Product Chat / [SOLVED] Character Creator bodies glowing in the dark?

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fearlesswee
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 04:45
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For some reason, any characters i make with the character creator have bodies that glow in the dark. I've fiddled around with it, and I've noticed they don't glow in the dark when I set the entity shader to the "lowest" setting. This leads me to believe it might be a broken shader or or something? Can someone please help me figure out why these characters decided to become living glowsticks? It's especially annoying because it also affects the Sci-Fi mission to mars pack characters which I really want to use

(I've attached two images, one showing what they look like by default, and what they look like with the Entity Shader set to "Lowest")

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Bored of the Rings
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 07:04
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this link may/may not help : https://forum.game-guru.com/thread/221381#msg2623977
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fearlesswee
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 17:43
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Quote: "this link may/may not help"


Unfortunately it was the latter, setting pbroverride = 0 just makes EVERYTHING glow like the bodies do, and the other fixes seemed to either do nothing or make the whole game look worse. Thanks for pointing out that thread anyways, I'll try to look into other things I can try.

Drivers are up to date, no windows integrity file violations, steam validation comes back good, and fresh install didn't work. Is it just something with AMD cards maybe? I have a laptop with an Nvidia card, I'll get GG on that and see if the issue persists.
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 17:52
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Quick update: I did some digging, and I opened the .cci files for some of the bodies, here's one of the sci-fi characters:

mesh = alien_cyborg_1.X
diffuse = alien_cyborg_green_1_D.dds
normal = alien_cyborg_green_1_N.dds
specular = alien_cyborg_green_1_S.dds
mask = barbarian_1_M.dds

I've noticed that there is no barbarian_1_.M.dds that I could find anywhere, maybe that's the cause? If so, how could I obtain this file? It doesn't come with a fresh install apparently
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cybernescence
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 19:14
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I doubt that the file is the issue, but barbarian_1_M.dds does exist in my install - it's in the characterkit\bodyandhead folder.

Attached it to see if it helps.

Cheers.

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Belidos
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 19:41 Edited at: 8th Jan 2020 19:42
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The reason for the glow is because they are old character parts that use the old DNSI texture system, and the character shader expects PBR.

By setting the override to 1 it forces the shader to use those textures and adds the missing ones from default textures based off of the material index and generally should work to fix the glow.

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fearlesswee
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Posted: 8th Jan 2020 23:04
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Quote: "I doubt that the file is the issue, but barbarian_1_M.dds does exist in my install - it's in the characterkit\bodyandhead folder."


You were right, it didn't fix the issue, but it was interesting how I did not have that file after a clean install. Thanks for your help anyhow

Quote: "The reason for the glow is because they are old character parts that use the old DNSI texture system, and the character shader expects PBR.

By setting the override to 1 it forces the shader to use those textures and adds the missing ones from default textures based off of the material index and generally should work to fix the glow."


Strange, pbroverride is already set to 1 and they still glow bright as ever... is there any way to convert the characters to PBR? Strangely the heads from what I can tell use the same kind of textures (I see Diffuse, Specular, Normal, etc.) and they don't glow, so what's up with that? Thanks so much for pointing this out to me though, at least we're getting somewhere
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Posted: 9th Jan 2020 05:58 Edited at: 9th Jan 2020 07:56
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Unless you suddenly have a different issue that is unique to you, the reason you maybe getting different parts looking different Is probably because of the material index, it uses the material index to decide how intense the specularity is, you can find material index in its .fpe, a lot of older models either didn't have this field or it was set wrong. There should be a list of material numbers on here somewhere.

It may be a different issue that hasn't come up yet though, but they've always been fixed in the past by changing the override and the material index.

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Belidos
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Posted: 9th Jan 2020 07:59 Edited at: 9th Jan 2020 08:10
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Quote: "You were right, it didn't fix the issue, but it was interesting how I did not have that file after a clean install. Thanks for your help anyhow "


This is odd, i've just done a clean install and checked, and that file is in my folder.



I've also tried to replicate the issue, and from a default install i'm not getting any issue with it at all, something's off with your installation by the looks of it.


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Corno_1
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Posted: 9th Jan 2020 11:36
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That looks like the shader issue when you save and load your game, which I fixed. Maybe the model used a non existig shader.
Can you post the fpe?
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Posted: 9th Jan 2020 18:29
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Yeah, exact same problem with CC creations. Always existed like this.

The head is dark (much darker than you would like), while the florescent
body would light up a whole room (if it actually produced light.) And yes
I noticed that turning off all the shadows in the whole map cancels this
effect, but then all your shadows are gone!! Okay, let's hope a cure for
this anomaly is soon.

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fearlesswee
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Posted: 9th Jan 2020 22:55 Edited at: 10th Jan 2020 05:16
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Quote: "you can find material index in its .fpe, a lot of older models either didn't have this field or it was set wrong. There should be a list of material numbers on here somewhere."


