Problem Planet texture won't become specular

[T.Neo]

I'm currently working on an ocean planet, and would like to have a specular ocean texture for it.

The actual texture itself isn't the problem, but I can't seem to get it to be a specular texture.

I've read the eharm planet texture tutorial and tried the prompts of the pltex.exe application.

Could there be something I'm missing? Would it help if I posted the .cfg and/or the texture file?

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Hi,

The tutorial is for a 2005 version of Orbitersdk utils. Therefore (I assume) this is the reason the text neglects to add that this line should be in your planet config file...

SpecularRipple = TRUE

...but I suppose you have already figured this out and are still having trouble.

I found that the specular feature is a bit finicky and hit and miss at best. I have only ever got it to work a couple of times in the past, both times using the 2005 sdk pltex in the 2006 release of Orbiter. I have NEVER got the 2006 supplied pltex specular reflection to work, with or without the SpecularRipple = TRUE line. Don't know what I am doing wrong, as like yourself I tried dozens of variations on the prompts, plus bitplanes variations on the bmps, order of preparing the tex's, etcetera. No joy.

 

[TSPenguin]

On account of helping T.Neo, I had a go at it myself, and it seems the key to get your specularity mask to work is to copy the .bin file.

 

[T.Neo]

Indeed.

Thanks for the help, TSPenguin!

 

[ex-orbinaut]

On account of helping T.Neo, I had a go at it myself, and it seems the key to get your specularity mask to work is to copy the .bin file.

What do you mean? Copy it to where? I have been putting it (the bin file) in the textures file, along with the lmask.tex and planet.tex file since the beginning, with the results as I previously described (only two hits out of about a dozen attempts or more). What's the trick for infallibility, please?

 

[TSPenguin]

What levels are you doing?
I did not have any problem when doing levels 1 to 8.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

What levels are you doing?
I did not have any problem when doing levels 1 to 8.

For test purposes I had previously used levels 1 to 8 also (when I used the 2005 pltex). I tried just a while ago with pltex from 2006 Orbiter, making brand new textures, and created them for levels 1 to 6 (so that I could see results a bit quicker). Still no luck with this version.

Just some info, I am using (G)global, for (B)both specular and diffuse, with 24 bitplane 2048 x 1024 bitmaps, one black and white mask, one colour planet texture. Specular reflections is set in the launchpad.

 

[TSPenguin]

I was using Global, Both, No night lights, 0%, 24 bits bitmap for both images.
I reduced the map to 1 bit prior to saving in 24 bits to make sure it only contains black and white pixels.
For experimentation I used Earth and copied the bin file to textures and the tex files to textures2. It worked with all files in textures too.

Just for the sake of it, do it with 1-8 once.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

I was using Global, Both, No night lights, 0%, 24 bits bitmap for both images.

Check, coincides with what I was doing...

I reduced the map to 1 bit prior to saving in 24 bits to make sure it only contains black and white pixels.

...did this too...

Just for the sake of it, do it with 1-8 once.

But not this. Will try, my thanks.

---------- Post added at 08:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------

Yes, that produced results with pltex (2006). Plus this in the config file...

MinWatertexResolution = 1
MaxWatertexResolution = 8
SpecularRipple = TRUE

Excellent. Many thanks.:thumbup:

 

[TSPenguin]

I was only trying the other hard end with level 1 only. And that did not seem to work either. Yet when doing the 1 through 8 textures, the level 1 (aka really far out) still gives an ugly, but noticeable specular.

I am assuming there is an internal threshold within pltex (or bug...) that only truely enables proper specular lighting when a maximum level of 8, or maybe 7, is used.
Then again, I did not really do any testing.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

I was only trying the other hard end with level 1 only. And that did not seem to work either. Yet when doing the 1 through 8 textures, the level 1 (aka really far out) still gives an ugly, but noticeable specular.

I am assuming there is an internal threshold within pltex (or bug...) that only truely enables proper specular lighting when a maximum level of 8, or maybe 7, is used.
Then again, I did not really do any testing.

Yes, it does seem to work with levels 1 - 6, as well as others. The trick to get it to work seems to be to match the MaxPatchResolution in the config file to the size of your biggest rendered texture (ie, the size of your original bmp, in my case 6 for 2048 x 1024).

It does not seem to be worried about the MaxWatertexResolution, just so long as it equal or larger than the level being used (works fine if I leave it at 8 for the 6 level texture).

 

[TSPenguin]

The trick to get it to work seems to be to match the MaxPatchResolution in the config file to the size of your biggest rendered texture

D'oh!

 

[ex-orbinaut]

D'oh!

:rofl: