My car has some bugs...

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First of all, the car parts are all out of place, but I guess that's mispositioning of the dummies. By the way, is there any technique to position them correctly?

 

Anyway, on to the bugs:

 

Bug #1:

 

Not much a bug, probably a modelling problem: the reflections of my car don't look smooth. Instead, they let you see all the triangles the car is divided in:

 

 

This is visible in the following pictures too.

 

 

Bug #2:

 

When the car wings are damaged, they appear like 5 meters far from the car:

 

 

 

Bug #3:

 

The back windows of the car won't let you see the interior of the car. Instead, they show the ground, the reverse face of the wheel and the reverse face of the opposite side of the car.

 

This is the interior of the car:

 

This is what you see from the window:

 

 

Can anybody help me solving these? Thank you very much.

[H13N.H3N]

 

Ho lolo ale ho!

i don't know what editor are you using but i'll try to make this as standard and general as i can:

 

 

First of all, the car parts are all out of place, but I guess that's mispositioning of the dummies. By the way, is there any technique to position them correctly?

 

There aren't any, this is problem of the Pivot*, before create hierarchy you must fix all the pivots of every part, once attached on the hierarchy, you shouldn't make any change (at least not if you are not familiarized with the side effects of play with it) so, you will have to delete all your dummies (it's easier to create new once in place to repositioning all olds) fix your doors, bumpers and other dummie's pivots and then create new dummies, for the final you must make of the hierarchy one step before exporting.

 

 

Not much a bug, probably a modelling problem: the reflections of my car don't look smooth. Instead, they let you see all the triangles the car is divided in

 

This isn't related to reflection, in fact is related to your model, as far as i know, ZModeler applies something called "Smooth" on the models it handles automatically, but in 3D Studio you must do it manually, you can do this selecting the "Vertex Weld" modifier with a value of "0.01" (to avoid loosing faces, edges) to unify all the vertexes, then using the "Smooth" Modifier on the modifiers panel, select a value of "60" that is like the standard in GTA, if your car look so soft or weird or rounded, with "Face Selection" option of you "Editable Mesh" rollout, select the faces that will make a specific part of the car and detach, and immediately attach again, try this to know what i'm talking about.

 

 

When the car wings are damaged, they appear like 5 meters far from the car

 

This problem will be solved if you do the first step, it's also related to pivots

 

 

The back windows of the car won't let you see the interior of the car. Instead, they show the ground, the reverse face of the wheel and the reverse face of the opposite side of the car.

 

This is also unknown for me too, i also have to live with it, isn't related to normals or mapping, perhaps it just happen, this is annoying because for SA or VC, shadows are imposible because make the suposed shaded part, transparent and you can see the track when you are supposed to look a darker area of the car.

 

For the last i want to share you something else, always (if 3D Studio G-Max user), apply "Reset Xform" modifier, is in the same panel that Kam's Tools are, and do it before the hierarchy, also never use the "Auto Edge" feature or use it but for make edges to zero and this is why, before exporting your car (again, if 3D Studio G-Max user), you must select all your 3D objects and convert them into "Editable Poly"es, this will make the size of the car lower (as possible) and will make your car work (better than if only you export as "Editable Mesh), i repeat that, NEVER use "Auto edge" or put your model's edges to zero, or face the consecuences:

 

 

 

* Perhaps i should explain a little about pivots, for GTA and against it can seem, pivost must be aligned all the same with the world, how is this? yes, our logic tells that if a door opens to left because the dummies is aligned to he left, we must make a "mirror" dummie with a mirror door, i mean door and a dummie aligned to the right, in GTA this IS NOT CORRECT, all the dummies must be facing to the "default world's alignment" i mean right sides facing to the right and left sides facing to the right, why? because the GTA Animation files tells the car how to handle it's parts according to it's piece's names, a "Door_lf_ok" will be open with '-X' (minus "x" axis) and the "Door_rf_ok" will open with "+X" (positive 'X' axis) that's why all the dummies must be aligned with the world no mattering what dummie is about (advanced user can use this info for experimenting a little)

Now, Pivots are the coords from were the part will be "hanging", it's easy to notice the way the door or any other movil part will act if you use for example the "rotation" tool, you will notice from what point the door spins, in base of this, you can fix the door at your like. Dummies are more like "visual" pivots, but still important that both pivots dummie and part are aligned by the same (of course, the dummie and part corresponding each other)

Edited August 20, 2008 by H13N.H3N

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Thank you very much for your help, H13N.H3N!

 

So, if I understand your post correctly, I need to follow these steps, by this order:

 

a) reposition the pivots of each car parts (put them more or less in the center of the car parts)

 

b) position the dummies in the center of those pivots

 

c) build the hierarchy of the objects

 

Is that right?

 

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Concerning reflection... Well, I've tried to use 3ds Max before, but God it's so complex... I can't seem to get used to ZModeler2 either (ZModeler 2 is the one that has the "Smooth" command). So I'm trying a combination of normals calculation and projection in ZModeler 1. I think that will do the trick. I'll keep your advice for future reference, anyway.

 

Thank you very much again.

[H13N.H3N]

Thank you very much for your help, H13N.H3N!

 

So, if I understand your post correctly, I need to follow these steps, by this order:

 

a) reposition the pivots of each car parts (put them more or less in the center of the car parts)

 

b) position the dummies in the center of those pivots

 

c) build the hierarchy of the objects

 

Is that right?

 

---

 

Concerning reflection... Well, I've tried to use 3ds Max before, but God it's so complex... I can't seem to get used to ZModeler2 either (ZModeler 2 is the one that has the "Smooth" command). So I'm trying a combination of normals calculation and projection in ZModeler 1. I think that will do the trick. I'll keep your advice for future reference, anyway.

 

Thank you very much again.

a) reposition the pivots of each car parts (put them more or less in the center of the car parts)

 

A: Not in the center, i prefer you positioning the dummies as if they were... how this is named.... Bisagres.... well i don't remember what is the equivalent in english for "bisagras", but i meant the little metal part from were every door (of your house for example) are hanging to open-close (it pivot!)

 

b) position the dummies in the center of those pivots

 

A:Well yea, you must positioning every dummy aligned to part's pivot

 

c) build the hierarchy of the objects

 

A: right, but before be sure to have all things placed and have applied X-form and other things if 3D Studio user (not at the moment perhaps)

 

Is that right?

 

A: yep, and there are not better way to learn that Test and debug, some of us never end to learn new things (like the one recently i discovered about "Editable Poly"es), keep up, is nice to see yuo doing things for you own.

 

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'Bisagra' translates for 'hinge', if I am not mistaken.

 

 

 

A: yep, and there are not better way to learn that Test and debug, some of us never end to learn new things (like the one recently i discovered about "Editable Poly"es), keep up, is nice to see yuo doing things for you own.

 

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Right, I'm going to test it now. Thank you once again.

[H13N.H3N]

'Bisagra' translates for 'hinge', if I am not mistaken.

 

 

jaja, thanks, must remember that, and yea, keep trying, good luck