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#4451985 - 12/05/18 08:38 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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It has been a long day, and there is no *EX naming standard.
Did you use the new "EAWTM2" folder I included?
Check out the two text files to see the mapping.
There is no specific code for the mapping- it just happens when the two string files are read.


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#4451988 - 12/05/18 08:48 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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1 - I did use the new EAWTM2 folder.

2 - There is a naming standard, admittedly adopted late in the modding cycle but there is one none the less. It is based on the *TEX.pcx from the original game set up. In this scheme all the texture files are called AEX, BEX and so forth. Some of them are also assigned transparency links just like the TEX / TRA link, namely PEX / PRA, SEX / SRA and MEX / MRA. but the links don't work for the multiskins where the naming convention has a different number of digits for the textures and the transparencies.

3 - Even with the middle and long distance models deleted from the folder the planes blink back and forth between silver and brown or silver and green.

4 - Long day indeed. biggrin

Edit:

The TX/TR link works. The B-17 turret points to PLANE01TX.pcx / PLANE01TR.pcx and the turret is clear not opaque.

Last edited by Rotton50; 12/05/18 09:38 PM.

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#4452028 - 12/06/18 03:27 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: Rotton50]  
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Brit44 'Aldo' Offline
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I have not finished reading the thread, but it is easiest to comment such a fast moving thread this way. Well for me, when I am late to the conversation.

But there is a problem with the external views too, just not on these models.
Amy model that uses one of the new transparency links, PRA, MRA and SRA does not work in multiskin mode even with the new exec you sent me.

we are talking about models other then single engine fighter file standards. This leads me to believe there is an if statement missing in the code. Jelly, if you are looking for my work, you should find an Aldo, 32bit, multi, or skin comment. Those are the search words I would start with if you ask me to look.

The rendering uses a path flow ( "for" or "case" statement) to check all of the original parts of a 3DZ. IF, the new part is within one of these case statements, then if would be ignored. I sounds like a follow the IF trail. If you leave a subset of a path flow, you return to the original path.


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"The 10th Amendment simply says that any powers that aren’t mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the government belong to the states themselves."
#4452029 - 12/06/18 03:33 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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Brit44 'Aldo' Offline
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Quote
"What I found was that if you point the Y.3dz to anything other than Y.tpc, such as YEX.tpc, the YTR.tpc is ignored. "

again, another indicator that the loop is returning control. Sorry for the programming words, I am thinking.
Quote
This works but the next plane in line, which points to PLANE01SX.pcx, does not link to the PLANE01SRA.pcx so the turrets are opaque. And of course we also have the problem that PLANE01SRA has one more digit that PLANE01SX, thus complicating the file conversion routines you are working on for the new utility.

another indicator that the flow reverts to it's parent before a child is searched for.
Quote
By extension I think it's probable that ALL the multiplane linkages are not set up correctly.

I am not surprised, a motorcycle mechanic started that code path.
Quote
I will point out that the PX.tpc is not actually necessary if the props are left off the secondary aircraft.

This is important for rendering efficiency.
Quote
Also, if you're going to fix this might as well do it correctly.

If I can help, tell me what you need from me.
Quote
Far as I can tell this wouldn't affect Mike's multiskins since

Mike's work is limited to art? If so, fixing the problem will not change his work unless he was required to make a "bodg" with his original work.
Quote
Fly the B17, and hit J to jump to the next plane so that you are in a brown one.

posting incase my computer crash. will edit, which it did frown
Jelly, you could be dealing with a memory pointer issue. If the cockpit memory is pointing to the wrong memory, you will see an error like this.
Quote
We see the starboard one as silver.

This is a new part of the model. It reinforces the suspicion that there is an incorrect memory pointer after switching to the the players cockpit. Is it the same error when the players starts on the runway with this 3D model?

I think I am done, and #10 is opened so I know I am done for this post.

Slipping in a side comment. IM, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, Plus a better and blessed next year.

Guys, PM me if I seem to dissapear from a conversation. OG has fixed my PM notificaton. Too bad he can not do the same for this Aldo.

Last edited by Brit44 'Aldo'; 12/06/18 04:26 AM. Reason: still editing

TPA who TWI
"The 10th Amendment simply says that any powers that aren’t mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the government belong to the states themselves."
#4452031 - 12/06/18 04:04 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: iron mike]  
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Fly the B17, and hit J to jump to the next plane so that you are in a brown one.
Use your mouse to see the pilot's view of the starboard wing and the port wing.
Are both wings brown?

We see the starboard one as silver."


Tony, I have already answered that question.



Originally Posted by iron mike
The only skin that displays the correct wing view in the B-17 slot is the first plane. I could not get the other skins 01-15 to display the correct wing. It did not matter that the 3dz pointed to the correct texture panel for the skin number. If you are not seeing silver wings on the plane you do not have the correct texture panel loaded . The wing view comes from the B17mex.tpc/bmp. Y'all eliminated the m3dz and most likey the mex.tpc/bmp from the skin set. So, the issue is that you are not using the wing view from the unit because of the missing mex texture panel. You are getting the generic included texture panel/s since the program is defaulting to the base model in the plane set.



