I think MGonzales' texture manager will do that when converting from .bmp.

As I look back at the actual game images I am inclined to reconsider the "software mode" statement I made earlier regarding the utilization of exp_1, and consider a somewhat different explanantion involving shadows. The exp_1 is used in the Horizontal/Top-down XZ plane as seen in AC3D, which would suggest that a more logical explanation is that it is used for the dust shadow on the ground under the dust objects in the game. It is curious, however, to note that the shadows are not present in AGP mode.

If I understand you correctly, (and I'm not certain that I do because I'm getting the Alpha Channel transparency issue mixed in with the transparency mask issue, but I'm sure I'll sort it all out in time) you are saying that the dust.3 is read, pretty much the same, in AGP as it is in Non-AGP except that AGP uses, in addition, dust.raw as a transparency mask over exp_6. Is that correct?

0025;0047002A0004005E002F008D002F008D005E005E005E
0026;008800040000000100020003


0260;004700380004005E002F008D002F008D005E005E005E
0261;008800040000000100020003

Both exp_1 (shadow?) and exp_6 (dust) use transparency masks, so why is there no dust ground shadow seen in the AGP mode?



OUCH!

I didn't realise the dust had shadows, in which case exp_1/exp_6 could be used for the dust/shadows. Need to go the dust.3 file line by line to sort it out.
Just because only X and Z coordinates are specified doesn't necessarily mean that the object will be horizontal in the game though.

I don't think that's right. It looks like at the start of the file that there is a 00A3 line which hops over the exp_1/exp_6 stuff if AGP is used. So it seems like it's exp_1/exp_6 for non-AGP and dust.raw for AGP.

Fits in with previous comment.

Maybe not. With this new information we could replace the 002E... polygon descriptors in the cloud files with 0047... descriptors. We just need to place a 00A7 line before the 0047 lines to give the cloud colour, then probably a 00A8 at the end.

Okay, noted. I'll look further.



That was my original understanding. The issue of how the transparency mask is applied, or to what it is applied, made me a bit daft I suppose



Now you're talkin...and hope maketh not ashamed

DKD, I've got another unfinished user-unfriendly tool for you to look at .3 stuff.

If you can be bothered, it's here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/262612680/taw_viewerdx8.zip

It comes with all TAW related support files so you just need to unzip the file to a new directory. Clicking on the .exe should show a screen like this:

..which is an extract from the file 'drums.3.txt'

The general idea is that you paste any vertex/polygon info that you're interested in into the file input.txt (which must exist) and it will attempt to render it.

Mikew,

Thanks, no bother at all, quite the contrary. That will be very helpful. Currently I am trying to figure out the sea.3 problem of the 5 extra vertices. Looking at the 0015 opcodes, I'm getting no leads except a possible concession in favor of the Union Reality implementation which has it's own executable. I believe TAW file 4805 may give some leads in that the polygon descriptors are not the same as the default sea.3, but I have not gotten far yet in analyzing the changes.

4805

142;0027177003FC
0143;002E00000003001700470000005F00000047002F0003000600000009
0144;002E000000030000005F001700470017005F002F0003000000060001
0145;0000
0146;0027177003D0
0147;002E00000003002D00470017005F00170047002F0003000700010006
0148;002E000000030017005F002D0047002E005F002F0003000100070002
0149;0000
0150;0027177003A4
0151;002E00000003002D00470047005F002E005F002F0003000700030002
0152;002E000000030047005F002D004700470047002F0003000300070008
0153;0000
0154;002717700378
0155;002E0000000300470047005F005F0047005F002F0003000800040003
0156;002E00000003005F005F00470047005F0047002F0003000400080005
0157;0000
0158;00271770034C
0159;002E000000030017002F000000470000002F002F0003000B0009000A
0160;002E00000003000000470017002F00170047002F00030009000B0006
0161;0000
0162;002717700320
0163;002E00000003002E002F001700470017002F002F0003000C0006000B
0164;002E0000000300170047002E002F002D0047002F00030006000C0007
0165;0000
0166;0027177002F4
0167;002E00000003002E002F00470047002D0047002F0003000C00080007
0168;002E0000000300470047002E002F0047002F002F00030008000C000D
0169;0000
0170;0027177002C8
0171;002E000000030047002F005F004700470047002F0003000D00050008
0172;002E00000003005F00470047002F005F002F002F00030005000D000E
0173;0000
0174;00271770029C
0175;002E00000003000000170017002F0000002F002F00030013000B000A
0176;002E000000030017002F0000001700170017002F0003000B00130010
0177;0000
0178;002717700270
0179;002E0000000300170017002E002F0017002F002F00030010000C000B
0180;002E00000003002E002F00170017002D0017002F0003000C00100011
0181;0000
0182;002717700244
0183;002E0000000300470017002E002F002D0017002F00030012000C0011
0184;002E00000003002E002F004700170047002F002F0003000C0012000D
0185;0000
0186;002717700218
0187;002E00000003005F00170047002F00470017002F0003000F000D0012
0188;002E000000030047002F005F0017005F002F002F0003000D000F000E
0189;0000
0190;0027177001EC
0191;002E00000003000000000017001700000017002F0003001400100013
0192;002E00000003001700170000000000170000002F0003001000140015
0193;0000
0194;0027177001C0
0195;002E0000000300170000002D001700170017002F0003001500110010
0196;002E00000003002D001700170000002E0000002F0003001100150016
0197;0000
0198;002717700194
0199;002E0000000300470000002D0017002E0000002F0003001700110016
0200;002E00000003002D00170047000000470017002F0003001100170012
0201;0000
0202;002717700168
0203;002E00000003005F00000047001700470000002F0003001800120017
0204;002E0000000300470017005F0000005F0017002F000300120018000F

