Importing 3ds as ground mesh?

[Sakrateri]

Any idea why I keep getting an access violation when trying to import 3d max terrains I make as ground mesh? I can import them fine just as a regular 3ds model but then I cant get the zone bounds correct. Is importing as a ground mesh just not working or is it just me?

[Windcatcher]

Originally Posted by Sakrateri

Any idea why I keep getting an access violation when trying to import 3d max terrains I make as ground mesh? I can import them fine just as a regular 3ds model but then I cant get the zone bounds correct. Is importing as a ground mesh just not working or is it just me?

Can you post the .3ds somewhere so I can try it? As far I;m concerned, the entire way that OpenZone handles ground meshes needs to be redesigned, but in the short term maybe I can at least get what it has working for you.

P.S. I'll be out of town over the weekend so I won't be around until Sunday night at the very earliest (and that's doubtful).

[Sakrateri]

Sure, I will send it to you in a PM take your time on it though I can still make them and import them later into Openzone. thanks .

[KhaN]

Originally Posted by Sakrateri

Is importing as a ground mesh just not working or is it just me?

Was crashing for me 2years ago, just load it as 3D Mesh ... and anw, there is no difference on how EQ Client will consider it.

[Sakrateri]

Yeah i can do that and walk around in teh zone but as a regualr mesh I can get no boundries or zone points in , I need it as a ground mesh. But thanks

[Scorpious2k]

Originally Posted by Sakrateri

Yeah i can do that and walk around in teh zone but as a regualr mesh I can get no boundries or zone points in , I need it as a ground mesh. But thanks

I've done both. It is possible and not very difficult.

[Windcatcher]

Originally Posted by Sakrateri

Any idea why I keep getting an access violation when trying to import 3d max terrains I make as ground mesh? I can import them fine just as a regular 3ds model but then I cant get the zone bounds correct. Is importing as a ground mesh just not working or is it just me?

I found the bug and fixed it (it was a regression I introduced in OpenZone 7.7), but the results look pretty terrible as it wasn't designed for .3DS files that use a single texture. I need to put a bit more thought into it, but I'm leaning toward doing away with that option entirely and instead adding an option that would let you "tag" a .3DS object you imported as the ground object. Doing it this way would best protect the fidelity of the .3DS object, with the tradeoff that you wouldn't be able to paint or otherwise modify it in the ground editor (and you would have to check the "show other objects" box in the ground editor to see it). This would require a lot of code changes, but off the top of my head it feels like the best solution. I'm thinking of creating either an internal BSP tree or quadtree that OpenZone could use for rapidly looking up the elevation at any point in the object, so that all features that need the ground elevation would still work (placing objects on the ground, walking on the ground, etc.)

Since this would require a lot of effort, before I start on this does anyone have any thoughts on it?

WC

[Sakrateri]

I have been trying otherways to get this to work and in 3dmax I placed a single plane over the entire top of the zone like a lid to keep people in. well I got it into openzone and placed some trees and few other things and then exported it and tried to zone into it and the client kept crashing so I brought it back up in openzone and removed the top plane and reexported it then no problems zoning in. If anyones got another way for me to try before you go through all that work I am listening.