Turm writing and Turm images

[TheDarkWraith]

It's funny how ideas start. LordNeuro"Serbia" sends me a PM about this eagle ornament that can be attached to the front of the Turm and asks if I can add it to one of my mods. I add it for him and add it to my SHD_test VIIb and then the light bulb goes off - how about being able to add writing and images to the Turm? Yeah! We have Turm emblems via the game but how about being able to dynamically personalize the Turm?
Using Misfit3DModeller and Wings3D I extract a section of the front of the VIIb Turm and import it into a test sub. I make a texture for it saying 'U-505 Heading Home!" and test it.....I think it's pretty cool. The texture is transparent so what ever isn't written on in the texture will allow the Turm to show through. This can be expanded to all areas of the Turm, not just the front section.

Here's the section that I made 'writeable' currently. It is highlighted in red:


using my U-505 heading home texture gave this in-game:


This has some really cool possibilities

[SeaWolf U-57]

Nice to see your Creative mind at work again keep it up

[LordNeuro"Serbia"]

Wery nice Rb. U r full of good idea. And thenks agein wery mouch for u work and for u help. I will tray the mod u make for me and post screnshot here too if u agre.
And how knows maybe u get inspired too make same wery good stuff with it.
I have same more reqvest theat kann make iven more mods
Just kiding. Thx 1 more time RB, and keep up the gr8 work. I cann hardly weit u mod with shadows and new damage mod maybe.

[rascal101]

Wow you just dont stop do you - once again very nice - Ok here's my question - I have seen a few crew insignia that are on the front of the conning twoer as oppsed to either side- and a few photos fronm the period with same - so instead of two images on either side you have two upfront meeting in the font middle or just one in frot - I'm thinking of one in particular with red dancing guys or satyrs with outstretched hands meeting at the front of the conning tower

Question is would it be possible to use your proposed mod to place existing insignia at the front of the tower rather than either side

Originally Posted by Racerboy

It's funny how ideas start. LordNeuro"Serbia" sends me a PM about this eagle ornament that can be attached to the front of the Turm and asks if I can add it to one of my mods. I add it for him and add it to my SHD_test VIIb and then the light bulb goes off - how about being able to add writing and images to the Turm? Yeah! We have Turm emblems via the game but how about being able to dynamically personalize the Turm?
Using Misfit3DModeller and Wings3D I extract a section of the front of the VIIb Turm and import it into a test sub. I make a texture for it saying 'U-505 Heading Home!" and test it.....I think it's pretty cool. The texture is transparent so what ever isn't written on in the texture will allow the Turm to show through. This can be expanded to all areas of the Turm, not just the front section.

Here's the section that I made 'writeable' currently. It is highlighted in red:


using my U-505 heading home texture gave this in-game:


This has some really cool possibilities

[rascal101]

dont supopse you could have a go at my suggestiopns re lighting, reflected glare and gloss paint-

Also I really like your sh4 effects - I really, really like the random additional explosions and the fact that you get some ships that you hit and just sink slowly - others go fast others go with a bang while others with a whimper - can you continue to mess with this, I like your smaller explosions and their mini firebasll - really nice work

Originally Posted by Racerboy

It's funny how ideas start. LordNeuro"Serbia" sends me a PM about this eagle ornament that can be attached to the front of the Turm and asks if I can add it to one of my mods. I add it for him and add it to my SHD_test VIIb and then the light bulb goes off - how about being able to add writing and images to the Turm? Yeah! We have Turm emblems via the game but how about being able to dynamically personalize the Turm?
Using Misfit3DModeller and Wings3D I extract a section of the front of the VIIb Turm and import it into a test sub. I make a texture for it saying 'U-505 Heading Home!" and test it.....I think it's pretty cool. The texture is transparent so what ever isn't written on in the texture will allow the Turm to show through. This can be expanded to all areas of the Turm, not just the front section.

Here's the section that I made 'writeable' currently. It is highlighted in red:


using my U-505 heading home texture gave this in-game:


This has some really cool possibilities

[rascal101]

dont supopse you could have a go at my suggestiopns re lighting, reflected glare and gloss paint-

Also I really like your sh4 effects - I really, really like the random additional explosions and the fact that you get some ships that you hit and just sink slowly - others go fast others go with a bang while others with a whimper - can you continue to mess with this, I like your smaller explosions and their mini firebasll - really nice work

Originally Posted by Racerboy

It's funny how ideas start. LordNeuro"Serbia" sends me a PM about this eagle ornament that can be attached to the front of the Turm and asks if I can add it to one of my mods. I add it for him and add it to my SHD_test VIIb and then the light bulb goes off - how about being able to add writing and images to the Turm? Yeah! We have Turm emblems via the game but how about being able to dynamically personalize the Turm?
Using Misfit3DModeller and Wings3D I extract a section of the front of the VIIb Turm and import it into a test sub. I make a texture for it saying 'U-505 Heading Home!" and test it.....I think it's pretty cool. The texture is transparent so what ever isn't written on in the texture will allow the Turm to show through. This can be expanded to all areas of the Turm, not just the front section.

