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A new look at the Tool

Thank you ever so much for working on this! I hope Sir Christopher Mings can try that Blender export plugin; I think he's currently the only one using that program.
If yesterday's help files from Akella can really help us getting the Maya thing up and running, that'd be awesome. The only main thing we then would still need to figure out is re-importing GM files back into Maya. According to Mr. Zaitsev, they have never done it, but I know someone on the Russian forums did, because they fixed the collision detection on the Black Pearl and the path file on HMS Interceptor.
 
I have Blender as well... but I don't know how to get to the FTP, can someone link me to the export plugin? I'd like to try all means of getting my model in-game
 
You can find the PotC Files FTP <a href="http://www.piratesahoy.net/potc" target="_blank">right here</a>. You can download without logging in, but if you want to upload, you need the information provided <a href="http://forum.piratesahoy.net//index.php?showtopic=10288" target="_blank">here</a>. <a href="http://www.piratesahoy.net/potc/Blender/" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a direct link to Ines Dias' Blender export plugin.
 
Hi,

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Pieter Boelen Posted Today, 09:04 AM
Thank you ever so much for working on this! I hope Sir Christopher Mings can try that Blender export plugin; I think he's currently the only one using that program.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I've been using it as well..... I tried Inez's gm exporter last night but unfortunately it didn't seem to work right yet <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" /> ..it gave this report

[attachment=1968:Blender_...t_plugin.jpg]

I hope it won't take too much work to get it working right.

Sorry I can't help with it but I know nothing about programing.

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
damski.
 
<!--quoteo(post=269306:date=Jul 16 2008, 10:30 PM:name=Inez Dias)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Inez Dias @ Jul 16 2008, 10:30 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=269306"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->AOP ships I cannot test until I aquire AOP, and I have no idea if they're all different from POTC ships. Can anyone here load AOP ships into the TOOL? Maybe that's something the TOOL just cannot handle.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I'd ask for a favour: if you could check FastGalleon1.gm and FastGalleon2.gm for a chance, please? Those are reskinned AoP War Galleons. I once tried to modify them because they have visible 38 guns but have only 36 locators (there are missing cannon locators for both borts on the stern deck). When I added those locators file which newest available Tool produced was largely smaller than original. Although that ship "worked" in game, when it was loaded there was a beep and error message in the system.log about missing UP and DOWN path/trace (or something like that).

Fast Galleons are in newest alphas, for example.

Thank you in advance.

pirate_kk
 
The beep error! I remember that too and it happens with several ships. I recall someone had it when modifying the Amsterdam and it happened on certain other ships as well.
 
<!--quoteo(post=271059:date=Jul 29 2008, 11:21 AM:name=damski62)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (damski62 @ Jul 29 2008, 11:21 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271059"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Hi,

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Pieter Boelen Posted Today, 09:04 AM
Thank you ever so much for working on this! I hope Sir Christopher Mings can try that Blender export plugin; I think he's currently the only one using that program.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I've been using it as well..... I tried Inez's gm exporter last night but unfortunately it didn't seem to work right yet <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" /> ..it gave this report

[attachment=1968:Blender_...t_plugin.jpg]

I hope it won't take too much work to get it working right.

Sorry I can't help with it but I know nothing about programing.

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
damski.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Damski62, <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":drunk" border="0" alt="buds.gif" />

You and I are both using Blender 2.41, and the plugin isn't working? I wonder if Inez set it up for the most recent version of Blender? I'll give it a try on mine. Thanks for the link, Pieter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":drunk" border="0" alt="buds.gif" />
 
I too would be interested to know more about the plugin. I recieved the exact same error as damski62 when I attempted an export .
 
<!--quoteo(post=271188:date=Jul 30 2008, 07:28 AM:name=SirChristopherMings)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SirChristopherMings @ Jul 30 2008, 07:28 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271188"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->You and I are both using Blender 2.41, and the plugin isn't working? I wonder if Inez set it up for the most recent version of Blender? I'll give it a try on mine. Thanks for the link, Pieter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":drunk" border="0" alt="buds.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

OOPS I'm using 2.45. Quite possible I'm using something 2.41 doesn't support.
I'll check ASAP, but maybe you might just try 2.45. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=271073:date=Jul 29 2008, 09:53 PM:name=pirate_kk)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pirate_kk @ Jul 29 2008, 09:53 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271073"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->When I added those locators file which newest available Tool produced was largely smaller than original. Although that ship "worked" in game, when it was loaded there was a beep and error message in the system.log about missing UP and DOWN path/trace (or something like that).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The "beep error" sounds like what I used tot get when trying to load ships without BSP data. That you're sayin the model is significatnly smaller also seems to be an indication of this.
 
