XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Where do I get information on the creation and editing of Stellar XFiles, and on creating Effects in the XFilesClasses, like Star Glow and Planet Glow.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

There isn't anything in the Wiki, so your best bet is to ask questions here.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

I was just wondering, after making all those planet textures, whether it was possible to make "weather" into Stellar Effects, or otherwise mapped separately from the planet texture.

Something like that could greatly increase the planet options... since adding cloud effects to current planets and not needing clouds in the newer textures, would be possible.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

It should be doable, though I'm not sure what sort of blending properties you'd need to use.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

The straightforward, but horribly slow way would be to make tiny orbiting nebula clouds.

Is it possible to use an animated texture on the planet model?

For people who don't move the camera too much, you could remove the entire planet model, and go with a simple animated sprite for the entire thing. It would boost framerates too.

Gotta come up with a better way...

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

So, the problem with using stellar effects for the clouds is that the camera isn't fix on a normal to the axis of rotation... and the effects are not really 3D, so the clouds would rotate over the north pole or something.

A model with two (or more) override-able textures, sounds both like the right way of doing it, and from what I've seen so far, not in SE5's mod-playbook.

Dang, it would be killer to have planets with clouds rotating over the surface... and maybe some climate conditions linked lightning effects in the clouds... and a temperature linked polar ice texture overlaying the land.

Okay, maybe the lightning could be effects... but three layers for terrain, moving clouds and polar ice... *dreaming*

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

I didn't say that.
Using a sprite for the entire planet would start to look strange if the camera were rotated, since the sprites animation would be fixed.

Having tiny cloud sprites rotating around the planet would work, but it would be expensive in terms of CPU to have 100's of cloud bits per planet.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

But those clouds sprites wouldn't be effects added to the planet, they would be independent entities on the map... which as you said would be expensive.

If the cloud bmp's were effects added to the planet, then what I said about viewing angles would apply, right?

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

"Effects added to the planet" is stormcloud like things as I understand it. You'd have to make them small and numerous in order to have them wrap around and follow the surface of the planet.
You don't want to use a large sprite, since they always face the camera, and that would look quite wrong when the effect reaches the edge of the model (part sticking into the planet, part sticking out into space, instead of lying on the surface.

As a completely separate idea, planets could be made as a single sprite with a very long and complex animation sequence.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

I think I understand... I was referring to effects as listed in the XFileClasses_Stellar.txt, like Planet Glow, which is facing the camera, regardless of the planet orientation.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

So am I.

If you make them small enough, you can use a cluster of sprites in an arc that hugs the planet surface, and then make them rotate around the z axis either with or against the planet's rotation.

My warppoint generator can be set up to do something somewhat like that, although only in thin bands without some custom tweaking...
Think something like the FQM black hole animation, except wrapped around a planet, and using a cloudy white colour instead of incandescent blackbody spectra.
Also, much MUCH smaller, and shallower, and not contiguous

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

How do you control "rotate around the z axis" in the effects?

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>Effect 1 Rotate Z := 0</pre><hr />

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

I get it... you mean rotate in position, where I meant rotate in orientation. Yeah, that would work for small sprites around a planet.

Anyway, I agree that wouldn't be practical for clouds, but it might be nice for asteroids or sub-tiny moons for huge worlds, or maybe planetary infestations.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Question:

I created an Effect, that I want to retain the original bitmap's color, without any transparency or 'brightness' recoloring. How do I do that?

Blend_Zero seems to result in a silhouette... and Blend_One seems to result in transparency.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

There are a whole bunch defined in the files (check the PDFs), perhaps you can find a mix of source and dest blends that will do something cool.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Destination blend one, source blend zero should do it.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

dyslexically correct... Thanks!

Need to fix my graphics... black edges and not enough frames of animation.

But... I now have a small moon orbiting a planet... with an inclined orbital plane that matches the axial tilt of the planet.
Why 25 units = 90 degrees is a mystery to me. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

You're welcome.

Could be radians?...

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Not even close to radians.
Planets unrotated are on their sides... the rotate X 50 flips them 180 degrees and the rotate z 25 makes them right side up (not sure why X isn't ignored and X set to -25).
Starting Rotate X := 50
Starting Rotate Y := 0
Starting Rotate Z := 25

Since the default rotation vector is 25 (90 degrees): I decided you could rotate X away from the vertical... and then add an X rotation vector that trigonometrically pairs with the Z rotation.

This solution works near perfectly... ~10 degree tilt
Starting Rotate X := 53
Starting Rotate Z := 25
Continual Rotation Vector X := 3
Continual Rotation Vector Z := 15.1

You can vary the direction of the tilt, messing with the signs and getting Y involved... However, I see no good way of distributing different tilts throughout the planet types.

The orbital plane for satellites is harder... I can't consistently predict whether the initial position is the low or high end of the incline.
But I got this one working for the above axial tilt:
Effect 2 Offset Position X := -19.65
Effect 2 Offset Position Z := 3.75
Effect 2 Rotate X := 0.000375
Effect 2 Rotate Z := 0.001965

If you like your trig, you can quickly figure out why 3 is paired with 15.1 and 19.65 is paired with 3.75. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

According to the mod doc, Starting Rotate and Starting Scale are in percents.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

For the rotations, percents still leave it as 50% = 180 degrees, 25% = 90 degrees, etc...

