ChooChoo

The more I look into this, the more I realize I didn't have such an original idea.

The idea came to me when I built my kick butt game computer. The graphics came to life (DOD:S if anyone's interested) and it turned on a lightbulb in my head. I use Revit for my residential design. I can import easily into 3ds MAX, materials and everything. Just having water ripple in a bathtub I thought would drive clients wild.

A real time walkthrough for clients rather than a predetermined path. This way I can sit down with the client, show them certain parts of their home, they make some minor adjustments, blah blah blah. Cool idea I thought if it works without much fuss.

Well, that's where it became very tough. DOD:S (HL2, CS:S) uses Hammer which I'm sure many of you have heard of. This made it almost impossible without making the whole model completely over again. Can't feasibly use 3ds MAX to import into the game engine. Too many steps, too many errors. I gave up. Tried the UT engine, but they have strict control on commercial usage of the software.

So I was wondering if anyone here does this sort of thing, anyone else thought of it, use software that works with 3ds max? I found a program specifically made for this that exports from max to their program, I just wasn't happy with the frame rates, it looked a little too choppy to me. I might go check it out again though (rtre, it's an autodesk certified something rather)

what do you guys think? is this just one of those things that people will say "yeah neat, but not gonna do much with it"?

I actually made just a simple level in Hammer just to see how it would go and it looks promising, just very time consuming.

Sorry, maybe this is the wrong forum. Just thought someone here does that type of prerendering walkthrough type stuff. Any feedback is greatly welcomed.

If anyone has used any type of commercial or open source bsp editor that they think is a good one, I'd like to hear feedback on it

ipxstudios

Just ran across this beta -
http://www.codeblend.com/products.html

ChooChoo

I downloaded this and tried it out. It's really not half bad. What I liked about it is that you could compile your scene and post for a client to peruse at their leisure without them having any type of special program. Depends on how computer savvy the client is too.

Program was a little glitchy, had a hard time moving around smoothly. Framerates were comparable to games.

Check it out and see what you think. Just FYI, it's an .exe, so if you don't feel comfortable with it, no hard feelings. Just wanted to get some input.

from their site

http://www.codeblend.com/downloads/interior.exe

ChooChoo

I'm sorry, I hope I'm not being an idiot. Is what I'm talking about have something to do with VRML or virtual reality? Maybe I'm not paying attention to what's plainly in front of me.

stefkeB

VRML is a 3D format, for which browsers exist. You can run, walk, fly, bump against walls and step up stairs. You can program interactivity and 3ds max has special VRML-helper objects.

Could work just fine.

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BSP compilers (UT, Half-Life/Source) actually calculate an optimized data structure, including textures and lighting. Source even includes a radiosity-like lighting, so there are less dark regions. But as you said, the time to create such a level is high. And there is no easy way to go from a CAD or 3D model to a complete level.

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Check this:
http://twhl.co.za/mapvault_map.php?id=3657

A free Half-Life 2 map of the famous Kaufmann house by F.L.Wright, explorable in realtime with fantastic visual quality. But it took the (experienced) mapper a long time to create and it was not a converted CAD or 3D scene...

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--- stefkeB ---
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