DeleD Community Edition

[Willakan]

When you lightmap a scene in DeleD Lite, and then export it using the DeleD x. exporter, the lighmaps don't show up on the model you export, just the plain textures? How can I export the lighmaps too?

[Nocturn]

When you use the X exporter and you want to apply the lightmap on it you need to tell that your engine. Be sure that all the Lightmap files are in your export folder.

[Paul-Jan]

The DirectX .X file format does not support multitexturing out-of-the-box, so usually you are out of luck trying to get a lightmap when using the .X file format.

JWatte has written a extended exporter that does support multiple texture layers through the use of DeclData. Most rendering applications will simply ignore this, but if your rendering application can handle this, it might help you out. You'll find the exporter here:

http://www.mindcontrol.org/~hplus/graphics/nuxporter.html

Good luck, let us know how things turn out!

[Willakan]

Any idea whether applications coded in Dark Basic Pro will recognise the data, anyone?

[Willakan]

And if not, is there any way i could bake the lightmaps into the textures?

[Willakan]

the plugin doesn't happen to only work for Deled Pro, does it, because I use lite for the moment (no cash to go pro)

[Jeroen]

[Paul-Jan]

No, as far as I know Dark Basic Pro will not recognize the data. Coincidentally, Darkbasic uses a unique (but not very good) technique to support lightmaps in .X files: it allows you to load two separate .X files (one normal, one with the lightmap), and will paste one transparently onto the other.

Unfortunately, as Dark Basic Pro is the only application that supports lightmapping this way, we never built support for it into the .X exporter.

DeleD doesn't support baking the lightmap into the textures. Baked lightmaps quickly become huge, so this technique has very limited use.

That said, one of our community elders, Il Buzzo, has created a DBO exporter (the native Darkbasic format) that handles lightmaps properly, for an outdated DeleD version. If you ask him nicely, perhaps he might find the time to port it to the recent plugin structure, and all your problems would be solved. Hope that helps!

[Grandmaster B]

[jwatte]

The NuXporter exporter for DeleD is open source already.

http://code.google.com/p/nuxporter/

Also note that I recently made my .X exporter for 3ds Max open source; it might be a source of inspiration if you're working with the .X file format. http://kwxport.sourceforge.net/

Last, any application that uses the ID3DXMesh interface "should" work with the light-mapped .X files, as the D3DX mesh loader does the right thing with the DeclData and the multiple texture layers in the material. Only engines that parse the file on their own may have trouble with that, as their implementation is often incomplete.

[Paul-Jan]

[Willakan]

I had a go with the DBO exporter. I am very glad to say that the lighmaps exported perfectly; I can now use my DeleD models in my game engine!
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Argh!! Nothing I lay my hands on works!

[Jeroen]

Congrats!

Now show us some pics!

[Willakan]

OK, screenshot coming up. Brace yourselves, it isn't exactly brilliant, but then I am mass producing areas for a MMO. This is the central squarwe of a village. You can see the grid I used for the terrain stretching off into the distance, ready to be filled with rubbish.

EDIT: here's the picture. (deep breath)Please don't be too harsh! I've only had DeleD for a few weeks and this is my first proper model...



It is pretty crap, but hey, I'm getting better...
Also, there are two towers off screen, with flaming torches
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Argh!! Nothing I lay my hands on works!

[Jeroen]

I can't see a pic here.