The Harvest Moon Consortium

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TileSet Process 101

-CID-78
1) import closets model that match what i am going to do. ie it might only be a plain grass tile.

2) then since NWMAX don't seem to import textures correctly i modify the material on each object so that the textures show up in 3dmax. (work from one dir that has the models and the textures to avoid this problem).

3) Model the tile and export it to the override folder.

4) add a .set entry and any new primary rules.

5) if new group or feature or new terrain add a .itp entry in palstd

6) add edge.2da rows if needed

7) launch toolset and try to place the new tile. go through it and look so that it seem to cast shadows correctly all texture look fine. just a plain visual scan basically. now jump between 3 and 7 until you are happy with the outcome. toolset doesn't always give you a correct shadow.
when happy with the model, i use show all andthen hide light sources and model base. make a copy of the largest "ground object" then starts to add new vertexes to shape a going to be walkmesh surface. ie i create all major edge vertexes with the snap feature to then draw the surface between them, last i move the vertex neara walkable area out 20 units so that normal NPC doesn't clip. apply walkmesh and link it to the base. export the model again

9) launch game start the test module (which have a start location just beside my ne tile). check walkmesh and shadow and the animations to find any erors if i find one i press Quicksave then go back to 3dmax correct the error export again then load the savegame. check so thatthe error is gone and so forth jump between 3 and 9

You will get a hang on the process quickly and most tiles will not needed to be tested before applying walkmesh but it good to skip it when you are only testing ways to design a tile. when the design and fixedand you only mass producing the diffrent combinations you will make the walkmesh directly. and perhaps test several tiles at the same time.

(hopefuly better tutorials will be available in the future at this site for DLA's NWMax .08).

Tile Poly Count:
400-500 maximum for terrain tiles
900 for feature tiles
1200 rare for a really complex edifice


(Side notes on edge tiles, terrains, and crossers)

-Danmar
All tilesets have/need an 'edge' file. These tell the engine what tiles to extend off to infinity. There can be one 'edge' tile per terrain combination.

Exactly. The only link is the Terrain's name. The value set under the Terrain's section in the .set file needs tils with the same value set as corners. Crossers need them as edges. In every tile entry you have 4 corner entries, these are the terrains, and you have 4 edge entries these are the crossers.

When you paint a 'terrain' down in the toolset it just looks for any combination of tiles that have the right corners and crossers to fit. If the right tiles don't exist then you'll get a red square at the first missing tile. You can then figure out what combination of terrains and crossers it needs, create it and then try again. Repeat until the terrain can be placed there.