dim3 Forum

Brian, take a look at this in Wings3d. Can you make this work in Dim3? It would greatly improve the quality of models if used correctly.

That would help a lot!

well, the interesting thing about that is that if you actually use high geometry to low geometry normal maps (which dim3 supports), then you actually want all your edges to be soft because the normal maps will take care of the hardness for you. Look into it, normal maps are your friend.

Yeah but why waste the effort creating all those norms when you can just harden a few edges? Eh?

dim3 isn't ever going to do any kind of alterations to the meshes, that's the job of modelers. It would just be way to slow to deal with any kind of complicated vertex or material transformations.

[>] Brian

In otherwords, dim3 supports what te1ghool is after, but it doesn't have a way to adjust it internally...right Brian? So you can do that in external modelers and it work for the animator? As I recal, I've done several models with hard edges. In fact, even if dim3 doesn't directly support the hardening of connected edges, you can always break the geometry manually.

No, if you make a soft hard in wings 3d (because wings 3d edges are automaticly soft) and export it, it won't be soft anymore. it doesn't save into the format (at least it doesn't save into obj). you see, soft edges are all in the lighting (i'm pretty sure) so if the dim3 lights aren't edited to make the edges look soft, then theres no way to make them look soft. soft edges aren't that big of a deal anyway, if you make a good model/map and a good texture, then it will be okay.
Note: The best way to make edges look really soft is to use diffuse lighting, if you want them to look hard, say in the script not to use diffuse lighting. its not as good cause it makes the whole model one or the other, but its good enough.

This is one of those things that you guys will have to argue yourselves as I'm no modelling expert and not sure exactly what it's doing to be "hard/soft" on the edges.  If it's a geometry deformation, then there isn't anything I can do about it.  If it just changes the way the preview is lit, then I might.

That said, it's really hard to look at a modeller that does some feature, and want that feature in dim3.  The modelers can spend all their time just drawing a model and can do quiet a bit better than any 3D engine could hope.  This is why there is so much "baking" and geometery tricks when putting models into engines.  We just don't have the time.

[>] Brian

'Hard' isn't diffuse lighting, but rather lights each face individually, I believe.

ccccc Wrote:The best way to make edges look really SOFT is to use diffuse lighting, if you want them to look hard, say in the script not to use diffuse lighting. its not as good cause it makes the whole model one or the other, but its good enough.