View facing shaders issue

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View facing shaders issue

Postby eyore » Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:02 pm

I haven't used a view facing shader for some time, so I don't know how or when this issue arose.

I have tried all the view facing shaders and every time I try to view the resulting geometry in the editor I get a message saying "Export failed - failed to find ????.ace file"

Firstly, I haven't used .ace files for years and even if I do create them I still get the same message.

A google search failed to find anyone else reporting this issue, so perhaps its something to do with my setup, but I can't see anything obvious.

Has anyone else found this issue or has a clue where I should start to look to resolve it?
Phil

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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby VictoryWorks » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:04 am

The "can't find ace" message also means dds, so it can't find the texture file.
Check the exact file location, chances are it's looking for a file in a different place to the one you have it. Most igs exporters look for the model textures in a specific location which is not always the location you've used to add them into the 3d modelling program.
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby eyore » Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:24 pm

The program was looking in the right place but I found out why it couldn't see the texture - I had inadvertently created the .dds in the wrong format, duh!

However, re-saving in the right .dds format has removed the error message but I still can't get the view facing option/shaders to work, so still stumped as to what is going wrong. I can get an image in the editor with the shaders BUT only if I don't switch on View Facing. As I use max 2016 with the 2015 add ins, I am guessing the problem must be some incompatibility between these items.
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby mtraves » Wed Sep 26, 2018 6:07 pm

A looooong time ago I was trying to make some view facing trees (with your help Eyore) that would not work. The 2D trees appeared in the world ok, but they did not rotate. View facing trees created before this time still worked. I tried every which way but lose to get those trees turning but never could. I eventually read on some forum that the Blueprint editor had an error and could no longer convert the view facing shaders to a rotating image in TrainSim. Apparently also RSC (DTG) could no longer create 2D rotating trees either.

Whether this has been confirmed or not I do not know, all I know is that my view facing shaders still do not work. (using 3DCrafter)

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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby AndiS » Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:03 pm

If you are using Briage, you find a button ViewFacing in the Material slot of options under IGS options, below Custom Properties.
Selecting that might help, though the default is Auto which promises to select it in the export based on the material name?
Anyway, it can't hurt.
Did not test it though, in ages. Last time I used it will be years from now ...
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby eyore » Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:10 am

Finally got a response from DTG as follows -

"We have no control over 3D max so if you are having issues you will need to contact them for support"

Which is as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike! The problem is their shaders not max.
Phil

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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby newbouy » Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:34 am

I havnt got my main computer working at the mo so I cant check if the shader works ok or not but how are you creating the geometry shape that you are applying the viewfacing shader to? are you just creating an upright plane?
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby eyore » Sun Oct 21, 2018 7:51 am

newbouy wrote: are you just creating an upright plane?


I create an upright plane but convert to edit poly before applying the material.
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby newbouy » Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:22 am

Ahh that's exactly where I used to get caught out , like I say I havnt got my pc running at the mo and its been a while since I did it so bare with me.If you've got access to the dev docs read very carefully how they create the plane ,they don't create a plane they create a box ,then turn the box into editable poly and then if I remember they delete all the faces except the one that faces to the front.Thats how you get your upright plane , I don't know why they do this but its the only way I could get it to work ,maybe the game thinks its still a box.Then there is 2 or 3 tick boxes in the shader settings , 1 where the object will follow the player camera in the vertical view only , the 2nd will follow in vertical and horizontal view , 3rd I think is disable but not sure.Best to check the dev docs to make sure which face of the box you keep , I might get my pc set up this afternoon and be able to check for you.Hope you sus it out.
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Re: View facing shaders issue

Postby eyore » Sun Oct 21, 2018 9:59 pm

I am away from home and my PC at the moment but will check this out when I get back, thanks.
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