VRML missing faces

[graphix]

I am currently having problems with missing faces in the VRML viewer. When viewing the model in VIZ I can hit force 2 sides and the sides appear but I dont see a button to do the same during the export process.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

graphix

[Richard McCarthy]

If you understand VRML language, just open up the *.wrl file in notepad and find this part :

solid TRUE

 

Change that to

 

solid FALSE

 

 

and your model should now be double sided.

[graphix]

Thanks! that worked out just fine. Got any tips on speeding it up with textures applied? Crawls REALLY slow once I have added the maps.

 

 

graphix

[Richard McCarthy]

That depends on how you construct your scene...

You got a place to show us?

 

General tips is to:

1. Keep texture map small, polygon count even smaller! (if you can swap geometry details for texture details, use texture!)

 

2. Also because it works off graphics card, so a power of ^2 should be used in your texture creation. eg. 256 x 256, 512 x 512, 1024 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, (try to keep resolution no more than past 2048, which is already extreme, generally, try to keep it generally at 512 x 512, few 1024 x1024 maps) 512 x 256 is also acceptable, so long as they are power of ^2. (Because computers are binary machine, they work faster that way)

 

3. Try to keep all maps together..(Texture packing)... eg. if you model a character, then you should try to make the head textures, the body, torse textures, all into ONE map, and the geometry read off one map. That way, you save time loading each textures if it was to search for individual one.

 

4. Try not to use texture transparency too much (over 30), they are generally not very efficiently processed in VRML viewers... and try to use PNG over GIF, I generally found PNG is more better implemented than GIF.

 

5. Lastly, use LOD! If you scene is slow, when navigating, it means you didn't optimise your scene enough! Put LOD on objects, with textures only applied to the 'detail' object (for closer viewing) and only object color for distant objects. VRML will switch between the objects and loads much faster process faster as it doesn't need to process all the texturemap on distant objects.

 

 

 

 

Well, all that been said, I still like to see your scene.. and good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

.

[csven]

all good advice. Mr. McCarthy sounds like a videogame enthusiast

 

efficiency really is key. games solve speed problems with things like LOD and portals (subdividing space for visibility) and efficient data management structures (e.g. binary space partitioning). unfortunately vrml lags in most of those departments. so keeping polycounts extremely low and being hyper-efficient with textures is your best bet.

 

btw, double-siding your polygons will slow you down. long time since i've looked at vrml code, but if this solved the problem you probably have a few normals pointing the wrong way. should be able to fix that.

[graphix]

Thanks for all the advice. This is one of those situations wher I showed the partners this neat VRML walkthrough with just the colors assigned from autocad. Then it turned into well can you do the same thing with the textures for the animation. More more more always more.

 

Ok here's the million dollar question. Since I do infact love a good match of doom or unreal. How can I import what I have done with Autocad and textured in viz to a game like doom or unreal?

 

As for sharing what I have I have to wait until the project is released to the client. However I can tell you it is a 7 story bed tower for a hospital. Interior and exterior, 4 differnt models, one for the outside, and 3 different ones for the 3 typical floors. All and all about 160,000 square feet enclosed. Not including parts of the existing towers and hospital.

 

graphix.

[Richard McCarthy]

grafix,

To import you geometry into game is a lot of hussle. I wouldn't recommend it.

And it won't look that good to be honest, it will have a game feel to it. And besides how are you going to explain to your partner about that rocket launcher protruding at the center of the screen all the time?

[graphix]

LOL! That exercise would be more for my own personal sadistic needs. Though given the endless user meetings myself and the partners go to I am sure the 5 of us would all enjoy a little doom action running around the hospital!

No matter how many projects I work on 2 things are always the same:

1. Not only does everyone want totally differnt things that conflict with what everyone else wants but.

2. When you have finally come up with the brilliant solution that meets the wants(notice the use of WANTS as opposed to NEEDS) of everybody... everybody changes their minds.

 

Oh well......bonus time is a happy time.

 

graphix

[csven]

i know a converter for making Q3 game worlds into vrml, but not the other way.

 

it would be alot of hassle. imported geometry (walls, floors, etc) would either be "walkthru" or, if the option to convert to Brushes (a game level term for "solid" geometry) was available, it'd probably extrude each and every triangle to create a non-convex polygon (aka: Brush) - with many multiple duplicates. speaking from experience here

 

while i've not used it, the Unreal Editor is reportedly extremely easy to use and might be worth investigating. it and the Far Cry editor are the newest (technology-wise) and may provide new options of which i'm unaware. my experience has been with older level editors (WorldCraft and Q3Radiant).

 

at the very least you could probably import your file as a template and rebuild in the editor using their tools. you may find a workflow that opens other options for you in alternate areas of design. at worst you learn something.

 

edit - btw, i'm referring to existing games. there are simple game-creation tools out there which might take your geometry and immediately treat it as a brush, say, with per-poly collision detection. i've played with that stuff too. pretty easy to get started; code isn't difficult. i didn't pursue b/c they tend to lag in areas of particular interest to me (the high-rez stuff just now coming out).