That's a lovely depth charge, I'd love to use it if you allow it. As for MG you're right, such a small weapon, if it is to be included, should have very simple model. Perhaps the best option would be to use yours for reference to make a extremely low poly version?

Wartime expediency - with what I've already learned about .dat format I think I'll be able to have the boat seaworthy within a few days and when .dat version is out there protecting the convoys my R&D dept. can switch to figuring out .gr2 format in order to eventually sink U-Boats in style.

By the way, where are .gr2 weapons? Only files whose names suggest weapon models fail to open properly in TDW's editor (meaning, they do open but there seems to be no model to see in preview window...)

Update
 

When I wrote last post I hoped to finish it in a few days... and then got distracted by other things for months. Still, now that I have some time again, I dug the files out in order to finish it.

I still have to make some final improvements to the model and then texture it (which might take a while since I'm pretty much a noob at UV mapping) but I did a test import into game and it worked pretty well in most regards: it shows up in game, sails, fights, explodes and sinks no problem. Because of lack of Hotchkiss 3pdr I used single 2pdr on front deck and Oerlikons for AA mounts.

Now one thing I couldn't figure out is how to make a working ASW weapon. I made a W01 (asw) slot where Fairmile historically mounted an Y-gun and as far as I can tell, I configured everything identical as it is in Japanese Akizuki and Sub Chaser dat-format ships, yet those ships show up in game with ASW weapons while my Fairmile has an empty spot there.

I got Y-gun to show up when I put it in M01 (main armament) node but it refused to fire. Anything I try to assign to W01 node just doesn't show up.

EDIT: Done some more experiments with W01 slot. Well... any ASW weapon I put there works now... with exception of Y-Gun. Sigh.

SH5 with TWoS has 4 Y-Guns in game files: two .gr2 (YGun, YGun_Mk9), which show black on a .dat ship (don't mind the ship ugly texture for now, it's a placeholder)

https://i.imgur.com/GHDKfvd.jpg

An SH4 version which shows up like this and refuses to fire:

https://i.imgur.com/S8uD2Fr.jpg

And SH3 version which doesn't show up at all.

I have no idea why SH3 K-Gun and DC rack work in SH5 and Y-gun doesn't. Tested it with other ships (like Japanese destroyers) and results are the same.

Update: I'm mostly done with main texture - here's how it looks in S3D:

https://i.imgur.com/E7feKFS.jpg

Having trouble with lightmap though, I can't get the hang of how to make specular mask properly and in game ship becomes whiter than KKK member walking out of laundry.

Simply amazing, I can't wait to see her in game! :yeah:

That's ugly lol :O:

Are you relying on the dat format? And if yes, have you added your lightmap using the unified render controller?

Yes, it's in dat format. When I get it into relasable state in dat, then I'll see if I can port it into gr2.

As for the second question - lacking any experience with dat file structure, I approached it by using one of existing ships as template, and then changing node after node to fit my model. So my method of adding lightmap was "replace original O01.dds file with my own". I think the problem is in how I made the file, not how it was added though - in other words, I don't know what to put in alpha layer for the ship to look "natural".

Good plan :up:

Well, if you used a native SHIV ship as template, you should know that SH5's specular masks are probably darker than SHIV ones.

If you want to make a comparison, in SH5 those texture maps are stored in the alpha channels of main (diffuse) textures, whereas for stock SHIV units they are stored in ambient occlusion map's alpha channels (O1 etc.).

Talking on this topic, probably I have already pointed you to the thread linked below, but I recommend you to re-read it carefully as it contains reports of how various modders had to rework SHIV light maps for them to look right in SH5:

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...71#post1644371

Besides that, unless you didn't enable the ambient occlusion map in S3d, I see from your previews that your new unit is still missing one. AO maps are a bit more complicated than other maps, but they can make a big difference in how natural the illumination of various 3D objects looks in game.
Just give me a sign when you are ready to add one to your gracious model. :salute:

Thanks for this link Gap, there's a ton of useful info in this thread. I'm browsing through it and tweaking some values in my ship's files to get rid of the lighting problems and other bugs. I have to edit the .zon files as well since these still weren't changed from original ship.

I probably will have to make my own ASW weapons for it as well. Even if I could get SH3 or SH4 Y-gun to work (SH5 works, but is rendered black on dat model), they have far too much ammo for this kind of ship. And no DC chute that would fit for stern depth charges is in game files.

Meanwhile, some shots of the current version in game:

https://i.imgur.com/ZXx7MG5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/c1IbEmN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1xZnXQH.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1N1F5hp.jpg

My pleasure :)

Yes, the damage model is one of the main differences between SH5 and its predecessors. Without the tweaks that you are mentioning, your new unit wouldn't take any damage from collisions/explosions.

I don't remember having seen DC chutes in any of the stock SH5 unit. You could probably borrow a chute 3D model from one of the small ASW vessels released in the past for SHIII/IV, but looking for them would probably take much longer than modelling one from scratch...

On a side note, be warned that even though you give to your boat the appropriate unit type, depending on her displacement she might have an hard time at using her depth charges. That's caused by a limit of SH's AI, as small units try to avoid collision with bigger mass units, even though they are submerged.

Wow, she looks so nice (though you haven't placed the ensign in the gaff position yet :03:)!

