home -> http://dublpaws.googlepages.com/aurora
pk3 -> http://dublpaws.googlepages.com/aurora_v1r1.pk3

The triangle count is bit high. I'll take it on faith that it works in CTF mode.

Another great map, dubl!

Looking forward to the new Aurora effects you were mentioning...

Cool map. I like your use of curves, the general layout and the 'hidden ledges'. The aurora looks a little funny on the edges... but I suppose in the middle of fraggin' that'll be the last thing on my mind. I enjoy seeing your mapping style evolve, I wish more players would utilize them as (I believe) you have intended. All in due time I suppose! Keep up the good work.

Torus had some great idea about making this better.
1. To make the aurora more like a ribbon, which is absolutely right on.
2. To utilize the sky box idiom.

While playing on galts server there were some comments regarding its similarity to facing worlds, that I can not deny crossed my mind once or twice. It may be the case that the layout will have to change to mitigate the triangle count which causes noticeable lag.

more structural brushes are needed in any event.

A wall in the middle like Towers.

Code: Select all

+-----+-----+
|>    |    <|
+-----+-----+


or

Code: Select all

     +---+
     | V |
     |   |
+----.   |
|>     ~.|
+--------+


with side walls.

By the way Dublpaws, I made a nice texture map for the aurora model I sent you. It's not completely done (it should be animated, and it needs an alpha)- I'll do that when I get home. If you want it, I'll send it your way.

I think a wall in the middle would probably be awful. I like the L-shape concept far more (diagram #2).

Nicely done
But I hate space maps

There are so many of them now, and mostly it's just people kickin other players off.
That just doesn't seem like a fight to me.

looks very nice from the look of the screens.

though the vomit-green ground texture does not

Maybe you want to have a look at .ase models, they could help with the triangle problem (triangle count of >150'000 at some places).

sev, I've looked into .ASE with blender. I had to abandon that track. Why? Well This is what I did, wrote a small automation script:

Code: Select all

import os

cmds = ['./q3map2.x86 -v -game quake3 -fs_basepath "/home/dublpaws/nex-242/Nexuiz/" -bsp -meta -patchmeta -subdivisions 6 aurora.map',
        '/usr/lib/gtkradiant/q3map2.x86 -v -connect 127.0.0.1:39000 -game quake3 -fs_basepath "/home/dublpaws/nex-242/Nexuiz/" -fs_game data -meta -convert ase /home/dublpaws/nex-maps/aurora/aurora.bsp']
for cmd in cmds:
    print cmd
    print os.popen(cmd).read()


1. built a map of some patch meshes
2. compiled to bsp
3. converted to ase.
4. import to blender with ase-import-goofos-0.13.py
At this point in blender the imported model has no texturing. I thought maybe the import script tucked that information away somewhere. Guess not.
5. ase-export-6.10.py from blender back to ase
6. import misc_model into gtkradiant
7. ...
8. Hey man, where's the model? It's just a little cube that says shader not found.

I think somewhere between 4 and 5 the texturing information evaporates which leaves radiant in a lurch, unable to display the model.

The ASE export script is broken, forget it.

Use Blender's own OBJ export (with material groups enabled), and my GtkRadiant/q3map2 patch set (which they didn't accept into main svn yet). That worked fine for subseatrack.

You may need a _remap key then, though, or edit the .mtl file to reference the shaders you want (in the map_kd lines of the .mtl file).

You get that stuff from http://svn.icculus.org/nexuiz/trunk/misc/gtkradiant/

I've heard reports of people getting the .ase export script to work (tZork maybe?). Also, if you have Windows, 3ds Max has a functional .ase exporter.

i use this one http://www.katsbits.com/htm/tools_utilities.htm#ase and it seems to work just fine:



What does NOT work is using a model without a material. so you will need to edit your .ase file to have one.

to do this, open the exported ase with your favorite text editor and find this block:

Code: Select all

*MATERIAL_LIST {
   *MATERIAL_COUNT 0
}


and replace it with something like:

Code: Select all

*MATERIAL_LIST {
   *MATERIAL_COUNT 1
   *MATERIAL 0 {
      *MATERIAL_NAME "textures/terrain_dotproduct2/snow-rock05"
      *MATERIAL_CLASS "Standard"
      *MAP_DIFFUSE {
         *MAP_NAME "main"
         *MAP_CLASS "Bitmap"
         *BITMAP "W:\spel\Nexuiz-Dev\data\textures\terrain_dotproduct2\snow-rock05.jpg"
      }
   }
}


then at the very end of the file you have something like:

Code: Select all

   *PROP_MOTIONBLUR 0
   *PROP_CASTSHADOW 1
   *PROP_RECVSHADOW 1
}


you need to add a material reference here as *MATERIAL_REF 0 :

Code: Select all

   *PROP_MOTIONBLUR 0
   *PROP_CASTSHADOW 1
   *PROP_RECVSHADOW 1
   *MATERIAL_REF 0
}


maybe theres some better way, but this works. some python enlighten fella could probably add this to the export script easily.

if you give your mesh a material and a texture in blender then the ase will come out ok. all you need to do then is edit the bitmap line to something like this...

*BITMAP "/textures/mesh-skin.tga"

Cool, im so hopeless with blenders material system i prefer to avoid it :S

dublpaws wrote:sev, I've looked into .ASE with blender. I had to abandon that track. Why? Well This is what I did, wrote a small automation script:

Code: Select all

import os

cmds = ['./q3map2.x86 -v -game quake3 -fs_basepath "/home/dublpaws/nex-242/Nexuiz/" -bsp -meta -patchmeta -subdivisions 6 aurora.map',
        '/usr/lib/gtkradiant/q3map2.x86 -v -connect 127.0.0.1:39000 -game quake3 -fs_basepath "/home/dublpaws/nex-242/Nexuiz/" -fs_game data -meta -convert ase /home/dublpaws/nex-maps/aurora/aurora.bsp']
for cmd in cmds:
    print cmd
    print os.popen(cmd).read()


1. built a map of some patch meshes
2. compiled to bsp
3. converted to ase.
4. import to blender with ase-import-goofos-0.13.py
At this point in blender the imported model has no texturing. I thought maybe the import script tucked that information away somewhere. Guess not.
5. ase-export-6.10.py from blender back to ase
6. import misc_model into gtkradiant
7. ...
8. Hey man, where's the model? It's just a little cube that says shader not found.

I think somewhere between 4 and 5 the texturing information evaporates which leaves radiant in a lurch, unable to display the model.

I'm not sure what you want to do with blender, but it seems that at step 3 you have an ase model. What happens if you import that into Radiant (as a model, right click > misc > misc_model) ?

zuriastrad, Tzork, Praise the Lord Almighty god adding material worked. \o/ Looks like the normals are whacked though, probably a quick fix in blender.





sev, I'll try skipping the blender step. what I was hoping to do in blender is join patch meshes so the player character wouldn't get stuck at the abutment lines. This should also remove the visible holes. Blender also has a neat vertex "decimator", which should help with the triangle count.