Lucky_Strike

Ohh yes! As Churchie mighty say ...
The ruins are looking well cool now.
Out of interest, cos I haven't had time to play with them myself, do they have upper floors for use by pixeltruppen or do they just use the ground level. One of the things that I noticed about damaged buildings in your Berlin mod was that despite being apparently empty, floorless shells the pixeltruppen would still occupy upper floors of ruined buildings. Was that just a limitation of the game mechanics? If this new mod does potentially limit movement and positioning to just ground floor it would give a good range of possible structure types.
Always useful to keep an eye on Blender's built in consol/info panel, it will always show what's happened with commands issued., though some of the output can be obscure. Sometimes an export failure is only partial, you might get an mdr but it won't necessarily be complete, a clue to this is the file size. One can usually gauge if a file is complete if the file size is what is expected, most models we make are the equivalent of or larger than the originals, so if an edited file shrinks substantially there may be an issue.
Eeek! 😲 I still have forests to build!
So far as I could see in the independent buildings damage is just done with textures. There are obviously some engine mechanics - dice throw calculations etc - related to the status of a building but the damage we see is just visuals. The collapsed buildings though must come from something else. You all know more about this than me.

It,s only a flavour image at the moment so no floors etc, Harry wrapped a Mod build around then hid all the walls etc so it could have floors, but I have to take out the floors so I can make stuff with bridges etc. Cheers

Just had a relook and Ive done it, It obviously didn't export properly, so now ive got the original and another with just 1 section, I made this from 3 and just rotated to get this effect which is much better now. Cheers

Ok, bloody ell that Blenders gonna be a learning curve...lol So I got the ruins model into the game, then used the same texture and made a modular building so I could mix n match. Not to bad results. 

Then I thought i'd try and modify the model and get rid of the floor textures which don't look right when repeated... and I did it, the modal is just 2 Objects so I deleted the one attached to the floor object... all good exported and work brilliantly and looked like this below:

 
Then I did something really dumb, I re-edited the mdr in Blender but when I exported it the original has come back with all the flooring attached, but in blender this does not show... so stumped already...FFS What am I doing wrong???

Yes there's a real need to do something like this, sadly colours at distance are not properly corrected in game, what I'd like to see is a proper darkening/shifting of the colours and under-shadows for all seasons, weather etc. How it looks in game now:

(an artists impression 😉) an improvement IMO:

Maybe something like this could be achieved by lowering the distant LOD 4 models and adding artificial shadow to the bottom of the textures, sort of similar to what you're already doing by darkening the texture.
Also, technically there's nothing to stop us using the billboard LODs as nearer LODs. The only caveat is that LOD 3 (at least I think it's LOD 3 from memory) is used as the stick trees when trees are toggled. The billboard LODs just disappear, but that's probably resolvable. The game already renders LOD 4 quite close when struggling even with balanced graphics settings ...

... they kick in at about 40-50m here. If also using LOD 4 as LOD 3 the effect is very similar ...
... the original BF LOD 4 as LOD 3 on the right. One big issue that might be a deal breaker is the overhead view - it ain't pretty ...

But these are original BF LOD 4 as LOD 3 - it might well be possible to improve the models. LOD 4 uses a 1-bit, jaggy alpha channel and only sixteen faces, they are very low res. Whereas LOD 3 uses softer 8-bit greyscale alpha channels and could potentially have many more faces since they are 3D at present ... it's a thought.
With LOD 4 as LOD 3 AND LOD 2 we can almost walk right up to the LOD model in game ...

... here tree 5, LOD 4 (original BF model and texture) next to tree 8 (my own model/texture) in game.
Of course a plus is the massive increase in render speed ... might actually be an aid to map and scenario makers.
You are probably at the limits of the game engine, about to stray in to the Twilight Zone 👽 ...
Very odd ... not Maiden of course, gotta love em, though I must admit I still prefer Paul Di'Anno on lead vocals ...
WHY are you all running towards that machine gun nest when I ordered you to run away! 🤬

That's an achievement in itself 🤘 Next try exporting an mdr that you maybe only do one thing with, just to see how the export mechanics are handled. Remember for most mdr's you need to have the metadata option checked when you import AND export the mdr. You will get errors, so have the info window/pane open in Blender to read what it says, then try to resolve. The forum and Googling are your friends. There are lots of instructional videos on YouTube for 2.79, they're a few years old but nevertheless helpful. As Harry mentioned, 2.79 and most later versions have very different GUI so always try to watch videos and read up on issues specific to 2.79 or earlier, so that you can apply what you learn in 2.79.

exactly. I´ve both 2.79 and 3.2 on my HD. But working and learning in 2.79 only. V3.2 has such a different UI and stuff that it rather confuses me ATM. 🤪 Once I got learned my desired Blender knowledge it then should be comparably "easy" to switch for 3.2 and more elaborated stuff. Off course 2.79 remains required for MDR stuff.

