MegaBuild - Revision history

MoP at 18:07, 26 November 2007

2007-11-26T18:07:43Z

JRAD at 11:53, 21 November 2007

2007-11-21T11:53:44Z

MoP: accel keys!

2007-11-07T12:21:52Z

accel keys!

192.168.0.129 at 16:53, 15 October 2007

2007-10-15T16:53:03Z

New page

MegaBuild is a small application designed to ease the MegaTexture compile process. It includes options for MegaGen (to render the raw texture tiles), Renderlight (to bake lighting info into the tiles) and MakeMegaTexture (which compiles the tiles into a compressed .mega file). It's a one-stop shop for compiling MegaTextures.<includeonly>

{{main|MegaBuild}}</includeonly><noinclude>
__NOEDITSECTION__

= Overview =
The MegaBuild application can be found in the "Utilities" folder of the main ETQW directory. Look for '''MegaBuild.exe''' and run it.

= Using MegaBuild =
[[Image:megabuild_overview.png|right|MegaBuild main window]]

=== Find ETQW.exe ===
Firstly you need to select a valid game executable to launch the commands from.
* Go to ''File -> Find EXE...'' (or hit '''CTRL-SHIFT-O''').
* Browse to the game directory and select ''ETQW.exe''.

=== Load a Surface Tree ===
Now you will need to load a [[Surface Tree]] (''.sft'') file which contains the texture and surface information you want to render into your MegaTexture.
* Go to ''File -> Open'' (or hit '''CTRL-O''').
* Browse to your ''maps'' directory and select your ''mapname.sft'' file.

=== MegaGen Settings ===
MegaGen is the first stage of making a MegaTexture. The settings are fairly straightforward.
* '''Resolution''' sets the width and height in pixels of your final MegaTexture. For ET:QW we used a ratio of 1 pixel to 1 game unit, so a terrain which is 32,768 units across would use a MegaTexture with a resolution of 32,768.
* '''Video Cache'''. 128 is a good value.
* '''Memory Cache'''. Give it as much as your computer will allow! For a computer with 2GB of RAM, 1536 is a good value here.

=== RenderLight Settings ===
RenderLight bakes atmospheric lighting information into your MegaTexture. Depending on the settings used here, MakeMegaTexture will either output a 3-channel (RGB) or 4-channel (RGBA) MegaTexture.
* '''Bake lighting''' - When checked, this option will bake the atmospheric sunlight into the MegaTexture.
* '''Bake ambient''' - When checked, this option will bake the ambient atmospheric light into the MegaTexture.
* Leaving both '''Bake lighting''' and '''Bake ambient''' un-checked will produce a 4-channel MegaTexture, which is larger size on disk but contains more accurate surface bump information.

=== MegaTexture Settings ===
MakeMegaTexture is the process which compiles the output of the previous processes into a compressed ''.mega'' file.
* '''Best Quality''' denotes, er, using the best quality!
* '''Luminance Error''' denotes the luminance error...
* '''Chrominance Error''' denotes the chrominance error...
* '''Alpha Error''' denotes the alpha error...

=== Run the Processes ===
Once you have set up all of the options for your MegaTexture, you can set the MegaBuild processes going.
* ''Tasks -> Run Checked...'' (or pressing '''F5''') will run all of the selected processes.
* If this is the first time you're compiling a MegaTexture, check all 3 boxes for MegaGen, RenderLight and MegaTexture.
* You can un-check any processes you don't want to run at this time. For example if you want to re-compile some tiles from RenderLight with different MegaTexture settings, un-check MegaGen and RenderLight, leave MegaTexture checked, and then select ''Run Checked'' or hit '''F5'''.
** Alternately, you can just click the ''"Make MegaTexture"'' button in the MegaTexture field.

= Components =
These are the individual processes that MegaBuild calls from the game.

