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Tool for making characters and converting VRML files to gm

And another version uploaded (to <a href="http://home.arcor.de/swigard/Downloads/TOOL/" target="_blank">the usual spot</a> ) - it can now read and write .x file format.
 
Hey! Now THAT is cool! <a href="http://www.avsim.com/vs" target="_blank">Virtual Sailor</a> uses .x files. So maybe you can either convert Virtual Sailor models to PotC or PotC models to Virtual Sailor now! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/william.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":will" border="0" alt="william.gif" />
 
Right, Pieter, I thought you'd be interested in that. In principle it's certainly possible to convert models both ways - however I'm afraid the handling of masts and sails is much different in the two games, and at least for POTC I know that it's a long way from having a model to actually using it in the game.
 
BTW.
Take a look on Voyage Century weather files....If u do u'll realize that r
99% similar to the Potc weather ones. In fact is a copy.

Then...in reciprocity we'd borrow something from that game, adding a little "cosmetics". Don't u ???? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/diomed.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":dio" border="0" alt="diomed.gif" />

_______________________________________________
 
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> again!

As far as I can say, this is a great tool! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_praise.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":bow" border="0" alt="icon_praise.gif" />
Regrettably I can't say too much, 'coz I have not the slightest knowledge about modelling now, but I try to learn...

First thing I tried was to add a locator to a location. So I thought, the correct way would be to open a <mode>l_L.gm of an location and then Scene-> Patch -> Read Character Patch.

But that doesn't work as I suggested with towns. It always gives me a message box "Invalid patch file" with towns.

So please give some help, how to do this...

TIA and cheers!
 
Fixed now (the above bug). That was because the towns have not one, but two different patches, one for day and one for night.
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" />
Another thing the newest version can do is make character patches (.ptc files) from gm files - so we can now create patches in a modeling program - even such that are not flat.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Inez Dias+Sep 29 2005, 03:40 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Inez Dias @ Sep 29 2005, 03:40 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Fixed now (the above bug). That was because the towns have not one, but two different patches, one for day and one for night.
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thank you very much! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_praise.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":bow" border="0" alt="icon_praise.gif" />
 
I cannot figure out how to edit the patch, Inez. With the old versions of the tool, I could just drag the lines around... how does it work now? (I should probably read the instructions first and see if it's in there, but I prefer to go right to the source...) Thx
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Inez Dias+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Inez Dias)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Another thing the newest version can do is make character patches (.ptc files) from gm files - so we can now create patches in a modeling program - even such that are not flat.
<div align="right">[snapback]133167[/snapback]</div><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Does above help you? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
It's a great feature, but I will never be able to use it because I just cannot for the life of me make my modelling software do what I want it to do. I've been using the tool -as- a modelling program, insofar as it is capable of seperating model elements, resizing, etc. I played around with it that way last night, by the way, trying to turn a lamp-post intoa hangman's gallow... but more than half the time I try and combine some models the program crashes when I save.

I'd like to just use an old version of the tool to edit patches the easy way I already know how, but the programs won't let me install a second copy; they detect I already have the tool installed.
 
Sorry Alan, that patch editing didn't work was another bug I introduced in testing the new thing. Should be fixed in the version I uploaded today: you can now draw the points around as before.
 
New version? Great, thanks a lot <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" />

During the last days your tool has been extremely helpful for the building kit. Actually only your scene editor has enabled me nonmodeller to make buildings <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doff.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":doff" border="0" alt="doff.gif" /> Just made a rum destillery by resizing bottles and barrels and connecting them with tubes made from your candelabre_x <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":drunk" border="0" alt="buds.gif" /> , and a foundry with an oversized vertical gunmuzzle as blastfurnace <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />

A question though: I copied several item and wreckage models into the meshes folder of your tool so that I can use them for scene editing. Sometimes that works, but often often when I try to save a construction made of several such parts I get an errormessage saying something like "ausserhalb des gueltigen Bereichs". The saved modelfile then is only 1KB big and unusable. Do you have an idea what could cause this? Or can only certain models be used as scene editor components?

Another observation: I was never able to use ship or rigmodels for scene editing. Do shipparts have certain hidden features that prohibit their use in other combinations? (maybe locators for rig and sails)
 
CCC: While I get my error message in English, it's the same effect that most model elements seem incompatible with others. Basically I can only make the _x files already in the mesh folder work with other models. (Great creativity by the way; I'd like to see about cobbling together a pipe organ using that little writing desk and some sort of tubes.)

