Merging new navmesh with vanilla navmesh

[damanding]

I'm adding a bridge to the Gibson Pier bridge so you can actually use it. Yo dawg I heard you like bridges...

 

So anyway what I'm not sure about is how to connect the mod's new navmesh to the vanilla navmesh at the bottom of my added staircase. Thankfully connecting to the existing navmesh on the top side is already super easy. I stumbled upon collision cubes as a way to disable vanilla navmesh and I built one and put it where I thought it should go. But I still haven't quite figured out if it's actually disabling the navmesh and even if it is, how to start with the vanilla, connect to new navmesh and start working my way up the staircase. So pictures below to show you.

 

The collision cube:

 

 

 

The vanilla navmesh same view:

 

 

 

Vanilla navmesh top view:

 

 

 

While I am pretty new to navmeshing, I can make navmesh on a blank slate and I'm familiar with concepts like navmeshing around objects with collision etc. I also know how to navmesh with staircases. I do know how to create a new vertice on the line of an existing triangle that is a border edge and thus connect new to the outside edge of existing navmesh. So really it's how to disable that whole section of vanilla navmesh under my collision box and connect new to the "middle" of vanilla navmesh that I can't figure out.

 

Edited to add, I did move my collision cube over enough that it's not overlapping that cell border. No need to add difficulty.

Edited August 27, 2016 by damanding

[greekrage]

Dude you have navmeshed under the stairs ?? That way NPCs are going to try to go through the stairs...

 

You dont need nav mesh under but on the stairs them selves.

 

If the object isnt nav meshed do it separately not while in the map youre modding cause its gonna create chaos and plenty of issues like overlapping.

Is that a closed cell ( interior ) ?

 

 

Whaat i do with items/objects that arent navmshed (rare) is create a new static out of the vanilla stat or SCOL and add it to my workshop.

If i happen to use it in a mod i simply add the mesh file with the needed nifs to the mod upload .

 

I guess you can open up a "white room" internal cell for doing this stuff and simply copy /paste the new navmeshed object to the mod ( havent tried it myself but it sound doable to me )

 

Also note if im not mistaken...RED while navmshing means overlap...

Edited August 27, 2016 by greekrage

[chucksteel]

@damanding,

 

I think your over thinking this one!

 

1. The Primitive (Collision Box) Nave Cuts are used to stop NPC's from temporarily pathing certain areas of navemesh. It is my understanding as long as they are enabled they will stop the NPC from crossing. They seem to mostly be used for things like the chained doors which all have the nave cut which gets disabled when the player unchains the door. The Nave Cut keeps the NPC from magically walking through the locked (Chained door)

 

2. "So really it's how to disable that whole section of vanilla navmesh under my collision box and connect new to the "middle" of vanilla navmesh that I can't figure out."

 

This is where your over thinking,

 

You can remove some of the vanilla triangles and verts and don't have to disable the existing navemesh. You can't just disable part of it then add to the middle. (if I understand you correctly)

 

I'm also assuming your taking the "DO NOT DELETE VANILLA REF's" a bit to far. Navemesh is a different animal all together

 

If you don't know the green line you see in your screen indicates that two worldspace navemeshes are connected and NPC's can cross from one to the other. if the boarder is navemeshed properly the green will show after the cells have been finalized.

 

You don't need the Nave Cut so you can loose it.

 

delete out some of the vanilla navemesh or if you don't want to do that you can try to reposition the verts but most likely you will have to remove some triangles to even be able to navemesh the stairs properly.

If you want to see how I would handle the situation send me the file and I'll do the navemesh so you can see an example.

[damanding]

Greekrage

I know not to navmesh under the stairs. ALL of the navmesh in that picture is vanilla, none of it was added by me. I just wanted to know the best practices for dealing with it since I was under the impression that deleting navmesh is generally a bad idea. But since three sides of navmesh in that section is all edge bits, it sounds like I can remove some of those edge bits safely. Also, I stated in my original post that this is at the Gibson Pier bridge so it's an external location. Further all navmesh appears a shade of red, it appears darker red if it's overlapping. I just highlighted a couple of the triangles in the third picture to make the vertices more obvious. I know all the basics of navmeshing, this is slightly more advanced navmeshing that tutorials don't cover.

 

Thanks Chucksteel, I did know about how to handle cell borders in navmeshing, it was covered in the video tutorial I originally learned from. I didn't show the part at the top of the bridge but I did play around with connecting new navmesh to it and connecting the new to the cell border which I successfully achieved. Also thanks for the better explanation on collision boxes, I found very little explanation of how to use them online.

 

For anyone interested, this is the best tutorial I've found on navmeshing. It goes beyond just making simple navmesh, it talks about cover, cell edges, both indoor and outdoor (such as bumpy terrain) navmesh best practices, connecting two separate interior cells, navmeshing around tricky objects, placed NPCs and more. It's a Skyrim tutorial but it still applies.

Edited August 27, 2016 by damanding

[damanding]

Actually I've just remembered, navmesh underwater is a different color from red. The video above talks about navmeshing under water too. :D

 

Additional edit, I guess technically regular navmesh is an orange color, it was being covered up in my screenshots by a giant purple box.

Edited August 27, 2016 by damanding

[chucksteel]

you can delete verts and triangles without issues. what your doing is editing the navemesh. It however isn't the best idea to delete and entire vanilla navemesh and add a new one.

 

Start with what's there and make it work for your situation. if this means only moving some vert around fine. If it means deleting some and adding new ones that is ok too.

[damanding]

That's excellent clarification. Thanks! I finished the mod and I'm getting ready to upload it now. :D

[chucksteel]

Congratulations! :dance: Hope it goes over well and people like it.