GUIApp Discussion

[tatu]

There are some interetsing things GUIApp shows in the DebugLog when I loaded a level. (This case, BE retail)

*Cannot instance Trig_Amb_bbjg, no ideal name.
*No SPZ file (compressed swap file) with GRF file. (C:\Trespasser\Data\be-130.spz)
*No SPP file (old compressed swap file) with GRF file. (C:\Trespasser\Data\be-130.spp)
*SToolShackLumber-00 - new palette/material pair (211).
*BrachiB More than 300 polygons in mesh (346)
*!ERROR!: TrnObj_BEBase-00 Has very large texture co-ordinates, Material #1!!!
*WARNING: TerrainObj (TrnObj_BEBase-00) is too large! 1342177.250000 square meters.
*Warning: bump-mapped immovable object (PcratePortlndHvy-00)
*interesting error I gothm,.
*D:\jp2_pc\Source\Game\DesignDaemon\Player.cpp
*!ERROR!: SgeneratorBuilding00-00 Has very large texture co-ordinates, Material #20!!!
*Warning: Physics box $FPWasteBasket2-00 is smaller than 0.01 m: 0.307125 0.374356 0.00763991

[Nick3069]

Yes, that is interesting.

It appears that SPZ wasn't always used to compress SWP, SPP was used before.
Dinosaurs had a polygon limit of 300.

[Rebel]

. .. and that's a short list, considering that they knew the limits of the engine. None though, would prevent a loadup of the level. Fan levels now, wow. I think our tc-isle has about 500 such errors or warnings, most though are due to the lack of master meshes not ending in -00. Some are materials/mapping related, too large, too small physics boxes, but again nothing the released engines can't handle or overlook.

[RexHunter99]

Oh I knew about the .SPP thing ages ago. There's a reference to it in either the Disassembled executable or in plain sight when you look throught the .EXE in a HEX Editor.

[enigma]

*D:\jp2_pc\Source\Game\DesignDaemon\Player.cpp

Almost makes you feel giddy when a cpp file reference pops up. Its like the source is so close yet very far.


Seems Trespasser and the Source Engine have some close error similarities

Warning: Physics box $FPWasteBasket2-00 is smaller than 0.01 m: 0.307125 0.374356 0.00763991

You get an error like that on collision meshes reporting a convex is less than 0.500 inches thick on any axis, in Sources case is to do with different smoothing groups on different faces.

[tatu]

*No SPZ file (compressed swap file) with GRF file. (C:\Trespasser\Data\be-130.spz)
*No SPP file (old compressed swap file) with GRF file. (C:\Trespasser\Data\be-130.spp)

It seems like these 2 dosent show if you got the spz insted of the swp.

and one more thing. If you play a level in GUIApp and get to a trigger that loads the next level a got an error that says;


Even tho I got the jr level in this folder the level won't load

It seems like they used C:\Trespasser\. But you can't get the TPA to work in GUIApp, I think I got an error which show that the GUIApp plays the sounds from .cpp files

[Rebel]

I don't even think it's possible to get a program to call a function from within a source file, a dll sure, a .cpp file, not likely. Move a copy of your tpas inside the app folder tatu, I think that's how the sounds work properly.

[Draconisaurus]

Tatu, you should post those errors you found with the last-scene thingy! The welcome sign etc.

[tatu]

yeah I try to do that

here the welcome sign error:


I got it while loading a level in GUIApp, I think it was IT.

[machf]

They used .grf files to import models into a level. Didn't GeomAdd and/or TresEd use it too in earlier versions?

[Draconisaurus]

Here's what I know: The final release of GeomAdd is a bit odd, from what I've seen. It has a small extra button for exporting a named model from a target level as a GRF file. I actually had someone try to load one such model with GUIApp - no luck. This version of GeomAdd is not recommended, however, because it imports value table entries in the reverse order (the likely explanation for why so many of the values in TC_Isle are in exact reverse order). This all came up while Matt was putting together Tres CE (I suggested including the GRF-exporting version as an option with proper warning, but he wanted to keep it simpler etc.).

[Rebel]

Well, regarding imports of grf files using guiapp, the belief above isn't entirely accurate, Drac. You can import a geomadd generated grf into the app (I've done it on several occasions, even teleported to the imported object to test it out with the only apparent error at times was a reversed texture mapping), but there doesn't seem to be any way to actually save the expanded level files.

I'm guessing that either they never intended the app to do more than save scene files along with testing level play, the app itself never reached a completed stage or they utilized maxscripts to do all the heavy lifting.

[Slugger]

I'm guessing that either they never intended the app to do more than save scene files along with testing level play, the app itself never reached a completed stage or they utilized maxscripts to do all the heavy lifting.

That's the impression I had, after playing through GUIApp. Doesn't seem fit to be their primary level editor. It seems more adapted to finalizing the level files, testing various aspects, even tweaking certain attributes (like ambient light, sound properties, etc).

[Rebel]

. .. and Slugger seconds the motion.

The final release of GeomAdd is a bit odd, from what I've seen. It has a small extra button for exporting a named model from a target level as a GRF file.

Nope, it wasn't actually the final release, Drac. GeomAdd with the grf_export button was a bit before the last release and before Remdul and Andres worked out the .tpm format. Before that, the only solution Andres could come up with to move dinosaurs between levels was with the .grf export option. T'was used exclusively (and experimentally for a time) on the 1st tc level.

Doesn't seem fit to be their primary level editor

It serves its purpose to sniff out errors, export scene files, but you're right. As an editor, TresEd puts it to shame.

[RexHunter99]

yeah but remember, even the Dev's admit that GUIApp was a puddle of donkey regurgitated breakfast in comparison to TresEd... infact didn't one of them say something along the lines of: "If only we had an app like that when we were developing the game..."