Reflect nodes in GR2

[Targor Avelany]

Good day all,

While working with uboat gr2s, seeing an interestin node: Reflect.

My question is: what does it do? I don't see anything attached to it, nothing in .sim/.zon/.val files seems to have any controllers on it - so what is its purpose?

Any idea?

[gap]

Have you tried merging the Fx file in Goblin?

[Targor Avelany]

I actually found one controller that attached to that in .sim: WaterReflections...

and that is the only one.

But what do the WaterReflections do? Can't seem to actually find the use for it exactly

[gap]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

I actually found one controller that attached to that in .sim: WaterReflections...

and that is the only one.

But what do the WaterReflections do? Can't seem to actually find the use for it exactly

I think what it says. If I remember correctly caustics controller is located in the sim file and it is also previewed in Goblin. Try removing the discussed node/controller and see if anything changes in the rendered preview

[Targor Avelany]

Originally Posted by gap

I think what it says. If I remember correctly caustics controller is located in the sim file and it is also previewed in Goblin. Try removing the discussed node/controller and see if anything changes in the rendered preview

Did. The caustic creates the visual water reflection/stains on the hull/deck. It also on the main hull node, not on reflection one.

Removing WaterReflections controlled: can't seem to find what exactly changes.

[gap]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

Did. The caustic creates the visual water reflection/stains on the hull/deck. It also on the main hull node, not on reflection one.

Removing WaterReflections controlled: can't seem to find what exactly changes.

Is there a similar controller in the AI surface units? Maybe it is the same controller making ships detectable at long range from their reflection on water surface

[Targor Avelany]

Originally Posted by gap

Is there a similar controller in the AI surface units? Maybe it is the same controller making ships detectable at long range from their reflection on water surface

Will have to play around with this more. Not that I care, but if I don't need the mesh - why would I edit it for an AI IXb, right?

[gap]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

Will have to play around with this more. Not that I care, but if I don't need the mesh - why would I edit it for an AI IXb, right?

So the node has a mesh attached to it? Is it a low def copy of the hull by any chance?
If it is there, it got to do something (if it was a dat unit I would suspect that it was a SHIV leftover, but not in this case. I suggest you to leave as last work anyway

[Targor Avelany]

Originally Posted by gap

So the node has a mesh attached to it? Is it a low def copy of the hull by any chance?
If it is there, it got to do something (if it was a dat unit I would suspect that it was a SHIV leftover, but not in this case. I suggest you to leave as last work anyway

yeah, very rough one. But there is also a dbg model, which is also a hull-shape-low poly...

[gap]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

yeah, very rough one. But there is also a dbg model, which is also a hull-shape-low poly...

Well, in this case I am almost sure that it is used for hull reflection effectt on water surface

[Targor Avelany]

Originally Posted by gap

Well, in this case I am almost sure that it is used for hull reflection effectt on water surface

probably also the cause of spotting ships via their reflections through fog, lol

[gap]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

probably also the cause of spotting ships via their reflections through fog, lol

If memory serves me well, that controller got some lod distance settings. Either they don't work correctly, or we need to finetune them

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by Targor Avelany

Good day all,

While working with uboat gr2s, seeing an interestin node: Reflect.

My question is: what does it do? I don't see anything attached to it, nothing in .sim/.zon/.val files seems to have any controllers on it - so what is its purpose?

Any idea?

It does the ship reflections on the water. It will have a mesh attached to it (usually a low-res version). I changed those to the actual mesh of the item in SH3 to have better reflections.

[Targor Avelany]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

It does the ship reflections on the water. It will have a mesh attached to it (usually a low-res version). I changed those to the actual mesh of the item in SH3 to have better reflections.

Hmm. I might try that as well to see if it will be a much more painfull load on the system running the game in case of SH5. If not - it will allow me to eliminate this mesh out of gr2 and just re-assign the water reflections to the actual mesh instead.