LodEdit for the PC
What is LodEdit?
LodEdit (LE) is a utility that enables editing of Falcon 4's 3D models. Editing 3D models in Falcon 4 can be difficult and time-consuming. LE will enable rapid 3D model editing in a convenient GUI format.
LodEdit was originally created by Rick 'Dragon' Prior for the Mac and has already been used to create things like a model for the B-2 Stealth Bomber. A PC-based version is being ported from the Mac by Fred 'Baldeagle' Balding, and will soon be available at a download mirror near you.
The information you are reading is my attempt to showcase some of the cool features I have discovered during its beta testing stages.
LodEditor Texture Mapping Tutorial
This tutorial will show you how LodEditor can be used to remap textures on a 3D model. We are going to edit the A-10's tail section so it will no longer be 'mirrored' but show the correct image.
What is a LOD?
Before we begin there are a few things you should know about 3D models.
LOD means "Level Of Detail" and refers to a method of viewing 3D models where more detail is revealed the closer you get to a 3D object. This is accomplished by replacing the 3D model you see with an identical model that has more detail, and repeating this process so that as you approach an object in the 3D world, you are actually seeing the object represented by a totally different 3D model than what you saw from farther away.
| Near Lod - 1593 Lines | Far Lod - 400 Lines |
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This is done to reduce the workload on your computer - there is no need to load the computer down with the burden of drawing a larger number of polygons when only a few polygons will do. Since you can't visually distinguish these extra polygons when the 3D object is past a certain distance anyway, using a 3D model with less Level Of Detail will allow you to experience greater frame rates.
Why do you need to know all this? - because in Falcon 4, each 3D object has about 6 or 7 Levels Of Detail. For example, the A-10 has 7 Levels Of Detail. This means that the A-10's 3D objects contains 7 3D objects... which means if you want to make a change on one, you must make a change on all 7!
7 times the work? - don't get discouraged yet! Normally only the first 3 or 4 Levels Of Detail (LODs) are all that you need to worry with anyway, since LODs for the farther distances are so simplified that all aircraft share them. These most-distant LODs are usually only a few triangles.
You can 'cheat' by using 1 LOD for all 5 LOD levels - but at the expense of frame rates! If Levels Of Detail weren't used in Falcon 4, your computer would implode from having to draw all those extra polygons - and we all know what a framerate hog Falcon 4 is *with* the different LODs! Therefore, the best practice when LOD editing is to follow-through and edit all the LODs for whichever 3D object you are editing.