Need some help of PipelineEffect (Maybe particle)

So i made a captialship with ability attach an particle, The particle is only one Infinite point with the mesh; and i use the original "GS_Ship.fx" in PipelineEffect folder;

Then comes the problem, after a few seconds maybe 1~2 mins, when i zoom in the ship, the game goes extreamly slowdowm, I dout if the game continue render the mesh which particle defines, I not aware of .fx files, so anyone can help me solve this problem?

BTW, another question is I smoothing faces in 3dmax, but after export, it's smooth in different way which i didn't want, I import the exported mesh and re-smooth, and after export, it's goes different again...

8,796 views 12 replies
Reply #1 Top

Dont know much about meshes, GS_ship.fx tries to render a mesh as a particle, but not only that, but it adds shading and light to it. Might be that your computer is overloaded.

One thing, NEVER put a mesh on infinite emit in particle forge, just put it on emit 1, and infinite lifetime. Dont know if that is what you did, but still, I had to cover all bases.

Reply #2 Top

I not very clear what you told me, here is my simple particle file, Is there problem?

ParticleSimulation
 HasInfiniteLifeTime TRUE
 TotalLifeTime 10.000000
 NumEmitters 1
 EmitterType "Point"
 EmitterContents
  Name "Armor"
  Enabled TRUE
  EmitRate 1.000000
  HasInfiniteEmitCount FALSE
  MaxEmitCount 1
  hasEmitIntervals FALSE
  emitIntervalRunDuration 0.000000
  emitIntervalWaitDuration 0.000000
  ParticleLifeTime 3000000053248.000000
  ParticleMinStartLinearSpeed 0.000000
  ParticleMaxStartLinearSpeed 0.000000
  ParticleMinStartAngularSpeed 0.000000
  ParticleMaxStartAngularSpeed 0.000000
  ParticleMinStartRotation 0.000000
  ParticleMaxStartRotation 0.000000
  ParticleStartMass 1.000000
  ParticleStartColor ff404040
  ParticleWidth 1.000000
  ParticleHeight 1.000000
  MeshName "C:\gs\main\DataSource\Mesh\Ability_Athena_ExtraArmor.mesh"
  Position [ 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 ]
  Orientation
    [ 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 ]
    [ 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 ]
    [ 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 ]
  RotateAboutForward 0.000000
  RotateAboutUp 0.000000
  RotateAboutCross 0.000000
  StartTime 0.000000
  HasInfiniteLifeTime TRUE
  TotalLifeTime 0.000000
  BillboardAnchor 0
  ParticleFacing 0
  PipelineEffectID "GS_Ship.fx"
  AreParticlesAttached TRUE
  numTextures 2
  textureName ""
  textureName ""
  textureAnimationName ""
  textureAnimationSpawnType "RandomFrames"
  textureAnimationOnParticleFPS 0.000000
  ParticlesRotate FALSE
  MeshParticleRotationAxisType 0
  MeshParticleRotationAxis [ 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 ]
  RotationDirectionType 0
  AngleVariance 0.000000
 NumAffectors 0
 length 0.000000

Reply #3 Top

BTW, another question is I smoothing faces in 3dmax, but after export, it's smooth in different way which i didn't want, I import the exported mesh and re-smooth, and after export, it's goes different again...
End of quote

Yes this is something I have noticed as well using SoftImage then converting the xsi. file to mesh. I think when the file is converted, when it is optimised all stretching of polygons to make them smooth is removed. I think the trick is to not smooth the object, but instead make it look smoothed by adding extra polygons & subdividing. Not a real good option for poly-count and doesn't quite give the same result as smoothing, but it works. Additional effect can be made with textures and normal mapping.

Thinking about this now, I wonder what the conversion would look like without optimisation activated. Probably wouldn't want too many mesh's that aren't optimised though no doubt.

Reply #4 Top

Actual, that's not quite the case with smoothing.  The game renders smoothing through the UV groups and by using the lighting in the tangent maps.  Whatever your UV groups are is what the smoothing groups will be upon importing your mesh.  That's why UV mapping is SUPER important.  I've taken a couple of 3rd party models and had to end up remapping them and then retexturing them simply because the ready-made UV maps screwed up the smoothing in Sins too much.

Reply #5 Top

It's not all about UV issue, I usually setup a model  in editpoly mode, and leave some vertex didn't connected, and when export, as all program need triangles, automatic connect those vertex but stupidly create some very sharply triangle, and then maybe the UV smooth things.

Shame, anyone check my particle is okay?

Reply #6 Top

Seems fine to me.

Maybe your mesh is bad.

Generally one wants to use ParticleMesh_old.fx instead of GS_ship.

Did you use particle forge?

Reply #7 Top

No, is particle forge can edit particle? I didn't finger out how to use.

And the mesh is ok, but about voer 10'000 triangles. O:)

And thank you anyway.

Reply #8 Top

YEP!

that is it

Do you want help on using Particle forge?

I consider myself to be an expert. ;P

I tried to copy it into a particle file and particle forge crashed when I tried to open it.

It is most definitely your particle file.

Reply #9 Top

My particle runs ok... I made this particle is for OrignalSins v1.19, Are you running another version?

Reply #10 Top

I ran it in particle forge, but it crashed. Particle forge is universal. Probably because you used spaces instead of tabs.

 

Reply #11 Top

Actual, that's not quite the case with smoothing. The game renders smoothing through the UV groups and by using the lighting in the tangent maps. Whatever your UV groups are is what the smoothing groups will be upon importing your mesh. That's why UV mapping is SUPER important. I've taken a couple of 3rd party models and had to end up remapping them and then retexturing them simply because the ready-made UV maps screwed up the smoothing in Sins too much.
End of quote

Yes that is correct, but what I was talking about & I believe HammerSun is talking about is the smoothing of the mesh not the smoothing of the tangents. When you smooth the mesh it bends edges and stretches polygons. When they are converted to mesh they are straightened and like HammerSun mentioned Quads are turned into triangles which can deform the mesh shape further. You are correct I believe in that if the UV's, Tangents and textures and Normal mapping are done well you can give the illusion of it being smooth again.

:grin:

Reply #12 Top

i mean some faces on exactly the same plane, And i want them show as a plane, But after export, some triangle of this face look like not in that plane, usually been smoothed to neighbour faces.

 

And, I found that if I save and reload the game, and took a near look, the game can run normal about several mins...

Sounds like issue about particle, Maybe the game coutinuely generate the same mesh at the same place.