You can make several versions of each mesh with different poly counts, using the LOD method of the FL game engine. So, if something is so far away that you couldn't see any details anyway, it would just render it like square instead of a circle in diameter, and even not render it at all.

Just look what we have in the game. LOD settings cause bases to pop in at some range, and sometimes you can actually watch the engine switching LOD while approaching it. If you're doing this - and you know it a lot of work - it would be possible, and you machine will likely handle it without trouble if you set your LOD settings and meshes right.

Ok so lets assume that it is possible, how hard is it likely to be in order to perfectly position hundreds if not thousands of rings of which many will be of a different X,Y and Z rotation, This is easily achievable in something like 3D Studio Max but am I right in thinking that in order to set position / rotational values for models for this game, one would need to physically code values for each model that is likely to look a bit like this?

X:200.100.300
Y:100.200.100
Z:200.100.100

If thats the case, well my god what a nightmare I'll still give it a shot though but only because achievement-wise it sounds highly motivating.


Edited by - Freedom9 on 12/7/2004 4:09:45 PM

First off... any straight sections of any decent length at all can all be one piece. The FL engine allows objects with very long draw distances (iow, you have have something that's both low-poly annd very large). So all of the straightaways can be one long part apiece. You'll just use FLModel tool to stretch the hovis trackring SUR file in the Z dimension. That'll cut polycount way down, and if you used a tiled mipmap, it'll even look pretty good.

So, now you have to deal with curves. There isn't any way to avoid some pain and suffering, but you can get them close to the desired position by placing them with Freelancer Explorer... then fly out and take a look... then edit them... fly out to take a look again. If you size the sections for the curves just right, I'd imagine that you could do a nice-looking 90 degree bend (nice-looking on the inside- on the outside, it'll have bits obviously sticking through each other, which may or may not look kewl)... with maybe 10 sections. Based on your initial rendering... I think you'd have to place maybe 80-90 things, and many of them would require only minor hand-tweaking. So it's not so awful, really... I'll betcha spend more time building the models than you do on the track

Ok great, I would like to start work on it then, but first can somebody list all the applications that im going to need in order to do it. I would like to learn them, rather than constantly harrass people for info here.

I need a program that will convert my .3DS / .DXF / .MAX files to a freelancer recognized format along with all applications relevant for texturing the models and placing them within the game.

I visited the ultilities section on the website but there are lots of proggys and I dont know which ones I need for this specific task.

I'll continue to post here if I get stuck on anything - if thats alrite with you lot

Thanks
Freedom9

you'll need Milkshape 3d
and the cmp exporter found here
the mat exporter here
the FL Model tool here
I believe someone mentioned FreeLancer Explorer- found here

MS3d can import .3ds files natively- for GMax, you'll need the MD3 (Quake3) exporter for gmax (part of the Tempest gamepak- find it at TurboSquid.com)

If I forgot something, I'm sure another one of the gang here will point you to it.

Chris Bates
Modeler, SSM-TC
http://ssm-tc.cz-board.de

Edited by - cjabates on 12/8/2004 10:36:12 AM

Thanks alot for those links

I appear to have come up with my first problem. When I try to export a basic, non-fualty Tunnel shape into CMP format, milkshape crashes.

Anyone have any idea why this would be so?

I imported the model into milkshape via .3DS by the way