Ok, my turn to ask a question... If I wanted to create a jet model that in the game allowed me to set a value on the object that determined how hard its hover jets were firing (and the jets are animated from specific points on its underside), and I wanted a thruster jet to fire out its back engine with a bright flare point to emanate from it when the thruster is activated, how might I go about modelling this in data, and what would I contain in the programming code? Of course, the vertices for the jet itself would be static, as would be the position of the flare point source on the back end, but I'm having trouble with imagining a nice clean way to represent the jets and making them alterable in size without getting too convoluted. I'd like a flexible design that might allow for other craft ideas as well (multiple engines and flare points, multiple groups of jets that can fire at a specified intensity and shape, etc.) Oh, and weapon hardpoints are a must! For now, I'll waive the option of animated parts on the models, like rotating guns. Any suggestions, ideas or links as to how this should be modelled/programmed? Thanks! - Waverider Edited by - Waverider on March 4, 2002 11:33:55 AM

If you can add support for 32-bit textures on your models (akak with alpha channel) then you could store the thrust as a separate model, set it as non-shaded (since hot, glowing exhaust, shouldn''t be dark) and then swap it with different versions of the exhaust model to represent different levels of thrust.

OR

You could throw some 32-bit sprites out the back of these exhaust points.

Or you could try to implement the thrust with a particle system. Done this way, there would not be a need to create additional models for various states of thrust or for different craft.

Edited by - yspotua on March 5, 2002 9:52:22 PM

I would have to agree that a particle system would be the best option for achieving that kind of effect. Not to mention that you could use it for a million other things in your game as well.

Thanks for your replies.

When I played Half-life and saw the flames coming down from the alien light fixtures, I thought it would be nice to duplicate that effect on a pilotable craft.

Particle systems would definitely provide me with a flame effect (and it would be easy to do by just setting up an emission point and vector direction on the model), but I just wanted to take it one step farther and actually get it to be shaped like a flame, and be able to vary its size and intensity.