GTA SA: How do I get Vertex Color to Show WITH Night Vertex Color?

[Lazlo_]

GTA SA- Model Painting

 

Context: Trying to get Vertex paint to show with the Night-Time Color simultaneously, both in game and while trying to apply Night-Time Colors.

This is a GTA SA created model (gta_int .img/Police_cell_Toilet) that has no texture and ostensibly just had Vertex white splashed on it. Although the model does not appear to be used in the game, I thought I could fix it and map it in myself.

Tools used: Autodesk 3ds max 2012, Kams Scripts and Deniska's Script Pack.

Modeling Skill: Beginner. This model is providing practice.

Objective: To re-paint model and forgo any texture using just Vertex Color, while having some Night-Time Vertex Color shading.

Method used: Simply assigning Vertex Color to Vertex Color Channel while using Illumination Channel for Night Time Vertex Color shading; exported with Deniska Exporter with prescribed and simple flag setting.

Result: Vertex Color shows fine in 'game day' and Night-Time color shows fine in 'game night'.

Problem:

1. In editor: if I paint the model in Vertex Color in detail, I then have to assign the new Illumination Channel for Night-Time Vertex Color shading. Except doing so in the editor- per my skill- renders the first channel invisible. Therefore I cannot see what I am painting over.

2. In game: Only one channel is shown at a time. Which means I have to paint the mutual aspects of the two channels the exact same way without being able to see the 'day-time' Vertex Color pattern I just painted.

Possible Solutions: As much as I hate to, I may have to break down and paint the model and convert the paint to a texture, then paint over it for day-time highlights and evening shading. I would rather not, partly because I don't know how and coherent, relevant information on it seems scant. But I reserve it as an option, partly from desperate need, and partly because it would add to learning. It's frustrating because it doesn't seem like it should be necessary. I should be able to see what I am painting over, and I should be able to find a way to get both channels to render simultaneously both in-game and in-editor. The obstacle may simply be my own lack of knowledge on how to do it.

Theory: I hear it is possible to 'bake in' vertex paint. But again, I don't have that knowledge and it seems difficult to find coherent, relevant information on it. What I tend to find is long rambling videos that take a half hour and never clearly address method because they are too busy focused on irrelevant details.

¶: I could go on a rant about why do so many Youtube tutorials use an audio-video medium just so I can listen to their taste in music blaring while watching them type and show blurry screen-caps as I strain to make out what they are clicking, or why they burn up the first three or more minutes with opening credits, repeating the title and purpose of the video I just read, and showing me how to google something and use Winrar, but I digress.

(irony) ↑

Further, I don't even know if 'baking in' the colors produces the sought solution of being able to see what I am painting over in the editor, or if it actually permits both to be seen in game. I feel like I am being driven to render the Vertex Color as a texture when it doesn't seem like it should be necessary. I am, however willing to try it, even if it leaves me confused about why I should have to.

Attempts: Using the Alpha channel produced no solution (rendered nothing in-game), nor did changing Radiosity settings for 'No Radiosity/ Direct Illumination...' etc. nor clearing the model's original Vertex Color map channel.

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I hope I provided all the relevant details. I hope this is the right forum; I didn't see one specifically for modelling/painting/texture.

Any advice, even indirectly, is appreciated; thank you. I'll be back a while later.

[Lazlo_]

Update: I may be finding a solution here. Not sure yet.

 

 

 

A nice basic tutorial on basic painting that I presume I can render into texture.

 

Like I said, I'm just a beginner. Perhaps I was misunderstanding the application of Vertex Color.

[Lazlo_]

Well, the "progress" was short lived and just created another evening of the usual general misery and chasing my tail any time I try doing simple things in modeling.

 

I was merrily following the video along, going from step to step with a practice cube, and when I get to the point where I have opened the Viewport Canvas dialog and click the brush, I get this:

 

 

 

 

Every time, without exception. Or, alternatively, the cursor simply remains in selection mode and refuses to switch to a brush after the button is marked pressed..

 

More wasted time. So now on top of every other issue I am trying to resolve, I'm expected to know what to do with persistently broken scripts also. Because spending the evening watching a host of "tutorials" that wander so far off point that they take a half hour of digressions on meaningless minutiae, or trying to unscramble broken English docs wasn't enough.

 

And all I wanted to do was paint a simple stupid model.

 

And as for all the advice I've gotten after being as detailed as I could and waiting a day...

 

 

So take your pick- Vertex Colors, basic paint, broken scripts...

 

 

Good evening.

[Lazlo_]

Well, I managed to correct the script issue... by doing a full re-install and wiping out all the programs app folders.

 

But at least for now I can go on to explore my options in Viewport Canvas. I'm trying to be optimistic, but it's been pretty agitating.

 

 

 

[Lazlo_]

Well, I never found a way to get the Vertex Color Channel and the Illumination (Night Time Vertex Color) Channel to show simultaneously while painting one or the other, perhaps I could use layers as a work around, but it seems unlikely.

 

In any event, I learned that the reason I could not get the texture to show while VC painting was because the program was using its default display driver. When I switched it to my own driver, it became visible with the toggle as it was supposed to be.

 

So it only took a week of screwing around, searching endless forums and watching tons of tutorials that rarely had 5 seconds of useful information, but in the end I learned a lot and got the model done with an original texture, and both VC and NVC.

 

Thanks to all the experienced modelers here who offered all their helpful advice and engaged the subject in this thread with thoughtful replies and inquiries. It was worth it for me to provide as much problem detail as I could.

 

I appreciate it.

[The_GTA]

Sorry to hear that incomplete tools have frustrated you. I wish the developers would cooperate to fix the issues, but once they release its very unlikely to be touched again, especially given the complexity of the RW model format.

 

It took more than a year of countless research and development for a TXD editor. It would take the same for DFF.