Getting LOD90 objects to be visable in the n'hood... **SOLVED**

[FifthAce2007]

I have tried a few times, without much success, to get objects, particularly windows, to be visable from within the n'hood.

I have followed Jasana's tut on this but find it a little hard to understand.

I have added the following files:

FifthAce2007-FluidDynamics101-BlackSeries-SingleWindow.package - This is nothing to do with the LOD90 object, but it is the repository object, so have included it to that end.

FifthAce2007-FluidDynamics101-BlackSeries-SingleWindow-BayWindowMiddle.package - This is the object I am trying to make visable correctly from the n'hood.

FifthAce2007-FluidDynamics101-BlackSeries-SingleWindow-BayWindowMiddleLOD90.package - This is the LOD90 version of the above.

I really hope someone can find out what I am doing wrong, and correct it, and also, if possible, tell me what I need to do so that I can replicate it over the rest of the set I am creating.

Thanks in advance.

[Numenor]

I know that the Maxis outdoor objects have a special block in the CRES ("GameData"), containing a string: LOD = 90; your window lacks this block.
However, and this is puzzling me, I cloned some Maxis window, and none of them have an explicit mention of the LOD, neither in the CRES nor in the Shape...

Wait, I know the answer! Some (or all?) windows are NOT visible in NH view...
(Edited because the windows I cloned ARE visible in NH view; they look sort of "painted" on the wall, but are visible nevertheless).

NOTE: if you are going to add the GameData block to the CRES, be aware that the CRES is extremely picky when you change the number of DataListExtensions in the blocklist. Maybe it would be better to re-use the existing "thumbnailExtension" block, and rename it "GameData".

[tbudgett]

I have used the technique your looking for in my wrought iron patio set and the retaining walls I made. Take a look at those, maybe it will help.

[FifthAce2007]

ok, I have had some moderate success with this thus far.

I went back to the drawing board, and attempted this procedure on a new object, using the Midnight Ride window as a base.

I noticed that the Empire Bay Window that ships with M&G SP, has a LOD90 package already tied to it, and was able to open that by it's cres name.
So I had the main window package and it's LOD90 package to use as a reference.

I was able to clone two of the Midnight Ride window, one to use as the master and one to use as the LOD90 package. I went through the motions of altering the package to match up using the EBW package as a comparison reference.

Looking at what you said regarding the CRES being picky at new blocks, I re-used the thumbnailextension block for the GameData block. (I am curious as to what that thumbnailextension block is for, as there was no data within it...)

So far I have only done this on the straight version of the object, and it isn't set up to either act as or use a repository object's textures, as I noticed that the EBW LOD90 object contained it's own textures, but I assume that there will be no problem altering that, from the point of view of the TXTR's etc, it act's like any normal package, so the repos technique should be easily applied.

It works in the n'hood, which is the first thing I wanted to achieve, although it needs some fine tuning, as it appears a little pixely when in the n'hood, especially when rotating. Not sure if that is to do with the mesh or the textures yet. I havent made any changes to the std mesh yet, I firstly wanted to see if it would work ;)

I was going to include a screenshot of this, but it would be hard to make out, so have instead included the packages themselves, so if you are interested in having a look, you can see for yourself.

Once I have made this work completely as it should do, and worked out what extra files, if any, don't need to be there, I may even try my hand at writing a tut explaining how to do this from start to finish...

[Numenor]

The thumbnailExtension block, if empty, is useless.
It is used when the game can't create good catalog thumbnail for an object, because it's huge, or it has an odd shape etc.
In these cases, it is possible (never tried myself) to create an additional CRES, containing a modified "camera", different than the standard one used to "shot" the normal thumbnails.
This additional CRES, in order to be used by an object, must be referenced into the thumbnailExtension block of the object.

[FifthAce2007]

To be completely honest with you, that sounds completely superfluous. I mean, yes, it is always nice to have a good thumbnail view in the catalogue, but surley there was an easier way to achive it than that, a simple extra image within the texture file would have created less coding for the game to run, and given creators more flexibility in creating new objects, where they could simply nab a screenie of their object, and use that in the cat thumbnail instead... ?

I do't pretend to completely understand the package structure, but it does seem to me that Maxis needlessly bloated it.

Anyway, I have achieved what I set out to, my windows are visable in the n'hood and can still use the repository system, so all is good :cool:

[J. M. Pescado]

Needless bloat is pretty much one of the defining aspects of EAxoid code. I estimate based on the compaction ratios I have achieved in the past, that if all the needless bloat were stripped from the code and datafiles, the game would be about a quarter its current size.