+- Silgrad Tower from the Ashes (https://www.silgradmodding.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Archived (closed boards) Silgrad TES IV & TES III & General discussions (https://www.silgradmodding.net/forum/Forum-Archived-closed-boards-Silgrad-TES-IV-TES-III-General-discussions)
+--- Forum: Discussion boards for our towns & cities TESIV (https://www.silgradmodding.net/forum/Forum-Discussion-boards-for-our-towns-cities-TESIV)
+---- Forum: Ebbedin Discussion (https://www.silgradmodding.net/forum/Forum-Ebbedin-Discussion)
+---- Thread: Need Better Rocks (/Thread-Need-Better-Rocks)
Need Better Rocks - IAMTHEEMPEROR - 02-28-2007
I am looking at the rocks I've started placing around Ebbedin now, the bitter coast ones, and I'm not quite so happy with how they look. You can see them in the picture below. First, The meshes themselves are very blocky, we need to beef up the poly count to meet up a but closer to the Oblivion defaults. Second, the texture is waaaaay to shiny. You can see the sun glare on it as well. The shinyness happens in many of the textures made here, we should look at these. I also just had to change the textures at the top because there is supposed to be no yellow grass in the bitter coast.
- Razorwing - 02-28-2007
None of the normal maps will be as shiny as they are in v1.70. I did not fully understand how specular mapping worked in Oblivion when I created the normal maps, being mainly a modeller who works on textures out of necessity rather than skill or fun. So, it's taken care of, just that there hasn't been an update since it was.
Yeah, I could probably make them more hipoly and work harder on the vertex shading. I'll try to take a look at it sometime after the next release. Go ahead and use the ones I made in the meantime and then when the revised ones are done the visual improvement in the rocks you placed will be instant.
- IAMTHEEMPEROR - 02-28-2007
Also, if you're going to edit the mesh, can you stretch the grass so it looks like a material covering the rock rather than a part of the rock like the default rocks. Look at how the grass on the rocks in oblivion stretch out a bit over the edges of the default rocks, that's what I'm going at.
- Lady Nerevar - 02-28-2007
myahh! shineh!
why not just use the regular OB rocks retextured? there are plenty without grass.
- Razorwing - 02-28-2007
Quote:Originally posted by Lady Nerevar
myahh! shineh!
why not just use the regular OB rocks retextured? there are plenty without grass.
Yeah :dunce: Solved soon though. Normal maps with no specular channel saved as DXT3/DXT5... bad idea! Very bad!!
I think it heightens the feeling of nostalgia if the shape of the rocks look close to what they used to as well. At least for modders, and modders who are prone to those feelings.
IAMTHEEMPEROR: Sure, let me know which texture file you want me to blend in and I'll take a look at that at the same time as I smooth the rock meshes.
- IAMTHEEMPEROR - 03-01-2007
Well, no not like that. It involves editing the mesh by stretching the grass part a but over the rocks and rounding it back in, thing of how it would look if you took a foam matress and put it over a rock, like that. Here, I'll post a pic. It should look very clear and unmissable.
- Razorwing - 03-01-2007
Kk I thought you wanted a smooth transition in texture between the bottom of the rock and the ground texture you were going to use.
So you mean like I did rather crudely on the big Ascadian Isles rocks?
- IAMTHEEMPEROR - 03-01-2007
I dunno about the Ascadian Isles rocks, I havn't looked at those yet. But the BC rocks now just have the grass texture cut off and start straight with rocks, which looks crude. I also reccomend a different grass texture, because the Bitter Coast I'm almost positive has no yellow grass.
- Razorwing - 03-02-2007
Aah... now I get it. I forgot I had put grass textures on the BC rocks as well, I just remember doing it on the AI ones. Right, I'll take a look at that later on.
- IAMTHEEMPEROR - 03-02-2007
Gotcha. Thanks!