MvA Unleashed Editor 2 question (multiple tile process)

[Garasaki]

Ok thanks to a little guidence I'm on my way to using a multiple tile disp map.

I'm working on using 3 different tiles for the actual track - I got that working via UE2.  Here is what I had to do:

Create 257 disp map targas of each tile

Open up MCM2 TE

Specify a grid strength and disp strength

Load up a single targa

Save the TE file  (do this for each tile I want to use, so right now I have 3 mcm2 te files)

Open up a project in UE2

Import the a TRN using the button in TE2 - I just worked on the center tile

Open up one of the TE files I had created

Click on the center tile, right click, "Export Complete Tile"

Rinse and repeat 3 tiles to get all 3 tiles

Click on center tile, "Import Complete Tile", choose the center tile

Click on side tile, "Import Complete Tile", choose side tile

Click on other side tile, "Import Complete Tile", choose the last tile I had.

I was able to give em shadows by hitting the button in UE2.

Ok sweetness I have my tiles all linked up.  BUT I have some questions:

I have to figure out how to transition my disp strength from MvA to MCM2 - only way is by trial and error.  However, if I try to change the disp strength or grid size in UE2, AT BEST I get an error about how I can't do that...yet.  So, is the only way for me to find the right size to reopen my MCM2 TE file, change the disp strength and grid size there, and then do the TRN/tile import/export dance until I find the right values??

When I am tweaking my disp maps, am I also going to have to open up MCM2 TE then do the TRN/tile import/export dance too?  THe import disp map button is grayed out in UE2.

I'm very excited that I am able to use multiple tiles.  The process is so clunky and time consuming though - and very weird things start happening if you try to have any combination of MCM2 TE, UE2, and RBW editor open at the same time...

[MX45]

My guess is you will have to do your whole dance each and every time you make a change to you disp or grid res. Since all that info is in the .trn, and as far as I know only Armadillo and the RBW Unleashed editor build terrain, not UE 2 yet.

Thats awesome you're using different 3 unique tiles.

[mcm2boys]

Sorry i don't have much time but heres some quick answers. You can find the MVA strength by opening an MVA track in UE2 and reading the strength from field at the bottom of the Terrain tab.

UE2 and D2 don't share DirectX so any prog that uses it stops them from geing able to display 3D, i think that's the weirdness.

Instead of using MC2TE you can use the POVinjector prog to insert your Disps straight into an MVA PROJECT file (when it's not open in the RBW editor), set the strength how you want then pack it. Then use UE2 to export tiles. This way you can test at least 2 tiles at a time and their transitions by setting the track/perimeter tiles in game. 

Hope this helps..

Laurie

[Nikhil]

There's a much easier way to do it, which I'm doing for Daytona. I also had 3 tiles I needed to use.

1. Make 3 prj and pak files. Each one with the disp and tex loaded as the center tile. Remember to set the terrain and height scales for each one.

2. Open notepad and create 3 files named "blah.tile" (without quotes). So for example, "Daytona tile #1.tile", "Daytona tile #2.tile", etc.

3. Open your first prj and pak in UE2. Go into the terrain tab.

4. You'll see a grid of squares in the right, with the center square being the main tile (I'm sure you know this :p )

5. Right click on the center tile, and click export complete tile. As the file name, type whatever you'd saved your first notepad doc as. So in my case, "Daytona tile #1.tile". This is important, as for some reason, you won't see the tile you exported unless you have those placeholder files.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the other two tiles you have.

7. Open one of the prj and paks you exported (saves you the trouble of converting scales, etc. that you get when creating a new UE2 track)

8. Right click on a square, and hit import tile to import one of the tiles you exported.

9. Do the same for the rest of the tiles.

[Garasaki]

Ahhhh, that's a good process Nikhil

It eliminates MCM2 TE from the process, as well as having to convert scales (which I see there is an easy way to do that).

That's good, cause the MCM2 TE process was getting on my nerves...that program sure likes to crash a lot!!!

[MX45]

sweet.

Nikhil, I'd like to learn how you're doing your spline also.

[Garasaki]

I used Nikhil's method this morning for my 4 unique track tiles (he he)

And it worked a lot better. 

I also realized what was causing the weirdness I was described before - the tile rotation in RBW editor and MCM2 TE are not the same.  I was having a heck of a time lining things up when trying to intermix the 2.  As long as I stick with one or the other, it works out nicely.

If I can speak for Nikhil, he is making his spline by putting all track tiles into 1 disp map, importing it in RBW editor, making the spline on top of that map, then exporting the spline, importing in UE2, and scaling up by either 2 or 3, depending on how many tiles you are incorperating.  (my math might be suspect there).

[Nikhil]

Yep, that's how I'm doing it

Except now that I *#*#*ed up my PSD I get to start the disp all over again

[Fixer]

Except now that I *#*#*ed up my PSD I get to start the disp all over again

Some late advise but... always increment your file changes... my disp1.psd, my disp2.psd, my disp3.psd... untill you have the finished project then delete all the extra's when you are truely done. The most you will lose is the last work session.

[Nikhil]

Yeah, that's a good idea... I'd gotten a ton of work on Daytona done, so it's a real bummer I have to start it over again.

[Garasaki]

Does UE2 do shadown generation, and is it possible to export textures from UE2 (for each unique tile and set of object placements)?  (too lazy, well actually I'm curious and simply don't have the time, to check myself)

[mcm2boys]

Yes UE2 will generate shadows, but doesn't work well with hilly terrain, and you might have to use 16bit since it doesn't always work well with 32bit. You can also import/export texs..