Sunday, November 3, 2013

Extension EXP2

Hi All,

With the deadline for EXP1 pushed back a week earlier in the semester this has compressed the schedule for EXP2.

Some of you have requested an extension for EXP2 which I think is quite reasonable; so the new due date is Monday November 18th.

I'll reflect these changes in the course outline and EXP2 brief webpages.

Cheers 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Edward Burtynsky "Ships"

Hi Guys,

If you search Edward Burtynsky "Ships" on google images you'll see loads of the great images I mentioned in today's lecture, here's one:


and another on the mudflats:



Cheers

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Setting up 3ds Max 2014 Design and Photoshop CS6 to CryENGINE3.5.3 in the labs

Hi Guys,

I just tried the setup and export process in the labs.

The labs use 3ds Max 2014 Design and Photoshop CS6. I used the same CryENGINE3.5.3 folder I had on my machine ... copying it to the Electronic Arts\Crytek folder on the C drive. Remember I already downloaded and replaced the CryCompressorRC.dll file.

Setting up 3ds Max 2014 Design:

This time I used the CryExport16_64.dlu exporter, but other than that everything was the same. 

Setting up Photoshop CS6:

This was exactly the same as setting up my laptop.

Following Rosamond's Tutorial:

Everything was the same as on my laptop except for 2 things:

1. The bitmap in 3ds Max 2014 Design defaults to using "Real World Scale" ... this is very annoying. It also defaults to this setting in the 3ds Max UVW modifier settings. Uncheck it in both instances to have your texture display as you expect.

2. When I selected the bitmap the window had a setting called "sequence" ... this creates and uses a *.ifl file instead of the CryTif file you created in photoshop (the *.ifl file references the CryTif file rather than using it directly). Uncheck "sequence" and it will use the CryTif file as expected.

I also got the same CryENGINE crash on startup when I tried to export the material without the engine already open. Launching the editor solved this, as before.

Transferring the files back to my laptop:

Because I created an objects file I copied that and the level folder that contained the level I modified back to my memory stick. I created a backup of the old level folder and copied the modified one back to my laptop. Then merged all the new model files into the existing Objects folder on my laptop.

I always save the 3ds Max file and any textures used inside the Objects folder ... so everything is in the same place.

Everything updated as expected on my laptop.

Cheers  

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Setting up 3dsMax and Photoshop for CryENGINE3.5.3

Hi Guys,

I just tried exporting to the new CryENGINE3.5.3 from 3dsMax 2013. Apart from a couple of glitches and a few files with different names or in different places it went smoothly.

I'm on a 64bit system, Windows 7, 3dsmax 2013 and PhotoshopCS6.

Important Note: I downloaded and installed the new CryCompressorRC.dll before i tried any of this, you can get that here:

http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?p=1154117#p1154117  

Setting up 3ds max 2013:

I followed these instructions: http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Installing+the+3ds+Max+Tools but I used the CryExport15_64.dlu (extrapolating from the table on that page ... I also notice there is a CryExport16_64.dlu which, I'm guessing, means they are ready for 3ds max 2014).

I did both installs manually because I had 3dsmax 2012 installed on the same drive and the automatic installer went to the 2012 version only.

Setting up Photoshop:

I followed these instructions: http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Installing+the+CryTIF+Plugin but in step one the 3 dll files are now in the   root\Tools\GFxExport folder.


And in step two instead of this file \Tools\CryTIFPlugin.8bi" I used this one "
CryTIFPluginCS4_11_64.8bi". The CS4 part suggests it's for the CS4 version and I'm using the CS6 version ... but it worked fine.

Following Rosamond's Tutorial:

I Followed Rosamond's tutorial for 3dsMax 2012 and everything was the same ... however CryENGINE3 crashed on startup when I tried to export the multi/sub-object material. To stop this from happening I simply opened up the sandbox editor and exported the material while it was open; everything worked fine from there.

I also had to set the diffuse colour lighting settings to 187,187,187 because they came in at 200, 200, 200.

I'm sure you all would have figured these things out for yourselves, but hopefully this might save some time.

Cheers     

Monday, September 2, 2013

Lecture 06, Movement now available on the courses drive

Hi All,

And also in the courses drive is a folder containing flowgraph samples:

S:\BENV2423 - RealTimeEnv\Resources\flowgraphs

Some of these were created with CryENGINE2 or CryENGINE3 in previous versions ... so might require some modification to work in the latest engines.

They will give you a good place to start though.

Cheers 

Extension: EXP1, 16 September

Hi All,

As negotiated in the lecture today; due to unforeseen licensing issues with CryENGINE3 you have an extension for EXP1 until 16 September by midnight.

Cheers

Clean User Interface

Hi Everyone, 

the following images show settings for capturing clean animations by creating a flowgraph attached to a basic entity and hiding it in game. This flowgraph removes the character's guns, removes the display info text in the top right hand corner of the perspective window, as well as the HUD at the bottom of the screen, visible in 'game' mode.



Cheers