I don't have a problem with it... it is just a little odd.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

I am confused about how the axes are arranged in regards to XFile_Classes, particularly for stellar objects. This is defined for every planet in XFileClasses_Stellar.txt:

Starting Rotate X := 50
Starting Rotate Y := 0
Starting Rotate Z := 25
...
Continual Rotation Vector X := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Y := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Z := 25
Continual Rotation Speed := 0.0001

The Continual Rotation seems to make sense, assuming the Z axis goes through the top and bottom of the planet, perpendicular to the system hex grid. Rotating around this axis should logically rotate the planet from left to right, along the system hex grid. However, the Starting Rotate Z value makes no sense... If I set it to 0, planets start out on their side, as in the attached screenshot (you can see the polar ice cap coming up on the left for the selected hydrogen planet; should be at the top with any value of Starting Rotate Z?) . Starting Rotate Z seems to be rotating along a different axis entirely; seemingly the Y axis. Shouldn't a non-zero value for Starting Rotate Z rotate the planet around the axis going through the top and bottom of the planet, perpendicular to the system hex grid? Am I misunderstanding the geometry of the SE5 engine, or is something screwy going on here?

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

The Docs say:
The percent rotation around the X plane.
The percent rotation around the Y plane.
The percent rotation around the Z plane.

However, each plane is 2D. So, this means:
The percent rotation around the XZ plane.
The percent rotation around the XY plane.
The percent rotation around the YZ plane.

(That is based on an X-plane of 50 (%) flipping the planet upside down.)

The unmodified initial orientation of planet has poles on Y axis (north being down) with the 'front' of the planet facing out (of the screen).

Looking into the screen on the motion:
Z CCW (from the top) with axis in-out (normal) of map.
Y (right to left) with axis bottom-top of map.
X (down to up) with axis left-right of map.

Looking at the starting rotations:
-- - North-South along Y (south up) front Z- (facing out)
25 Z North-South along Z (south out) Front Y- (facing down)
25 Y North-South along X (south right) front Z- (facing out)
25 X North-South along Y (south up) front X- (facing left)

******** conclusions *******
The axial motion:
The Z-pole's positive rotation is clockwise (from below the map, Z+).
The X-pole's positive rotation is clockwise (from the right of the map, X+)
The Y pole's positive rotation is clockwise (from the top of the map, Y+)

Initial orientations (Starting Rotate):
X rotates the object X+ toward Z- (right of screen towards you) or clockwise about the Y axis.
Y rotates the object Y+ toward X+ (top of screen towards right of screen) or counterclockwise about the Z axis.
Z rotates the object Y+ toward Z- (top of screen towards you) or counterclockwise about the X axis.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

So... is this how the axes are oriented? The black circle is on the plane of the system hex grid (the XZ plane).

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...2-se5_axes.png

I'm just trying to figure out how to make planets have a randomized starting rotation, in the same direction as the continual rotation vector. The Starting Rotate and Continual Rotation Vector fields seem to be referring to entirely different types of rotations, around different axes... its all very confusing.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

You have Y and Z reversed. The hex grid is on the XY Plane... so change +Z to +Y, -Y to -Z, etc.

The Starting Rotate is not motion, just the initial fixed planetary orientation.
The three Continual Rotation vectors are the trick... the three vectors have to added in the proper amounts to prevent wobble and precession.

I am currently working on a cheat sheet for the vector addition... trying to get the Y tilts right now.

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

MasterChiToes said:
"The Starting Rotate is not motion, just the initial fixed planetary orientation."

Never said it was motion.. I can now confirm that Starting Rotate Y and Continual Rotation Vector Z are in the same direction. Setting a non-zero value for Starting Rotate Y rotates the planet around the axis normal to the system hex grid, same as having a Continual Rotation Vector with only Z portions. Why Aaron coded things this way is beyond me...

=0=

So, the coordinate system should look like this then?

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...5-se5_axes.png

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

*tilt * |*spin * |+spin z
-------------------------------------
+tilt x |-tilt x |ARCSIN(1-SIN(tilt))
-tilt x |-tilt x | ""
-tilt z |+tilt y | ""
+tilt z |-tilt y | ""

example (from earlier post):
tilt = 3 (game units - not degrees or radians)
then 3 gets added or subtracted to Start Rotate X or Z
then the appropriate x or y spin become +/- 3
spin z = 15.1 (game units - not degrees or radians)

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Right, those are the coordinates directions... so if you go to the overhead view of the system map, then my earlier post will make sense.

There is an error in my chart above, and I can't seem to edit it... the first row second column is +tilt x (not minus)

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Re: XFile Creation and XFileClasses Effects
 

Okay, here is what I did... It is a tilted huge (size: 7) Rock Planet with a Snowball Moon in an equatorial orbit. The moon also orbits faster than the planet spins.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2055/...fed24432_o.jpg

The planet texture is new as well... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif