hello I been gone along time I have not made maps for halo ce in almost 6 years or so as I will have to relearn some stuff and I need some help getting somethangs working.

im on windows 8 and im realy haveing a lot of problums with compatability or something,

im trying to compile some tif files to .bitmap format with tool but nothings happening. I have tried everything and it jus twont work. when I try bitmap or bitmaps option in tool++. I alredy put cmd in thare but I cant get it to work can anyone help? me.

I will probly have more questions soon but for now this is whats driveig me crazy.

I used tool everyday for years but now it just wont work I feal stued posing for help on this subject,

hope someone can help me figure out what the problem is.
[EDIT:

well I got the bitmap to compile with hek+ but im still having an error.

hear the bitmap compiles just fine but not with the alph channel I need.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Process completed...
Tool.exe > bitmap "tm\scenery\flowers\bitmaps\samiris"
bitmap created: #256x#256, compressed with color-key transparency, 42K-bytes

Couldn't read map file './toolbeta.map'

Process completed...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

then when I add an alph chanel I get error cant compile 5 channel data.

im just trying to compile the bitmap with explicit alpha.

I keep getting error...

!WARNING!! bitmap with greater than 1-bit alpha being compressed as DXT1 <==

whats my problem?
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 13, 2013 at 07:26 AM
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 13, 2013 at 07:37 AM

it will always say the bitmap greater than 1 bit alpha unless you go into the tag once its compiled and change the bitmap type to explicit alpha or 32bit color.

RUN EVERYTHING AS ADMIN, also if you can avoid windows 8 like the plague

You know I totally agree I hate windows 8 and now im stuck with what seems to be a lot of problums.

I finaly got my bitmap to compile in hek+ however tool++ will not do anything for me what so ever.

cant even compile a scenario file.

I am running everything as admin.

can anyone give me some advice as to what I need to do in windows 8 to get tool++ working?

Please try not to rely on tool++
Just type in tool using cmd and it will list you all the commands that tool can use.

I cant believe how meny problem im having because of windows 8 I tried to make a new model in 3dsmax 8 and everytime I try and give ita uvw map 3ds max throws some trash right in the middle of the screen so I point blank cant uvw map my model

I tried running compatibility mode no luck

Every time I try to add a uvw map to my model I get trash left over from the list on my screen.

Im currently running windows 8 enterprize
I have NVidia gforce gtx 560 ti
I have the latest NVIDIA graphics Driver 314.17
Im totally stumped I can not fix this problem.


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/jackrabbitlight/ere_zpsef002590.jpg


also I cant seem to get tool to work for me at all if someone could connect to me on team viewer and try and help that would be great.
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 14, 2013 at 03:14 AM

3DS Max 8 wouldn't work properly with 64bit windows 7; Probably wouldn't work right with windows 8 either by the looks of it. In windows 7, you could be using it for 5 seconds, and it will start doing stupid things, or you could be using it for 30+ minutes before it screws you over. I don't know, ask Maniac1000, he says it works with windows 7
Edited by OrangeJuice on Mar 14, 2013 at 08:20 PM

You cannot use 3dsmax 8 with Windows 8. Anything that required the basic theme modes, are completely broke in W8. The application compatibility is comparable to running things over on linux through WINE. Dont open any menus, dont right click, etc. and you'll have to restart Max8 on W8 less often than you are now, however there is no actual cure that keeps W8, you have to go back to W7 or any other real windows OS.

It does work on windows 7. I use it.
Edited by XlzQwerty1 on Mar 14, 2013 at 08:42 PM

Indeed it does.
I do not have it set to run in any compatibility mode nor do i have any other boxes checked (disable desktop composition etc.), I do have run as admin checked and it works just fine on my win7 64bit, never even a slightest glitch.

I don't see why autodesk would not issue a fix or something 3dsmax is quite expensive.

Im not sure what versions are still supported buy autodesk but it seems to me to not have 3dsmax 2013 working on windows 8 would be a total blunder for the name autodesk.

can anyone tell me if I will beable to use 2013 version and or what problums I may have of if its going to work.

seriously other than not being able to add a UVWmap I haven't experienced any issues. with max8 and I haven't had any issues at all running it on windows 7 64 bit.
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 15, 2013 at 02:51 AM

WINDOWS 8 IS WHAT KILLED BAMBI'S MOM. BELIEVE IT.

can someone refresh my memory as to how I run radiosity in sapien and make lightmap with tool?

