Is PureLIGHT a good choice for me?
by Lewis Bibby · in pureLIGHT · 06/06/2011 (4:05 pm) · 11 replies
Hello there!
I'm interested in purchasing pureLIGHT but I have some things I'd like to make sure of before I do so if anyone could help me that would be great.
The levels in my game are made up of different statics that I reuse (such as trees and platforms) and I put these levels together in the Torque world editor. I would like to use PureLIGHT to illuminate my entire level (except of course main character and animated shapes) but from what I've seen of the process it appears you use pureLIGHT in-between your 3D software and the engine itself and I was thinking since it appears this way how would I light the entire level in pureLIGHT . If I had to export then re-import the entire level into pureLIGHT how would I go about doing that? I hope it's easy to understand my concerns I didn't find it easy to explain them so any more information you need I'd be willing to give.
I was also wondering will I be able to gain back some frames per second by baking light maps in this manner instead of having mostly everything cast dynamic shadows.
Thanks for the help.
I'm interested in purchasing pureLIGHT but I have some things I'd like to make sure of before I do so if anyone could help me that would be great.
The levels in my game are made up of different statics that I reuse (such as trees and platforms) and I put these levels together in the Torque world editor. I would like to use PureLIGHT to illuminate my entire level (except of course main character and animated shapes) but from what I've seen of the process it appears you use pureLIGHT in-between your 3D software and the engine itself and I was thinking since it appears this way how would I light the entire level in pureLIGHT . If I had to export then re-import the entire level into pureLIGHT how would I go about doing that? I hope it's easy to understand my concerns I didn't find it easy to explain them so any more information you need I'd be willing to give.
I was also wondering will I be able to gain back some frames per second by baking light maps in this manner instead of having mostly everything cast dynamic shadows.
Thanks for the help.
#2
Also watching your video makes me envious haha I'd really love to find a way to make this lighting system work for my game. Also the scale of your level is seriously impressive.
06/06/2011 (5:37 pm)
I think the part that worries me here is the "You can create your level...using multiple meshes in "your favourite 3D app"". The game I'm making is a platformer and so putting the levels together inside torque itself is a must for testing how it plays and making constant changes on the fly. I don't think it'd be viable for me using my current workflow to design the levels in 3D studio max.Also watching your video makes me envious haha I'd really love to find a way to make this lighting system work for my game. Also the scale of your level is seriously impressive.
#3
06/06/2011 (5:54 pm)
I'm not sure if the internal T3D "export to collada" function includes the position information of the model or not ... you could test it and import into Max and see ...
#4
06/06/2011 (6:03 pm)
I think using the PureLIGHT demo I might try just exporting the platforms from my scene into 3DS Max and re-building the level from scratch using that as a template ready for importing into PureLIGHT 
#5
It's on my list to develop an export to purelight function within T3D, either using the inbuilt collada export or a variant of the level export I'm working on for my AI navMesh stuff.
Just ported it over to 1.1 final and got a couple of bits to fix but that's an image of deathball desert export to recast.
Should just need to write that out to a collada format rather than .obj it's currently in -- may need to remove terrain too as purelight won't use that.
06/07/2011 (5:27 am)
It's exactly the reason I've not picked up a copy of purelight so far I'm just not keen on the whole building your level in 3D modelling app -- I move stuff far too often in the world editor changing things as I go along.It's on my list to develop an export to purelight function within T3D, either using the inbuilt collada export or a variant of the level export I'm working on for my AI navMesh stuff.
Just ported it over to 1.1 final and got a couple of bits to fix but that's an image of deathball desert export to recast.
Should just need to write that out to a collada format rather than .obj it's currently in -- may need to remove terrain too as purelight won't use that.
#6
... recast ... cough ... resource ... cough ...
Also on the note of PL, I lightmap the interiors and props inside all of my buildings and then put them together as prefabs in T3D (external shell (non-lightmapped ->lightmapped interior -> lightmapped furniture) - it really helps get rid of the horrible blanks areas of shadowing inside buildings, and stops external penetrating lighting affecting the scene in Basic Lighting.
06/07/2011 (5:35 am)
*cough*... recast ... cough ... resource ... cough ...
Also on the note of PL, I lightmap the interiors and props inside all of my buildings and then put them together as prefabs in T3D (external shell (non-lightmapped ->lightmapped interior -> lightmapped furniture) - it really helps get rid of the horrible blanks areas of shadowing inside buildings, and stops external penetrating lighting affecting the scene in Basic Lighting.
#7
Whilst I can see PureLIGHT is infinitely useful like in Steve's case I think without a Torque 3D to PureLIGHT and then back again pipeline it's just not viable for me to risk re/building an entire level in 3DS Max and using it to light each of my assets individually just wouldn't provide the full cover of lighting I'd need like meshes casting shadows onto different meshes In different places In different parts of the levels.
