Help in removing shadow

[Topcat66]

Gentlemen,

I am trying to get rid of a shadow cast from a transparent plane used to represent an air base ramp marking. This is part of a F-16 “sun shade” shelter at NAS Fort Worth JRB (KNFW), but it also applies to several times I intend to model in the near future.

The plane is a one-sided, placed just above ground level (to prevent flicker in the scene) with a texture for the half-moon shape, and with the remainder removed by the alpha channel.

I have read all that I can find in this forum and the Avsim.com scenery design forum. I have attempted to remove the shadow by changing the “opacity” to 99%. When I do this, it changes the opacity for everything using that same texture, which I do not want to do.

The plane is subordinated to another object in the scene, if that matters.

This is a screen shot in gmax, with the plane selected to highlight it:

This is the shelter in FS2004 (with copies/clones attached for an entire row of shelters):

A closer view, from ground level using ActiveCamera, where the shadow is no longer visible:

Can I remove the shadow without changing the opacity for all objects using the same texture file in the scene?

Do I need to create a separate object for the half-moon marking, changing the opacity for it (allowing for the change without affecting other parts)?

I will gladly provide any information or additional images to help solve this issue.

On another subject involving textures, I am still trying to learn how to apply/associate more than one texture file to an object, such as is routinely done with aircraft. I have been searching forums, and have read all of the tutorials I have found, and I just do not understand this piece in gmax. I suspect I should post this issue separately? Any comments or tips on doing this?

Thanks for any and all help you can provide.

Tom Long
Arlington, TX

 

[Sean_E]

You will need to export the 3D structure seperate from the ground plane.
Because you are going to have to tweak the ground plane .asm coding to remove the shadow.
If you tweak the code with both in the same scene, then you will also remove the shadow from the shelter.

Sean E.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Hi Tom.

You can tweak the *.asm code to show any type of shadow you desire. Do a search on shadow in the forum.

I recently showed an example of a dynamic library object... a sphere, that had a cube's shadow.

Understanding the code, you can make another object in gmax ( without the groundplane ), and use THAT *_0.asm code as your shadow, eliminating the ground plane shadow entirely.

; compile with BGLC /MDL C:\Documents and Settings\Dick\Desktop\LODExample\No_Shadow\RedBox.  asm
    db  'R','I','F','F'				; RIFF file identifier
    dd  bgl_data_end - $ - 4		    ; size of RIFF data
    db  'M','D','L','9'				; file identifire (FS9 model)

    db  'M','D','L','H'
    dd  visual_model_header_end - $ - 4
    dd  visual_model_header_end - $ - 4
    dd  0
    dd  0
    dd  13
    dd  0
    dd  0
    dd  152
    db  'F','S','8','0'
    dd  2304
visual_model_header_end  label dword

    db  'I','S','F','T'   
    dd  ver_end - $ - 4  
    db  "MakeMDL - FS90 (9.00.030612.02)",0
ver_end label word       

bounding_box_riff_start	label	word
    db  'B','B','O','X'   
    dd  bounding_box_riff_end - $ - 4
    real4  -5.002, 0.000, -5.002  
    real4  5.002, 10.004, 5.002  
bounding_box_riff_end label word       


model_outside    label    BGLCODE
model_shadow label BGLCODE
model_inside  label    BGLCODE
exterior_riff_start_0 label BGLCODE
    db  'E','X','T','E'   
    dd  exterior_riff_end_0 - $ - 4
LOD_0L    label    BGLCODE
    include    RedSphere_0.asm
exterior_riff_end_0	label	BGLCODE


shadow_riff_start_0 label BGLCODE
    db  'S','H','A','D'   
    dd  shadow_riff_end_0 - $ - 4
SHADOW_0L  label BGLCODE
    include    BlueBox_0.asm
shadow_riff_end_0	label	BGLCODE


bgl_data_end label     BGLCODE

In the above example, I used "RedSphere_0.asm" as the object, and "BlueBox_0.asm" as the shadow.... giving me a sphere with a cube's shadow. This is a handy way to control what we see as the shadow. It makes little sense to have a complicated multi-lod object with a complicated multi-lod shadow... why not just have a simple shadow, and save the framerates? In your case, just display a shadow that has no groundplane.

This is what I added to the *.asm code:

shadow_riff_start_0 label BGLCODE
    db  'S','H','A','D'   
    dd  shadow_riff_end_0 - $ - 4
SHADOW_0L  label BGLCODE
    include    BlueBox_0.asm
shadow_riff_end_0	label	BGLCODE

Dick

 

[arno]

Hi Tom,

In this case I would follow the advice of Sean. Export the ground polygons with the old Fs2002 gamepack (assuming you still have that one of course). Then tweak the ASM source with the ADDCAT command (this will remove the shadow and enable your user aircraft to cast a shadow on the polygon).

The rest of the building can be exported as usual (and it would still have a shadow as well).

 

[mcq]

@ rhumbaflappy:

Nice and usefull code; but what shall I do if I don't want ANY shadow?

Marcel

PS: Sorry, if there is somewhere a thread including this topic, but I didn't found any yet; just for FS2002 gamepack...

 

[arno]

Hi Marcel,

Then just leave the SHAD section empty. That will kill all your shadows.