3 - Intermediate Animated Computer Screens/Terminals

[moonsense715]

Author: Stonerook

Skill level: 3

 

Project: Duplicate the moving computer screens as seen in MP/SP Renegade buildings computer screens using vertex settings only.

 

Materials: atr_blips.tga atr_scem01.tga hnd_wrksta.w3d (for reference)

 

All found in C&C Renegade's always.dat

 

Programs:

• RenX
• W3D Viewer
• Commando
• C&C Renegade (LAN Mode Mod Package)

This tutorial assumes that you have working knowledge of the programs needed.

 

This means you know how to use them make levels in Commando setup a single player LAN game.

 

 

Rev. 1.0

02/08/2003

 

This is the moving computer screen in the Hand of Nod - hnd_wrksta.w3d.

 

Take a look at it the color bars move up and down and right to left.

The pattern of the background will take on the colors as the front color texture flows across it.

 

Its a simple mesh plane with two applications of texture (2 pass) and the moving texture is simply a vertex setting.

 

The trick is you have to apply two (2) UVWs to the mesh one per texture. You also need to rotate the second one a certain way to get the moving color bar effect.

 

If you just apply the vertex settings (as per wdump) you will not get the same effect

 

So here is how Westwood did it.

 

Step One

 

In Renx make a mesh 2m,2m segments 1,1 use the front view to make it in.

Name it Cpu_test

 

 

Step Two

 

With the mesh selected Hit the m key.

Set your Pass Count to two (2)

 

Name the Material cpu_scrn

 

Select the Pass 1 tab for the next step.

 

 

Step Three

 

Set this texture to atr_scem01.tga (this is the background texture)

 

Next hit the Shader tab (for Pass 1)

 

 

Step Four

 

Set your Blend to Opaque as seen above.

 

Next hit the Vertex Material tab (for Pass 1)

 

 

Step Five

 

 

Set your VM to the following: (R,G,B)

 

Ambient 255,255,255

Diffuse 255,255,255

Specular 0,0,0 (you could set it to 0,255,0 if you want a glowing neon)

Emissive 255,255,255

 

Opacity 1.0

Translucency 0.0

Shininess 1.0

 

Your UV is one (1) - for this texture

 

 

Step Six

 

Select Pass 2

Select atr_blips.tga for this texture.

 

Hit Display on this texture (this is the moving one)

 

Select the Shader tab for the next step.

 

 

Step Seven

 

Set your Blend Mode to Multiply the rest of the settings should be as shown above.

 

 

Step Eight

 

Set your all your Vertex Material colors to 255,255,255 down.

 

And your Opacity/Translucency/Shininess are default.

 

Set your Stage 0 Mapping to type Linear Offset

 

Your args will be UPerSec=.1 (caps are important)

 

Set your UV to two (2)

 

Assign the material to the mesh then x out of this dialog.

 

 

Step Nine

 

Now assign a UVW map modifier and then on the Channel/Map Channel roll down select 2.

This allows us just to play with the pass two texture since we put it to UVW 2 under the vertex settings.

Now we have to fix the texture to show correctly.

 

 

Step Ten

 

First flip the map U tile check the Flip box. (this is so the map will display correctly.

 

Second make the UVW map a bit larger than the mesh you can play with the settings to get different settings I made mine 2.5m length and 2.5m width. (different sizes different effects)

 

Then use the use the UVW mapping gizmo and the select and rotate gizmo to spin the UVW map 90° on the Z axis. (Y on the UVW map)

 

So the UVW map should look like this:

 

Now with that done unclick the UVW map option right click on the mesh and change it to a editable mesh this will collapse the mod stack and lock in your settings. (Don't convert it to editable mesh if you want to change the settings on the UVW modifier later.)

 

Now export the mesh as terrain and name it cpu_screen.w3d

 

Open the file with W3D viewer and you should see the a moving computer screen just like the Westwood ones.

 

This is something I whipped up I changed the background texture

 

So by changing the background picture adding some colors from the atr_blips you can make your own custom cpu screens.

 

Photoshop is invaluable in this you can use filters to make the "negative " of your line are to make interesting displays. (I use antimatter)

 

 

 

Any questions or comments please email me stonerook1@hotmail.com.

 

 

 

 

Info for this tutorial was taken from the supplied Westwood© meshes and materials.

 

The rest was using the knowledge given by doing the Gmax© tutorials.

 

And the rest a lot of Jolt© soda.

 

If you find this useful please let me know.

 

 

 

StoneRook out

 

 

 

"patent pending"©