I may have to let this one simmer for now
06/07/2011 (6:08 am)
A resource like that would probably make me reconsider not purchasing PureLIGHT. It's reassuring to know that at least one other person has the same issue as me, for a moment there i though my method of level building was very backwards.Whilst I can see PureLIGHT is infinitely useful like in Steve's case I think without a Torque 3D to PureLIGHT and then back again pipeline it's just not viable for me to risk re/building an entire level in 3DS Max and using it to light each of my assets individually just wouldn't provide the full cover of lighting I'd need like meshes casting shadows onto different meshes In different places In different parts of the levels.
I may have to let this one simmer for now
#8
Many modeling software (with we already realize your assets), also opensource as Blender, include some way to calculate the lightmap with radiosity and bake them, and so often even faster.
I must say that the PureLight OL i liked them a lot =D
Also... is better to shape, texturize, baking and exporting from a single program. Another thing is to create a intrinsic pipeline. Then export to import and re-export and re-import to re-export... and bla bla bla
06/07/2011 (7:14 am)
I've had the opportunity to try the PureLight. And frankly, i do not know how valid as a choice the purchase.Many modeling software (with we already realize your assets), also opensource as Blender, include some way to calculate the lightmap with radiosity and bake them, and so often even faster.
I must say that the PureLight OL i liked them a lot =D
Also... is better to shape, texturize, baking and exporting from a single program. Another thing is to create a intrinsic pipeline. Then export to import and re-export and re-import to re-export... and bla bla bla
#9
We do support incrementally updating a Torque mission file. So you can make some iterative updates on your level.
Myself, I would suggest testing out the gameplay of your levels first in either an unlit or really basic lighting environment, and baking them once as you feel you have the gameplay right.
@Andy Rollins - You can import obj files into pureLIGHT directly, you don't need to turn them into collada files first. For terrain, you could bake in vertex lighting and then bring that back into Torque. If you need help with creating a T3D to pureLIGHT exporter, feel free to ask me any questions and I'll see what I can do.
06/07/2011 (9:17 am)
Hey Lewis, this is definitely a concern of ours, the process of taking a Torque 3D level out of T3D and back into pureLIGHT. We're open to suggestions on improving the process.We do support incrementally updating a Torque mission file. So you can make some iterative updates on your level.
Myself, I would suggest testing out the gameplay of your levels first in either an unlit or really basic lighting environment, and baking them once as you feel you have the gameplay right.
@Andy Rollins - You can import obj files into pureLIGHT directly, you don't need to turn them into collada files first. For terrain, you could bake in vertex lighting and then bring that back into Torque. If you need help with creating a T3D to pureLIGHT exporter, feel free to ask me any questions and I'll see what I can do.
#10
Hopefully there will be some movement on this issue sooner rather than later so I can still contemplate using this lighting in my current project.
06/07/2011 (2:27 pm)
I can safely say that if there was a better back and forth between the two apps I would definitely purchase your application (I think your lighting solution is very impressive and manually baking and exporting light maps in a 3D app is just too much to contemplate for most small indie teams).Hopefully there will be some movement on this issue sooner rather than later so I can still contemplate using this lighting in my current project.
#11
However, I have chosen to do my prelighting in Modo, as I just can't get anything to work in PL. Btw, I always use Collada, and Modo sends it's Collada data as a whole scene. Which in turn makes me wonder why PL doesn't support loading of Collada scenes to begin with?
08/03/2011 (4:21 pm)
(Edited) I wrote my previous post in frustration. I have therefor removed it.However, I have chosen to do my prelighting in Modo, as I just can't get anything to work in PL. Btw, I always use Collada, and Modo sends it's Collada data as a whole scene. Which in turn makes me wonder why PL doesn't support loading of Collada scenes to begin with?
Associate Steve Acaster
[YorkshireRifles.com]
1. You can create your level (minus terrain - terrain has it's own (not terribly high quality) lightmapping inside T3D) using multiple meshes in "your favourite 3D app".
2. You export them as sections, individual models, etc in collada (dae) format (making sure that the MeshObjects (not the mesh itself) don't have rotation!) and import them into PL - they'll all arrive in the same place, based off where they were in your 3D from 0,0,0. (hence why you have to watch the rotation) You can also export the lights from your 3D app as singles or groups of the same light type/colour/intensity.
3. You bake your lightmaps in PL.
4. You export from PL, it gives you a mission file with all the objects in the correct place that you load into T3D.
If you check out my last blog I've a video of one of my levels that is entirely built in Blender and then imported into PL in multiple sections. It's a huge level and I've gone for "atmosphere" with colour rather than very precise shadowing. I use both lightmaps and dynamic lighting here.
And if you fancy you can download the demo and wander around the level (external camera is disabled so you'll be stuck in player mode and things will try shooting you though). If you set the lighting quality in options to "lowest" you'll see what it looks like without the dynamic lighting affecting the lightmaps on the geometry and just showing against the dynamic models (players/Ai).
Actually - here's a video showing what it looks like in Basic Lighting - linky.