or is that the same thing I forget?
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 15, 2013 at 04:55 AM

tool lightmaps levels\test\bloodgulch\bloodgulch bloodgulch 0 0.9

tool lightmaps levels\directory\map_folder\map_scenario_tag map_scenario_bsp "quality(0,1)" "stop threshold(0.000001+)

from that other thread you had posted your files to get help with the tower:
them folders had no shaders folder, do you know to make one in the tags levels nameofmap folder? i reckon you probably do know, but not seeing the folder makes me wonder just.

also for getting them to show up in 3ds max have you tried switch to the direct3d or openGL?

yeah I know how to make shaders.
can anyone tell me whare to change the water shader with kornman00
im thinking its not even possible but anyway I cant seem to get my water in my map to ripple right I have it working fien in another map so I know my shader works but im thinking I need to give my water a uvwmap maby I am supposed to make it a box but im unsure can anyone please tell me wha I need to do because right now my water has no ripples but only in this map im working on. same bitmap and shader in the other map and it works fine.

also can someone tell me how to find and fix degenerate triangles.

also when I am exporting physics do I need to have frame and meterials and all that jazz?

I cant seem to get my collition to compile on my scenary model
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 17, 2013 at 08:28 PM
Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 17, 2013 at 09:47 PM

for example, beaver water.shader_transparent_water shader file.

scroll down and you'll see:
ripple animation angle (which direction the movement goes)
ripple animation velocity (how fast it will move)
ripple scale (the size of the ripple) etc. that's where to adjust the some settings.
also incase you dont have the original settings from playing with it:

you mentioned you're using the same texture from that map, so make sure you added the path from the bitmap in your maps folder to the shader file.

to make water you just make a plane, but when adding the texture in the material editor add
! to the end of the name, for some reason i was thinking $ but pretty sure that's for fog. with that ! symbol added your plane can pass through the bsp geometry and will be fine.

degenerate triangles:
old pic of slappythepirates explains how they can look.
http://s1.postimage.org/9meojr7of/bsperrors.jpg

in 3ds max hit file\import, then in the window go to haloce folder and you'll see the .wrl file
import that. uncheck the top 2 boxes, and hit the select by name button in 3ds max.
look for titles named VIFS01 etc.
they are the error markers, you can ignore the VSep01 etc names, they just sit on the grid in max, delete them when errors are fixed.
strat with selecting 1st VIFS, hit Z to zoom in on it, fix the area, move to next VIFS
untill they are all fixed.

lotta text but better to explain it proper than leave you unsure on anything. :)

physics: sorry i haven't done anything with them and am not sure.
Edited by ally on Mar 18, 2013 at 04:37 AM

That's a great pic for BSP errors!

I ment degen tryangles for making scenary.

anyway like I sayed the shaders ripples are alredy set in the shader.

I found out I did have to give the water a uvwmap to make it look right,

anyway im trying to get some textures in my map to be mirrors. and having trouble with that if anyone can help?

also. what are all the material id's I can use in max like !$ and what do thay do or whare can I find that info?

I ment degen triangles for making scenary: it's the same error on a scenery model or a bsp.

anyway like I said the shaders ripples are already set in the shader:
then you might just need to do as i mentioned, add the path from the bitmap in your maps folder to the shader.

I found out I did have to give the water a uvwmap to make it look right:
should do that for any texture i would think anyway.

what are all the material id's i can use in max like !$ and what do they do or where can i find that info?
Materials Overview section.
http://hce.halomaps.org/hek/
Edited by ally on Mar 18, 2013 at 11:31 AM

Check the dynamic mirror box in the shader.
Do not have mirrors on non flat surfaces.
Do not have mirror surfaces that can reflect each other (creating a infinite mirror loop)

okay I have error on my scenary model tool says ### WARNING found nearly coplanar surfaces (red and green). its causeing me to have no collition on my bunker,

I inport the debug and the walls are coverd in errors and this model use to work just fine I don't know what happened to it.

and I realy cant tell what is casueing the errors =( THIS REALY DIVEING ME NUTS

also can anyone tell me what this error means?

tag data 'hs_syntax_data_definition' too large.
Cache pack file bitmaps hits: 0 for 0.00M

Cache pack file bitmaps adds/misses: 0 for 0.00M
failed to load scenario tag 'levels\rez\rez1'
Cache pack file sounds hits: 0 for 0.00M

Cache pack file sounds adds/misses: 0 for 0.00M
tag data 'hs_syntax_data_definition' too large.
Cache pack file loc hits: 0 for 0.00M

Cache pack file loc adds/misses: 0 for 0.00M
failed to load scenario tag 'levels\rez\rez1'


need to get the following tags:



Process completed...

Edited by jackrabbit on Mar 19, 2013 at 08:52 PM