YESSS!! Falling leaves are done!

*rakes up a big pile of leaves.......then starts to roll around in them...*

Koniption

PS - Thanks Vacuity!

Coolness!

I've just been catching up on this thread. No problem about the whirlpool thing, Vacuity...just a thought, really.

I'm certainly interested in the leaf effect. We have a stormy jungle area in Black Marshes but also a 'dead zone' type of marsh. Just out of interest, do the leaves cascade gently or are they thrown from the tree a bit? We have use of either.

From what we discussed last time, I really think I ought to give The Higgs the go-ahead into BM...if you don't mind...? Credit, naturally, will be given. I would suggest a different type of 'wisp-like creature' but I wouldn't know where to start, really. Nevertheless, the idea you suggested about the glowing trails is very intriguing indeed, especially as now that our regions are really coming together. I'll be applying some more final touches to them eventually in the form of such effects.

However, talking of weather effects, I've often looked on longingly at sandstorms and snowstorms and thought how cool it looked and yet so out-of-place for BM! What are your thoughts on a tropical monsoon?

Seems to be a problem with at least one of the leaf generators: VaPER - FallingLeavesJapaneseMapleMedium.nif is displaying nothing but purple squares instead of leaves.

Also, is it normal that the nifs for the Japanese Maple would have a texture reference to the Dogwood leaves?

[quote name='Koniption' date='10 November 2010 - 05:19 AM' timestamp='1289337542' post='16656350']
...
[/quote]Make some leaf angels.[quote name='Ibsen3' date='10 November 2010 - 07:01 AM' timestamp='1289343688' post='16657103']
Just out of interest, do the leaves cascade gently or are they thrown from the tree a bit? We have use of either. [/quote]They potentially float out from the tree a little. Occasionally they will float up and away.[/quote]Make some leaf angels.[quote name='Ibsen3' date='10 November 2010 - 07:01 AM' timestamp='1289343688' post='16657103']From what we discussed last time, I really think I ought to give The Higgs the go-ahead into BM...if you don't mind...? Credit, naturally, will be given.[/quote]No problem at all, I'll be happy to see them used.[/quote]Make some leaf angels.[quote name='Ibsen3' date='10 November 2010 - 07:01 AM' timestamp='1289343688' post='16657103']What are your thoughts on a tropical monsoon?[/quote]I believe it should be possible?[quote name='Arthmoor' date='10 November 2010 - 09:20 AM' timestamp='1289352040' post='16658038']
Seems to be a problem with at least one of the leaf generators: VaPER - FallingLeavesJapaneseMapleMedium.nif is displaying nothing but purple squares instead of leaves.

Also, is it normal that the nifs for the Japanese Maple would have a texture reference to the Dogwood leaves?
[/quote]There are two texture references in the file, one is (as far as I could tell) never used, but I could be wrong? I checked the texture path for the maple texture and it's correct. Do you have \textures\vc\particle effects\brownleafjapanesemaple.dds in the right place? If so then I suppose I have to ask if textures\vc\particle effects\brownleafdogwood.dds is there and if not, does the problem go away when it is? I've just tested again and have absolutely no problem with that nif.

Nope, I just tried removing the dogwood texture, and the other trees' particles all look fine (obviously the dogwood's particles didn't). I was sure I'd checked that already.

Vac

Yes, everything is unpacked as it existed in the archive. All of the meshes and textures are sitting in Meshes\VC\VaPER and the textures in vc\particle effects. The brownleafdogwood.dds and brownleafjapanesemaple.dds are both present.

\Textures\vc\Particle Effects

Vac

Yes, that's what I meant, didn't copy/paste enough of the path.

Hmm, I kinda figured you'd meant that, but had to check.

You've got me fixed for an answer right now. I'll try and work out what could be wrong.

Vac

Edit: Can anyone else confirm whether they do or do not have the same problem as Arthmoor's seeing?

Aha! The compression type for brownleafjapanesemaple.dds was bad. It was saved in some weird 32bitAGRsomething format and WTV said it had 2 layers or something. I popped that into Paint.NET, resaved as DXT3, and now they work.

Could you make a bee swarm for my bee hive project ?

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2901/beehive01.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2412/hangingwildbeehive01mod.jpg
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7849/beeknife02.jpg
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/3969/beesmoker02.jpg

* Bee’s entering and exitting the hive (front exit = Box) & (bottom exit = hanging hive)
* Bee’s orbiting the hive

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35590

v1.1 Re-released with the japanese maple texture fixed (some users' systems would not display it correctly) and compressed the six textures in dxt3 format (previously they were uncompressed).

Wierd, I've no idea when/how that happened, or why it would display ok on one system and not another. In any case, it's fixed now. I also compressed the other textures to dxt3 as I realised that maybe mod makers might not compress them themselves. If people want the uncompressed versions they can contact me directly.

Thanks for finding it while I was at work!
I expect yes. Actually, someone's already asked me to make something kinda similar using moths. Is it ok for me to talk about that openly by the way moth-request person who I'm not naming? Or is it all a secret?