I am getting the feeling that I am not welcome in this discussion. My offers to help have been ignored. Too effen bad ain't it. I am out of this thread. right

p.s. the mex.tpc is what is needed, not the m.3dz. The wing view on the original skin points to the b17mex.tpc, the 3dz is for the distance view used in the earlier exes like 1.0-1.28. That was eliminated when y'all made the slotless system.

#4452035 - 12/06/18 04:14 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: iron mike]  
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Brit44 'Aldo' Offline
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Mike,
Your input is needed! Your work is respected. You are not a coder, do not be offended when a guess at the code points to the artwork.
Edit: wink and you knowledge of EAW is respected. Your suggestion would be the first that should be tried.

Last edited by Brit44 'Aldo'; 12/06/18 04:16 AM.

TPA who TWI
"The 10th Amendment simply says that any powers that aren’t mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the government belong to the states themselves."
#4452041 - 12/06/18 05:13 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: Brit44 'Aldo']  
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Thanks. You are correct, I am not a code writer. I paint skins and "iron out the wrinkles" that the detail I put in points out. Nor do I posess the skill or knowledge to create skins of the highest quality like Col. Gibbon. I am fortunate to be able to connect the dots and align the off kilter elements that are contained in most models and passed on as these models are reused and modified. Anyway, that doesn't really matter anymore.

rant-on-off

#4452046 - 12/06/18 07:08 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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Mike. Just step back a moment and look at it from my perspective.
You posted a series of pictures and said they were fine. They were, but they did not relate to the internal view problem which has become the focus of this thread. There is so much comment regarding this problem, and given that I had been working on it and testing things all day, I had simply forgotten about your earlier post.
Hence my reply.
BTW your black colour for transparencies works fine with 24-bit BMPs in MSPaint and that is what I use smile


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#4452053 - 12/06/18 08:04 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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The 3dz header constraint:

[Linked Image]
Note how the name of the texture starts at the third byte in the first row, and after the last character the bytes are 00. The first 00 indicates that the text has ended, and is vital to the process.
In" PlaneA.3dz" bytes 15 and 16 are both 00
In "Plane01A.3dz" byte 16 is 00
The data starts at the first byte of the second row.
If the header in "Plane01A.3dz" were "Plane01TEX.PCX" then the last "X" would be in byte 16 and there would be no room for the essential 00 terminator.
This is why the filenames for the 01-15 3dz headers had to be shortened, as in "Plane01TX.PCX".

The latest texture mapping files (as text not str):

[Linked Image]
The versions for Plane02- Plane15 are the same as Plane01 but with the appropriate number.
The text in "TextMap1" refers to header in the 3dz file
The equivalent text in "TextMap2" is just the link, and not a header in a 3dz file, so there are no restrictions on its length.


Ray:

I would be happy to add "Plane01y.TPC" mapped to "Plane01ytr.TPC" etc, and any others that you suggest.
There is one potential problem which is when a "Plane01y.TPC" exists, but there is no corresponding "Plane01ytr.TPC" and a file not found CTD could occur.
I cannot remember for sure, but I may have put a workaround in the code that only loads the linked texture file if it is there, and does not CTD if it is not.

Please send me the skin files you are working with so I can see the problems that you are encountering and try to fix them


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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
#4452064 - 12/06/18 11:08 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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Allen:
I just sent you a PM smile


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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
#4452066 - 12/06/18 11:11 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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I'm surprised that it might lead to a CTD.

From day one of EAW, well before any of us were modding, when other transparency files were missing the game ran but you'd see opaque elements rather than see through ones. I would have thought the same thing would happen with the Y.

I will put a B-26 package together today and put it in your folder.


Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
#4452069 - 12/06/18 12:04 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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I have sent Aldo a clink to a file with a lot of his code in it. If there is a problem he might find it a lot quicker than I can.


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#4452105 - 12/06/18 03:34 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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I put a zip in your folder called B26B(Multi).

I included PLANE01A.3dz along with PLANE01SR and PLANE01SRA, the texture and transparency files for the second plane in the group.

You will see that all the planes look correct EXCEPT the second plane because the rest of the group uses the primary plane files. You do have to look closely at that second plane, it's not obvious at first but the tail gunner and upper turret are opaque.

You will also find the nose art for the first ten planes in the group.


Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
#4452128 - 12/06/18 06:14 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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I have it loaded and see the problem.
Which 3dz / TPC has the rear and upper turrets?
I guess the "A".

Last edited by MrJelly; 12/06/18 06:17 PM.

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#4452132 - 12/06/18 07:09 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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Yes, it is the A.3dz which points to the SEX / SRA textures on the lead plane and SX / SRA on the secondary planes. I only sent the offending files on the first of the secondary planes (PLANE01). All the remaining planes are still using the primary skin so they will look correct, but it also means they have the same identifying letters as the lead plane.

