PlaneShift
Gameplay => General Discussion => Topic started by: Induane on August 16, 2006, 12:55:39 am
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Greetings all!
Issue: PlaneShift is a great open source project. When a new developer, be it story writer, coder, 3d artist, 2d artist, or settings master, joins a project he/she must learn the ropes. There is currently very little documentation on how to contribute to planeshift in the various ways in which it is possible. I aim to change this. And so I launch the PlaneShift unified documentation project. The idea is to make it very much like a wiki, however I'm going to have a few admins approve entries. Also this requires no wiki skills. You can send us tutorials in openoffice.org, msoffice formats, or whatever - anything common, and we'll approve it and place it on the site. I'm going to require that an admin test the documents submitted to ensure they are acurate and simple to follow.
So I'm asking for people who have contributed before or simply know how to do something to help by writing it up and sending it to me at oldspiceap@gmail.com or in a pm here on the forums. The site is currently located at http://vaalnor.mine.nu/psdoc
I've added some compiling guides as a start, and plan on adding some artists tutorials as well. You can also post your howto's in this thread and I'll make an attempt to add them to the site. If anyone has any questions, suggestions, etc, please let me know. Hopefully we can make it easier for new developers to begin helping without having to have current devs spend their time helping new devs.
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......
Really if you want to be a developer you should already KNOW something...
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People have to get to know stuff from somewhere.
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I've been asked several times on how to work with textures and PS models, so I have a PM saved away that I have forward to a few folks on working with viewmesh.
There are a ton of benefits to using it, especially when you are doing texture work. For one, it loads in a second instead of the several minutes PlaneShift can take, you can zoom in and out -very- far or close, you can rotate the camera to all imaginable angles, and you can play all the animations the model has, in place. [ You can also layer the animations one onto another, so you get a weird little morph between them - useless, but fun sometimes :} ]
First, get the Crystal Space Binary Artist Package (http://www.crystalspace3d.org/downloads/crystalspace_099_060127.exe) and install it. This is a precompiled package of Crystal Space that is mainly geared towards artists that want to work on Crystal Space data (levels, models, etc.). It contains walktest (main test application), viewmesh (model viewer), cslight (to light maps), and a few others. Several of the demos are also included. Once you have run the install file, it's probably a good idea to make a shortcut to viewmesh.exe on your desktop - I use it way too often to browse for it time and time again. Then it's a matter of setting up your model files to work with the application!
Let's say that you need to view the male Ynnwn mesh. Go to the art folder within your PlaneShift directory and find characters.zip (you will find NPC models in npcs.zip). Open the archive and extract the entire folder of the model you want to work with, in this case ynnwnm, and put it into the directory where viewmesh is installed. For example I have it in C:\Program Files\CrystalSpace099, so the individual ynnwn files are in C:\Program Files\CrystalSpace099\ynnwnm.
The next step is editing the .cal3d file a little. Open ynnwnm.cal3d in any text editor, notepad works well, and first remove this bit of text, if the file has it. Some models don't:
<shaders>
<shader><file>/planeshift/art/shaders/colorize.xml</file></shader>
</shaders>
Then you have to change the location of the texture files, since we've moved the folder:
<textures>
<texture name="ynnwnm_hair_text"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_hair.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_head_texture"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_head.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_torso_texture"><file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_torso.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_arm_texture"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_arm.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_hand_texture"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_hand.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_legs_texture"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_legs.png</file></texture>
<texture name="ynnwnm_foot_texture"> <file>/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/ynnwnm_foot.png</file></texture>
</textures>
Delete "/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/" from each of those lines, so you only have the texture files themselves in the file path. Remember that if you have to change the names of the texture files, edit the .cal3d file as well to point to them.
Last step is to comment out a line:
<!-- path specifies the OS-dependent directory path to where all the other files are located. optional.-->
<path dir="/planeshift/models/ynnwnm/" />
You can either delete this entirely, or comment it out by moving that "-->" to the very end of the the path dir code. Save the file, and you're ready to import the thing into viewmesh.
