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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 24th Apr 2014 at 12:23 PM Last edited by Chessa : 5th May 2014 at 11:27 PM.
Default Strange highlights and wonky shaped low poly mesh/shadows.
I'm having some problems with highlights and shadows on my object. I've rechecked the multiplier and specular maps but I'm not seeing any glaringly misplaced marks on either of those that might explain the highlight spot on the column capital and the odd horizontal shadow on the lower end of the entablature (see screenshots ). There's nothing unusual going on with the mesh in those locations either. The bright spot and shadowy line remain even when I rotate the object. Any ideas what might be causing the weirdness?

Also, I used blender + milkshape to make the shadow (low poly mesh per orangemittens' tutorials) but it's super wonky. It appears to be floating away from the object and the shape is just bizarre. How do I fix this? I know I may have to manually reposition the low poly mesh but I'm not sure where exactly it should go (x,y,z location) for it to show up properly.

I appreciate any advice and assistance!

EDIT: I've fixed the floating shadow problem by manually creating a low poly mesh, reducing its triangles, and repositioning and rescaling it to fit the proportions of my cloned object's low poly mesh.

EDIT 2: I've fixed the smoothing/shading problem - caused by UV mapping (see post 6 for more info). Strange highlight problem still remains.
Screenshots
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 28th Apr 2014 at 6:14 PM
Have you checked your mesh's Normals at all? They are the only thing I can think of that would create wierd highlights like that. But then I have been away from the creating scene for a while.

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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 29th Apr 2014 at 9:00 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Menaceman44
Have you checked your mesh's Normals at all? They are the only thing I can think of that would create wierd highlights like that. But then I have been away from the creating scene for a while.


The normals are oriented properly. Could it be smoothing groups? I haven't double checked those yet.
Test Subject
#4 Old 1st May 2014 at 5:29 AM
yes it definitely could be smoothing groups. That's what I was thinking
Sockpuppet
#5 Old 1st May 2014 at 10:54 AM
Dont think EA is using smoothing groups but not sure.
I haven't seen the mesh so i can not tell for sure but looks like a normal issue.
Maybe a duplicate face orso
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#6 Old 5th May 2014 at 11:24 PM
I'm not quite sure the whys or wherefores of normals/smoothing but I took a break from this project to work an another column project and encountered strange shading there too. I noticed that when I exported the object for game and then re-imported it into Milkshape, the object smoothing was all wonky.

After a few hours of smoothing, re-smoothing, importing, mapping, re-mapping, and general hair pulling, to no avail, I came across a post by matrixx wherein he discovered that the object vertices were not being completely split upon export to game. Apparently, UV mapping adjacent unwelded sides of an object so that their vertices overlap causes the import/export smoothing problem in MS.

I'm definitely guilty of mapping very compactly, so that sides of objects touch other sides. I updated the mapping on this object so that there were small spaces between each unwelded element and the strange shading problems seem to have gone away.

However:
- The little highlight on the column capital still remains. Nothing I've done with the meshes and mapping has fixed it.
- Also, I've noticed a long, dark seam on the back side of the column, presumably where the two sides of the flattened map meet. Any ideas how I can get rid of this?
Sockpuppet
#7 Old 6th May 2014 at 10:52 AM
can i see the file?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#8 Old 11th May 2014 at 5:17 AM Last edited by Chessa : 12th May 2014 at 3:06 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by BloomsBase
can i see the file?


Attached.
Sockpuppet
#9 Old 11th May 2014 at 1:56 PM Last edited by BloomsBase : 12th May 2014 at 2:09 PM.
just a matter of ungrouping the cilinders(screenshot) and alligne the normals on them.
Regroup em back with the rest and realligne the top row of vertice with the rest.

I included a fixed mesh but when i import it back in tsrw it recalculates the uvselectors and messes them up(i get a line on the side of the pillars.
Screenshots
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#10 Old 12th May 2014 at 1:56 PM
I don't actually use TSRW so I couldn't open the .WSO file. However, I repeated your steps (ungrouping and unifying normals) in 3ds Max, regrouped, double checked the UV maps, and recompiled the package. The odd highlights on the capital no long appear. Thank you very much!

Because I mapped the whole column shaft using the 3ds cylinder preset, I didn't expect that only a portion of the normals would be misaligned.

I'm not sure if what you were seeing in TSRW was, in fact, "messed up" (perhaps no more so than my original model) since I have a line on the back of my pillars too. It's possibly the same seam that is showing up on my model. I'm thinking that the culprit may be the multiplier map? I'll take a look at it again later
Sockpuppet
#11 Old 12th May 2014 at 2:09 PM
Could be, just make sure the uvcoordinates are 2 to 3 pixels off from the edge of the map.
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