Evironment Reflection Textures.......

[SuperMang!]

how?






i mean like.... reflection textures found on models an stuff that are basically a panning stretching warping picture of an area in a map. it completely baffles me on how to do this without some 5000 dollar app.

[Smithboy]

It's in serious modeller!

Look in the Help\ToolsHelp.chm file for instructions:

Serious Modeller -> How to... Add Reflections

[Merkaba48]

I think what he was actually looking for was a way to actually take the 6 environment pictures. I'd be interested in knowing this too, actually.

Is there a SS console command, I wonder?

[Bwian]

I believe there's an advanced entity that gets placed in the world, and you can somehow reference that in world or model properties. I haven't experimented with it other than knowing it exists though. :)

[Smithboy]

You can take it yourself. It's only usually a 128x128 to 256x256 image, so you probably won't notice if you aren't exactly turning 90 degrees for each image. What I would do is use the skybox for 5 of the images, if you're outside.

[Michael Harris]

You might also check out the following from the third toolbar in the editor........

Save Pictures For Environment -- saves top/bottom/front/back/left/right views from selected entity's location, in TGA format, in textures directory, for subsequent use as environmental mapping textures, when mapping/mirroring surrounding environment onto entity's surfaces (technique for supporting mirrored objects that mirror their surroundings (but not players/enemies) on their surfaces, without the performance hit that such non-flat/non-simple mirroring would cause if done literally)

[Merkaba48]

Aha, I *KNEW* I'd seen that feature somewhere. Thanks :)

[Bwian]

AHA, that's what I must've found before. :)

Good to have it cleared up.

[Earthling]

I tried that one time, but it didn't work. :bawling:

[Merkaba48]

Worked for me...

If you want to be exact, place a marker in the map, select it, press Y so you get the view from the markers point of view, and then press the environment texture button, and now save it as 'my_environment.tga' or whatever. It'll add the postfix N, S, E, W, C, or F to each picture. (north south etc, ceiling, floor)

One odd thing I found was that the direction the entity is looking is taken to be North, meaning that if you have an oddly angled object, the environment map will be angled too. I'm not sure if this gives the same results in-game or if you should tweak it so as to get a straight environment map. It's probably no big deal.

[Merkaba48]

Update/clarification: You MUST be selecting an entity to save an environment map. The angle the entity is facing is taken to be NORTH, which probably means you should make the entity actually face north before taking an environment map from it. Press Y whilst having the entity highlighted to see the world from its view.

When the editor asks you where to save the environment map to, just type in the name you want to identify it by - the editor will generate 6 pictures with the same name, each with a different last letter to determin which direction it is for. (North, South, East, West, Ceiling, or Floor)

If anyone can verify the truth that to make the environment map look right on a model, you must make sure the model you're using is pointing north, could you do so please? I'm not sure what model would be best for testing this...perhaps a simple square or sphere, but I don't know how to make models...

[HighMaintenance]

/me points at animated avatar

[Merkaba48]

*reads forum rules*

God damn it! :)

I'll change that ASAP.