tried redoing everything from scratch even in a new directory structure and it is not making the art/shapes folder at all not even on first export.It looks great in PL but it is not exporting.
#5
Perhaps not related but I once had a problem where I updated/re-exported my mesh (same name as the previous one) from app to PL and but it didn't update the UV because I hadn't deleted (manually) the first one. Deleting the old UV info allowed PL to create a new one for the updated mesh.
05/31/2011 (3:32 pm)
Quote:It seems that it is inserting the light-maps using the default UV set instead of the second one.
Perhaps not related but I once had a problem where I updated/re-exported my mesh (same name as the previous one) from app to PL and but it didn't update the UV because I hadn't deleted (manually) the first one. Deleting the old UV info allowed PL to create a new one for the updated mesh.
#6
05/31/2011 (3:38 pm)
Is the mission file being created? Are there any file permissions blocking the art/shapes folder from being created?
#7
Don't get me wrong I know what you were trying to do and I know why you did it that way. But it just makes assumptions that don't really fit everyone's workflow.
for instance when we create a project say an environment. we use Softimage
and under that softimage project folder softimage creates a lot of folders one that we have it create is a folder called PureLight. then in that folder is where the PL scene file goes as well as all of the exported .dae files and the textures folder and all of that jazz. We also have a folder under there created called T3D this is where we usually publish out of PL.
but if we tell it to save here PL currently will traverse back up one level and create the art folder. This is very annoying. So I guess if something cannot be done about it then I guess our only option is to create a folder called levels under T3D then.
So that solves that mystery. No as for the issue with the wrong UV space. what it turned out being. "this is the same scene I'm talking about BTW" was for some reason in this scene the Light-maps were being place in the tone-map and the diffuse slots in the materials. giving a very messed up look. Once we went through and manually changed all of the materials diffuse textures back top the right ones then all was right with the world. I still have no explanation why it happens like that on this scene. It is something that we have not scene in a single other Environment that we have done. and for some reason this one will do it every time no matter what and no other scene will.
strange.
06/01/2011 (8:02 am)
ok so I found the issue. where ever you tell it to export the mission file. it automatically navigates back up a level and then creates the art folder. There really needs to be a way to not do this. This is very annoying. If nothing else then the place you tell it to save should have a levels folder created and then store the file in there. PL currently is making an assumption that you are saving directly out to you game project and this is not the case. we save back out to a asset sever and then go get what we need to built a testing folder. Don't get me wrong I know what you were trying to do and I know why you did it that way. But it just makes assumptions that don't really fit everyone's workflow.
for instance when we create a project say an environment. we use Softimage
and under that softimage project folder softimage creates a lot of folders one that we have it create is a folder called PureLight. then in that folder is where the PL scene file goes as well as all of the exported .dae files and the textures folder and all of that jazz. We also have a folder under there created called T3D this is where we usually publish out of PL.
but if we tell it to save here PL currently will traverse back up one level and create the art folder. This is very annoying. So I guess if something cannot be done about it then I guess our only option is to create a folder called levels under T3D then.
So that solves that mystery. No as for the issue with the wrong UV space. what it turned out being. "this is the same scene I'm talking about BTW" was for some reason in this scene the Light-maps were being place in the tone-map and the diffuse slots in the materials. giving a very messed up look. Once we went through and manually changed all of the materials diffuse textures back top the right ones then all was right with the world. I still have no explanation why it happens like that on this scene. It is something that we have not scene in a single other Environment that we have done. and for some reason this one will do it every time no matter what and no other scene will.
strange.
#8
06/01/2011 (8:05 am)
Anyway so whats new in "what I assume will be 1.7"?
#9
I'm not sure what would be causing the wrong UV space issue. That is something I'd like to track down and fix. If you could provide us with a simple sample mesh that has this issue, that would go a long ways.
