8 replies to this topic

[lefthand]

Is there anything that I can do to reduce the little black dots on a voxel when it is in game? I am using the Yuri scheme BTW.
Thank you in advance for anyone that can give me a workable solution on this!

[Jeeves]

I wanna know too!

[Blade]

How did you make the voxels? I find they occur when you use 3DS>vxl and don't set the dot distance to something a good bit less than one (0.7 for example).

[lefthand]

How did you make the voxels? I find they occur when you use 3DS>vxl and don't set the dot distance to something a good bit less than one (0.7 for example).

All of my voxels are handcrafted...I don't touch any of those 3D programs. I didn't resize anything but the voxel is about the same size of a carrier/drednaught. I should also mention that my voxel editor is abit dated...I am using VSE 1.1.

[Lee]

Large voxels do seem to have trouble once ingame. Yet im no voxeller so i cant help solve the issue.

Where is Gilbear when you need him? No really, where is he?

[Rattuskid]

You have to make the walls thicker. What you're seeing is the voxels on the other side where their index makes them black at that angle.

[BobingAbout]

best solution i find is that you add an extra layer of thickness to your VXL, and DO NOT REMOVE REDUNDENT VXLS. the just copy the normals onto this surface, and when you see through the gaps, which usually gives you your black spots, you see a second surface behind it instead.

[Major_Gilbear]

<Sigh> Weird how you can explain these things till you're blue in the face, and nobody will listen. Yet, when they want to know, it's as if they've never heard the answer before...


Basically, the 'black dots' are holes. They are showing the inside (unlit) part of the voxel, and so are dark. "But wait, my voxel has no holes!" you may cry. Well, it probably does even though you don't realise it.

On certain angles, you can see through the edges of the rows of voxels, and to solve the problem, you need to have a second layer with the same normals as the first. I'll try and show you what I mean with the diagrams below:


Example 1

A.........................
...........................
.................XX......
.............XX..........
.........XX..............
.....XX..................
...........................
.........................B


Example 2

C.........................
...........................
.................XXX....
.............XXX........
.........XXX............
.....XXX................
...........................
.........................D


Both of the above examples represent a slice through a voxel model, with the Xs depicting the voxels in section. Positions A and C represent the observer, with B and D being an unlit (ie, no/incorrect normals) point inside the voxel.

In Example 1, A can 'see' B through the edges of the voxels. In Example 2, C cannot 'see' D because there are extra voxels placed at the 'joins', which are shown by the Xs in bold.

As long as these extra voxels are the same colour and have the same normals as the other voxels on that facing, then the voxel's facing ingame will be unblemished by the 'black dots'. Bear in mind that selecting auto-optimisation tools (like the auto-removal of redundant voxels) usually remove all these extra voxels as well as the others inside a model, so if you use these functions don't forget to put them back in manually afterwards. Also, autonormals won't shade these extra voxels as they are 'inside' the voxel and therefore not caught by the tracer. You need to normalise these by hand by copying the nomals from the surrounding voxels onto the extra ones.


I hope that helps; better a proper explanation late than never I say!

[ihateharriers]

thanks for a proper explanation

i already knew this ( i think it was because of you?)and had i seen this topic i would have posted what you did, just without that pimpin pic of yours