hi all,
many of you searched for a method to make caves using terrains, but they failed with the ceiling. "hmp file format is a simplified mdl format, and to turn hmps, you must make them mdls first", was the main answer. but there is a better, faster way. i cannot believe i am the first one who thought of that... surely i am not.

look, this is a shot from the floor to the ceiling:

i know it is just an ugly test level... but look: both terrains are hmp files, the lower one has nothing applied, the upper one uses a simple effect -->
that is all the code:
Code:

---

	texture entSkin1;

        technique vegetation
        {
                pass p0
                {
                        Texture[0]=<entSkin1>;
                        ZWriteEnable=True;
                        CullMode=None; // CCW when sigle sided polys, or None when double sided polys

                        ColorArg1[0]=Texture;
                        ColorOp[0]=Modulate2X;
                        ColorArg2[0]=Diffuse;
                }
        }

---

no more need to make it an mdl.

better use CW or CCW in that case. none takes up twice the performance

yeah, but that´s the trick ^^ you can use both sides of the terrain, for the ground of the world AND ceilig for the cave together! so you don´t need 2 hmps, which would, in my opinion, slow the game down too... it was just an idea.

oh, in that case you are right;) but. you shouldnt use the same texture for floor and ceiling. thus better use two passes, one with cw the other with ccw and use different effects/textures

yeah ^^ that´s a cool idea! gonna try it.

[edit] here is it, have fun

Code:

---

	texture entSkin1;
	texture entSkin2;

        technique vegetation
        {
                pass p0
                {
                        Texture[0]=<entSkin1>;
                        ZWriteEnable=True;
                        CullMode=CCW; //

                        ColorArg1[0]=Texture;
                        ColorOp[0]=Modulate2X;
                        ColorArg2[0]=Diffuse;
                }
                
                pass p1{
                	Texture[1]=<entSkin2>;
                        ZWriteEnable=True;
                        CullMode=CW;

                        ColorArg1[1]=Texture;
                        ColorOp[1]=Modulate2X;
                        ColorArg2[1]=Diffuse;
					 }
        }

---

That's even slower 'cause u use two passes.

ello meant you should use two different effects (one using CW and one CCW) for floor and ceiling.

he said "thus better use two passes".
separating the code in two is no deal- i just wanted to post it because i often read the request for an upside-down terrain. and, i learned sth. myself...

surely, in a game, i´d use two terrains, one with cw and one ccw, as you suggested, because it is unprobable that i´ll have to move transitionlessly from outdoor to a cave area.

Did you make a cave in a level with this method? Normally, there occure several difficulties until a new solution like this fits with the purposes of a level!

Walls with smearing textures at the walls comes to my mind when I think of terrains as caves!

why not use a model and polygon collision? ^^
Then you can have one model for both the parts .. and have a mother seam between them ^^

Polygon collision is very buggy in A6....
..I don#t like it yet... it has to be improved much..



...but cool Idea