"Limp" flag ?

[John Pancoast]

Any flag .anim, etc that has the flag more or less just hanging, i.e., no or little breeze vs the always fluttering standard one ?

[John Pancoast]

I suppose I could change the meshanimation data.........as long as doing so just didn't make the flag straight out stiff.

[Mister_M]

If no breeze, you don't need any animation... Just joking. A non moving flag would just look odd...

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Mister_M

If no breeze, you don't need any animation... Just joking. A non moving flag would just look odd...

Not at all. If you think about it, the only time it should be displayed is leaving/entering port which equals slow speed and low winds normally.

It waving when there is no or little wind/boat speed to speak off is what looks oddd. It should be hanging loose, not fluttering away more often than not per above.
I've messes with trying to make it so but it's beyond my skill level.

[Mad Mardigan]

If, you do (as I do) leave dock.. just as the guys back then did... (no transporter capability then... mind you.... leave Star Trek, to... well... start trek realm aka uni... or light speed hyperjumps... that's star wars territory... & just as with star trek... best left there. )

Any who...

A flag, flapping about as if there's a stiff breeze, when the conditions don't warrant it... aka very slight to no wind blowing... well... that flag flapping about, looks outright... ridiculous to see it flapping about.

Now, after getting under weigh.... is an altogether different matter... & then, the flag... if it is set up to be visible, while in port... or even sailing about... (which is why I loved that ability to hit a set hot keys commands... shift+f to set the flag or to stow it away...) then seeing it flapping about, based on what the wind speeds/conditions are, makes perfect sense.

John, has a grand idea... & would love to see that idea brought to fruition.





M. M.

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Not at all. If you think about it, the only time it should be displayed is leaving/entering port which equals slow speed and low winds normally.

It waving when there is no or little wind/boat speed to speak off is what looks oddd. It should be hanging loose, not fluttering away more often than not per above.
I've messes with trying to make it so but it's beyond my skill level.

+1







M. M.

[John Pancoast]

No big deal, definately low priority. Maybe if I mess with the animation a bit more to slow it up a little that would do.

[John Pancoast]

Something like this, i.e.

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Something like this, i.e.

M. M.

[Jeff-Groves]

I'd look into vicker03's way of using the particals generators as he did on the Engine animations for SH4.
You'd still need to 3D model the flags in various states.

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

I'd look into vicker03's way of using the particals generators as he did on the Engine animations for SH4.
You'd still need to 3D model the flags in various states.

Thanks Jeff. Yeah, tga editing is my downfall; I have Gimp but more or less only use it for viewing.
I don't even know what most of it's editing terms mean. No big deal though, not a must have mod by any means.

[Anvart]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

...
You'd still need to 3D model the flags in various states.

3ds Max into your hands...

[gap]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

I'd look into vicker03's way of using the particals generators as he did on the Engine animations for SH4.
You'd still need to 3D model the flags in various states.

Today there are several programs capable of animating a mesh as if it was a flapping piece of fabric under the effect of winds of various strengths, from dead calm to a tornado. For sure Blender, and probably 3ds Max, can do this and export their physic simulation as key-framed animations.

Imho the trickiest points are:

1 - for SH flags to be realistic, not only the global wind should be considered, but the combined vector of global and motion wind, i.e. the apparent wind. IIRC one of the SH5 patches by The Dark Wraith, probably not one of the best known, does this for changing flag orientation.

2 - If more than one flag state must be used in game depending on wind strength, the game should calculate apparent wind speed for any vessel, and on the base of those speeds it should decide which animated flag is to be flown on each vessel at any given time.

Both flag orientation and flag selection would require an hardcoded patch for adding the needed code to the game. Has anyone messed with similar features in SHIII?

[Jeff-Groves]

To the best of my memory? There is no way to control wind direction for smoke and such.

I'd think the Flag animation 'could' be controlled for a speed effect in several different ways.
StateMachine, animation controllers as DivingDuck did for Animations of engines, vickers03's particals approach.

[John Pancoast]

I don't think a model for various wind states would necessarily be needed. I.e., the flag is only used around the port where there's never much wind anyway.