NVIDIA Melody problems

Jerome

ok, i have a Nvidia GeForce4 Ti 4200, and when trying to use Nvida's melody normapping program all it would diplay was unshaded models that are solid black. I wanna know if this video card will support normal mapping. I cant find a requirement on the video card, so i dont know. and i dont have any new games yet that use it so i dont know.

Jerome

thats all i get shown when loading a model.

CheapAlert

Geforce4s support normal and bump mapping (hell, gf256s do too.)

You're probably in the wrong view mode and maybe there's no normal map. Generate one!

btw melody sucks

Lee3dee

did u try and make the normal map using the 3d application? You could also try ATI's normal mapper, but I have no idea if it works with Nvidia products.:(

Jerome

uhh im running wings, i just dl'd blender at school (i got dialup), now im not sure if blender does normal mapping or not, but if i does ill try it then.

kat

It does but not for what it looks like you're trying to do there. You'll need to use a 3rd part renderbump app, Melody, ORB, ATI, or one that comes with a game like Doom 3 or FarCry.

What format are you exporting the model to btw?

Jerome

oh, thatys one of melody's example model.

Nefarious

You don't need a normal map to view models. Try checking "move light", then hold control and click in the view window while moving the mouse around. If that doesn't work it sounds like it may be outdated video card drivers. Hope it works out for you, Melody is a great tool for reducing polys too.

ElysiumGX

I have an ATI 9800 Pro with up to date drivers. I loaded some models and got the same result. Read the manual, moved the light, changed shading modes. Basically, MeLODy sucks. Even more so now that they've taken the LOD aspect out. Since you're doing the free route, I'd try ORB if you can find it. I had luck with it.

Nefarious

Yikes, that newer version does suck. I tried it out and got the same black model. Here's the older version with LOD if you want to give it a shot: Melody 1.1.719.1730

ElysiumGX

Thanks.

Jerome

well, i have to agree with you about melody, terrible, but orb, its worked amazinzly well. Now it took some learning to figure out some stuff and if anyone has a guide for it i'd appreciate it, but i normal mapped a couple test models i had made and they worked, now them looking good is another thing

Zergxes

Anyone have a link to ORB? I could only find dead links to it.

Jerome

well, i normal mapped a samurai head i made back when with a smoothed counterpart and i could see a difference, his face was much smoother.



i might work out a general, i got a concept under way and now i have ability to normal map him, so, ill see what is to come.

MoP

Zergxes: You'll find it at the bottom of this page - http://engineering.soclab.bth.se/tools/default.aspx

Zergxes

Thanks! Somehow I got Melody to work for me but I will definately give this a try and compare my results.