how to: custom trees

[5thranger]

hi guys,

my airport is taking shape and im need to start making my own greenery.

Using Gmax, I tried to create a tree by using a simple face with a map applied to it so I could start testing.

The map is a simple black square (256 x 256) with a tree centered, my thought was that since FS uses black as transparency, only the tree would show in the face, and the black area would disapear, thus, there's my tree.

Well, that didnt work as FS locks up upon loading the new scenery that includes that tree.

I made sure the texture is a DXT5 format, just like the other textures I've been using for my custom buildings.

Any ideas why is this happening?

Also, in GMAX, if I want to use transparency or reflection maps, since GMAX doesnt accept extended bitmaps, how do you guys manage to add those maps?

Do you use one file for the texture, and a different for the trans/reflection map?

If so, how does FS know to use just the one BMP with the maps?

This is confusing as hell, but im getting there.

Thanks in advance

Hector

[Travis]

Well, I know as much about scenery design as I do about making shoes (jack diddly), but as for your question:

Do you use one file for the texture, and a different for the trans/reflection map?

Yes.

I generally keep a texture set aside while I'm working with Gmax, and make a fully-reflective set for the final product.  That way I can work in Gmax with the bmps and see it in FS with DXT3 or 32bit.

Just make sure the names are all the same in Gmax and in FS.  Otherwise - - no dice.

[Firestriker]

Hector,

If you use a common format that supports transparancy such as tga or png, you can drag and drop the same texture from the Diffuse slot to the Opacity slot in the material editor and select "Instance" when prompted. You will need to change the "Bitmap Parameters" to Mono Channel Output:  Alpha and Alpha Source: Image Alpha. Now, there is a little difference in the two formats. If you ONLY need full transparancy, you can use the png format. This format usually uses less HD space and is much like the DXT1 format having a simple 1-bit on-off transparancy mask. If you need different levels of transparancy, use the tga format. The files are usually much larger but they support a full 256 8-bit gray scale alpha channel more like the DXT3 format. You can mix them if you want as gMax supports either one.  DXTBmp can convert either tga or png to the formats used by the sim. The important thing is to be sure that they use the same name. When you compile your scene, makemdl will change the file extension from what ever you have used to bmp. So if you have applied a texture to your model named tree1.png, you must have a tree1.bmp file in the proper sim directory. Also when you export you may get a warning about the texture being applied to the non-supported Opacity channel, but just ignore it, it will compile just fine.

As for reflectivity, you can not see this in gMax as it is a function of the sims rendering engine which gMax does not have. Even in high end modelers, you usually can't see the "reflections" untill the scene is rendered. So things like glossy paint and chrome don't normal show when just building the model.

The is one more problem you will need to work around when making something like a tree in gMax. That is the shadow effect because of the directions of the face normals. The work around that I have seen used is to alter the source code ( _0.asm ) file so that the normals all face the same direction, usually up. Here is a discussion of the problem:

http://www.scenerydesign.org/forum/showthread.php?t=519

Lou