Here's the section that I made 'writeable' currently. It is highlighted in red:


using my U-505 heading home texture gave this in-game:


This has some really cool possibilities

[Sailor Steve]

Awesome stuff! Emblems that were applied only to the front of the turm, personal messages...the possibilities really are endless.

Thanks again for applying your genius to the game one more time.

[coronas]

Cool,RB! Another problem solved!

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by rascal101

Wow you just dont stop do you - once again very nice - Ok here's my question - I have seen a few crew insignia that are on the front of the conning twoer as oppsed to either side- and a few photos fronm the period with same - so instead of two images on either side you have two upfront meeting in the font middle or just one in frot - I'm thinking of one in particular with red dancing guys or satyrs with outstretched hands meeting at the front of the conning tower

Question is would it be possible to use your proposed mod to place existing insignia at the front of the tower rather than either side

The power to create and destroy is an awesome power The image used on the front is one image. It's a 512x512 TGA that I drew on using PhotoShop 5. It simply takes this TGA and 'pastes' it to the front of the Turm using alpha blending. You could post a photo there if you wanted to as long as it's in a TGA format. If the image doesn't have an alpha channel I'm not sure what will happen. I'll have to try that out and see. I'm making more 'writeable' surfaces now....

EDIT: FileFront is acting up so had to use rapidshare (10 D/L limit)
Here's a playable demo of the Turm Writing. Extract to MODS folder. Enable via JSGME. Run single mission 'Turm_Writing'
in \data\Textures\Tnormal\tex you'll find the TGA used for the writing. It's called '7b_1_Turm_writing_front_top.tga'. Feel free to edit and play around with it to write your own message on the front of the Turm. Note it has an alpha channel and thus you'll need to have your alpha channel setup correctly in the image or nothing will display. Look at my TGA to understand.
http://rapidshare.com/files/20095677...0B_14b.7z.html

[TheDarkWraith]

Ok, I've defined the locations where the Turm writing is allowed. They are left side:

7b_1_TWBFL = bottom forward left side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBFL.tga)
7b_1_TWBML = bottom middle left side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBML.tga)
7b_1_TWBBL = bottom back left side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBBL.tga)

right side:


7b_1_TWBFR = bottom forward right side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBFR.tga)
7b_1_TWBMR = bottom middle right side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBMR.tga)
7b_1_TWBBR = bottom back right side (uses TGA 7b_1_TWBBR.tga)

and the front is 7b_1_TWFT = front top (uses TGA 7b_1_TWFT.tga)

the default TGA's packed into the .dat file are 2X2 'blank' transparent for all the above. If you want to use a location then you simply place the TGA for that panel in \data\Textures\TNormal\tex. If you don't override any of the default TGAs then your Turm looks just like stock (there's no change or impact to it).

For those worried about frame rates and texture sizes the 3D models are VERY simple models (one sided with the biggest 3D model having just a little over 30 vertices). The default textures are 2X2 in size thus VERY small byte wise for textures.

Now to decorate my Turm....

[TheDarkWraith]

My Lt. Cmdr is written on my Turm. Now everyone knows it's my boat.

[TheDarkWraith]

It's time to let V1.00 BETA out for everyone to evaluate. This is only for the VIIb Turm. When you unzip this you need to read the included .doc file or you'll never setup your Turm writings correctly. It's a bit of work to do but it's better than nothing. I still can't get my FileFront account to accept any uploads. Aynone else having this trouble? I upload a file and it says 'Error with Log-in'.

http://www.filefactory.com/file/af15..._TW100B_14b_7z

[Jimbuna]

Should be very handy for towers decorated like U-552 for example.

[rascal101]

This is exactly what I was asking - now there is a version of the tweo red satyrs in SH3 in the emblems library but they are designed to go on either side of the tower-

Is it possible to copy these and stick them up front as in the photo below - and can this be done with other emblems in the emblem library in GWX3 ?

Or

Do the emblenms have to be re-drawn in order to take advantage of Racerboys new mod?

Incidently is this now a mod or is it still in testing stage? or can the previously posted link / download now be safely used in-game?

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Should be very handy for towers decorated like U-552 for example.

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by rascal101

This is exactly what I was asking - now there is a version of the tweo red satyrs in SH3 in the emblems library but they are designed to go on either side of the tower-

Is it possible to copy these and stick them up front as in the photo below - and can this be done with other emblems in the emblem library in GWX3 ?

Or

Do the emblenms have to be re-drawn in order to take advantage of Racerboys new mod?

Incidently is this now a mod or is it still in testing stage? or can the previously posted link / download now be safely used in-game?

it can be used in game. It is based on SH3 1.4b files though. Shouldn't cause any ill effects just a crappy stock texture. I say it's in BETA stage because I want to know of any problems with it before continuing on. I've only seem some strange camera behavior so far (the images disappear and re-appear at certain camera angles) and I'm investigating as to why.
The emblems will have to be redrawn as it's a single texture used on the front.

EDIT: the turm writings appearing and disappearing based on camera angle is caused by contention with parent object. I'm trying a different parent object to see if this cures this little annoyance.