Yup, one the "easy" things which is not that many. Good that eyesights move properly as well as otherwise would be rather unusable.
Thanks. You´d likely just need 5 minutes, where I´d still need 5 hours at least. 😐 Really got me to force apply a more elaborate Blender course now. Hate when any my inabilities hinder creativity.
This!
Sorry Nigel, thought you´d be aquainted with some Blender MDR basics already. So you´re doing all your mods "just" by texture creation and editing? 😎 I´m just aquainted with mentioned Blender basics as well. Moving stuff, deleting, META data entries changing and texture swapping. But that´s it basically. 😐

Nigel, we can only import / export from Blender 2.79. It's a limitation of the script/addon.
Put simply one needs to install Python (not sure of version, instructions are in this thread somewhere), then install the script/addon, then hopefully import .mdr. The original script was made by @sbobovyc, if you do a search on the forum you should find links to his installation instructions and a couple of YouTube videos. He hasn't been around for a while to update the script so we work with what we have. It's pretty stable on MacOS but I'm on Big Sur so can't vouch for its stability on anything later. Once it's all running it is then possible to save your model as a .blend file and open it in more recent versions of Blender, but if you do this you have to make sure the model is compatible to append back to a model in 2.79 as that is the only way to export an mdr. Most projects don't really benefit from memory recent versions of Blender and it can actually introduce other more complex issues into the mix. My suggestion is get 2.79 working and see if you can import/export successfully first, then think about using other versions of Blender.
For your tram do you want three versions with specific textures, one for each version?
If you let me have the latest model and textures I can do that for you. In the meantime you can start to read/watch about how to explore Blender.
And PS don't feel stupid about this stuff - it's not easy and none of us are experts, mostly we just get results by trial and error 😬
 

Does beggar the question what else can be done by moving the origin on models. I was certainly easily able to drop the level of the Panzer IV bunker I made, which then affected the crews LOS etc.
Should be a fairly quick hack, I'll try it later if nobody else has already given it a go - to be clear, parenting an object (furniture) to an independent building ground floor. 

Yes, could easily extend the root ball to accommodate max steepness. Do it for the stock models and also apply to any new models I make. Will keep in mind for next tranche of tree mods. 

Fantastic stuff @37mm - I can feel a Thin Red Line evening coming on.
It's not a part of the conflict that I'm overly interested in, and like yourself I've got plenty to keep me busy for a least a few more years. However, I would happily mod up a tree or two and some other foliage for you just 'cos.  @kohlenklau Has some palm trees in his CMFI Afrika mod set he'll probably be happy too donate, if you haven't already raided them that is.
I think CMFI is the ideal host game for this. It can easily be expanded to include so many nations for the Allies - already thinking Burma and the Chindits, and of course the Anzacs.
I say go for it!

So just had a look at imported MDR in Blender. Only textures in use seem pasbrick and pasbrick1 BMPs. Blender files seem be the ones taken from the net or something. One can use these for detail editing and texturing to ones liking. But then likely needs some efforts to make them ready for Blender export. The ready made MDR´s seem largely simplified and then merged for Blender export versions. So retexturing only with the above mentioned BMP´s which leaves little to no options. Unless you try on detail UV map editing I guess. The remaining BMP belong to original Blender file and objects more detailed single sub objects/childs.
I´d replaced the 2 pasbrick files with my own ones (copy and enlargement of brick wall stock game file). This looks like this then:




This version is on some rubbled mole hill sort of. No building, but some (interior) walls added for giving some protection. Normal low brick and high brick walls added in CM 2D editor.




So that is what you can do with the MDR file alone assigning a single "one for all" texture.