Something frigging sweet I did discover though: If you isolate a model element - say, take a town location and delete everything but one building or a wall, then save that - you can use it again in the same town location. I've been playing with this, trying to effect some new outdoor locations ... made a new town by taking the Douwesen town exit, with the waterfall, and copying that one brick wall repeatedly to circle the area then added a dozen new buildings, take out all the trees and voila, Waterfall-ville. I'm seeing what else I can do with this...

What I'd really love to do is take the Residence from FdF and put it on the Oxbay Lighthouse cliff - big spooky mansion. But there's one where the tool crashes if I try and save. Anyway it had me thinking about a player-owned town, like his own home on his governer-granted property, and houw you could start with a hut and, by model replacement, work your way up to a mansion. Maybe you've already got such a thing going.

Only problem with editing outdoor locations this way: When i use the original patch they have no shading effects, so they're just all awfully bright. I can make new .col files for them, but I'm having a heck of a time getting just the right color - usually too light or too dark, and for some reason it replaces the floor texture, so I end up with a monochrome ground.

Inez: Sweet, I'll give that a try immediately. I've given myself a lot of work to do...
 
CCC:
not sure, but I'm afraid you can only combine models of the same type -like ships with ships, but not with locations or with characters. That's because the vertices (points) have a different format in the different types of models (IIRC).
I'll see what I can do, but no promises, as I currently have some non-POTC projects also.
Alan:
amazing to what new uses you put this simple tool - I didn't even know you can separate elements and delete parts with the tool alone - I've only ever used it with Max.
CCC and Alan both: if you like you can mail me the things you want combined, that would make it easier for me to find out just why it goes wrong.
 
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" /> A RUM distillery?!!! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> That's great, CCC! Looking forward to messing around with this stuff when I get a chance. Darned "real life". <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/urgh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":urgh" border="0" alt="urgh.gif" /> And the landlord just raised the rent, too. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

Miss you all a lot. Wish I could get here more often.
 
You are certainly missed here as well, Cat, but don't feel too bad about it. I assume most of us have this time constraint problem, sometimes more, sometimes less. Aye, too bad we need a real life to sustain our modding efforts...

<!--quoteo(post=133755:date=Oct 24 2005, 06:32 PM:name=Inez Dias)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Inez Dias @ Oct 24 2005, 06:32 PM) [snapback]133755[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->CCC:
not sure, but I'm afraid you can only combine models of the same type -like ships with ships, but not with locations or with characters. That's because the vertices (points) have a different format in the different types of models (IIRC).
I'll see what I can do, but no promises, as I currently have some non-POTC projects also.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks a lot for the offer, but take your time, I have already almost everything I need. Just asked in case you already knew a solution.
Once you find some time: some simple building parts, like lego blocks, would be a great supplement to the meshes folder: a flat stoneblock that could be stretched into walls or ceilings, a wooden bar for poles and levers, and a window... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Alan:
amazing to what new uses you put this simple tool - I didn't even know you can separate elements and delete parts with the tool alone - I've only ever used it with Max.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's absolutely freaking amazing. Never occured to me either that you can seperate and isolate modelcomponents just by clicking on that subdirectory cross <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" /> It takes some trial and error till you have made sense of the partnames and found components that have some proper look. E.g. the palmtrees of the Piratefort can easily be used to turn a barren plain into a jungle.

That opens up even more modding possibilities: now we CAN make new (or at least modified) locations rather easily: delete a distinct feature of a location (like Douwesen gate in Alan's example) and add new landscape elements and buildings <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bounce.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":b:" border="0" alt="bounce.gif" />
 
BTW: Would anyone of you know how to make a ship's walk patch from scratch? The LuggerVML (newly added from the SLiB mod by Jack Davidson) doesn't have it's walk .c file. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
I wouldn't recommend making it from scratch - start with an existing patch and modify it so it fits the new ship. The tool can help with that, but it's still a bit of work.
 
So here's what I picture, and it's possible but would require some things outside my abilities: A clifftop mansion, surrounded by scraggily old dead trees and tombstones. I got the clifftop (Oxbay lighthouse location), mansion (any of them will work but the first I've tried so far is Redmond's), tombstones (from Redmond), scraggily trees (you can strip the big tree in Oxbay of its leaves; and the dead fallen log in the 'canyon' location otuside the mine is a seperate element), but they're all from seperate locations so any combination crashes the tool. Another limitation with this, deleting model elements to isolate what you want, is the weird way in which some of them are tied together... I can seperate, say, a wall, but the model info may have this set of windows attached to it meant to go on other buildings, and so they're left floating around in midair... I can't say how professional my finished products are going to look.

Inez: Another 'lost' feature from previous versions of the tool, I remember being able to drag locators around instead of only opening them and typing in new coordinates.
 
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