I had a request for a tweaked version of the bubbles nifs, so I should release a new version shortly with a wider selection of nifs. Seriously, there's no problem with asking for tweaked versions; don't be shy, just be polite.

Vac (just spotted he forgot to update the OP with info on the falling leaves release before he went to bed last night...)

This is all very interesting - I'm not very good at making mods myself, but I look forward to seeing the final results of your work in other mods...sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference in a game...

Wow nice models guy. It will be very cool if you make a wild bee's hive also. I wonder ULproject's members will use these very well

Yep, go ahead I didn't want to describe it all publicly since the mod is still unannounced, but you're free to post about the effects if you want.

The leaves look fantastic, I can't wait to play with them.

OK, so, there was a major issue with the VaPER - Bubble Stream TallWide nif in that the bubbles would stop at an angle that was not quite horizontal. Not good, but surprisingly hard to spot.

Also following feedback from a very polite modder, I've made adjustments to how long the bubbles will stay at the surface. If people want bubbles that last for longer (say for swamps or thicker liquids with a lower surface tension) then either adjust the particle lifespans or ask me for additional versions.

Also, following feedback from Arthmoor on the weather boxes, I've realised that modders often expect a fairly close fit between the marker editor and the particle effect, so I've tried to match that more precisely (not an easy task in NifSkope) for the point of particle emission and the plane where the particles get stuck. You should still check the effect in-game to ensure it works out ok: the water surface is a very precise point on the z-axis after all.

I also had a request to add shorter versions that weren't simply scaled down (which reduces bubble size and speed proportionately).

So, here's http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35526 v2.

v2.0 Added two medium height nifs, which allows placement in tighter spaces without shrinking the bubbles. Fixed the wide dispersal collider to be more precisely horizontal. Shortened bubble lifespans slightly to better reflect water behaviour. Compressed the texture.

If you're already using the v1 "VaPER - Bubble Stream TallNarrow.nif" then you probably don't *need* to update as that worked pretty well. I'd recommend updating to the latest version of the resources anyway though. I don't think it's great to be continually updating resource files. Expanding and adding to, sure, but I hope I don't have to do too many "fixes". Sorry about this: I guess I'm out of practice still.

I heartily concur. A good dungeon crawl isn't simply about the shiny armour or weapon at the end. A good house isn't just about having lots of containers. A good landscape isn't just about, uhh, having lots of trees...?

Vac

Oh, I missed the bubble update. Will get that soon. Tested the first version and already love it: http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/uploads/1289422201/gallery_114_64_284105.jpg

Yup, I completely agree with you there. Thanks for inventing great immersion. I'm also looking forward to see the results in mods.

That looks great! It'll look even better with the newer nif (I can tell you are using the wide effect nif). Sorry about updating the resource like that. I hope that doesn't happen too often, but some things are quite hard to deal with in NifSkope: planar colliders are about the worst, as there's simply no way for me to visualise the collider. If you have any requests, don't be shy.

Work proceeds on the swamp lights. They're being tricksy right now, which is about right for the subject matter.

Vac

Sounds good. We're about ready for them. Murkwood is all but complete. Oh, and it may interest you to know that Koniption created a beehive along with honeycomb ingredient that we had planned to use as an environmental hazard. I had considered using some of Xilver's stuff from 'Midas Magic' if it could be adapted but if you can create a swarm effect then that would be cool.

The reason I asked about the monsoon was that I thought you might have had a hand in the snowstorm/sandstorm effect that was used in the likes of Elsweyr: The Deserts of Anequina'. Would anyone know who to contact about that?

I'm not ready yet. Too much real life stuff the last couple of days.
I'm sure something will work out for the bee swarms: I haven't even thought about that much yet. This community hasn't dissapointed when it came to making (some pretty interesting) requests.I think that was linked earlier on page 2.

Hey, no problem. Whenever you can manage it, it would be gratefully received. Thanks for the 'Violent Storms' link. I just sent Darkrider a PM over there.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35652

Currently contains six nifs and one texture, providing three weather effects at two sizes for convenient placement.

The three weather types supported are: http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll61/Revanchism/Particle%20Effect%20Resources/LightRain.jpg, http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll61/Revanchism/Particle%20Effect%20Resources/HeavyRain.jpg, and http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll61/Revanchism/Particle%20Effect%20Resources/Mediumsnow.jpg.

There are two notes modders should be aware of. These nifs will give warnings in the CS. This appears to be harmless. Additionally, the particle systems can take some time to "get going" in the game. At this point I'm stumped as to why this is. If anyone has any suggestions as to the cause, please help me out. Nevertheless, these work and do a pretty good job, so I'll release them for people to use.

Vac

Edit: Particular thanks to Arthmoor for giving feedback on the nifs. Not being a weather modder myself meant it was handy to have someone else giving feedback.

Very nice. I foresee a lot of work for me in implementing this.

Oh boy oh boy. I can't wait to see how these will look with Immersive Interiors.

Heh, well they're going to get handled via AN itself since we need to tie them into the weather scripting to be able to check for the appropriate types. Though Immsersive Interiors definitely enhances the effect greatly.