That sounds plausible, but it's really weird when this happens when modifying the GM files of ships that do have it. On some ships, just adding a locator seems to erase the BSP data then. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=271217:date=Jul 30 2008, 04:57 AM:name=Inez Dias)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Inez Dias @ Jul 30 2008, 04:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271217"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=271188:date=Jul 30 2008, 07:28 AM:name=SirChristopherMings)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SirChristopherMings @ Jul 30 2008, 07:28 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271188"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->You and I are both using Blender 2.41, and the plugin isn't working? I wonder if Inez set it up for the most recent version of Blender? I'll give it a try on mine. Thanks for the link, Pieter! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":drunk" border="0" alt="buds.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

OOPS I'm using 2.45. Quite possible I'm using something 2.41 doesn't support.
I'll check ASAP, but maybe you might just try 2.45. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Inez, <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doff.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doff" border="0" alt="doff.gif" />

I switched over to version 2.45 and gave the plug-in a try; the option to export a gm did show up and I tried using it on a chartacter model. Using it produced a gm for a character model, but not a working one. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":no" border="0" alt="no.gif" /> I tried looking at the model in both the game and TOOL, and in the game I got "the black screen", which occurs when you haven't set up a model correctly, usually with regards to the coding. In the TOOL; the model did not have its assigned texture, was positioned face down, and was not bound to the POTC armature. I made one attempt with a model with its arms raised and another attempt with the arms down, and didn't get a working model either time.

I'm going to list the general steps I do to convert a POTC, AOP, or VCO model using Blender and TOOL, both to let you know, and possibly to encourage others to give Blender a try:

1. Make a copy of a gm model
2. open the copy of the gm in TOOL and use the "Raise Arms" Feature <i>(I don't usually do this anymore because I want the hands to stay in a "grip" position and the TOOL straightens the fingers out. Now I usually raise the arms in Blender.)</i>
3. Open the copy of the gm model in GM Viewer and convert the model to .obj format
4. Import the .obj into Blender
5. Make whatever conversions I want and assign texture(s) to the model (<i>Often I will have to scale the model to a larger size to set it up for import, but I have found that I can scale the model down again, and adjust its position up or down after I have saved the model as a gm. See step 10 below.)</i>
6. Export the model in VRML
7. Open the VRML in TOOL and line the model up with the skeleton or armature. <i>(Usually the model is lying on its back because I don't rotate the model in Blender, as it's easier to do this using the rotate feature in TOOL. )</i>
8. Click unbind model>bind character>export gm. <i>(This can be a trial and error process because the model doesn't always cooperate and parts of the mesh get stuck to parts of the armature and the mesh gets warped. Also I can forget to do something like set "Seperate Hats" to 0, and have to go back to step 6.)</i>
9. Open the gm in TOOL and cycle the animation to see if anything is off or behaving strangely
10. Try the model in game, this is where I find out if the sword and pistol locators are on the hands correctly or not, likewise I can check this in the GM Viewer. <i>(Looking at the model in game gives me a good idea of how far back I have to scale the model down in TOOL so the model looks the same as the other models as far as height and position goes. I do not make new animation files for the scaled down models, and so far this has not seemed to cause any problems. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" /> )</i>

If you are setting this plug in up to cut out steps 6 thru 8, especially if I don't have to raise the arms of the model for import into the game, you would be making my life a lot easier and I would applaud you to the heavens above! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/guns.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":2guns" border="0" alt="guns.gif" />

Let me know if anything above is unclear and I hope it is of some help to you. Thank you again for working on this feature! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/love.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":luv" border="0" alt="love.gif" />
 
I'm so sorry.. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":eek:ops" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />
Re the Blender plugin:
I put the instructions / list of limitations into the script file and didn't think about the fact nobody would find it there.
So here goes:

#Known Bugs:
#bounding-box and bounding sphere have zero size
#All Empties in the scene are saved as locators with the selected mesh - should be only selected empties
#
#Current limitations:
#No characters/ships (probably best for items)
#only one material, one submesh per file
#only one vertexbuffer, one texture per material (e.g., no bumpmapping)
#material data simplified (color always white, no emissive) - with textures that hardly matters
#no locators
#
#Notes:
#The mesh to be exported must be selected
#
#The texture name that is exported is the name of the Blender datablock name,
#(as shown in the Shading / Texture panel in the Buttons window), not the
#image file name.
#
#Blender "Empty" objects are made into locators.