The next release is largely a collection of bug fixes. It also has a few improvements to the preview renderer, and has a number of memory optimizations in it (mostly beneficial for the 32 bit version).
We have some neat new features in development, but, its too early to talk about those just yet.
06/01/2011 (9:30 am)
Yeah we are assuming that you are exporting directly into a T3D directory structure.I'm not sure what would be causing the wrong UV space issue. That is something I'd like to track down and fix. If you could provide us with a simple sample mesh that has this issue, that would go a long ways.
The next release is largely a collection of bug fixes. It also has a few improvements to the preview renderer, and has a number of memory optimizations in it (mostly beneficial for the 32 bit version).
We have some neat new features in development, but, its too early to talk about those just yet.
#10
what is causing these dark spots?
www.3dmotif.com/gg_support/shelf_issue.jpg yeah forum is clipping it.
Also I have a couple nit picky feature request. when I click a button in PreLight or inside of purelight to go find a mesh or add a texture. it always starts from the Users/Documents director. This is very irritating and it should start at the root "where the scene file was created"
Second in prelight in the upper right hand corner where it shows you the Light-map layout. The small size is very hard to see sometimes. So can you make it so if you double click it it opens it 1:1 in a floating window or something?
06/02/2011 (11:49 am)
ok so here is something new:what is causing these dark spots?
www.3dmotif.com/gg_support/shelf_issue.jpg yeah forum is clipping it.
Also I have a couple nit picky feature request. when I click a button in PreLight or inside of purelight to go find a mesh or add a texture. it always starts from the Users/Documents director. This is very irritating and it should start at the root "where the scene file was created"
Second in prelight in the upper right hand corner where it shows you the Light-map layout. The small size is very hard to see sometimes. So can you make it so if you double click it it opens it 1:1 in a floating window or something?
#11
You could try seperating the interior and exterior into seperate meshes. But, I'd try changing to LMA filtering first if its an LM mesh.
All of the file dialogs should be reopening to the last place that they were pointing at.
Added in a pop-up floating window when you double-click on the preview.
06/02/2011 (1:33 pm)
That's new to us as well. Your geometry looks good, might be a filtering issue. Are you using LM or LMA style filtering on this mesh?You could try seperating the interior and exterior into seperate meshes. But, I'd try changing to LMA filtering first if its an LM mesh.
All of the file dialogs should be reopening to the last place that they were pointing at.
Added in a pop-up floating window when you double-click on the preview.
#13
[edit] i was looking at the forum not the link. i was looking at differnt dark spots... i see which ones you mean now. odd... i dont have much experience with tris, sorry
06/03/2011 (2:37 pm)
The dark spots look like they are following the wires in the tri's of the mesh. Does it do the same if you model in quads?[edit] i was looking at the forum not the link. i was looking at differnt dark spots... i see which ones you mean now. odd... i dont have much experience with tris, sorry
#14
06/03/2011 (2:55 pm)
If you do a lighting preview raytraced render, do the dark spots still show up? 
#16
06/06/2011 (1:35 pm)
That is really strange. I've never seen anything like that before. If you send us a copy of that mesh I can take a closer look at what is going on, I can't really tell what is going on from these screenshots alone.
#17
06/16/2011 (2:23 pm)
Was the mesh set to block light on both sides? I found a strange floating point precision case that can affect meshes that have their back faces also set to block lighting (the light ray hits the front side, but due to precision is slightly behind the triangle, it bounces, hits the back side of the triangle, which can either cause the ray to be terminated due to the bounce limit (resulting in a shadow) or finally getting free and passing through the triangle on either side. This might not be the issue you were having, but, its been fixed now.
#18
06/16/2011 (3:59 pm)
I tried it both ways. I will try to pack it up and send it to you in the morning. 
#19
07/21/2011 (1:05 pm)
I am watching this thread and would appreciate info on a resolution to the problem. Thank you for finding and starting the thread James. 
Torque Owner James Brad Barnette
3Dmotif LLC