"Fractured" nif

[Jarmrik]

I tried to build a model from scratch. My problem is that it that it seems to be visually broken.
What am I doing wrong? Is it a a problem in model building (do I have to rebuild it?), or has it more to do with the material definition? Unwrapping process maybe?
Can someone help or have a look to the model?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

My advice when creating new units is to not start with a new NIF but to export your units into nif and than copy paste them on top of an existing civ 4 unit. That solves 99% of all problems.

Also, this one is really in a bad way. For a start you lack:
1. The proper nif structure as seen in units.
2. A value for the texture source in NiSourceTexture
3. Skeleton (although this may be intentional)
etc.

 

[Jarmrik]

That s what I wanted to do. The file I uploaded is the inert model I would have pasted on a vanilla model I would have attach to (copy/paste branch in nifskope). That s why there is no skeleton etc...
All I want at this stage is a simple nif object that does nothing (could have been a cube...)

When I apply texture, it makes a mix of a standard texture and a darker one, following the map you can see on the picture I ve uploaded.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

That s what I wanted to do. The file I uploaded is the inert model I would have pasted on a vanilla model I would have attach to (copy/paste branch in nifskope). That s why there is no skeleton etc...

Skeletons don't work like that. Well they sort of do for vehicles but only if you want to completely forgo wheel rotation and any other animation.
Ideally you want to import the original nif, attach your model to its bones carefully and export that back out.

That will also give you something approximating the proper structure already so you can just copy paste bits from the original in to fix it up.

When I apply texture, it makes a mix of a standard texture and a darker one, following the map you can see on the picture I ve uploaded.

The gray color means no texture is being applied. And I see no string in the texture modifier. Check that there is a string in there and that it matches the path to an actual .dds file. Also make sure that file is compatible with what CIV4 supports.

 

[Jarmrik]

The gray color means no texture is being applied. And I see no string in the texture modifier. Check that there is a string in there and that it matches the path to an actual .dds file. Also make sure that file is compatible with what CIV4 supports.

I should have posted the textured one to avoid misunderstanding. I deliberately uploaded a non textured nif to highlight the texture break.

As you suggested in the other thread I started (with the tank), I tried to use the same kind of material of Civ4 existing models, but it half-worked. I still had errors when exporting blend to nif, I had to set the texture source in nifskope for it to work the way I want.

For the anim/skeleton thing, it s not in my scope for now. I first want to succeed in producing a textured 3d model. The circumstances make it s a vehicle.
Until last days, I was only playing with nifskope - I didn t even know how to place vertices on a surface 3 weeks earlier!

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I just opened it up in nifscope and I see the texture just fine.

 

[Jarmrik]

I downloaded the file I just added, just in case...
It remains in two shades for me...

 

[PPQ_Purple]

What software is that? It's not nifscope. So most likely it's the software you are using that is misconfigured.
If it was 3D Max I'd tell you to switch from realistic to shaded in the view settings.

 

[Jarmrik]

Of course it is.
Nifskope v2.0 dev7. Possibly not configured as yours. But I don t think the software s interface would change something to the result, would it?
I tried to change the light parameters, but it just increased the contrast between those two shades. Which version do you use?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Of course it is.
Nifskope v2.0 dev7. Possibly not configured as yours. But I don t think the software s interface would change something to the result, would it?
I tried to change the light parameters, but it just increased the contrast between those two shades. Which version do you use?

Oh it absolutely would change everything. Remember you are not seeing how the actual model is configured. All you are seeing is how the program you are using to open it is displaying that model. It's like how you can play the same music on two different instruments and it'll sound completely different.

Also I am using Nifscope 1.2 as that is billed as the latest "stable" version. And it's the latest one that existed when I downloaded it.

Either way the true test is in the game. So load it up in game and see what happens.

 

[Jarmrik]

Ah-ah-ah! I ve just found the problem!
As I was scratching my hair on that g**d***f*** model, I suddenly remembered I had a problem of illogical luminosity display on an other game I was creating textures for. And the guilty party was named... NORMAL MAPS!
So I got back to blender, found a checker and just could see half of the model had inverted normals. Now it s correct in Nifskope.
But I think I ll get v1.2 too, because there are things I can t edit in .kf with the version I have. An other story...

Was about to give up...
Thanks for your help

 

[PPQ_Purple]

If that was the problem I would advise to turn on backface culling in your 3d software. That will make inverted faces invisible.