Run the application, click "Load", scroll down under "Directory" and click on "this", then your ynnwnm folder, and choose ynnwnm.cal3d under Files, on the right. Hit OK. There's your basic loaded model:
(http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5154/viewmesh18yk.jpg)
Experiment with the three Camera Modes - I find that Normal Movement works best, but the others can be useful as well. Now click the "Ani" tab, choose an animation and click on the "Add" button to play it. "Stand" is the best one :} "Default" doesn't represent the model as it appears in-game. To remove the animation, highlight it and click on "Clear". "Faster" and "Slower" bring the model closer or farther, and stop makes it stop moving in that direction.
Those are the basics, and really the only things you will need when using the app. You can maximize the window too, so it takes up your whole screen and you get better detail. To view the model again after you have made some changes to the textures however, you will have to reload the whole application - there is no way to reload the model again separately.
You can change the background viewmesh uses as well. I have just found this out recently and it's been a real blessing. Within your install directory, open the Data folder and then standard.zip. Within that package you will find a file called stone4.gif - edit it into anything you want, pack it back in, and you're done!
I don't know if I'm loading this all in the most correct way possible, but it does what I want it to do and I'm satisfied ;)
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Excellent! Thank you very much Karyuu. When I get home from work I'll try it out and try to get it online. Much appriciated.
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If I had a working Windows version of "docconv", I could probably document how to re-texture one single house (I can't edit binary world files); I just wonder if I should... ;)
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The documentation can be linux only, windows only, or work for both doesn't matter. Either way I'll see if I can poke someone into a windows build guide which includes insturctions for compiling the extras like docconv
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Hi,
I remember Laanx Wheel of Wishes used to have a nice set of guidelines for 2d/3d that still apply. Maybe Orogor can be contacted, if he'd let you use those on your site. Additionally http://www.ps-mc.com/ has some tutorials on modeling/modding items. Finally, http://www.crystalspace3d.org/ is the CrystalSpace 3D homepage. Artists, especially 3D people, should check the "Creating Art" section.
When applying for art team, it's quite important to have some previous work to show. If it's PS related, all the sweeter. :)
Ps. Also as a personal note: Many people seem to think that developing is something heavenly, and that by joining the team they lift themselves high up among the clouds. I would say it's more like lowering oneself to the maintenance level. Be prepared to get your hands dirty. :)
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To Induane: I kind of gave the tutorial to josePhoenix, you'll have to discuss it with him. :) If he agrees, I've no problem with it. I guess the basics are still the same. I'd recommend using the latest versions of Blender and Blender2Crystal though. And .dds textures.
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Hehe your hat tutorial was one of my first ever references. :D I'm planning on integrating it if thats ok with you.
P.S. Karyuu thanks for the little tutorial. I've formatted it and placed it online at http://vaalnor.mine.nu/psdoc/?q=node/11
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Quick Update
Sorry to double post but its been so long I figure I won't be assaulted too terribly much. I've updated the site with a few more tutorials, some new build guides, a new terrain tutorial thanks to wired_crawler, and a quick reference to what all those odd sounding portal flags means. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far and if anyone else has anything drop me a line!
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Testing a Map in PlaneShift (http://vaalnor.mine.nu/psdoc/?q=node/21)
404: The requested URL /psdoc/imagescs/box.png was not found on this server.
404: The requested URL /psdoc/imagescs/ingame.png was not found on this server.
Looks like you did a mistake with the file path names.
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Working with ViewMesh (http://vaalnor.mine.nu/psdoc/?q=node/11)
Each time I hover the left navigation menu, the whole thread content is toggled between half and full width in Opera. I guess you have a not correctly closed structuring tag (div/table) somewhere...
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Apparantly so :whistling: hehe I"m fixing it now thanks!
Update: Fixed! Much Appriciated.
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Not yet completely. To demonstrate the issue I face:
(http://www.ligh.de/pics/PSCB/Tutorial.gif)
Very strange. Probably hard to kill.
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Gag dont feel bad his site looks bad in konqueror too and he will not fix that problem either and it is worse then yours.
Illori
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Well in Konqueror it is a know bug in their CSS implementation. I can't program to fix konqueror. Its not that I wouldn't fix it if I could.
