There is a hope for the normals!

Banshee

A month ago, I said I would write an article about the auto normalizer from VXLSE III to a brazilian computer graphics symposium. Since then, I've been working hard on it and posting, on almost every news, my progress and some ugly Kirov pictures of its development.

Today is the first day that I'll post a picture that, might not be perfect, but it's presentable. As you can see, there are still things to be fixed, but the result is getting closer and closer to the Westwood normals.

I still need to figure out what is distorting some pixels, specially in the oposite side of the Kirov (which I didn't took a picture), where normals are still screwed up. But that result has already increased my motivation and my hope to find a solution in the next days, since I still have to write the article and send it before May 9th. Time is running out for me...

Banshee · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 4:35 pm Post subject:

After some thoughts, I've decided to move this news to this forum. The normals are still awful.

ChielScape · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject:

... i liked the 1.35 normals.

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Clarkson · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:24 pm Post subject:

Why not shoot for better normals instead of Westwood normals? Westwood didnt do much right with their work, and I am sure that you can come up with much better normals then WW.

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Clazzy · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:20 pm Post subject:

Perhaps because the RA2 normals were right? If there were any problems then they were probably due to limitations with the normals themselves rather than anything else.

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Banshee · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject:

Westwood normals were the best possible for a set of 244 normal directions.

Anyway, I've managed to get a descent result in my end. Much better than the shit above. There are still few bugs to be fixed before I reach the perfection.

Major Paine · Medic **Joined**: 30 Apr 2007 **Location**: Somewhere City

15 days later I come along...

Ahem, first of all, don't flame me for replying this topic...
Any who, how will this file work? Will, we download it separate and place the file in the voxel editor file? And, aslo, will you be placing a link anywhere when it's finished?

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Team Black · Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 6:45 pm Post subject:

It's part of the voxel editor. Press Ctrl+Alt+N and it'll automatically do your normals, thanks to Banshee's uber calculus knowledge.

Right now though, it still has some flaws it it, and Banshee's been working round the clock to get these fixed, so he can type up his paper for the symposium~

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Major Paine · Medic **Joined**: 30 Apr 2007 **Location**: Somewhere City

I've already found a few ways around some of the problems. Like arrangements for the voxels in the unit to make it look shaded right. Also, you can use the lighten[-] and darken[+] voxel buttons on the panel to make the parts that are a little off look right.

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Team Black · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 12:09 pm Post subject:

well that's the hard way. If you want to place all the normals by hand, you're welcome to waste your time #Tongue

See, Banshee is writing the program that does the auto-normals, which is very complicated based on calculus and verctor quantities and stuff.
But it has to be flawless, in order to write it for the symposium.

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Major Paine · Medic **Joined**: 30 Apr 2007 **Location**: Somewhere City

Yeah, but I'm not lazy, so until he fixes it, I'm fine! I mean, if he fixes it, I'll openly welcome it. But, until then I'm fine. Wink

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Team Black · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject:

Huh?

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Tony · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:48 am Post subject:

Im still using older vxlse , or else i gotta handpaint to get good results.

Dupl3xxx · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject:

Sorry the bump, but I have noticed something cool!

If you use range=1 (slightly smooth) and select "smooth my normals" you will get normals [k]very[/k] close to the WW normals. It is very smooth at round shapes, but sharp and crisp at the edges. if a voxel is made very big, and scaled down, Range=2 with smoothing selected off.

I don't know if this is useful to you, Banshee, but it gave me some very good and sharp normals.

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Banshee · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:57 pm Post subject:

Try that with the Kirov airship and you'll notice that the result will suck...

Dupl3xxx · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject:

hmm, worked with normal tanks, I will get some SS from my comp, is at my uncle and aunt's right now Wink

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