How do the numbers work?

[DJ99X]

Hey JLV, would you mind running through how the numbers work? I know that the red dots set up a box in which the numbers lie. But how are they put together?

This is how I think they work, so let me know if I'm on the right track:

The number boxes are placed in order, packed together. The boxes are scaled so that the height fills the y-axis of the UV space. This leaves the total width of the numbers to change depending on the shape of the number boxes. The combined number boxes are centered in the UV map. If the total width of the numbers exceeds the x-axis of the UV space, then the numbers are switched to numbers-condensed. If the total width of the numbers-condensed exceeds the x-axis of the UV space, then the numbers will be clipped.

If none of that made sense, then hopefully this picture does:



In retrospect... this would have been easy to test out in blender. I'll post it none-the-less

[DJ99X]

That pic didnt work

[DJ99X]

If thats how it works, whats stopping a normal/spec map being used? Sure, you wouldn't be able to make anything for the numbers themselves (like making the numbers look raised), but you could still easily have wrinkles apply to it, surely?

[jlv]

Each bike gets a 128x128 texture for the numbers. A normal and specular map wouldn't be hard to apply but it would be the same for all plates. So you couldn't use the normal map to simulate more geometry unless all of the number plates were identical.

[DJ99X]

So yeah, 1 normal/spec map per plate model. If people use one normal/spec map per rider model (like I did with the Scott 450 stuff), then that shouldn't be an issue

[jlv]

What are we trying to do here? Make the jersey numbers have matching wrinkles?

[DJ99X]

We want it so the numbers look like they are a part of the jersey.

Just an example:

For my Scott gear, the rider model is rider_body-Scott 450 Circuit.jm, and it uses rider_plate-Scott 450 Circuit.jm

All of the textures that use this model use a normal map called rider_body-Scott 450 Circuit_norm.png. As the normal map is the same for all textures that use this model, then only one normal map is required for the plate model, so you could have a normal map called rider_plate-Scott 450 Circuit_norm.png. It might be hard for the skinner to line up both normal maps perfectly, but it will still look sweet.

Surely it wouldn't be hard? It should work similar to any other model in the game.

[jlv]

Actually, it might not be that hard to make it match. You could bake the normals from the main rider model to the plate model in blender.

Not sure when I'll get around to it though. I really want to get the new sounds finished, make a software decal renderer for crappy graphics drivers, and get 1.5 out.

[yzmxer608]

Need some motivation? Just turn this up and close your blinds.