That'd be a bummer... on the bright side, she doesn't have any trouble using Y-gun - in test mission it was scary good at locating me with ASDIC and then making a precision DC drop on my head.

That's with SH5 Y-gun though. SH4 and 3 Y-guns don't work, not just on my ship but on any imported ship in TWoS. I tried all kind of things with them and got nowhere.

As for damage model, I used an already imported ship in TWoS for template file, so she does sink, burn and even capsize, just in wrong way. I'll just remake all spheres/boxes to fit her dimensions and internal compartments.

By the way, is there a way to check if the ship has correct dimensions in game? I set the draft at 1,47 meters, but torpedoes launched at 1,0 and 1,2 meter depth went under her hull - I'm not sure whether it's faulty torpedoes, wave motion or wrong dimensions.

That's good, if the Y gun works on your boat I don't see why other types of DC throwers wouldn't do the same :up:

I had a look into SH5's Y gun and I compared it with the one from SHIV. Apparently, the they have slightly differente file structures:

in SHIV:

• Node - YGun (3D model: the base of the thrower with arm #1)
  
  
  • Node - YGun02 (3D model: arm #2)
    • Node - YGun_barrel02 (3D model: DC #2)
      
      
  • Node - YGun_barrel01 (3D model: DC #1)

in SH5:

• Bone - Y Gun (3D model: the base of the thrower with arm #1)
  • Bone - barrel_01 (3D model: none)
  • Bone - YGun_barrel01 (3D model: DC #1)
    
    
  • Bone - YGun02
    • Bone - YGun_barrel02 (3D model: DC #2)
    • Bone - barrel_02 (3D model: none)

Marked in bold are the nodes whose name is specified in the 'Barrel' field of the wpn_KGun controller for both games. As you can see, SH5's Y guns have a couple of extra dummy bones over SHIV ones. I don't know for sure why they are there (at first I thought they are used for determining the throwing directions, but obviously that's not the case since they have no rotation data), but they might be essential for SH5 being able to trigger its DC projectors.

Okay, for a small unit as your launch, that task shouldn't be too complicated :)

Not a very accurate one, but...

...one unit of length in most 3D editing programs is equal to ten meters in the SH world. Knowing that, you can place a mark on your unit near the desired/expected waterline and see what's happening in game. You can even draw draft marks near the bow of your boat, but when you set the testing mission, don't forget to set the cargo of your unit to none, and wind speed to zero, as both factors might affect ships draught in game :03:

Just tested her with standard DC rack. The "avoiding collision" problem was very visible in shallow waters (sub at periscope depth), Fairmiles were circling the sub but never going directly over it, which caused them to miss. In deeper water with submarine on 80 meters, they were making runs directly over the sub and were able to hit it.

Since you stated you do not have a proper zon file?
I'm not surprised.

That's exactly what I was talking about :yep:

Okay, good finding

Hi Jeff, glad to see you around!

Answering your comment, I am afraid that in the case we are discussing zon file settings have only a minor relevance: I remember having read reports of same AI behaviour shown by PT boats and other small ASW vessels in SHIII or SHIV, and I don't think those units had bad collision settings :yep:

One may tend to believe reports as posted. I'd prefer to see the exact Units involved in said reports.
As I recall? One of the ASW trawlers in GWX 3 is considered the deadliest ever turned loose.
:haha:
In fact? I had to tone it down as it would blow itself up at times!

And I am always watching the forums here. I may not log in but I'm here.

As always I intend no disrespect.
But I'd like to see all files involved. Including the Y gun files.
Yeah I could down load everything but I'm not into going that far.

Sure enough blunders by other modders are to be taken into account but, even in the worst case, their reports contain useful clues that I often learned from. That said, by no means reading the forum replaces direct experience and, most importantly, one failing to do something doesn't necessarily prevent someone else from succeeding in the same task.

No surprise about that. If memory serves me well what matters for AI's collision avoidance routines is unit's mass as declared in its sim file. An ASW trawler is a fatter badass than a PT boat or a motor lauch, though a careful placement of collision spheres around smaller units might help mitigating their overcautious attitude toward collisions.


So do I, though at time I am too busy to reply.

No offense taken of course. Your terse wisdom will always be appreciated with me :03: :up:

Hi guys,

I remade zon file yesterday, but I'm not yet satisfied with the results - the ship takes too long to sink for its size so I'll be tweaking the zon file until I get a good looking result.

In the meantime, I uploaded SH4 and SH3 Y-gun files to my Google Drive in case you'd like to take a look. Y-guns in TWoS are part of files containing other asw weapons as well. Themselves, they are not used by any ship except Japanese sub chaser, which is configured to use SH3 Y-gun but, like on my ship, weapon doesn't appear on deck.

K-guns and DC racks contained in these same files work without problem and are used by multiple ships.

Link below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1za...V5UV7n3goizg3t

That file from twos?
Just a quick look tells me there are problems.

Yes, both these files are from twos.

You can have a look at the damage settings of other small vessels in case you think they display more realistic sinking dynamics, and get inspiration from them. If need be you can create new damage zone types with customized flooding time settings, and assign them to your unit.

Sorry for my late reply on that, but inexplicably S3d has stopped working on my laptop, and I had to install it on an old computer in order to check your files...

...I definitely see some problems too, though I don't know if they are the same spotted by Jeff. So you said that SHIII's YGun refuses to show up in game. Is that correct? What about the SHIV version then?