More Questions from WED/GED/MED

Hiya.

I couldn't think of a short subject title, so I'll spell it out here.

I'd like to see the editors be a LOT more 'context sensitive and intelligent'. What I mean is, if go to import a .x model into MED and the texture isn't there, I want MED to recognize that and pop up a question for me like "Model is missing a base diffuse texture. Would you like to assign one now? [Y] [N]". I could then choose, for example, "Yes". MED would then pop up a standard dialog box asking for the location of the texture you want to use. If there is something odd with the texture, it would detect it and say what is wrong...like "The texture selected is a 16-bit BMP file; only 24 or 32 bit BMP files are allowed. Continue anyway? [Y] [N]". If I choose "Yes", it pops up something like "Do you want to convert it to a 32-bit BMP? [Y] [N]". If I choose yes again, it does a simple conversion on the texture making it 32-bit and then imports your .x model. The texture is now intact and you can see your model in all it's glory!

Basically, take a look at all the "Gotcha!" things in the engine with regards to assets and general import/export. The perfect vision would be that I could just open GED and just select a "Import..." option, allowing me to import *any* type of asset I want. Model, sound, texture, terrain heightmap, script, .dll, etc. The engine would then do a quick check of the item to see if it is "viable" as is; if not, then whatever problem it finds it reports and asks what I want to do. If it's a simple conversion problem, it could call a built-in converter for that type of file, run it, and convert to what is appropriate, then continue. So I could select a .fbx file and A8 would ask if I want to convert to .mdl or .md5; if that converter finds a problem (ex: missing texture), it pops up a question asking me if I want to find/assign one. If that finds a problem (ex: trying to use a .pcx file), it pops up a question asking me if I want to convert it. If I say yes, it pops up a question asking me what type of texture I want. Of course, each of these could have a little check-box for "Always convert to this type?", so once I tell A8 I want to always convert to .ogg, it will always convert any sound file to .ogg.

Anyway, something like that would be *unbelievably* useful for the non-programmers who use the program or are on a team trying to get there textured and animated Vixlaxian Soldier .fbx file imported correctly into A8. In other words, for people like me.

Please not!
Or, when you implement such a behaviour, then please add an option to deactivate it, too. (I hate it f.i. when I click a terrain in GED and EVERYTIME the question comes up whether I want to assign a default terrain material or not.)

I agree with superku, it is much nicer when people don't have to click a hundred times before they have a model or terrain.

Hiya.

I did say:

Of course, each of these could have a little check-box for "Always convert to this type?", so once I tell A8 I want to always convert to .ogg, it will always convert any sound file to .ogg.



This way, once you had decided that you know what you want (ex: always convert your .fbx into .mdl), you just check off that little box and it would never ask you if you wanted to convert it...it would automatically do it for you. No muss, no fuss.

While it is nice to not have to click a "hundred times", it's even more frustrating to import your .fbx file, have it show up in MED, save it as .mdl, then when you put it in your level you get some vague error or, worse, no error at all...it just shows up with no texture (or no animation, or facing up/down when it should be facing forward, etc.). As an artist, you then have to go hunt around to try and figure out what and where your import went wrong...was it your texture format? Your texture size? The bit-depth of the texture? Or was it your UV map? Did you model program use the left or right hand method for XYZ coordination and how will that affect your animation?

One of the primary reasons I gave up on A7 was the *painful* asset importing (especially animated and textured models).

I suppose the only other alternative would be to have an actual help file that tells you exactly what you can import into A8 and what the parameters need to be. It's all fine and dandy to say "To use a normal map you have to apply a shader", but when there is almost no information on just *how* to apply that shader, where you can get that shader, where to put that shader in your file structure, what you can/can't apply that shader too, and what formats said shader textures need to be in, along with any special naming conventions... well, it becomes a guessing game. One that I've lost over and over. I have succeeded sometimes, then reproduce exactly what I did before with a different model, only to have it not work for god knows whatever reason.

Anyway, this is turning into a rant from me, so I'll shut up now.

didn't see it the text XD
the feature you're suggesting may be useful.