Presagis

So, when did, or was it even intentional, the functionility of the 3-point put change to asses the current vieweing angle of the polygon and “correct you” as to the origin placement of the texture from the point you middle-mouse select to the lower left vertex as the polygon is presented to you on the screen?

It does correct itself to map properly when/if you select the alignment and shear points.

I’m making terrain reference polys both for laying in external references, and to “flow” to imported terrain to touch up ridgelines and whatnot.  My standard view is setup to look at things inan isometric view.  With imported terrain in view, the only corner visible is the lower left, so explicitely selecting alightment and shear points requires isolating the poly or hiding other objects, or adjusting the screen view.  I’ve always just middle clicked the lower left corner and said OK and gone on with my life.

Not a big deal, but it didn’t use to be like this and it’s crushing my work-groove, dudes 8*)

So, when did, or was it even intentional, the functionility of the 3-point put change to asses the current vieweing angle of the polygon and “correct you” as to the origin placement of the texture from the point you middle-mouse select to the lower left vertex as the polygon is presented to you on the screen?

This was intentional and has been in Creator for quite some time.

Note that this only applies if you use Selected as your Trackplane option.  If you choose Current or X-Y, the trackplane won’t reorient.

What is really happening (and we changed Trackplane from Face to do the same thing) is that when you set Trackplane from a face (as happens in Put Texture when Selected is your Trackplane option), it puts the X-axis of the trackplane on the edge in the view that is the lowest and most parallel to the bottom of your screen.  As you have noticed, this tends to keep the texture mapped oriented (left to right, bottom to top) in your current view.

The way it used to work with Selected as your Trackplane option was to simply use the “first” edge of the polygon as the X-axis.  Fairly arbitrary IMO. Now if your dbs were always built in the exact same way (first edge wise) I could see how you could become used to this and sorry that this digs holes in your zen garden.

If you don’t need the trackplane set to the current face, just set the trackplane by hand then change to Current in the 3 Point Put Texture tool.

If you do need the trackplane set to the current face, you will have to Trackplane from Face before starting the tool (and choose Align Grid: First Edge), then set Current in the 3 Point Put Texture tool.

With imported terrain in view, the only corner visible is the lower left, so explicitely selecting alightment and shear points requires isolating the poly or hiding other objects, or adjusting the screen view.

You aren’t limited to referencing only vertices.  Since the tool used to pick the first edge of the polygon as the X-axis for the trackplane, all you have to do is enter the alignment point on the edge you want.  I understand the 2nd endpoint of that edge may be out of view, but part of the edge must be in view (since the first point of the edge is in view - you middle mouse clicked that one).

Anyway I presume you know you can Middle Mouse on an edge just as you can a vertex.  Now if you were using the 2nd point to scale the texture in that direction you’re stuck.  But if you’re using RW size mapping, it does not matter where you click the alignment point as long as its in the right direction (which would be anywhere on that (partially visible) edge.

Oh… one more thing… I just went back in the archives and discovered this was changed in Creator 3.2 which was released in 2006. 

Does that mean you have not Put Texture in over 4 years?

I use Put Texture every day!  But - as noted, we do pretty much build our DBs and models consistently the same way.  And for buildlings I usually use the 3 point put using a subtexture from a multi-building palette, so I have to select multiple locations for my origin, alignment, and shear.  In retrospect, this would explain better why sometimes it looks “wonky” on the face until I hit all three points ..... Never gave it much consideration.

But - for whatever reason, my default “isometric view” is no longer at 45/45 degrees, the y axis rotates to 60 now, and that means for this one particular implementation the new (I;‘ve been using MultiGen since it was simple called MultiGen runing on an IRIS 3115 - I remember the release of MultiGen II like it was yesterday!) trackplane alignment surprised me.  And since this particular us involves making a poly of the exact dimensions of a known texture (imagery subset), I had always been able to single click the faces origin and “auto apply” the texture.

And since this particular us involves making a poly of the exact dimensions of a known texture (imagery subset), I had always been able to single click the faces origin and “auto apply” the texture.

I’m curious how you “size” the texture on the face using just one click.  Do you use RW size or is the texture the same size as the “first edge”?

Kinda Both.  It is a very specific implementation, but one that i do often enough.  More Details - you betcha.

I need to tweak some terrain from a compiled runtime DB.  I have a tool that will extract/insert terrain from that runtime, but in Alias Wavefront .obj format.

I select an area that will be large enough to have enough verts at the lowest LOD.  I provision myself a piece of imagery at 4 or 5 meter resolution to cover that area, and feed the imagery’s exact extents into the extraction tool, giving me 5 LODs of terrain in .obj files

I create a master file in Creator, and import the 5 .obj files.  I immediately change the group node names “write select” those into .flt, and individually export .obj from them because Creator changes the orders of the vertices and polygons upon import.

I then create a reference polygon that is exactly the same dimensions as the piece of imagery and read the texture file into the palette.  I use the three point put, and since the poly is dimensionally the same as the image, a single click does it.  THEN I scale from the corner by the resolution and voila, I have a perfect geospecific reference polygon.

I select that reference poly, and all the terrain faces, and hit “flow texture” and voila duex! I have geospecifically textured terrain.

Now, I tweak vertices here and there where I may have cantilevered buildings, a point poking through a runway, or holes in cliffs that I can see under.  I have also used this method to create terrain conformal runways and features.

Once I am done, I change the names again and write select again, remove the textures and export to .obj.

A home-grown tool does a line-by line comparison (hence the multiple exports to .obj) of the before and after exports from Creator, makes a list of modified coordinates, then finds and modifies those in the original .obj file for insertion back into the compiled terrain skin.

TMI?

I then create a reference polygon that is exactly the same dimensions as the piece of imagery and read the texture file into the palette.  I use the three point put, and since the poly is dimensionally the same as the image, a single click does it.  THEN I scale from the corner by the resolution and voila, I have a perfect geospecific reference polygon.

This is the nugget I was after. Thanks.

Well… given the new auto align feature on Selected, I believe these are two of your best options:

1) Continue to use Selected , use RW and middle mouse reference the edge of the reference polygon.  This way you won’t have to zoom out to click the 2nd point of the edge but will have to click twice (origin and alignment points).

2) Use Current and set the trackplane before starting Put Texture.  Then when you run Put Texture clicking the origin will do what you want.  You will only have to click once but will have to set the trackplane up prior.

Three choices - use the right mouse button to reorient slightly so my origin (0,0) will be the origin when I middle click.  Works fine now that I know, and especially now that I know why 8*)

Good, I’m glad your groove is not bent too out of shape

My groove is now uncrushed.  Thinking of selling the book rights.