Thanks for letting me know, Niki. :yeah:

And thanks a lot for your pictures and kindness, Jerry ! :ping:
So here's the new IFF dipole in question (took your photos as a base) :
http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/649237891.gif
Nearly done with the modeling.

Oh god guys, sometime in this life time.:doh::doh::har::haha::o

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg545...pg&res=landing
.:salute::salute::salute:[/QUOTE]

@Alex,

That model is looking awesome!!!:salute:

Thank you, Jason.
Good to know that you like it.

I can't wait to get the weapons on it.


On a side note, if we can't get the roll off torps to work, we can just make a 1943 version of the boat with the torp tubes.

Well, aside from all the work on the road slowing me down?
We got hit with a storm that took my 'Net and power down for 5 days!!
The old generator decided Day 1 was the time to Pine for the fjords!
:haha:

So I got jack squat done on anything.
:nope:

I did manage to sketch out (In my mind and on paper only) a program that I might work on later.

But that's another thread maybe someday.
:haha:

The roll off animation stuff will work but I've yet to actually code it.
It depends on re-doing the torp door animations as the start.
So we will need to dis-able opening and closeing torp doors as a must.
I don't see that as an issue as there are no doors to open!
:D

It's a matter of can I make the torp object used disappear for good?
:hmmm:

@privateer
I forget, did we have a twin 50 gun, or do we need to make it?

I have a twin .50 ready to go as far as 3D work.
The biggest problem is adjusting SH4 files to show it without the Guy fireing it going through walls and such.

That was (and is still) a problem with custom Guns.
There is a way to over come those problems.
Move the 3D Model to start!!

In SH3/4 all Guns have the base as the central pivot point.
Move the 3D model off center, adjust a few things, and guess what?
You get a Crew member following a proper Gun movement!

Still working on the 3D model stuff.
Lots of things need detached, adjusted, re-worked, and so on to get a working model ready for importing.
:yep:

I'm totally happy with what we have so far. It all needs to be made SH4 ready now.
That's not a simple, one day job!
:nope:

Poly count will fall quite a bit in the process but that is a good thing!
It will not have any effect on the details of the 3D model!
Just make it easier on the systems running it.
:D

As far as I can see at this point?
A standard Sub in SH4 is much harder on your system then this PT Boat.
:|\\

That's great news Privateer!

Especially to retain detail integrity without a huge impact on the system! :salute:

Part of the system impact is what is loaded at Game start.
That can be, and has been, worked around before.
:03:

The Game engine does allow instancing of objects.
instancing is the practice of rendering multiple copies of the same mesh in a scene at once, allowing placement as if a different mesh
So I can use parts of things and just create an instance of it and place it where I wish.

On render? It just appears as it should!

So say I have the radar dome for an example.
I can cut that 3D model in half, create an instance in the file and rotate it to it's correct position.
In Game you see a whole Radar Dome!
Render time appears only affected by how the base Game loads up.
(GWX4 Devs tested this and it was a planned and approved approach)

Open the Maunsell Forts in GWX and you'll see this first wide scale usage of this instancing.
(I also taught Hans, of HAHD, about this little trick and he uses it wisely)
:D

The main thing GWX Devs looked at was load time problems.
It's been proven that the less loaded at Game start? The better off you are!
That's why Ubi Devs broke up campaign files remember?
To save system resources!

By doing the instanceing trick, (Which examples can be found in SH3 Stock)
Load time are reduced and system memory needs are reduced.

The only bottle neck, as always, is your Video card.
IF you can run SH4 with your current Card?
I see no reason I can't make the Higgins work for you.

That's good to hear. Keep up the good work everybody.:salute::salute::salute:

I did a quick test import as a single object to see what the file size would be (And to check smoothing).

Without optimizeing the mesh or removeing other stuff from the dat?
The SH4 Subs are WAY larger once the Conning tower is added into the mix.

The model could have twice the detail it has so far and STILL NOT be much larger then the Subs.
:up:

I'm thinking when we get around to doing the 37 mm gun, we could mod the 40mm gun.

And that looks something like this?
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n..._2006/40MM.jpg

Sweet jebus palamino! That's it!:up:

http://livingincinema.com/wp-content...ino-a-nazi.jpg

Mind you that's a very early version.
The final version will be much more detailed.
As will the other Guns and stuff We need yet.

I also did an early AO burn for the Boat.
I'll see about getting some images uploaded.
There's a bad storm hitting me right now and if it's like normal?
I'll be without power and the 'Net here sometime soon.
:wah:

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...est-Burn-1.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...est-Burn-2.jpg

If you look closely? You can see some areas that need worked on yet as far as smoothing groups and somethings needing
faces added to avoid the 'see through it' problem.
This is also the un-optimized full version model.

Any chance of getting some good shots of the 37mm?
I found very few that give enuff views to do as good a model as I'd like.
The ammo feeder is no problem and I have plenty of good images of that.
It's mostly the stuff under the main barrel and the firing control/handle area I'd like better views of.

A few good shots of the 40mm also wouldn't hurt if possible.
:D

I think We can just modify the in Game 20 and 40 to work?
I did notice the AO for the 20 needs some work.

Someone better at doing graphics work would help alot also.

For the 37mm, most of them were originally scavanged off wrecked or written off P-39 Airacobras, and the same gun was eventually made a standard piece for the gunboat versions later in the war, so maybe check for the plane armament too. Maybe IL2 has a good model to go off of?

Maybe check out some of these links:

https://www.google.com/search?q=p-39...ient=firefox-a

Hope it helps!