another (couple of) question(s) to all master shipwrights out there :

what exactly is the .sur file for ?
... is it for registering the hits on shields or on the shiphull ?

and what happens if there is no .sur file present ?
... will the shiphull and/or the shield not register the hits
... or will a default sur structure be used ?

best regards,
E.A.


Edited by - yoda on 11/3/2006 4:40:08 AM

Yoda,

SUR files are used in conjunction with Freelancers .CMP and .MAT file formats to produce a three dimensional model in the game for use in collision detection. As far as I understand, if one isn't included, you would have problems with damage and things of the like.

If you dont have one, no shots will register, only missiles will hit as they splash so to speak, but even then its very unreliable.

Cheese On Toast:
Like the name
Beware the player

yeah...without a sur file...most shots will pass harmlessly through your ships hull without even registering. Also..you can slip through dense asteroid and debris fields. The only things by that time that will register a "hit" is the weapons where they are mounted.
Finding the right sur file for transposition for your ship can be tricky, so you have to look for the best possible "match" with existing files.
However, there has been some significant progress made in the creation of custom sur files for ships and other objects.
Once the creation of a brand new custom sur file is finally figured out...it's gonna be a breeze by then.

well ive got to say thanks man .. this is like the most amazing tutorial ever .. i finally got it right the second time .. just a couple of probs ..

1. i have three contrails but only 2 of them show .. any idea?

2. all my textures are blurred T.T



uhmm . . . what?

Thank you, friend, so much. Whereas without you I would be completely doomed to complet Freelancer-type powerlessness for all eternity, I now have some idea of what I am doing.

God help us, it Darth Vader and Howard Stern.

Hi, first off GREAT tutorial!
Although I din't go through it one step at a time, I looked at the very basics, and tryed to make my own ship from scratch, and when I needed help, looked to it.

But I have reached a BIG rpoblem...

I downloaded the exporter you said to, and MS3D, but when I export my ship, only P3D and All Files are there, no Quake 3 one!!! What do I do?

PLEASE help!

Thanks!

Never mind, I am an idiot, I apologize to the world for my inattentativeness. Didn't read closely enough.

Edited by - Epyon the Bored on 4/21/2007 5:51:51 PM

Edited by - Epyon the Bored on 4/23/2007 1:55:07 PM

The top view is the best to see this.
1. Right click on one of the windows and check "Wireframe Overlay" and "Textured", "Show Grid" and under "Projection" check "Top" .
2. on the left side you have 12 tools plus a comment box. Under that, make sure "Redraw All Viewpoints" is checked BUT uncheck "Auto Tool" .
3. Next, select "Vertex" (click only once)
4. on the window for your "Top View" click once at three different intersections in the shape of a "triangle" . You should see three dots (vertexes)
5. Go back and click once on "Select" then down at the bottom of the "Select Options" menu, click on "Vertex" then uncheck "Ignore Backfaces" .
6. While holding down the left mouse button, draw a square around the three dots which will make all three of them turn red.
7. Up at the very top, across the menu options: mouse-over "Face" then mouse down and click on "Create Face" .
8. a brand new 3 vertex "Face" will be created.
9. to clean it up: back up top, mouse-over Vertex then click on "Snap to Grid" .

In a 3 D window, you can move the perspective around and you will notice one side is silver while the other side is black. It's the silver side where you apply your textures.

Edited by - Rankor on 4/21/2007 7:03:09 PM

Oh no. I spent nine hours building this ridiculously oversized dreadnought, and upon export attempt, discover that I have exceeded the polygon limit. My question is (prays): Can I in any way save my model and get it to export?

In MS3d, under tools, there is a Direct X mesh tool.
with that, you can reduce the number of vertices you have and still keep the appearance of your ship intact. You can literally strip a ship down into an unrecognizable form if your not careful.
there are a few little icons for your interest when you open up that tool.
an "open folder" icon
a "save to disk" icon
a squirly looking arrow (reduction icon) (this is the one you're going to use)
then 4 wire multipliers (don't use these)
and the last one which is wire/solid selector.

When you click on the "reduction icon,
you're slider bar will light up with a number in the window to the right.
hold the mouse button over the slider and move it to the left. You will see the number inside the box decrease.
You can slide it all the way to the left and not hurt anything as long as you don't hit the "Save to Disk" icon. This will show you what you're looking for.
The trick is to reduce the number just enough to maintain the appearance of yours ship.
Once you're done with that, then hit the "save to disk" icon.
Suddenly, your model in MS3d will be automatically adjusted for it.
But, you'll have to re-export everything once you save the works.

Ah, thank you. Working now.

*Deleted* (Problem resolved)

Edited by - Epyon the Bored on 5/1/2007 8:04:50 PM

Back again, this time with more Milkshape trouble. I don't know what I'm doing, but I can't select any faces. I can't click and drag at all, or even click. I just change the viewpoint.