mue

Yes and yes if your rig can handle that number of tods. Its the size of the terrain tiles. I think all stock terrains have a tile size of 2000 meters. If you don't know the tile size of the terrain, assume 2000 meters and set DetailMeshSize according to the given formula: E.g. fadeStartDistance = 16000.0, fadeLength = 3000.0 and terrain_tile_size = 2000 (16000.0 + 3000.0) / 2000 = 9.5 Rounding 9.5 up to the next integer gives 10 => set DetailMeshSize=10 If you see that the tods pop up in roughly at the half distance (~10000 meters) then the tile size is probably 1000 meters and you have to set (16000.0 + 3000.0) / 1000 = 19, rounding up gives still 19 => DetailMeshSize=19 Of course you can set a higher DetailMeshSize but it will only decrease your frame rate.

I added the modified terrain shaders for SF2 to the first post.

Since I'm playing FE2 recently, there the problem with shimmering TODs and target objects is more intense, I had a closer look at this issue. I posted my findings/solutions in the SF2 forum, since it also apply to the SF2 games: http://combatace.com/topic/85970-shimmering-tods-and-target-objects/

No. Just open the *.ini file.

For me, it works. Have you set the pointer to "C:\Program Files (x86)\ThirdWire\Strike Fighters 2" ? Can you post the exaxt size of ObjectData009.CAT. That's there the A-1H.LOD is. I will check if we have identical cat files. Do have others also problems with loading/displaying stock lods?

The program reads all (unlocked and locked) *.cat files from your <installdir>/objects/ and <installdir>/terrains/ folder and all *.dlc files from your <installdir>/DLC/ folder. Dlc files are just cat files with the *.dlc extension. You open the lods by opening the respecitive *.ini files from your mod folder. Not all lods are in objectdata002.cat. DLC lods are in the *.dlc files. Game specific (eg. Europe, Israel, NA, Expansion Packs,...) lods are in the respective cat files. Terrain object lods are in the terrain.cat files.

Regarding ground objects / textures not showing: To debug this issues I need the following information: -which terrain is affected (+ download link) -which target area -which object Furthermore I have some questions regarding the target.ini file: What does the following entries mean? [TargetAreaXXX] Radius= Location= Is the entry [TargetXXX].Heading an integer or can it also be a floating point number? Questions regarding targettypes.ini: If the type has the following entries: UseGroundObject=TRUE and TargetType=AAA (or SAM_RADAR, EW_RADAR, SAM_LAUNCHER) how does the game engine decides which object to put into the target area? Currently the target area editor always displays the objects ks-19, fansong, barlock and sa-2l. Is that ok, or is there a better solution? It's only for display purposes anyway.

Have you tried "shift + left mouse button + mouse moving" ?

Change the color depth to 32 bit.

I think, as a community project without financial backing it will only work if we could get the source code for free. I know of at least one game where this happened: "Enemy Engaged Comanche vs. Hokum". Empire Interactive released the source code under the eech license: http://eechcentral.simhq.com/index.php?title=EECH_License . The community could do what they want with the source code, but the source code and the modifications were still owned by Empire Interactive. But as others already wrote, the possibility that Thirdwire will release the source code is near (equal) zero.

Maybe it didn't find the desert.tfd file. Do you have correctly set the sf2 install directory in Extras->Settings? (Do not select the Terrains folder) Do you have in your install directory the /terrains/desert.cat file? You can also try to extract the desert.tfd file and put it next to the desert.ini file.

2) The coordinate system axis tripod (View->Show Coordinate System) can act as a compass rose. The green axis points north, the red axis points east. 1) With shift + mouse move you can "slide" around. The moving direction depends on the current view azimuth: e.g. rotate the view, so that the green tripod axis points up and the red tripod axis points right. If you now hold shift and moves the mouse up/down you slide north/south (moving the mouse left/right you slide west/east)

In Extras->Settings point to the SF2 install directory. NOT to the terrain subfolder. With File->Open select the terrain.ini file within your mod terrain folder. For viewing stock terrain you have to extract at least the terrain.ini file into your mod terrain folder and open it from there.

If we could get the source code, I would help with programming.

Ok, after the change of the thirdwire homepage I was afraid that the pc games may disappear. So I purchased First Eagles 2 and some DLCs as long as they are still available. And that gave me the opportunity to add FE2 and DLC support to the LODViewer. Version 0.5 changelog: -reads SF1 and FE2 cat files -reads DLC files -copy 3D coordinates to clipboard (press key 'c' while the 3D view window has the focus) -case insensitive hitbox node names LODViewerUpdateV0.5.zip

Screenshots of my new project: Target Area Editor. Currently it only has viewing (and no editing) capabilities.

You can try to change the video card settings (especially the texture filtering settings). Is the game engine case sensitive? And if not, should I change it in LODViewer?

Directx version doesn't matter. LODViewer don't depend on Directx it uses OpenGL. Regarding your test results: I can not understand why this happens. I changed the texture generation routine in version 0.2. But some users (e.g. Raven) got black textures with the 0.2 version. So with version 0.2.1 I changed the texture routines back to version 0.1. But for you version 0.1 and 0.2 work and 0.2.1 and later not. But I see no difference regarding texture handling between version 0.1 and 0.2.1. From version 0.2 and later I compiled the lodviewer with xp support. Maybe thats the reason. Although verson 0.2 works for you. Anyway, I don't believe the xp support is the cause but here is version 0.4 without xp support: LODViewerUpdateV0.4_noXP.zip

Please, can you check at which version exactly the textures went dark/black. Version 0.1: http://combatace.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=126169 Update 0.2: http://combatace.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=126870 Update 0.2.1: http://combatace.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=126894 Update 0.2.2: http://combatace.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=126937 Update 0.3: http://combatace.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=127098 If you zoom in, does the texture "jumps" from black to the normal color or does the texture color gets smoothly brighter from black to the normal color?

You wrote, that LODViewer version 0.1 worked. Is that correct? With version 0.4 does the black textures happen with all objects? What are your system specs?

Version 0.4 is ready! Changelog: -added toolbar -nodes can be hidden -multiple nodes can be selected -animations -simple transparency (no depth ordering of triangles) -bounding and hit boxes of nodes are shown -write a file with information about all nodes and materials Please read the readme.txt! I changed the mouse view control within the 3D view window. The update zip file: LODViewerUpdateV0.4.zip Copy the content of this zip file (LODViewer.exe and readme.txt) into the LODViewer directory of the old version (overwrite the two old files). Version 0.1 can be downloaded here: http://combatace.com/topic/85079-lod-viewer/?do=findComment&comment=684342 Screenshot:

What info are you interested in exactly? The bounding boxes (xmin,ymin,zmin) / (xmax,ymax,zmax) of each single node or of a group of nodes? Do you need some visualizations?

I don't own FE2. Maybe the install directory file structure or the cat file format is different from SF2. Is it possible that FE2 still uses the old SF1 cat format? Currently LODViewer doesn't support the old cat format, but it's on my todo list.

The LOD Viewer doesn't read and therefore doesn't use any other material properties (e.g. specular, diffuse colors, bump mapping,...). It only reads the texture file name. There is a known bug in LOD Viewer: It can not display 1x1 textures. Those are used mostly for canopies or lights.

My current plan is only for a target area editor ( = target object placement tool) and not for a terrain&tile editor. With TKs and gerwins tools we already have two terrain editors.