=== MegaGen ===
{{:MegaGen}}

=== RenderLight ===
{{:RenderLight}}

=== MakeMegaTexture ===
{{:MakeMegaTexture}}

[[Category:Art]]
[[Category:Level Design]]
</noinclude>

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 MegaBuild is a small application designed to ease the MegaTexture compile process. It includes options for MegaGen (to render the raw texture tiles), Renderlight (to bake lighting info into the tiles) and MakeMegaTexture (which compiles the tiles into a compressed .mega file). It's a one-stop shop for compiling MegaTextures.<includeonly>
-{{main|MegaBuild}}</includeonly><noinclude>
+{{main|MegaBuild}}</includeonly><noinclude>__NOEDITSECTION__
 = Overview =
 The MegaBuild application can be found in the "Utilities" folder of the main ETQW directory. Look for '''MegaBuild.exe''' and run it.
@@ Line 14: / Line 12: @@
 * Go to ''File -> Find EXE...'' (or hit {{accelkey|CTRL}}{{accelkey|SHIFT}}{{accelkey|O}}).
 * Browse to the SDK directory and select ''ETQW.exe'' or ''ETQWx64.exe'' if you have a 64 bit version of Windows.
 === Find the Retail Game ===
 * Go to ''File -> Find Base Game Path...''.
 * Browse to your game's install directory.
 === Choose a Save Path ===
 * Go to ''File -> Find Save Path...''.
 * Browse to the folder that you would like to save your files to.
 === Load a Surface Tree ===
@@ Line 27: / Line 28: @@
 * Go to ''File -> Open'' (or hit {{accelkey|CTRL}}{{accelkey|O}}).
 * Browse to your ''maps'' directory and select your ''mapname.sft'' file.
 === MegaGen Settings ===
@@ Line 33: / Line 35: @@
 * '''Video Cache'''. 128 is a good value.
 * '''Memory Cache'''. Give it as much as your computer will allow! For a computer with 2GB of RAM, 1536 is a good value here.
 === RenderLight Settings ===
@@ Line 39: / Line 42: @@
 * '''Bake ambient''' - When checked, this option will bake the ambient atmospheric light into the MegaTexture.
 * Leaving both '''Bake lighting''' and '''Bake ambient''' un-checked will produce a 4-channel MegaTexture, which is larger size on disk but contains more accurate surface bump information.
 === MegaTexture Settings ===
 MakeMegaTexture is the process which compiles the output of the previous processes into a compressed ''.mega'' file.
-* '''Best Quality''' denotes using the best quality.
+* '''Best Quality''' denotes using the best quality. You should usually leave this enabled.
-* '''Luminance Error''' denotes the luminance error...
+* '''Luminance Error''' denotes the brightness compression quality, where lower amounts mean better quality but larger file sizes.
-* '''Chrominance Error''' denotes the chrominance error...
+* '''Chrominance Error''' denotes the colour compression quality, where lower amounts mean better quality but larger file sizes.
-* '''Alpha Error''' denotes the alpha error...
+* '''Alpha Error''' denotes the alpha compression quality, where lower amounts mean better quality but larger file sizes.
 === Run the Processes ===
@@ Line 53: / Line 61: @@
 * You can un-check any processes you don't want to run at this time. For example if you want to re-compile some tiles from RenderLight with different MegaTexture settings, un-check MegaGen and RenderLight, leave MegaTexture checked, and then select ''Run Checked'' or hit {{accelkey|F5}}.
 ** Alternately, you can just click the ''"Make MegaTexture"'' button in the MegaTexture field.
 = Components =

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 === Find ETQW.exe ===
 Firstly you need to select a valid game executable to launch the commands from.
-* Go to ''File -> Find EXE...'' (or hit '''CTRL-SHIFT-O''').
+* Go to ''File -> Find EXE...'' (or hit {{accelkey|CTRL}}{{accelkey|SHIFT}}{{accelkey|O}}).
 * Browse to the game directory and select ''ETQW.exe''.
 === Load a Surface Tree ===
 Now you will need to load a [[Surface Tree]] (''.sft'') file which contains the texture and surface information you want to render into your MegaTexture.
-* Go to ''File -> Open'' (or hit '''CTRL-O''').
+* Go to ''File -> Open'' (or hit {{accelkey|CTRL}}{{accelkey|O}}).
 * Browse to your ''maps'' directory and select your ''mapname.sft'' file.
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 === MegaTexture Settings ===
 MakeMegaTexture is the process which compiles the output of the previous processes into a compressed ''.mega'' file.
-* '''Best Quality''' denotes, er, using the best quality!
+* '''Best Quality''' denotes using the best quality.
 * '''Luminance Error''' denotes the luminance error...
 * '''Chrominance Error''' denotes the chrominance error...
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 === Run the Processes ===
 Once you have set up all of the options for your MegaTexture, you can set the MegaBuild processes going.
-* ''Tasks -> Run Checked...'' (or pressing '''F5''') will run all of the selected processes.
+* ''Tasks -> Run Checked...'' (or pressing {{accelkey|F5}}) will run all of the selected processes.
 * If this is the first time you're compiling a MegaTexture, check all 3 boxes for MegaGen, RenderLight and MegaTexture.
-* You can un-check any processes you don't want to run at this time. For example if you want to re-compile some tiles from RenderLight with different MegaTexture settings, un-check MegaGen and RenderLight, leave MegaTexture checked, and then select ''Run Checked'' or hit '''F5'''.
+* You can un-check any processes you don't want to run at this time. For example if you want to re-compile some tiles from RenderLight with different MegaTexture settings, un-check MegaGen and RenderLight, leave MegaTexture checked, and then select ''Run Checked'' or hit {{accelkey|F5}}.
 ** Alternately, you can just click the ''"Make MegaTexture"'' button in the MegaTexture field.