QuARK Export settings?
by Mitovo · in Torque Game Engine · 03/31/2004 (5:16 pm) · 11 replies
Okay,
I've reinstalled QuARK because I realize it's probably the best and most efficient way to export interiors, given its internal support for Torque...
However, I'm still having the same trouble I did before.. getting "texture not found" type messages, etc. and I cannot understand why.
What I find odd is why I'm able to convert a .map exported from Cartography Shop - which has no direct support for Torque - to DIF just fine. Yet, in QuARK, which supports Torque internally, I get errors every time and no .dif file.
I've been through Desmond Fletcher's site several times already. Nothing there really provides the info I'm looking for. He goes over the folder structure, and gives the different export options a quick go-over, but does not go into detail as to what the best way is to set up an environment for Torque, and why.. And this is what is driving me the craziest.
Is there some proper set of steps I'm supposed to follow to export a map and convert it properly? Maybe I'm supposed to create the .map first then convert it, or something? That's what I'm not understanding.
Also, if someone could provide me a good tip of where to store textures for use while creating interiors, that'd be good. That's also confusing me.. I don't know if QuARK requires or encourages a specific location for textures to be stored and imported from.
Who knows, if I can get this working, I might just give QuaRK another go as an editor, despite all my rants.
Thank you in advance!
Mike
I've reinstalled QuARK because I realize it's probably the best and most efficient way to export interiors, given its internal support for Torque...
However, I'm still having the same trouble I did before.. getting "texture not found" type messages, etc. and I cannot understand why.
What I find odd is why I'm able to convert a .map exported from Cartography Shop - which has no direct support for Torque - to DIF just fine. Yet, in QuARK, which supports Torque internally, I get errors every time and no .dif file.
I've been through Desmond Fletcher's site several times already. Nothing there really provides the info I'm looking for. He goes over the folder structure, and gives the different export options a quick go-over, but does not go into detail as to what the best way is to set up an environment for Torque, and why.. And this is what is driving me the craziest.
Is there some proper set of steps I'm supposed to follow to export a map and convert it properly? Maybe I'm supposed to create the .map first then convert it, or something? That's what I'm not understanding.
Also, if someone could provide me a good tip of where to store textures for use while creating interiors, that'd be good. That's also confusing me.. I don't know if QuARK requires or encourages a specific location for textures to be stored and imported from.
Who knows, if I can get this working, I might just give QuaRK another go as an editor, despite all my rants.
Thank you in advance!
Mike
About the author
#2
Hey! Wow.. I hadn't even ever found that resource. I got it set up fine - luckily I'd just reinstalled QuARK from scratch (again), because I did something to goof up the first one - every time I would export a map it would create another QuarkTMP folder *inside* the one that's already there. So I just had to unzip that file over it. And.. it seems nicer already :-)
Some more questions: (I have already done forum searches and have looked through the info-base for these answers, but could not find them):
1. For the Project 1, Project 2 folders, etc. Can those be re-named, and/or have more such folders added - or is that something somehow tied to how you've set up that config? I can see that folder structure being very useful.
2. Something else I don't understand... There are these two icons on the object creation panel that are just labeled "local", but they don't seem to serve any purpose. I've been deleting them.. are they use for/assigned to anything in particular?
3. Is there a key/mouse shortcut for rotating objects? I can't seem to find it or figure it out. How about one for uniform scale, or do I have to use those buttons to make the object smaller/larger uniformly? Or, at least just scaling an object at the "volume" level, and not vertex by vertex? It's rather a pain when trying to resize a column.
4. Is there some specific order of steps to follow to export something properly? See, I think that might be the root of alot of my frustration. I'm under the impression that it's a "one-click-deal" - click on "Create DIF Only" or whatever that command is.. That doesn't work. So then I select "Export Map", and that works.. then "Create DIF" and that seems to give problems.. Is there something I'm missing or doing out of order, etc?
5. Is there a way to "unlock" the auto-sort in the short-cut tab (where the little icons for different objects go in the upper-left corner), so I can organize the different objects into rows by type, etc?
6.Is there any way to preview the lighting in QuARK without having to export it to Torque first?
Anyway.. I'll give it a shot and see what I can manage to blow up.. Heheh..
Thank you for the link.. :-)
Take care,
Mike
03/31/2004 (7:11 pm)
Eric,Hey! Wow.. I hadn't even ever found that resource. I got it set up fine - luckily I'd just reinstalled QuARK from scratch (again), because I did something to goof up the first one - every time I would export a map it would create another QuarkTMP folder *inside* the one that's already there. So I just had to unzip that file over it. And.. it seems nicer already :-)
Some more questions: (I have already done forum searches and have looked through the info-base for these answers, but could not find them):
1. For the Project 1, Project 2 folders, etc. Can those be re-named, and/or have more such folders added - or is that something somehow tied to how you've set up that config? I can see that folder structure being very useful.
2. Something else I don't understand... There are these two icons on the object creation panel that are just labeled "local", but they don't seem to serve any purpose. I've been deleting them.. are they use for/assigned to anything in particular?
3. Is there a key/mouse shortcut for rotating objects? I can't seem to find it or figure it out. How about one for uniform scale, or do I have to use those buttons to make the object smaller/larger uniformly? Or, at least just scaling an object at the "volume" level, and not vertex by vertex? It's rather a pain when trying to resize a column.