I'll investigate the opera issue as it doesn't occur for me. What opera version do you have? Looks fine for me in 9. Thanks for posting the issue, hopefully we can get it fixed! :D
Update: Several more tutorials are now online.
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Here: Opera 8.54; only happens with a smaller window (side bar visible), does not happen when the window is wider. So it is probably that Opera cannot decide where to place specific DIVs exactly, when they get bigger after adding a border...
Well, it is a very rare thing, and just an incident.
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I did find an issue with an extra tag. Have you checked lately to see if it still happens (fixed it about 20 minutes ago). If there is something I can do on my end I'd like to to try to fix it.
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I did find an issue with an extra tag. Have you checked lately to see if it still happens (fixed it about 20 minutes ago). If there is something I can do on my end I'd like to to try to fix it.
Just checked, using Opera 8.54 build 7730 and the prob is still there.
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Some browsers have strange behaviours.
Just read QuirksMode and the "box modell" issues. They are just the beginning.
Example: Some browsers do not only draw a border around areas, they also grow their dimensions. And suddenly you see your layout trembling.
For a good reason I still prefer tables; they are not at all reliable as well, but compared to CSS quirks, a real relaxation... ;)
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To Update: I've added several more tutorials, including some tutorials on creating textures. I'd like to have some more of these so if anyone has a procedure they use for something then let me know :D
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I'd like to add my own suggestion how to enable support for file previews in viewmesh, without changing the cal3d content:
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Open a *.cal3d file in a text editor or viewer, and look at the content, especially the paths inside - like where they expect the textures in the Virtual File System. Probably all PlaneShift meshes will use a path like "/planeshift/models/{name}". Remember this structure.
Now edit the file "vfs.cfg" in the directory where you installed the CrystalSpace tools (Windows users: the Binary Artist Package), means: Where viewmesh and walktest are installed to. You will see different entries with mount points, e.g. "VFS.Mount.data = $@data$/".
At the end of the file, add another line "VFS.Mount.planeshift = $@data$/planeshift$/". Then, create a directory "planeshift" inside the directory "data" in your CrystalSpace installation (at the same level where already directories like "flarge" or "isomap" are). Inside that, create another directory "models". So you will now have a directory tree like ".../CrystalSpace/data/planeshift/models".
Inside this directory, now unpack the archives "npcs.zip" and "characters.zip" from the directory ".../PlaneShift Crystal Blue/art". They had been divided into different ZIP archives, but for the Virtual File System, they still belong to "planeshift/models", therefore I recreated a matching directory structure physically.
When you now start viewmesh, you will find a directory entry "planeshift" in the file dialog to open a mesh. And when you open a *.cal3d file in one of the subdirectories under "planeshift/models", the textures are found and added without error.
Note: You can of course also use other directories as mount point in the VFS, it doesn't need to be a directory branch under CrystalSpace/data. So it can also be a static, full qualified path, or a path under your home directory. The file vfs.cfg contains a brief documentation about the special path syntax used for relative locations.
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Induane, don't put PNGs in tutorials, loading time is too long. Convert them to JPGs, You can add text links to HQ versions if You want.
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I think that rock and water tutorials are very similar, and they can be combined into one.
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Filter "Make seamless" does its job, but the result is not good, images are distorted too much. The better way is to remove seams manually, using offset function:
(http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1336/seam1nf8.th.jpg) (http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=seam1nf8.jpg)
Press the button marked below, check marked option and press OK.
(http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/4513/seam2mv1.th.jpg) (http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=seam2mv1.jpg)
Then, using any method you like (i.e. brush or tools like clone or smudge), get rid of seams and repeat the same steps to return image to original state (or you can skip it, it will be tilable anyways). There are multiple tutorials in internet desribing this procedure.
BTW: filter "make seamless" uses the same method, but the generic procedure of automatic seam removal won't give you expected result.
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I had thought about making those tutorials the same but in the end it turned out to be easier to keep them seperate. They are geared towards making nice effects with very little expirence so I included instructions on making the maps seamless using the filter and not with any other methods. A better idea would be to make a note that there are other ways of making the maps seamless. It is a guide I could probably add soon as a more advanced method of accomplishing some similar effects. LigH I added your notes as tips below the main ViewMesh guide. Thank you all!