Sea.3


0142;0027177003FC
0143;002E000000030013004D0000005F00000047002F0003000600000009
0144;002E000000030000005F0013004D0017005F002F0003000000060001
0145;0000
0146;0027177003D0
0147;002E00000003002F00470017005F0013004D002F0003000700010006
0148;002E000000030017005F002F0047002F005F002F0003000100070002
0149;0000
0150;0027177003A4
0151;002E00000003002F00470047005F002F005F002F0003000700030002
0152;002E000000030047005F002F0047004C004D002F0003000300070008
0153;0000
0154;002717700378
0155;002E00000003004C004D005F005F0047005F002F0003000800040003
0156;002E00000003005F005F004C004D005F0047002F0003000400080005
0157;0000
0158;00271770034C
0159;002E000000030017002F000000470000002F002F0003000B0009000A
0160;002E00000003000000470017002F0013004D002F00030009000B0006
0161;0000
0162;002717700320
0163;002E00000003002F002F0013004D0017002F002F0003000C0006000B
0164;002E000000030013004D002F002F002F0047002F00030006000C0007
0165;0000
0166;0027177002F4
0167;002E00000003002F002F004C004D002F0047002F0003000C00080007
0168;002E00000003004C004D002F002F0047002F002F00030008000C000D
0169;0000
0170;0027177002C8
0171;002E000000030047002F005F0047004C004D002F0003000D00050008
0172;002E00000003005F00470047002F005F002F002F00030005000D000E
0173;0000
0174;00271770029C
0175;002E00000003000000170017002F0000002F002F00030013000B000A
0176;002E000000030017002F0000001700110013002F0003000B00130010
0177;0000
0178;002717700270
0179;002E0000000300110013002F002F0017002F002F00030010000C000B
0180;002E00000003002F002F00110013002F0017002F0003000C00100011
0181;0000
0182;002717700244
0183;002E0000000300440019002F002F002F0017002F00030012000C0011
0184;002E00000003002F002F004400190047002F002F0003000C0012000D
0185;0000
0186;002717700218
0187;002E00000003005F00170047002F00440019002F0003000F000D0012
0188;002E000000030047002F005F0017005F002F002F0003000D000F000E
0189;0000
0190;0027177001EC
0191;002E00000003000000000011001300000017002F0003001400100013
0192;002E00000003001100130000000000170000002F0003001000140015
0193;0000
0194;0027177001C0
0195;002E0000000300170000002F001700110013002F0003001500110010
0196;002E00000003002F001700170000002F0000002F0003001100150016
0197;0000
0198;002717700194
0199;002E0000000300470000002F0017002F0000002F0003001700110016
0200;002E00000003002F00170047000000440019002F0003001100170012
0201;0000
0202;002717700168
0203;002E00000003005F00000044001900470000002F0003001800120017
0204;002E0000000300440019005F0000005F0017002F000300120018000F
0205;0000

PS: Did you test the cloud AGP code modification you suggested, ie. did you get your AGP functioning?

Thanks.

Hmmm...looks like it's just some texture coordinate changes.

No, I haven't looked into the AGP stuff yet.

All terrain tiles have the 5 extra vertices above them. As you're probably aware, they are only called up by the 0015 lines. My theory is that these lines are somehow used to control the rendering order......but I've been wrong before.

As soon as I get some time I'll look into the AGP cloud code modifications and post what I find.

Trying to follow your logic on the 0015 rendering order in sea.3. Sounds like a perfectly good theory to me Are you still OK with 0015 GOTO and 0008 GOSUB?

Have you expanded and modified your TAW opcode table? I may need your help,at some point, in modifying your parser algorithm for some of the more complex files I previously found.

Really like the 3file viewer, havn't had much time with it yet but, as always, very impressed with your skills and creativity.

The initial attempt at substituting the AGP opcodes etc. in cloud1c1.3 was met with very limited success, at one point I did get some texture flashes but I beleive it was coincidental. I'm still struggling with understanding the functioning of some of the opcodes and also I have a very inefficient set of tools for this kind of work, eg., byte counting etc.

I am also unsure as to why there is a disagreement of the 3rd and 4th bytes of the Headers in some of the files I currently process thru your Parser versus the same named files in your downloaded collection of previously parsed .3-text files?

Eg: li2_aziz.3

Newly parsed: header; FC532710000000007FFF00000000000000000000
previously parsed header; FC533E80000000007FFF00000000000000000000

?