Tutorial - how to make levels in MED (and quickly)

This tutorial will explain not only how to make levels in MED, but how to do it at high speed. It's 80 KB for just the HTML document alone, so it's a big tutorial and it's comprehensive as well. Since I'm devoted toward speed as, to me, "speed is the name of the game", I've given some techniques on how to make this 4096x8192 quant level:







in under one day! This tutorial is complete with 48 screenshots. This level also has a hotel with 76 rooms (without the beds, nightstands, etc.; just the walls). The tutorial itself is done, but I'd like to add a pros and cons section as well to explain what advantages and disadvantages there are to doing it this way and it's mostly on the advantageous side. A tips and tricks section is also planned as well that reviews the tips and tricks as well as the shortcuts.

Edit: Fixed a mistake with typing - not HTML formatting, but HTML document

To be honest, this is a very good tutorial and seems that you put a lot of time into it .

Nice work!

-Rhuarc

Holy crap Uli, that page is neverending!!! Yea, you've worked really hard. Well done! Amazing!

Thanks. It looks like you did a lot of work and there are good tips there. I didn't get it all on the first read and I want to suggest that over time you consider adding more details to the first section 3.1 with maybe some pencil sketches or whatever to clarify the numbers which you throw around very fast. Understanding this is sort of foundational to the rest and I get a bit jumbled by numbers and need the slow and easy 'explain it to me like a baby' text (don't anyone get funny and say "oooo, aaaa, gugu gaga, waaaa" -you know what I mean).

@ Rhuarc: I spent about 2 1/2 days writing the tutorial. In fact, I spent more time writing the tutorial than I did actually making the model associated with it! It's the biggest single HTML document on my website, almost 55% bigger than my next biggest (a story at about 53 KB). Don't forget that you CAN download the actual model I created as well to really look at it up close!

@ Toz: Even if you were to look at the actual document, the scroll bar is tiny in both the HTML document in Wordpad (my HTML edittor), and even smaller in a web browser (due to the images). Like I said, it's comprehensive.

@ bupaje: What do you mean by "pencil sketches". Could you give a more detailed example on what you mean?



In fact, if you think that this tutorial is good, do you think it might be a good idea to list it on the Conitec download page (as a CHM file download instead of on my website)?

Yep, that's how familiar I am with MED. It adds to my potential of beta testing it (hence all the bug reports I've submitted for MED).

Many people are more 'visual' and so by pencil sketches I meant you could simply do a quick sketch and scan it if it will help clarify a point. All that talk of sizes, polygons and triangles is a bit confusing for me which is exactly why I play with WED more than MED. Some points just nned to be no brainers.


Example:

Quote:

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...If you were to stick to 128 for a square size (in quants), you'd need 192 polygons. 768x2048 means 6 by 16 and two faces make a square. Do all the multiplication and you get 192. However, a larger square size is better for the poly count. Increasing it to the recommended 256x256 square size, you cut the number of faces to only 48. A 256x256 ...

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Huh? Guy like me says how does 128 x 128 quants = 192 polygons, how does that then become 768x2048 etc etc - in other words you are making an assumption that the reader is comfortable with all the numbers but chances are many of those interested in tutorials are beginner to intermediate and a percentage will be lost.

Again, I get enough to see value in the tutorial and I'm not suggesting a rewrite, just perhaps that as time allows you think 'hmmm.... maybe a picture here would help clarify this a bit for math challenged guys like Burt ...'