1 - beginner [VIDEO] Animated Computer Screens - Author: Stonerook

[Guest Mauler]

 RenX (Gmax) / 3DSMax

 

Renegade Evolution Tutorial

Animated Computer Screens

By StoneRook

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 always.dat

Programs: RenX

W3D Viewer

Commando

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.

 

It’s 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) UVW’s 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.

Step Five:

Set your VM to the following: (R,G,

A 255,255,255

D 255,255,255

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

E 255,255,255

O 1.0

T 0.0

S 1.0

Your UV is one (1) - for this texture

Step Six:

Select Pass 2 for next step

 

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 VM to 255,255,255 down.

And your o/t/s 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.

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

Call up W3D viewer – and you should see the a moving computer screen – just like the Westwood one’s.

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)

 

 

 

 

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…

[Guest Mauler]

UPDATE, NOW IN VIDEO FORMAT

 

[!Hunter-Seeker]

Good tutorial.

 

How can I make the animation go vertical? I always have it in horizontal position

[!ImperialKaskins]

Linear Offset

 

UPerSec and VPerSec

 

You can set them to -1.0 to 1.0.

[Guest Mauler]

Or you can simply use UVW gizmo and set it a different way...

[!Hunter-Seeker]

got it, thanks a lot!