Defining a submesh within a genmesh factory

[rvhaasen]

I'm changing the 3dsmax exporter to use genmeshes instead of thingmeshes, so i can use both vertex-lighting and lightmaps.

For this i want to use submeshes as part of the genmesh factories (to be able to use different materials within 1 mesh object)

From the documentation (section 4.10.8 "Genmesh Mesh Object") i conclude that such a genmesh factory could be defined as follows 

Code:

<meshfact name="t01">
  <plugin>crystalspace.mesh.loader.factory.genmesh</plugin>
    <params>
      <v x="-961.188" y="0.0" z="750.036" u="0.0" v="1.0" />
      ....
      <t v1="0" v2="1" v3="2" />
      .....
      <submesh>
         <material>....
         <mixmode>...
         <t>0</t>
         .....
      </submesh>
      ....
    </params>
  <plugin>
</meshfact>

This however doesn't work, when loading a scene with this factory i get the error:

Code:

crystalspace.syntax.badtoken: Unexpected token 't'!

In the example scenes, i can only see a submesh in "flarge". However, there the submesh is defined in a genmesh instance and not in the factory, i cannot see an example where a submesh is defined in a genmesh factory.

Does anyone knows how to do this?

[bookeater2]

This is what most of them look like

Code:

      <submesh name="house.png">
        <indexbuffer components="1" type="uint" indices="yes">
          <e c0="3"/>
          <e c0="2"/>
          <e c0="1"/>
.....
        </indexbuffer>
        <material>house.png</material>
      </submesh>

[jorrit]

What version of CS do you have? In 1.2 submeshes are *only* defined in factories. Not in meshes.

Greetings,

[rvhaasen]

What version of CS do you have? In 1.2 submeshes are *only* defined in factories. Not in meshes.

That sounds as it should!
Now I still use 1.01, so this is a good moment for me to make the switch....
thanks

[rvhaasen]

There is a problem with specifying the texture coordinates.
From the documentation and examples i understand that the preferred way to specify texture coordinates for genmesh factories is in the "v" tags, for example:

Code:

<v x="-0.338703" y="-0.637001" z="6.718997" u="0.562855" v="0.616343" nx="-0.050111" ny="-0.094241" nz="0.994263"/>

texture coordinates however should be "tied" to triangles, and not to vertices.
In an example like in file "castle\factories\genCube" this is solved by repeating the vertex definition for each triangle:

Code:

<v x="-0.338703" y="-0.637001" z="6.718997" u="0.562855" v="0.616343" nx="-0.050111" ny="-0.094241" nz="0.994263"/>
<v x="-0.338703" y="-0.637001" z="6.734554" u="0.562855" v="-1.302350" nx="0.000000" ny="-0.816492" nz="-0.577349"/>
<v x="-0.323146" y="-0.637001" z="6.718997" u="0.552967" v="-1.302350" nx="0.000000" ny="0.000000" nz="-1.000000"/>
<t v1="2" v2="1" v3="0"/>
<v x="-0.338703" y="-0.637001" z="6.734554" u="0.552967" v="-1.302350" nx="0.000000" ny="-0.816492" nz="-0.577349"/>
<v x="-0.338703" y="-0.637001" z="6.718997" u="0.574173" v="-1.302350" nx="-0.050111" ny="-0.094241" nz="0.994263"/>
<v x="-0.354259" y="-0.637001" z="6.718997" u="0.552967" v="0.616343" nx="1.000000" ny="0.000000" nz="0.000000"/>
<t v1="5" v2="4" v3="3"/>

Although this is inefficient it works.

For the submesh however it is a problem, because you can only specify vertex indices (for the triangles). I don't know how to specify "triangle specific" texture
coordinates.

Is there a solution for this?

[rvhaasen]

i just realized that it is ofcourse possible to refer to the "redundant" vertices.
This should work just as for the "non-submesh" situation, although "just as inefficient"....

[res]

texture coordinates however should be "tied" to triangles, and not to vertices.

Many 3D modellers may work like this. Hardware doesn't. CS follows what the HW is doing.

For the submesh however it is a problem, because you can only specify vertex indices (for the triangles). I don't know how to specify "triangle specific" texture
coordinates.

Duplicate the vertex so the position is the same, but UV coords differ.
(FWIW, any 3D modelling program rather likely does the same thing internally when updating the realtime view.)

[rvhaasen]

i implemented it now using the indexbuffer, as suggested by bookeater2.
I followed the genmesh factory loader using walktest with the VS2005 debugger: indeed the <t> tag (as described in the CS documentation) does not exist, the only way is to specifying submeshes in genmesh factories is using the indexbuffers.

Many 3D modellers may work like this. Hardware doesn't. CS follows what the HW is doing.

i guess you are right: if it is implemented in terms of OpenGL vertexarrays (which is the most efficient way) then the vertex positions and other vertex attributes are indeed coupled.