posted 06-17-2002 04:33 PM               

They work in similar way like flip rooms, you build 2 skin version of a moveable in different slot and then you can flip between them.

I have a litle test where you can see this, if you have web space where to host this example for the public then emailme to cyber_pascal@yahoo.com and i will sent you via email.

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But before you get excited, please read:

There are 3 especific slots for this task, they are called MESH_SWAP1 (Id#417), MESH_SWAP2 (Id#418) and MESH_SWAP3 (id#419), this mean that you can only have 3 movables for alternate in your level.

You can put anything you want in these slots but they need to have the same mesh structure used for the movable for be alternated.

there is not any trigger/command (so far i know) to flip betweent these slots, instead animComnds are used for make the flip when a especific animation is performed for the affected movable.

This method was intended for be used in cut-scenes where most the time a animation will be excuted just once. These mean that if you want to use flip/movable command on Lara, you will have to add the command to a Lara's animation that WILL BE EXECUTED ONLY ONCE in the whole level.

How to do movable flip:
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You need to use TRviewer and edit a compiled tr4 file, then you can use trwest for build the WAD that will include the fixed movable.

If you never used trviewer before, then maybe you will not have any idea what i am talking about next.

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You already known that each movable has severals animations, and each animation has one anim comand list and severals frames. This anim commands are most the time used for play sounds at especific frame animation, but also there are some cool commands on in for miscelanius effects.

The roseta stone mentioned this swap-mesh effect (for trii levels) but so far nobody really study this until carlos did, and he found that it also work for tr3 and tr4 levels versions.

There are 3 different commands that can be use for swap meshes:

6,frame,18
6,frame,19
6,frame,20

frame = is the at which frame number the flip will be executed.

When the paremeter "18" is used then all current meshes in the moveable are swaped with the meshes found in the movable id #417.

When the paremeter "19" is used then all current meshes in the moveable are swaped with the meshes found in the movable id #418.

When the paremeter "20" is used then all current meshes in the moveable are swaped with the meshes found in the movable id #419.

So you can alternate a model with a max 3 different models.

This anim command can be asigned to any movable, (Lara, human enemies or animals) at a especified animation and frame, when the movable perform the animation then the mesh are swaped.

I known that one will want to swap the mesh for Lara just once, but seems this is not posible only if you found a Lara animation that can be performed only once in the level.

I think that best use for this effect is with some enemies, they can change his apparencie when runing or attacking, or giving a different body look when they get killed.

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Example:

* Let's say that i want to add a alternate Lara Skin, Lara will use the normal skin when the game begin but it will flip the skin when Lara use a switch in the level.

1.- Open a tr4 level with trviewer.
2.- extract the lara's skin moveable to a *.trmvb format.
3.- Add the extracted movable to a new slot.
4.- use the toolbox for change the ID for this slot to value "419". (meshswap#3)
5.- now select movable "0" (Lara) and locate the switch animation.
6.- Add to the Anim command list the values:
(6,43,20).
7.- Save the level.

That's all, each time that you use this fixed slot "0" (Lara) in your WAD, then when the switch animation is performed, Lara movable will be fliped for the movabled used in the slot SwapMesh#3.

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I am sorry for this huge post,

Good luck.

posted 06-17-2002 05:26 PM            

but too complicated for me to want to try

but im sure others will!

posted 06-17-2002 05:58 PM               

It's like that part in TR4 when Young Lara didn't have her backpack and meshswap changed her body mesh to have a backpack after the cutscene.