I wanted to put it up for download the minute I got it to work for people to reference, but the damn file server doesn't even work, so who's going to get it? I'd at least like to post screenies here in the meantime. Can you help me host them? I may add a second hilt to the pack as reference using a more precise skin...or may not. This one hilt should help anyone looking for this effect as there are only the necessary files in the pak to have to look at to understand it.
Ok, I have on my HD a working saber hilt that phases from almost solid (glass/crystal) to almost invisible, and back and forth. It's quite interesting to look at. I did no real texture mapping or anything, and it still looks pretty damn interesting. I want to send in shots and upload the file, but jk2.net is down and the file server is soooo unreliable. Not only that but the screenie I just took is REALLY dark. I don't know why either. Anyone interested in helping me get this out to everyone please contact me at jcollins@kstone.edu.
P.S. It's not a big deal knowing that any model with a blinking light basically uses a shader. But I HAD to figure this one out for myself in order to build a saber I have in mind for my drawing-board character. And I know there were others that had NO CLUE as to even get started figuring this one out.
so areytou gonna tell everyone how u did it?
Ok, basically I took an existing skin map that already had what I was looking for, mapped it onto the entire saber (messy), tweaked the shader settings just a little bit and packed it all up. Sounds too easy right? Well, I was looking for the most basic practical application of the TRUE effect I was going for. Now that that's out of the way the next step is to comprise what I've learned into what I want. If you take a look at the sentry gun skinmap it has a blinking light shader that goes along with it. What the shader does is tell the enging that these two images (on/off) work together as one skinmap and do these special things (blinking). It's not all that difficult if you really look at it. I may be able to comprise a short tutorial in my spare time this weekend.
so are you planning on releasing this saber hilt?