P3D v3 [SOLVED] ADE does not compile GP with specular textures. (or bump)

[gadgets]

Still no apparent reason. Today, I'm going to do a bit-by-bit compare against MCX's output. (I did this when I first introduced the material feature, but it's possible something has been changed inadvertently.)

Don

 

[gadgets]

Zev, I know it appears I'm "peeling an onion". But that's the nature of such problems.

When I started the bit-by-bit comparison, I quickly realized that I didn't have your material definition(s). It's/they're not held in the AD4 file. The definitions are collected in the file "ADE_GP_Materials.dat" in the top ADE folder. Please send me that folder.

Also, I noticed that the .ad4 file does not specify which material to use. I don't know whether you simply forgot to specify it, or it "dropped out" because I don't have the corresponding definition. (If it wasn't specified, that would be one good reason why the materials didn't work.) Please also tell me the name of the material you intend to use with this ad4 file - unless there's only one in ADE_GP_Materials.dat.

I have found one error in the handling of the Diffuse and Specular backup colors, but I seriously doubt that's got anything to do with your current difficulty.

Don

 

[RicherSims]

That's fine Don, that is what I would have investigated next. I kept getting an error whenever I tried to delete a material from the editor, but I was unsure of whether that had anything to do with it. Also, sometimes renaming a material to something else sometimes fails, so now I have duplicate names.



I have sent you the .dat, as well as my texture definitions list. The material in use is "Concrete Apron" Let me know if you need any other files.

 

[gadgets]

Please give the attached a try. I didn't find anything that I can say with certainty addressed your problem. But, I did fix a couple of things. And, who knows ...

Don

 

[RicherSims]

Unfortunately, the error persists. Perhaps this is something that occurs only with me. I will try a clean install tomorrow and see if that brings back the bump map. Thanks for your assistance.

 

[gadgets]

Let me know. My time is not my own next week, starting tomorrow, but we will get to the bottom of this.

Don

 

[gadgets]

Had a quick look at the issue this morning. I have been assuming that the problem is due to something in (or not in) the MAT3 block (material data). But that block is now identical to the one in the MCX version. However, I have just noticed that the file generated by ADE-GP is substantially shorter than its MCX counterpart. This, it turns out, is due to a missing TANS block which, no doubt, has some sort of impact.

As I noted above, I'm otherwise occupied this week, but will do what I can. In the meantime, you might "exercise" the Material Editor. During my investigation, I discovered several potential issues that I have fixed, including adding an unchangeable Default material rather than leaving simply a blank entry. This was expedient at the time, but no longer is.

Don

 

[gadgets]

Good news. While the TANS block was, indeed, missing, that likely was not a contributor to the problem. The underlying problem is that ADE-GP fails to copy the extra textures (bump/detail/specular) into the destination texture folder; only the base texture is copied.

I don't have time to complete the fix just now, but, unless the missing TANS block really is relevant, you should be able to solve the problem by manually copying the textures.

I'll complete the fix ASAP.

Don

 

[RicherSims]

Hi Don, yes I have noticed that manual texture copying was necessary, but this did not solve the problem. I also tried a clean install.
Hopefully your investigation into the TANS block leads to results.

Regards,
Zev.

 

[gadgets]

Zev, the attached file containing ADE-GP Version 2.2.05(b) fixes both the TANs and the texture-copying issue. I get a bumpy surface. Please give it a try.

DOn

 

[RicherSims]

Success!
Great work Don!

Many thanks,
Zev.

 

[gadgets]

See. I told you we'd get to the bottom of it.

I'll try to get out a new release during the next day or so, It will simply be a renamed 2.2.05(b), so anyone else experiencing this difficulty should consider using the release attached above,

Don

 

[gadgets]

Hi, Jon. Due to family commitments, I have not yet been able to generate the ADE-GP update to address this issue. With a little luck, you should have it during the weekend.

Don

 

[scruffyduck]

Thanks Don

 

[pinkjr]

Don, it seems this issue may be back in version 1.79.7417

The specular and bump textures copy to their scenery destination correctly, but the bump/specular effect will not display. When I open with MCX, I also noticed that the specular/bump textures are not attached.

I'm using V5.

Thanks,
David

 

[gadgets]

If it worked with V4 (presumably it did or I would have heard otherwise) but no longer works with V5, then it seems to thelogical assumption is that there's a problem in V5 that didn't exist in V4.

I'm not aware that the material attributes of the .mdl file structure for v5 is different that in V4. Perhaps you can check. Should there be such a change, then I'll do what I can to accommodate it. But, in the absence of such a change, it seems to me we should be looking to LM for answers.

 

[pinkjr]

I never had V4, I jumped from V3 to v5. I compared the material settings on the latest MCX vs ADE and did not see a difference, but MCX does compile the specular/bump.
David

 

[gadgets]

V3, v4, doesn't matter, since the issue was originally fixed for V3.

but MCX does compile the specular/bump

Prompted by this comment, I checked. It seems the two additional textures are not in the GP file. What version of ADE-GP are you using?

 

[pinkjr]

V3, v4, doesn't matter, since the issue was originally fixed for V3.

Prompted by this comment, I checked. It seems the two additional textures are not in the GP file. What version of ADE-GP are you using?

Don, 'Im using the GP that comes with ADE v1.79.7417 The ADE_GroundPolys.dll is dated 4/13/2020

 

[gadgets]

The "[SOLVED]" in the title of this thread is in error. This issue was never solved even though it was reported to have been. Oh, I knew the cause, but didn't implement a proper fix - until now.

Lately, I've been using ADE_GP in conjunction with one of my own airports. I found a couple of operations in then GP Editor to be annoying, specifically:

• the need to reselect a "drag" icon if all vertices were inadvertently de-selected, and
• zooming occurred from the center of the window.

Now, the "drag" icon remains selected until another icon is selected (or the window is closed) and the display zooms from the cursor position. I hope most users will find these welcome changes.

Please give the attached a try.