Don't forget to check the other problem I described on Mike's 100 BG B-17 mixed silver, green and olive drab skins.. That is, zoom out as far as you can and pan side to side. You will see the green and olive drab planes turn silver as you go side to side.


Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
#4452174 - 12/06/18 11:49 PM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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I am looking into this now.

Can someone tell me if I am missing any of the parts that make up the 3DZs used for the internal and external views?
F, P, A, B, C, E, G, M, U


TPA who TWI
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#4452178 - 12/07/18 12:12 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: Brit44 'Aldo']  
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Originally Posted by Brit44 'Aldo'...
But there is a problem with the external views too, just not on these models.
Amy model that uses one of the new transparency links, PRA, MRA and SRA does not work in multiskin mode even with the new exec you sent me.

we are talking about models other then single engine fighter file standards. This leads me to believe there is an if statement missing in the code. Jelly, if you are looking for my work, you should find an Aldo, 32bit, multi, or skin comment. Those are the search words I would start with if you ask me to look.

The rendering uses a path flow ( "for" or "case" statement) to check all of the original parts of a 3DZ. IF, the new part is within one of these case statements, then if would be ignored. I sounds like a follow the IF trail. If you leave a subset of a path flow, you return to the original path.



I think you are correct about the missing bit in the code. I have successfully used PRA, MRA and SRA in my 1.28 sets. I have even used 3 in the same skin set. I hope you can iron out the wrinkle that is preventing them from showing up correctly. So, in my "non-code writer-muggle mode" I agree with you. It must be a code issue concerning the running those pesky multi-skins in 1.6.


P.S. you are missing L & R for damaged wings, v, w, x for internal cockpit and y for the internal prop view.

#4452189 - 12/07/18 01:09 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: Brit44 'Aldo']  
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The complete list, if they have one, their corresponding hardpoint codes, plus if there is a transparency link:

A- 25
B- 26
C- 27
D- 30
E- 28
F- Main model on single engine planes, left side of miltiengine planes and central file for the "Empty F" planes. (uses TEX/TRA)
G- 29
H- Shadow ( uses TEX/TRA)
I- 31
J- 32
K-33
L- Left shot off wing
M- Middle distance model (uses MEX/MRA)
N-Nose art
O- 34
P- Outside prop (mostly but not always)(uses either TEX/TRA or PEX/PRA))
Q- 35
R- Right shot off wing
S- Far distance model (uses MEX/MRA)
T- Furthest distance model ( simple lines without need of textures)
U- Single engine wing view ( but some multis use it also, like the B-17)
V - Left side of cockpit
W- Right side of cockpit
X- Gauges
Y- Interior prop in single engine models and wingview on most multis.(uses Y/YTR)
Z- Gunsight (uses (Z/ZTR)

Note that SEX/SRA are not used for the S.3dz but rather can be used as needed when a model needs an extra transparency set.

Note also that these are generalizations. There are many, many models that don't adhere to this texture file standard since any 3dz file can be pointed to any texture set the modder chooses simple by changing the internal header with a hexeditor.


Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
#4452209 - 12/07/18 04:28 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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OG, if my posts are in violation of the code publication rule then strike them and let me know. I have tried to edit a response to Jelly's PM, but if I work in VS6 while the editor for PMs is open, my wireless card crashes XP. CNN has teached me the meaning of redacted.

Jelly,
Did you intend to leave slot 35 of the data untouched in the reset?
whole_plane[36];
clear_bytes( &whole_plane[1], XXXXX*sizeof( obj3d) )

Ray, thank you. That is the information and insight to the group thought that I need. The group has added a number of letters to the 3Dz. I need to compare your numbers to the spreadsheet I have been working on for the whole_plane buffers. This is an array of obj3d. This is an array that is local, not global. The naming convention of whole_plane is used for a obj3d array in several places. The numerical values in your list lead me to believe that you assume these "slots" are the same for every whole_plane array. I did find that hard-points uses a local obj3d array named whole_plane.

A- 25
B- 26
C- 27
D- 30
E- 28

Ray, Jelly;
Are those slot numbers in a assumed global array?
10;pPlane->Type->Nose;
25;pPlane->Type->TopTurret;
26;pPlane->Type->BotTurret;
27;pPlane->Type->NoseArt;
28;pPlane->Type->FullSecondHalf;
29;pPlane->Type->FullOtherHalf;;;;xxx;object_vars;;

Sig for this post: I am not god, I stand ready to be corrected.

Last edited by Brit44 'Aldo'; 12/07/18 04:50 AM.
#4452217 - 12/07/18 06:05 AM Re: Bitmap juggling [Re: MrJelly]  
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Hold everything- the B26 turret problem is fixed, and I need to check those other problems.
I need to re-code the routine that loads "textmap1.str" and "textmap2.str".
The turret fix was putting them in the root folder or the theatre folder.
Originally the default versions were in the "EAWTM2" folder, but if there is not a copy in the root or the theatre folder the current exe is giving a file not found error.
The same error occurs even with copies in the "GameData" folder.


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