So no wonder your character model didn't work - the plugin simply can't do characters yet (and that's why it's not bound to the armature correctly). I should've said so. This really is work in progress still - maybe it was premature to upload it at all but did want to have something for you after the long absence...

Re your instructions using TOOL and Blender: maybe that should be made sticky in the "tools" section?
I have one comment though: I don't think you usually need to do the unbinding / rebinding steps when editing a model that comes from POTC n the first place: the bindinding to the armature (bone numbers) should stay intact when going to VRML and back - can't you import VRML from the TOOL right into Blender ? Unfortunately the trick I'm doing with coding bone numbers into the last digits of the texture coordinates won't work when you export to .obj from Gm Viewer.
Anyway do you get the armature and animations right in Blender when going that way? If so the best route would indeed be to go directly to gm from Blender - there are only a few adjustments to the aforementioned Blender plugin to be made to be able to do characters also. Animations (.an files) would be more difficult but doable.

Re the other problems you noticed:
The model being face down seems to have the same reason as your observation that models are on their back when exporting as VRML and loading into the TOOL - Blender's standard view ist TOP, not front. I guess I could rotate it it the plugin, but for the time being you could just use the TOOL for that.
About the texture not being assigned: I would think you need to use a tga texture in Blender, convert that to tga.tx for the game but to jpg for the tool. With the jpg texture (named same as the tga texture in Blender) in the folder that the TOOL is pointed to it should work, no ?
Again sorry I didn't get around to writing up detailed instructions. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/readon.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="readon.gif" />
 
Hi Inez,
I'll try that Guillotine model with your plugin & see if that works <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" /> But just to be clear .....did you write the plugin for v2.45 ?, I thought it was for v2.42.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Anyway do you get the armature and animations right in Blender when going that way? If so the best route would indeed be to go directly to gm from Blender .<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Hand animation doesn't work even when exporting the character as gm directly from Maya, so the info is already lost when coverting to obj. I think. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
damski.
 
Cheers now using 2.45 .

How do you add locators in blender? ... can't find any mention of them.

Thats one reason for not being able to export .... no locators added = no model type = no model exported

Might just be that... same as with Maya.

damski.
 
<!--quoteo(post=271526:date=Aug 2 2008, 12:02 AM:name=Cpt. James)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cpt. James @ Aug 2 2008, 12:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271526"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Would it be possible to get ships working with the plugin in future?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't really know much about ship modeling. I do think I can extend the plugin so it exports a ship model.
But to really get that working ingame, you have to know quite a lot about how to place the locators, how to make a walkfile etc. With that the plugin won't be able to help. So it's about the same as it is right now with the Maya plugins - the program can do it, but you have to know how. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />o)
So don't get your hopes up too high.
On the other hand I do remember to have seen a shipmaking tutorial somewhere around here - so if you know what do do it might be possible.
 
<!--quoteo(post=271469:date=Aug 1 2008, 04:09 AM:name=damski62)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (damski62 @ Aug 1 2008, 04:09 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271469"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How do you add locators in blender? ... can't find any mention of them.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What Maya calls "Locator" is named "Empty" in Blender - or at least it's a similar thing. When you hit space bar you have that in the menu of objects you can insert into the scene.
The plugin converts those to Locators.
 
<!--quoteo(post=271527:date=Aug 1 2008, 02:40 PM:name=Inez Dias)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Inez Dias @ Aug 1 2008, 02:40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271527"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=271526:date=Aug 2 2008, 12:02 AM:name=Cpt. James)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cpt. James @ Aug 2 2008, 12:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271526"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Would it be possible to get ships working with the plugin in future?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't really know much about ship modeling. I do think I can extend the plugin so it exports a ship model.
But to really get that working ingame, you have to know quite a lot about how to place the locators, how to make a walkfile etc. With that the plugin won't be able to help. So it's about the same as it is right now with the Maya plugins - the program can do it, but you have to know how. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />o)
So don't get your hopes up too high.
On the other hand I do remember to have seen a shipmaking tutorial somewhere around here - so if you know what do do it might be possible.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

People know a lot about locators and walkfiles, therefore there must be information on the subject. Does anyone have a link to said information upon the subject of locators and walkfiles, and while we're at it, textures, because mine aren't working so well.
 
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