WIP Original Table FizX BAM FP Masters of the Universe - Collector's Edition

[TerryRed]

Seriously impressive. I thought all the built in game objects of the same type shared textures. Did you have to put in custom models for each?

Most FP's models are still loaded from either a common library, or were added to the table in model manager.

Every model can use a unique texture with a different name. I simply rendered to a different texture for each model, item. I use BAM's pup plug-in command (use for multiple things, PuP was just the name used) to swap textures (as it deals with the texture name directly only) instead of the older BAM replace texture command (which needs an item or surface name).

The only models you can swap textures with are "FP" models / surfaces, etc. You can't swap textures with BAM Custom FBX / OBJ models.




Before





AFTER

No light




Blue Light



Purple Light




etc.

 

[TerryRed]

Despite the name... a BAM Shadowmap is also a Lightmap. It creates both a shadow and coloured light (on the playfield surface) to match the bulb's light colour it was created from.

Examples can be seen here in Jaws BBE...

and Star Wars DSA GE...

Some of the code for the inserts :)

 

[SpacePirateScott]

Please tell me you have automation to help you with this.

 

[TerryRed]

Please tell me you have automation to help you with this.

If you mean the baking process or coding.... mwahahaha... I wish. No such luxuries. (That is one thing the Blender Toolkit tries to do for you on VPX... but even then its still very complicated.)

So while it takes a while for me to do this (it took a couple of nights learning how), it's still much quicker than other aspect of table making. I can control every aspect of each render / bake as I want. It goes quickly on my PC. I'm not using additional models.

I also already had the entre table in Blender and setup already. So this was mainly turn on a light, select the model, bake, save image. Change the light to new colour. Repeat.

 

[SpacePirateScott]

Some of the code for the inserts :)

You could seriously use a helper class for this. I think it would be pretty easy to whip up something that monitored the states of insert lights and swaps the appropriate texture when the light.Lit value changes. That way you don't have to worry about the updating the texture everytime the insert needs to be turned off and on, and would also work when then a light sequencer is running.

Something like this

Dim DropTarget1TexMan : Set DropTarget1TexMan = New TextureManager
DropTarget1TexMan.AddObject DropTarget1,"DropTarget1Texture"
DropTarget1TexMan.AddWatchedLight Insert2
DropTarget1TexMan.AddWatchedLight Insert1

So everytime Insert1 or insert2 is lit DropTarget1's texture gets swapped appropriately

 

[TerryRed]

You could seriously use a helper class for this. I think it would be pretty easy to whip up something that monitored the states of insert lights and swaps the appropriate texture when the light.Lit value changes. That way you don't have to worry about the updating the texture everytime the insert needs to be turned off and on, and would also work when then a light sequencer is running.

Something like this


So everytime Insert1 or insert2 is lit DropTarget1's texture gets swapped appropriately

This is automatically doing just that using the Sub DrawFrameTick timer (which is automatically used for each time a frame is drawn). It's only changing the texture or brightness when the .LIT state changes and works automatically with the light sequencer or whenever the light changes. The PuP Plug in (I think) does a check to the previous texture value and won't do anything unless the value changes to something new / different.

I also need total control when this is used for each light as I only want some of this to change under specific conditions / modes / gameplay. I don't always want this to make a change or the same changes all the time.

This isn't as simple as "light1" changes "texture1". You can have 3 different light combinations (and colour combinations) affecting multiple items and textures at the same time. They also can change up at any time and is different for some modes, etc.

 

[SpacePirateScott]

This is automatically doing just that using the Sub DrawFrameTick timer (which is automatically used for each time a frame is drawn). It's only changing the texture or brightness when the .LIT state changes and works automatically with the light sequencer.

Very nice. I'm doing something similar for the ColorSequencer.

 

[TerryRed]

New - Castle Grayskull Mirror display

=================================

The table's original display didn't really do much on the original table except show a few small videos. Then I decided to have it mirror everything the HUD was showing... but I wasn't really happy with that either.




So I decided to replace it with a new model of the Sorceress Mirror from Grayskull. It plays an animation similar to the background used in the intro for the 80's cartoon.

It will display images of different characters for various callouts or splash events. It will also show you what mode you are playing in. The holograms blend perfectly to give a similar look to the original in the show.

I think this works better to fit with the theme of the table.


View attachment motu ce - mirror.mp4

 

[TerryRed]

WORK IN PROGRESS

Wouldn't it be cool to have ray traced Neon lighting?

=================================

While working in Blender on the MOTU CE table, I always loved turning on the neon lighting and making it "emissive" to see how cool it looked in Blender with ray traced lighting and shadows. I always wished I could make my tables look like that. Well...

Hold my Timmies...


First pic is the table in Blender with the neon lighting preview.





Second pic is a side by side comparison of the older lighting in-game on the left... and the new lighting in-game on the right. As Blockbuster would say.... "WOW! What a difference!"





It's amazing what some pre-baked ray traced lighting, and a few smartly placed Future Pinball realtime dynamic lights will do. You need both to get this effect.

The prebaked lighting textures on the wall, ramps, etc makes it look more realistic. The FP realtime dynamic lights actually light up everything in 3D space around those areas.

I never thought all those months ago when I first tried Blender baking, I would actually have the table look very similar in FP, including the neon lighting!


So.... who's ready for some excessive neon lighting?

These pics show how the new neon ramp lights look when both ramps are on and the G.I. is off.















These pics show how the new neon ramp lights look during different modes and with different colour combos, etc




























This looks cool in pics. Look VERY cool in gameplay. Looks insane in VR.