Light/Prop Orientation Problem

[mrmonkah]

Hey peeps,

Ive recently made my first ever model and especially to get me familiar with importing to Hammer and the Source engine. (So i can eventually build my own game)

How ever, one problem i am experiencing seems to be with lighting the object. In this case a Barrel. Take a look at the screen to see the issue.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ ... st0000.jpg

As you can tell, The barrels (prop_physics) that are orientated on their sides are some what darker then those on their ends. For the sake of testing i added a 'light_environment' and two coloured 'lights'. I also wondered if it was due to the lack of cube maps (not that the models have a spec map) but it isnt that either. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

[hessi]

they have to be that green?

maybe this vertexlighting article on my website could help you.

http://www.thomashess.net/index.php?cat=4

what happens if you rotate them back? are they prop_physics? what happens if you shoot them (if they are physics)?

give us some more information. please post a shot from your 3d software or hlmv. i want to know where the origin is. if it is inside the barrel / at the bottom / outside the barrel. please turn on you grid (in hlmv / maya / 3dmax) and make a screenshot.

greetings

hessi

[mrmonkah]

Hey Hessi,

Good to see such a rapid reply. I have a pic of the origin of the barrel in Blender for you. As you can see it is dead centre.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ ... el_ref.jpg

As for when you rotate the Barrel around again, it does lighten as it approaches an upright position. Shooting them, they gradually change from light (upright) to dark (sideways) when they fall.

Hope this helps you help me,

Daniel

[Warby]

i say all your vertex normals aim UP (+z)

this might happen on accident during the export or maybe not

so couple of questions

1)does it have proper shading in blender ?

2)does it have proper shading in hlmv when you rotate it onto the side

3)blender has an smd exporter ?

4)...or do you port trough milkshape or some other tool ?

5) if yes does it have proper shading in this tool ?

[hessi]

maybe jsut upload your reference smd file. only your ingame mesh. i will import it to maya and check out.

maybe you could try to move the barrel down like 50% its height.

now:

  | |

  | |

__|_|__


what i would try:

  | |

__|_|__

  | |

just move the objects origin into the modelling origin. MAYBE the origin doesnt recevie a good lighting. maybe its some normals freaking around.

uploading the smd would speed up solving your problem if you want mail it badman@gmx.li

greetings

[mrmonkah]

Hey again,

Yeah as far as im aware, Blender has 'proper' shading, and in hlmv, shading is wrong. As you rotate it, like in HL2 the shading darkens.

Blender also has the SMD exporter as questioned, though its in early alpha phase. How ever, ive tried anoter,, crap barrel before and the lighting was fine so i dont think it is the SMD exporter.

Thanks again guys,

Daniel

[hessi]

just mail me your smd file. i will check it! so we could find the actual problem with your exporting

[hessi]

warby was right: normals are all fucked up or pointing just upwards.

the first image shows you the normals after importing

the second one shows you how i changed the normals.

download the mesh as an obj here:

http://thomashess.net/barrel.obj

[mrmonkah]

Wooo excellnt stuff man.

How exactly did you sort the normals out? I thought id done it in blender (recalculate normals outside) but obviously not.

Cheers again hessi,

Dan

[mrmonkah]

Ive just taken a look at the normals in Blender, and it looks as though it is the exporter that is messing up the normals.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/ ... ormals.jpg

What do you think?

[hessi]

mh no. those normals you posted are face normals. they look okay. its the vertexnormals that fucked up your lighting.

http://www.flipcode.com/articles/articl ... mals.shtml

maybe this will help you to understand.