LOD's for 3d models

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

Hey,

I am not sure if anyone has any experience creating lods for models, but i am hoping someone around here will be able to help.

I am in the process of adding lods to all BSG ships to improve performance/fps, as all the ships are highly detailed and technical above desired poly count (game still runs smoothly, but here and there it gets a bit jittery

).

I have done the following. Created 3 level of details for each part of the model, entered size= (a number, depends on the level of detail and at what distance it should be seen) in object properties. Then exported all as normal and placed in same folder in cat/dat. Then exported a scene as usual (not including Lod's)
Each lod has been named in relation to the main model e.g. hull, hull_1, hull_2, hull_3. (hull_1 ect being the lods)

I presumed the game engine would understand that these where LOD's, and i also presumed that somehow the previously entered size=... would also be stored in the models file. However no matter the distance i am from the model in game, the lods are not used..... I even removed textures from one lod to make sure, the model was not replaced...

Could any one point out anything i have done wrong or forgotten? or is there something i need to know?
I mean im quite sure ive missed something, maybe they all need to be linked?

Cheers,

Miles

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Raptor

Instruguey (13)

Posted 12 years ago.

Hey there Miles, I'm not sure but I think there is only two LODs (and for small objects like turrets, the 2nd LOD is null model, e.g not to render the object at all) and those LODs are for the entire model, not for each part of it, I think.

X3 uses the view distance parameter to get around adding more LODs to improve performance. As there are so many models so adding more LODs can't be easy. But you said you've created 3 levels of details for each part of the model! wow man, this is very hard, and are you sure controlling the LOD isn't hard-coded? Smile

It does not matter what we were in the past but what we are now, what we do and what we are going to be, our destiny.

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

well what you said in the first paragraph is what i thought as well, but through some research i found that there are 3 layers, and they are for each part of the model (e.g. hull, ribs, armor ect) but maybe my research was wrong

i think you are right about the lod control being hardcoded!! but i mean even if there are only two, i should have still seen a difference with the way i did it wouldnt you say?

i still think im missing something...

edit: i wonder if it has anything to do with the way compression works in the game and x3editor2. All the parts of my model have been converted from bod to bob, then compressed in the editor to pbb. apart from the scene file which is pbd. Is it possible that the lod need to be uncompressed?

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Raptor

Instruguey (13)

Posted 12 years ago.

Well, I'm currently working on a mod that could modify almost anything in the game except for models and that 'objects' folder or any bod/bob/pbd/pbb files

. Sorry for not being of much help, I just wanted to reply and help what I can. Smile

Maybe someone like Roguey could save us.

It does not matter what we were in the past but what we are now, what we do and what we are going to be, our destiny.

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

hmmm no you did help, just need more help haha Smile

thanks again for replying. I hope someone will post and help us!!

any one know about lod's?

Miles

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Roguey

Rebelguey (24)

Posted 12 years ago.

Sorry, I dont know much about them either. I thought it was kind-of done by the game. If its running fairly good now, why worry about it? If you take a look at the shipyard model, you will see that thing is crazy!

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

Well if there are huge battles we do get some weird lags! and that's down to the complexity of the models, lod's would significantly reduce the lag, if not completely remove it because the engine does not need to load up fully detailed models of all ships, if they are not on screen or outside a certain range!

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Raptor

Instruguey (13)

Posted 12 years ago.

@RobertSchafer, save the effort!, it seems that the game does not allow any LOD control unless you're going to edit the game itself (exe/dll files) and that would mean you're creating another game not mod. So we're using the X3 Engine, we are restricted by a lot of bounds when editing the graphics. Hate PC

So my opinion is simply to use models no more or less complex than the vanilla ones. Smile

It does not matter what we were in the past but what we are now, what we do and what we are going to be, our destiny.

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

where have you got that information from? Because everything ive been reading states clearly that they do use LOD's....

Miles

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Raptor

Instruguey (13)

Posted 12 years ago.

Haven't you said that I'm right about the LOD control being hard-coded? well I meant that the more complex the models are, the less performance the game will be, you know. So rather than using more LODs, why not just make the models as simple as the vanilla ones? because I think that would be more suited to X3. Smile

Anyway, this is just my opinion, and I'm not a professional modder but I wanted to help.

And Miles, could use your help here. Smile

It does not matter what we were in the past but what we are now, what we do and what we are going to be, our destiny.

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

By control i meant at what distances the game switches to the lower LOD level! Sorry wasnt very precise there haha. The issue is that we dont have the texturing skills to simplify the models and still make them look good. If you take a look at x3 ships, there not majorly detailed at all, but they have very high quality textures.

As such the issue isnt that bad but im still convinced its possible to use lods! i keep seeing people talking about them, but they never say how the implemented them or whether they worked

ile see if i can help you on that post Smile

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Roguey

Rebelguey (24)

Posted 12 years ago.

Well ive always thought the game dealt with it - without any manual control to be honest. How complex are these models? could compare against a shipyard (as I know that thing is a monster)? usually the biggest slow down I find in the x games are projectiles and trail effects. So this is why I tend to half the bullet fire-rate, then double the damage.

RobertSchafer

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Skillguey (7)

Posted 12 years ago.

The models quite a bit more complex than standard x3ap models. Although it also has to do with the size of the models!. Ive had it confirmed by other sources now that you can create your own LOD's and the game will implement them, but non of them know how to

which isnt a great help at all. Good idea concerning the projectiles and trail effects!!

Im still hoping someone will see this post and have the answer Wink

---- X3ap Battlestar Galactica mod ----
Latest update: 06/01/2014.
Team recruitment: Texture artist
Mod updater/downloader via our website:
www.x-battlestar.com

Roguey

Rebelguey (24)

Posted 12 years ago.

yes, hopefully someone will come in and help. Myself, im not a modeller at all - I move things around in gmax but that's about it. I didnt learn how to build models and to texture them, let alone LOD's etc.

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