Bridge Commander Central

BC Forums => BC Bridge Modding => Topic started by: limey BSc. on August 17, 2007, 04:25:05 AM

Title: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 17, 2007, 04:25:05 AM: I am trying to create a set of Stargate bridges, but don't even know what Light Mapping is really. Is it just a texture that maps the intensity, position and direction of any light sources?

Thanks,
Stephen
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Bones on August 17, 2007, 05:02:59 AM: As far as I know it is such a texture, maybe You could start new thread and post some screenies of Your work
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 17, 2007, 06:44:10 AM: Well, so far all i have is this:

Spoiler: show
(http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n147/limey_98/orichair.jpg)

But the rest of the bridge should come along quite quickly. One wall has a few small panels on it, one has the veiwscreen, another has about 3 computer terminals and the last has the door! It's all pretty basic. After this one i am hoping to create an F-302, Death Glider, Tel'Tak and Puddle Jumper as well as the X-303, BC-304 and Hatak bridges, but these are harder!
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Bones on August 17, 2007, 08:00:13 AM: nice looking chair, but doesn't it have too much polys, cuz You know BC bridges should not go over 10000 polys it is when game begin to lag
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Legacy on August 17, 2007, 09:55:32 AM: Quote from: limey on August 17, 2007, 04:25:05 AM
I am trying to create a set of Stargate bridges, but don't even know what Light Mapping is really. Is it just a texture that maps the intensity, position and direction of any light sources?

Thanks,
Stephen

It's a lighting intensity map.
It stores the lighting present at the surface maped at each pixel of the map, which obviosuly, also includes shadows.
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: JimmyB76 on August 17, 2007, 10:00:33 AM: it is also the most tedious and annoying part of the whole bridge making process... it means applying lightmaps to each and every texture on the bridge (using 3ds max 7 or above), and there are usually many textures to do... tho i hear is it less annoying to do with vray...
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Nighthawk on August 17, 2007, 10:15:46 AM: LC, about lightmapping, I saw in the stock BC files (the DBridge, for example) that the lightmaps are irregular, as if they were a photo of a 3d model, rotated and stretched.
do you actually make a model in white, with the respective light and then render it, and then use it as lightmap?
just asking to get used with the tecnique.
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 17, 2007, 03:22:40 PM: Quote from: Dr_McCoy1701A on August 17, 2007, 08:00:13 AM
nice looking chair, but doesn't it have too much polys, cuz You know BC bridges should not go over 10000 polys it is when game begin to lag

it is currently almost 6,000 polys, but i can easily half that, if not more, without comprimising the quality too much. Some of the ships from Dave and DKealts Stargate Ship Packs are going on 60,000 and you can have quite a few of them before there is any noticable lag!
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Legacy on August 17, 2007, 09:00:14 PM: Quote from: Nighthawk on August 17, 2007, 10:15:46 AM
LC, about lightmapping, I saw in the stock BC files (the DBridge, for example) that the lightmaps are irregular, as if they were a photo of a 3d model, rotated and stretched.
do you actually make a model in white, with the respective light and then render it, and then use it as lightmap?
just asking to get used with the tecnique.

The stock lightmaps were made using an old program called lightscape, but it works just the same way we do, just with less resources.
As for the models we texture then normally, then use a max lighting rig to generate the lightmaps using max render to texture feature, which bakes the lighting to the model.

Quote from: limey on August 17, 2007, 03:22:40 PM
it is currently almost 6,000 polys, but i can easily half that, if not more, without comprimising the quality too much. Some of the ships from Dave and DKealts Stargate Ship Packs are going on 60,000 and you can have quite a few of them before there is any noticable lag!

I swear i wont go into another useless polycount discussion. :arms:
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: JimmyB76 on August 17, 2007, 11:22:05 PM: Quote from: Legacy on August 17, 2007, 09:00:14 PM
I swear i wont go into another useless polycount discussion. :arms:
oh please oh please oh please do!!! you know you love to!!! :P
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 18, 2007, 05:47:22 PM: So you couldnt just create a texture in, say, CS3 and map it in the same way as the textures?
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Legacy on August 18, 2007, 07:50:31 PM: Quote from: limey on August 18, 2007, 05:47:22 PM
So you couldnt just create a texture in, say, CS3 and map it in the same way as the textures?

Technically yes, but you would have to paint it, instead of rendering it as we do.
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 18, 2007, 08:18:00 PM: Whats the difference between the two?
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: MLeo on August 19, 2007, 08:16:41 AM: Rendering only takes a while to setup and to do it's bit.
With painting you need to think of each pixel, where does it go, and how should it look like.
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Mark on August 20, 2007, 09:09:44 AM: Max polycount for a bridge would be 20,000. the new intrepid bridge has about 23,000 and I have received complaints about it.

Remember while those ships may have 60,000 polys they are going to have far less textures then a bridge - and BC hates textures, which means you have less polys to play with.
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on August 21, 2007, 04:19:14 AM: Right, thanks! I can, at least, halve the poly count of the chair without infringing on the quality very much if at all!
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: limey BSc. on September 07, 2007, 09:39:14 PM: With the other bridge we (JL Studios) are creating, I have used 3D Studio Max 9 with VRay to create the lighting I need, but I can't work out how to render to texture. Virtually all the options are greyed out. Can anyone help?
Thanks,

~limey98

JL Studios
Title: Re: Light Mapping
Post by: Legacy on September 10, 2007, 06:09:11 AM: Don`t worry, I`ll, if i can get online with my eye as it is