4. Is there some specific order of steps to follow to export something properly? See, I think that might be the root of alot of my frustration. I'm under the impression that it's a "one-click-deal" - click on "Create DIF Only" or whatever that command is.. That doesn't work. So then I select "Export Map", and that works.. then "Create DIF" and that seems to give problems.. Is there something I'm missing or doing out of order, etc?
5. Is there a way to "unlock" the auto-sort in the short-cut tab (where the little icons for different objects go in the upper-left corner), so I can organize the different objects into rows by type, etc?
6.Is there any way to preview the lighting in QuARK without having to export it to Torque first?
Anyway.. I'll give it a shot and see what I can manage to blow up.. Heheh..
Thank you for the link.. :-)
Take care,
Mike
#3
You can change the folder names. I don't know the keys to rotate (I'm sure you can find them in there, though). Not sure on the auto-sort, either (never really needed to sort), but if you click on the little "New Item" icon to the left of the compass you might have that option.
Good luck!
-Eric F
03/31/2004 (8:46 pm)
You're welcome, Mike.You can change the folder names. I don't know the keys to rotate (I'm sure you can find them in there, though). Not sure on the auto-sort, either (never really needed to sort), but if you click on the little "New Item" icon to the left of the compass you might have that option.
Good luck!
-Eric F
#4
Okay, well I think I answered #4 in my last post.. about there being a specific order of steps to follow.. It seems to be "yes"..
Here's what I did:
1. Prepare Textures
2. Export to .MAP
3. Create .DIF
And it worked fine.
Now.. I remember someone posting a way to have it do all that in one step... Have to go back through my tracked posts to find it...
Thanks again!
Mike
03/31/2004 (9:16 pm)
Hello again..Okay, well I think I answered #4 in my last post.. about there being a specific order of steps to follow.. It seems to be "yes"..
Here's what I did:
1. Prepare Textures
2. Export to .MAP
3. Create .DIF
And it worked fine.
Now.. I remember someone posting a way to have it do all that in one step... Have to go back through my tracked posts to find it...
Thanks again!
Mike
#5
I use one of the three different "Export220Map/Build High Detail DIF to (location)" menu items to both create the map file and then export the dif file to the correct location in one step.
(edit - fixing image link)
03/31/2004 (11:43 pm)
Here is what my Quark menu looks like:I use one of the three different "Export220Map/Build High Detail DIF to (location)" menu items to both create the map file and then export the dif file to the correct location in one step.
(edit - fixing image link)
#6
Thanks for the screenshot! :-)
Okay, so you just set up a different folder for each of those export options?
Hmmm... I'm noticing yours are completely differently labeled than what I'm seeing in mine (obviously configured for a specific game). And, those dividers are placed differently.. How do you do that? Is there a text file somewhere that you edit?
I really would experiment with this all myself, but I've just gotten QuARK to where I can use it and actually *export* something, so I don't want to modify something wrong and mess it all up.. heh.
Thanks again!
04/01/2004 (3:27 am)
Hi, Kevin,Thanks for the screenshot! :-)
Okay, so you just set up a different folder for each of those export options?
Hmmm... I'm noticing yours are completely differently labeled than what I'm seeing in mine (obviously configured for a specific game). And, those dividers are placed differently.. How do you do that? Is there a text file somewhere that you edit?
I really would experiment with this all myself, but I've just gotten QuARK to where I can use it and actually *export* something, so I don't want to modify something wrong and mess it all up.. heh.
Thanks again!
#7
Also, make sure you've checked off export map and export textures on the customize menu.
This probably isn't the exact syntax you'll want for your own game, but it should be close enough that you can customize it from there.
04/01/2004 (6:02 am)
Customize menu will allow you to name the operation, and place the seperators. You tell each menu item to call build program #x, which is set up under Edit->configuration->torque. The one step build program reads something like -v -l -o ./maps -t ./textures %mapfile%Also, make sure you've checked off export map and export textures on the customize menu.
This probably isn't the exact syntax you'll want for your own game, but it should be close enough that you can customize it from there.
#8
04/01/2004 (8:36 am)
Like Erik said I just used the customize menu selection to set it up. The only difference between those three menu selections is where the dif file is exported to. Basically I just set it up to make my workflow go smoothly for my current project.
#9
I must have completely overlooked that.
I do have another question or two, though..
Is the whole process of preparing textures, exporting to map and then creating a .dif file done through switches in the command-line itself? I know I saw documentation on the different switches for map2dif somewhere, but it's eluding me where.
Also, what's the difference between a 'High Detail Dif' and a lower detail one, etc? Is that what determines the resolution of the lightmapping, etc?
Thanks once again! :-)
Take care,
Mike
04/01/2004 (9:37 am)
Ahh, okay.I must have completely overlooked that.
I do have another question or two, though..
Is the whole process of preparing textures, exporting to map and then creating a .dif file done through switches in the command-line itself? I know I saw documentation on the different switches for map2dif somewhere, but it's eluding me where.
Also, what's the difference between a 'High Detail Dif' and a lower detail one, etc? Is that what determines the resolution of the lightmapping, etc?
Thanks once again! :-)
Take care,
Mike
#10
04/01/2004 (10:46 am)
Quote:Also, what's the difference between a 'High Detail Dif' and a lower detail one, etc?.dif files support LOD
Torque 3D Owner Eric Forhan
The original link no longer works, so scroll down to the last message for a good one.
Arggh... I just noticed my message I posted there with the link got lost! I will make a new one now.
-Eric F
Edit: Links fixed (you'll have to cut-n-paste to get it to work).