I found the .fpe had "materialindex" set to "0". I also found a list of material indexes, and tried a few of them. No effect, he still glows brighter than my future

Quote: "I've also tried to replicate the issue, and from a default install i'm not getting any issue with it at all, something's off with your installation by the looks of it."


Yeah, that's what I've been thinking...I'm gonna install GG on my other machine and see if it persists. I have a feeling it might just be an issue with AMD cards? I cannot confirm this though.

EDIT: I did a clean install on my laptop with a GTX 1050...and the issue persists, and also still no barbarian_m_.dds. So it's not just my machine or install, it's some bug on GG's end. Is there anywhere I can post this as a bug report?
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Posted: 10th Jan 2020 05:39
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Gah, I've tried nearly anything I can imagine trying, I've compared the .fpe file of the character with one of the default characters (who do not glow in the same way), and there's no meaningful differences I can find! Same materialindex, effects, settings, even the same kind of textures! How is it even possible for them to glow like this? I apologize if I'm coming off a bit rude, but this is very aggravating to try and solve, there's no rhyme or reason for it! Can someone who doesn't have this issue compare .fpe files with me? I've attached the .fpe for the Sci-Fi pack Blue Alien, please let me know if you can find what's wrong with it :/

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Avenging Eagle
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Posted: 10th Jan 2020 13:03
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I tried your .fpe and even made one myself but could not replicate your issue. I feel like I have experienced this issue before though...



What version of Game Guru are you running? From Steam, you can right click and see if you are subscribed to the beta or public preview version. Just wondering if that makes a difference. In all likelihood it's a shader issue though - maybe your copy of character_basic.fx is borked. I've attached mine to see if that makes a difference.

AE

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Corno_1
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Posted: 10th Jan 2020 13:35
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Try to recompile your shaders. Maybe there is the error
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Posted: 10th Jan 2020 18:19 Edited at: 10th Jan 2020 21:29
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Quote: "What version of Game Guru are you running?"


The "normal" version; no betas or anything. Should I be using one?

Quote: "Try to recompile your shaders. Maybe there is the error"


Doing that as we speak with the character_basic.fx Avenging Eagle supplied, will keep you guys updated to see if that works!

And with the "clean install" on my other machine, I forgot to turn off Steam Cloud sync for GameGuru, so it basically copied over my broken install from this machine. I'll turn off Steam Cloud and try it again

EDIT: No luck with recompiling shaders.....he's still glowing



EDIT 2: Clean install with Steam Cloud Sync totally disabled, no "barbarian_m_.dds", and he still glows. I've done everything in my power to single this out as being an issue on my end, something is clearly very wrong on GG's side of things. Should I file this as a bug report, or is it fixed in one of the betas?

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fearlesswee
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 08:06
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Bump, anyone have any idea what's going on? Clean, fresh install with cloud sync disabled still lacks the "barbarian_m_.dds" file, also still has the bug. No amount of fiddling with materials and recompiling shaders on my end has any effects, I checked out every beta branch on Steam, I verified integrity, everything!

Is this just a bug that's out of my reach to fix on my end, and if so, has it already been reported? If not, where should I report it?
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 10:45 Edited at: 12th Jan 2020 11:04
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Strange I have the "barbarian_m_.dds" where it should be and have never had the issue.
Is it only you and GubbyBlips that are having this issue in this thread ?
And just to be clear your saying the "barbarian_m_.dds" is not in your characterkit \ bodyandhead folder.
Please check again as I cannot see why on earth this one particular file would not install from steam.
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fearlesswee
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 18:25
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Quote: "Please check again as I cannot see why on earth this one particular file would not install from steam."


Yep, I did ANOTHER fresh install, Steam Cloud sync 100% disabled (not just for GameGuru, I disabled it globally in Steam settings), verified integrity TWICE, and there is no "barbarian_m_.dds". Makes me wonder if any other files are being missed/disabled resulting in that godforsaken glowing effect...
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 18:35
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In mine it's barbarian_1_M.dds.
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synchromesh
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 19:34
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Are you uninstalling before reinstalling and deleting any old folders ?
Try deleting the whole characterkit folder completely.
Then verify and It should install a completely new folder .
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Avenging Eagle
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 20:53 Edited at: 12th Jan 2020 20:54
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Mods, I have put together a zip file containing what I think are all the files needed to construct the test blue alien I made in my previous screenshot. Am I OK to post those here so fearlesswee can copy them into his Game Guru install and experiment with my character? Or is that against the rules?

The zip file contains meshes, textures, cci files, an fpe, and the character_basic shader and blob file.

AE
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 21:23 Edited at: 12th Jan 2020 21:28
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Quote: "Or is that against the rules?"

Yes it is sorry .. Especially to a Non Verified user ..
Its basically the whole character but im not convinced that will fix the problem anyway or we would all have the issue.
It may even be related to his GPU driver ?

Firstly I would like to see if he gets the texture back after deleting the whole characterkit folder and re-verifying.
That needs solving first to be honest as its pretty weird and could mean he has an install issue causing the whole problem.
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Posted: 12th Jan 2020 21:29
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Yeah, bright enough to boogie in the dark!
I'm gonna pull GG up and grab a screenshot
of the situation on my end...

