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#4269654 - 06/13/16 02:28 PM Type 4 polygons:  
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
VonBeerhofen  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
First a small introduction from a graphics website:

http://www.decew.net/OSS/timeline.php

A year ago I mannaged to crack this polygon type as can be seen in this picture:



Here the polygon is used on my searchlight. Notice how each searchlight displays different texturing, except the top circular polys which are at the same angle to the lightsource/view angle. When the camera position changes the shown texture also changes, very much like what you'd see in a reflected surface. In this respect the polygon behaves exactly as described in the introduction.

I'd like to make it clear that this isn't reflection as one would see in newer games where polygons use an additional texture, much like the TRA, which overlays the surface of an object. This poly is NOT transparent or luminescent and thusfar I've been unable to get a usefull effect out of it except for it's animated surface depending on the viewing angle. When I move further away the mapping moves up or down or jumps onto an adjacent polygon.

It's mapping parameters used on textures change according to the viewing angle but not in any way that one could use this texture on a model and retain usefull information on it, like for instance decals or numbers.
It seems to me that the texture itself should hold the relection information which then distorts according to that viewing angle. Like in the introduction the texture is more like a lightsource for the polygon and can contain any color/drawing.

This makes mapping awkward and thusfar I've not been able to create a 3D object as in the introduction. It'll take time to figure out a use for it's behaviour but it's a start. The experiment continues.

VonBeerhofen

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#4269671 - 06/13/16 03:31 PM Re: Type 4 polygons: [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 13,341
Col. Gibbon Offline
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Col. Gibbon  Offline
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Posts: 13,341
Hi VB.

Those are in effect an obsolete polygon type, along with Code 3 in EAW. The code, for code 4 plygons in EAW is not complete, and causes a strange stealing texture effect, which is what I see in you pic, [can I see an RAF Roundal?]. We tried code 4 elements to get a fading beam, and it was then we discovered the code was incomplete. If it had worked we expected to see a beam like yours White at the base, fading to Grey at the top, but we got your result.

Tony will confirm this result.


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#4269693 - 06/13/16 04:37 PM Re: Type 4 polygons: [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
VonBeerhofen  Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
Hotshot

Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
It was temporarily using the cloud.tpc just for the screeny but I think you're partially wrong Col. The code shows that it will handle this poly type even though there is no further mention of it other then in the .ASM files but it's animation works as shown in the introduction website. It's not any different for the code 3 type elements which have become pretty important in some of my 3D models, after changes to their routines and the luminance routine.

Their power lies in not needing any texture space and they've been used in the default game without my modifications to the exe for it's luminescence properties and textureless polygons. Possibly it's not as important for you as it is for the FXEXE but these polygons do offer some very usefull behaviour, especially after the changes I made. You can't have navigation lights or instrument panel backlighting without them. The line elements can for instance be used to mimic animated neon lights that can change their colors. With the added benefit of transparent elements for ground objects and airfields, adding luminescent polygons underneath opens a whole new world. With that shading can be applied to the luminescence of the type 3 poly and color fades are now possible on them too.

One idea I had was to impove wave animations on the water tile, and the type 4 polygon is very suited to help in that department, even more so with the added ground object animation codes I created just for this purpose alone.
I'm sure you could come up with some ideas to use them too if these polys were as stable as they are in the FXEXE.
Still there's a lot to be discovered yet even if it's not high priority for me, but it's great fun to play with these added features which were 'obsolete'.

VonBeerhofen

#4269694 - 06/13/16 04:38 PM Re: Type 4 polygons: [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Apr 2002
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MrJelly Offline
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MrJelly  Offline
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
Yes it was disappointing. So we went back to type 3, but with a completely different rotation code which kicks in for a certain range of TMods smile


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