Sorry your browser is not supported!

Hi all

I've been having some rather frustrating problems whilst trying to create
my own custom segments, i.e. the dreaded illegal/invalid mesh error when
trying to test a map with my custom segment in.

I'm well aware of the importance of correct file locations so I went
through the following experiments to try and find a solution to my problem.

Please bear with me on this as I've tried to make this as detailed but
clear as I can as I really need an answer on this:-

1) I took one of the supplied segment files "Chateau Study Room Full"
and copied it to ...segments/user

2) I deleted the BIN and DBO files then renamed the FPS and BMP files
to "bungalow" for ease of identification.

3) At this point I tried placing the segment "bungalow" in my map. It
worked fine but was obviously still pointing to the supplied .x files
in meshbank\ww2... etc.

4) I copied the first .x file referenced in bungalow.fps (floor_a.x)
from meshbank\ww2... into meshbank\user and changed the path in the FPS
file to reflect this.

5) After deleting the DBO and BIN files again I opened FPSCreator and
tried inserting the bungalow segment and testing the game. This time
I got the invalid mesh error.

6) I changed bungalow.fps to point back to floor_a.x in meshbank\ww2,
deleted BIN and DBO, reinserted the segment in my map and tested the game.
Worked fine again!

7) So, in the interests of science, I took an .x file that I had created
in Gamespace and moved it into meshbank\ww2... and modified bungalow.fps
to point to this .x file.

8) Loaded the segment into FPSCreator and tested the map and it worked fine.

So, as you can see, it just didn't seem to be able to find any .x files
that weren't in meshbank\ww2...

As a further experiment (remembering that bungalow.fps is in segments\user)
I copied all the textures referenced in the FPS file to texturebank\user
and all the .x files referenced to meshbank\user and changed the paths in
bungalow.fps so that basically everything was in the "user" folder of
the meshbank, texturebank or segments directories.

When I tried this segment in my map I just got the same mesh error again
as though it couldn't see the .x files.

Can anybody offer any thoughts on this? It's been driving me mad for 2 days
now and until I get to the bottom of this I cannot use any custom segments
and therefore make progress with my game.

I've successfully created custom floor segments which reference .x files
and textures in the user folders so I am aware of the basics of getting
segments in but just don't seem to have any joy with room segments.

I know that some people have created custom segments, I downloaded the
highrise segments to see how they wee done, but those are still
referencing the supplied .x files in the meshbank\scifi... folder and are
merely using different textures rather than using new .x files. Not that
I'm putting them down in anyway, it's just that I have already successfully
changed the textures in segments and am now trying to take it a stage
further.

Thanks in advance for your help and sorry for the length of this post but
I figured that the more info I can give you, the better help you will
hopefully be able to give me

Best Regards

Jason

lol im a little confused in regard to what you have done but basicly if you mean the mesh error that makes FPSC crash, Open you segment in notepad and check all 5 of the mesh paths (if it has walls) they must all exist in the FPSC directorys somwhere i found mine wernt owrking becasue there was slight errors in the path in the file i found correcting these paths fixed the files makes sure that every path does exist i bet you will find it doesnt becasue thats what happened to me

With certain segments - the .x file must be located and referenced in the correct meshbank folder structure. To avoid problems you should use the same directory location for any new segment .x file that you have used copies of default segments to make your new one from - just renaming it to your own.

It seems to be the only thing that FPSC is particularly fussy about - some segments will work fine if you use your own directory structure for any part of a segment or its associated media.

Thats the only thing I have personally found to cause - the kind of error you are getting. If a certain segment returns the error - you have no option but to let FPSC have its way and put the x.file where it wants to look for it by default. Seems its hard coded somehow into the engine in some instances. Useually its not fussy about the textures though and even with offending segments the textures can usually reside wherever you want to put them.

I make a lot of my own segments - it does not matter whether or not you are using copies of default or new .x files you have created yourself for segments - the principle is the same - some kinds of segments you make will only work if you follow the default path structure for .x files required for that specific segment type that may cause you a problem.

I dont think there is a workaround.

I like to use my own directories for my own segments and media and in most instances FPSC will happily go along with that - but in some instances it wont and forces me to use the default meshbank locations.

Your assumption that FPSC wont find some segment .x files (types) unless they are in the meshbank folder it wants to see them in is therfore correct.

The answer to your problem is in those instances where FPSC wants to bitch about it - then let it have its way. That will stop you pulling your hair out.

If you dont use the default locations as mentioned then you at least risk occasionally cropping up against the problem - which is something I am prepared to do - thus use my own directories wherever possible.

The only other reason for the kind of error you have is that an .x file is not credible - if you know it to be credible for use with FPSC then the directory location is the problem. Dont know of any other. As said I use new segments all the time and have never yet had one that cant be found by FPSC using one method or the other to fix any error. Location is the most usual error followed by an erronously created .x file.

Hope thats helps a little.

Thanks for your help Adam, but it's definitely not an error with the path in the FPS file.

That was my first thought so, as mentioned above, I copied one of the supplied FPS files into my segments\user folder and just tried changing the path of the first mesh (the floor mesh) to the one in my meshbank\user folder which, incidentaly, I already reference successfully from a simple custom floor segment.


However, this caused the segment to then cause the error, even when I cut-and-pasted the path from the working floor segment's FPS file in order to guarantee a correct path.

It is a puzzling one so for now I'm having to use a work-around solution of only using the supplied meshes in my segments.

This is a situation where better error reporting would come in handy as it would allow me to pinpoint exactly what is is that FPSC doesn't like about the segment and eliminate a lot of trial-and-error.

Thanks Uman

I'd already written my reply to Adam before I saw your post.

What you've said does confirm my intial suspicions and has set my mind at rest a bit as I was beginiing to wonder if I was the only person who had come up against this problem.

Like you say, it's a problem that only seems to affect certain types of segments as I can quite happily make floor segments which reference .x files in any folder I choose to put them in.

Thanks again for your help.

Regards

Jason