Attachments (in order I believe) will include:

Test mode screenshot == Entity shader setting (medium),
CC character folder,
Test mode screenshot == Entity shader setting (lowest)
Editor screenshot,
SciFi character folder,


I see a very mysterious anomaly happening in my SciFi character folder;
as you can see, only the .fpe and .bmp are listed. Where is the .X and .dbo??
Very weird. Obviously I have them, they where placed in the map!






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fearlesswee
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 00:39
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Quote: "Firstly I would like to see if he gets the texture back after deleting the whole characterkit folder and re-verifying."


Yeah, when I did clean installs before I manually deleted the GameGuru folder to ensure no left-over files or conflicts were present. I did it again anyways, and still no barbarian files. Is it a DLC file maybe? (I don't have ALL of the DLC.) If so, it's weird how a DLC requires another DLC's files. However, I tried replacing the "barbarian_1_M.dds" in the .cci with another "_M" file that I did have (nomask_M.dds) and it had no effect, leading me to believe it's not the cause of the issue anyways.

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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 00:58
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I could not duplicate the issue. I also verified that I have the file in question. I am wondering along with Snycromesh, "It may even be related to his GPU driver ?" However, it is extremely odd that the file is never installed or validated through Steam's validation tool.
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 03:38 Edited at: 13th Jan 2020 03:58
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This post has been marked by the post author as the answer.
Quote: "It may even be related to his GPU driver?"


I just updated my drivers on this PC, and I've tried it on a Laptop with an NVidia GPU. Same issue persists, so it's almost impossible to be an issue on my end at this point. Either Steam or GG is messing up here...and I've been tearing my hair out trying to find out which and how to fix it!

EDIT: I just realized my laptop had AMD integrated graphics, and I forgot to set GG to use the discrete NVida GPU. Lo and behold...it's fixed! So I can confirm that this seems to be an issue with AMD graphics cards, which my desktop used. This is a pretty glaring flaw, given how many people use AMD cards.

So uh, I apologize in advance to those who may also be having this problem, and find this thread and seeing this marked as the answer but...currently the solution is unfortunately to buy an NVidia GPU.
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 12:54 Edited at: 13th Jan 2020 12:56
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Quote: "This is a pretty glaring flaw, given how many people use AMD cards."

Thousands im guessing but non reporting any problem … Could be that particular GPU ?
Is it an older Laptop .. What AMD is it exactly.
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fearlesswee
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 18:44
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My desktop has an AMD Ryzen 5 2400g (CPU + Integrated graphics) and an AMD RX 580 as discrete graphics.

My laptop is almost brand-new, I got it on black friday. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H APU (The integrated graphics) along with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (3 Gb GDDR5). Running GameGuru on the laptop's Nvidia graphics doesn't have the glowing Character Creator body bug. Running it on my desktop's discrete AMD card, integrated AMD card, and on my laptop's integrated AMD card all have the issue. All drivers/AMD software are up-to-date across all machines.

If it's not an issue with AMD, it's must be some seriously bad luck or a curse lol.
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 20:04
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Yes, I have a cheap AMD machine, a couple years old w/ stock graphics card.
I think the one I bought for my son for $90? @ ebay is better,
has 1G graphics.
So AMD is not where it's at with game engines? Would this really make the
standalone characters still glow? Seems strange and I still don't understand
why that would happen?
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fearlesswee
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 20:25
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Quote: "So AMD is not where it's at with game engines?"


When it comes to GameGuru at least that's what it seems. I can't really 100% confirm that it's an issue with AMD cards, but from my limited testing, 3/4 graphic cards I own have this bug, and all 3 of those cards are AMD. The one Nvidia card I have does not have this bug. So I at least have reason to believe the issue is with AMD hardware lol.
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synchromesh
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 22:08
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I remember when Nvidia did an update a couple years ago and we had black flashing on the screen but not just us .. Many AAA commercial titles reported the issue as well yet Nvidia just left it to the Devs to rectify ..
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Posted: 13th Jan 2020 22:37
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if anyone else is having the same issue you could try a different graphics card driver - even if you have the newest sometimes it's worth going back a step just to confirm it's not a driver issue (which this pretty much 99% seems to be imo).
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Posted: 14th Jan 2020 18:28
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@ fearlesswee ; said // I forgot to set GG to use the discrete NVida GPU.
Lo and behold...it's fixed! //

So there's a fix for Nvidia cards, but not stock AMD -- they are separate
and incompatible creatures? Well, new computer when I get $$$!
Anyone want to buy my game?!
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synchromesh
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Posted: 14th Jan 2020 20:58
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Quote: "So there's a fix for Nvidia cards, but not stock AMD"

No fix they just work with Nvidia cards … For some reason it seems some AMD don't
Or is it limited to some onboard GPU's or all AMD that's the question

Anyone else use AMD here but have no issues ?
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