Think the basic capability for placing stuff on any height building levels (roof excl.) was in all the time. In example flavor rubble objects beeing auto placed on damaged and destroyed buildings. BFC seems just´ve disabled this capability in editor. Beside other known restrictions (no vehicles/guns in buildings generally).
I guess my crude MDR hacks somehow outsmart or avoid the editor placement restrictions in some way. But the final hacked file placement method is still bits of awkward and laborous, so I´d be less optimistic for any other (non unit type) objects beeing placed in invalid ways. Placing furniture and such might be doable, but I´d forsee some possible side effects like floating in the air stuff and such. 🤔 (we already have these for rubbled buildings occasionally, likely related to 1m ground mesh restrictions)
Furniture "could" likely be added to independent type buildings ground floor, since it´s single objects (unless modular ones) basically. This would be similar to i.e Pillboxes and their ammo crates added as child objects (with likely hard coded ammo storage capability). No idea how much these furniture objects would possibly mess with pixeltroopers path finding though. Might depend on META data content, but at least all entries set to "0" should be present, so the whole object can be exported successfully in Blender. That´s my "theory". Any takers? 😅😎 (for trying that out)

Your tram car is looking really good here. The Hesco - do they have flat textures, are they just boxes? or are they proper 3D models with the cages modelled separate to the contents. If they're just boxes then you could have a go at making them look like these types of barricade from Berlin:


If they're 3D objects then perhaps we add them to the defensive works mod list. Speaking of defensive works - found this image of a prepared position made of bricks - looks like a possible use for our foxhole nests with a bit of remodelling:

Just Made the Barricades from wood and brick in between, copied from original source...What ya think... BTW This is another model from Aquilas list of 3d models called CM Hesco Barrier Flavor.
 

Didn´t expect this thread to spark to activity again but I like it.
Custom Models and what to replace in relation to Draw Distance
When using huge custom models I replaced the biggest default flavour objects in order to prevent them from popping in/out, as they all have different draw distance/fov. Seems like you found out that the Large Fountain is good in this regard and stops vehicles. Never tested it. My not uptodate testing back then indicated that the best draw distance/fov comes from replacing non-flavour "hard stuff" like units/wrecks, walls, buildings, ammo depot(?). For the aircraft carrier I used an invisible wreck.
Placing Heavy Units inside Buildings/Upper Floors
Was intrigued by @RockinHarry´s method to place guns/vehicles(?) inside buildings/upper floors. Despite bringing heavy ordnance upstairs, by rubbling upper floors tanks/heavy guns might be placed in the base floor (ambush). Other map-related objects might work aswell (furniture, objects placed on roofs). This might open up entire new ways for map/scenario designers. And this without any mod download requirement for the end-user it seems.
 

Yup. But better do the mod build editing first, then nudge/push the ruins flavor in place thereafter. Otherwise will be difficult using the Key click combos on them. Might hit the flavor and not the building instead. Or vice versa.
Haven´t looked at textures yet. Aquila included Blender files and guess that´s the place for detail texture placements and assignments.
 

Multiple choice question.
A. For Hell to freeze over.
B. Christmas.
C. For "It'll be ready when it's ready" to arrive.

Also I retextured the Boxcar and Lucky Strike sorted out the heavy reflections, and I made this German WWII Carriage Cheers again...

also I found a free German Locomotive which I used in my Anhalter Bahnhof map...

Another version of the Boxcar...

Downloaded the ruins set from Aquila-SmartWargames dropbox, and to my bewilderment it worked after a bit of pissing about, although some of the textures aren't working properly, I wonder if this is something one of you tech guys could look at? I love it and we really are breaking all barriers in this game...
 
Download Link
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tviryry89g6py7/AAAJpSvGH6u1iEx4WzwVLSnJa?dl=0&preview=CM+Ruins+Pack.zip

We really wouldn't be doing this without the modfather's ground-breaking posts! Thanks Aquila.
You can rest easy now sir!
 

We really wouldn't be doing this without the modfather's ground-breaking posts! Thanks Aquila.
You can rest easy now sir!
 

US troops entering the green hell, autumn 1944.
(ARIS US tanks, bits of adapted to muddy conditions)

maybe you can see in your own game. Drop to CMFB missions folder and watch any side. Also as test it doesn´t just work on my own computer. Flak needs to be on some the balconies to see bungee jumping, which is bits of a randomn thing due to game engine slight adjustments during each game run. Have fun 😁
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8j6v573n4wbudxd/0_88Flak High Test.btt?dl=0