Direct X export

[Meaty]

Well, this is a toughy. Let me see if i can explain what I am going through.

I need to export an object to direct x. Currently I am using the free direct x exporter from D-Storm. I am using an object that is entirely UV mapped, 14,800 UVed polys. The problem I am encountering is that my UV map, which is has welded points on it, gets all FUBAR upon export. When I export with all the points unwelded, the textures apply to the object properly. I believe that the exporter does not recognize the welded points. Obviously, if i want to have an object that is smoothed in the real-time engine, I cannot have each polygon unwelded from the adjacent polys, so I need to find a way to export a fully merged object from lightwave into directx.

Does anyone know of a work around, or even if 3D Exploration, the newest edition, fixes this problem? I tried using an old version, 1.3.05... but that also does not export welded UVs. I am calling it welded UVs, but I am not sure that is the proper name for what I am doing. I think it might be called 'discontinuous UVs' but I am not sure.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

[Red_Oddity]

I thinkt it's alimitation in the DirectX format.
You probably have Multiple UV sharings the same point but at different coordinates (not sure how to call this).

Make sure there's none of those UVs present in your model, you can notice them by being a polygon without one or more points at the corner of a polygon in your UV Texture view.

[Meaty]

I think I figured out the problem... Looks like Direct X does support it.... it is just a limitation of the exporter. I downloaded the most recent demo of Deep Exploration (the new 3D Exploration) and it preserved the UV integrity. It discarded the Spec and Bump channels though, so there is a little work to be done, but thankfully there is a work around.

QUOTE
You probably have Multiple UV sharings the same point but at different coordinates (not sure how to call this).
END QUOTE

Yeah that was the issue, but you described it better than I. =]

Thanks.

[Meaty]

Okay, now a new Direct X problem.

Has anyone made a model in lightwave and gotten it into Direct X while preserving the bump and spec channels? I seem to only be able to keep the color channel.

[Meaty]

Well, I took the easy way out; my genius coder friend wrote a shader script in the 3d engine to find the two rogue channels. =]

[A.Kelly]

Hey! No easy way out!!! Get back here!!!!

Been wondering the same things about the two channels since I'm currently working on an RPG in .x format. If you can take the easy way out, then uh.. think your coder friend would mind sharing?

[Meaty]

A. Kelly!

I am not too sure we can give the code out for the script as it is a proprietary engine. However, I think I can tell you that if you have a coder working in the engine for your RPG, it should really be a cake walk of a script. Basically this is how we did it, we have our files organized like this.

Basename_d.tga = color/diffuse
Basename_s.tga = specularity
Basename_h.tga = heightmap
Basename_b.tga = polybump/normal map

So, since the .x file has no problem hanging onto the _d.tga color channel file references, the shader script just tells it to look for the other files for the other channels in the same directory and voila. And becuase we have a unique suffix for each channel, the shader script does not need to remember all the different pathnames.

[A.Kelly]

Sweet.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure it will be a great help. I too have been using the free exporter from D-storm and encountered a few problems with preserving those channels as one of them.

[Meaty]

No problem, best of luck to you.

[Meaty]

Bad news. I just got word from Right Hemisphere, this limitation is a file format restriction. So take that for what it is worth, and best of luck finding a workaround.