Making models with 3ds max

[Paul]

Is there any way to make models for Lugaru using 3ds max, or would I have to import them into blender if I wanted to get them in-game?

[rudel_ic]

Yeah, using Blender is the best way of converting your model to the SOLID format. You _could_ export COLLADA and convert that with Brainfart, but it's not as straight-forward and robust as using my Blender Python stuff.

I recommend using COLLADA for the transfer from 3ds max to Blender.

You can get the OpenCOLLADA plugin for max here: http://www.opencollada.org/download.html

You use that to export to COLLADA, then import that COLLADA data into Blender.

You can get the exporters for SOLID here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5620

If you want to figure out whether your sizes are right, then just import a Lugaru stock SOLID with my import stuff and compare.

Here are a few pointers for you so that you can do things in Blender:

You select Objects with right-clicks.

Resizing stuff in Blender is done with S and moving the mouse, confirm with leftclick. To apply the scaling to the vertices, press CTRL-A in Object Mode. The latter operation is necessary if you scaled the model in Object Mode since that's just a relative scaling operation which wouldn't be exported. It's not necessary if you scaled in Edit Mode.

If you're making models, the handle is at (0,0,0) and you can see the direction it has to point to in the other weapons. Move a model with G, rotate a model with R. Note that you also have to apply rotations (s.a.).

Transformations in Object Mode never change vertex data. The object's origin is always where the purple dot is (it's called the Center). To put the Center somewhere else, just leftclick on the location you want to put it at (this places the crosshairs where you clicked), then press SPACE in Object Mode, choose Transform>Center Cursor - your Center now is where the cursor's at.

To transform, scale or rotate along an axis, press S then X to scale along the X-axis, G then Y to transform along Y, R then Z to rotate around Z.
To transform an Object along its local Z axis instead of the global Z axis, press G then Z then Z. Really only makes sense if the global and local axes differ, obviously.

Press SHIFT-S for some snapping operations to choose from.

Press N to get Object properties like rotation and location etc.

To freely change your perspective, drag the middle mouse button. Panning is SHIFT-MMB. Top view is NUM7, left view is NUM3, front view is NUM1, bottom view is SHIFT-NUM7 etc.

If you want to mod characters, read viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5660

If you have any questions, go ahead and ask.

[Paul]

Thank you very much!

[Lotus Wolf]

Please note that the importing of exported COLLADAs makes the .SOLID file's size jump up without explaination. For example, back in the days of brainfart, I would export, then convert and the file's size would be under ten KB, then after importing it back to change the scale, which won't effect file size, it was over twenty KB when it had been converted. go figure...

[rudel_ic]

Please note that the importing of exported COLLADAs makes the .SOLID file's size jump up without explaination. For example, back in the days of brainfart, I would export, then convert and the file's size would be under ten KB, then after importing it back to change the scale, which won't effect file size, it was over twenty KB when it had been converted. go figure...

Probably some bug in Brainfart I hadn't discovered. You're talking about Brainfart, right?

The 3ds max -> Blender -> Lugaru pipeline doesn't need Brainfart's involvement at all. The COLLADA exporters / importers I was talking about above are the Blender / max ones.

[Lotus Wolf]

It may be a COLLADA imex plugin bug, because the same thing happens with the .solid exporter.

[rudel_ic]

It may be a COLLADA imex plugin bug, because the same thing happens with the .solid exporter.

Could you upload such an inflated file so I can take a look at it?

[Lotus Wolf]

Here's a before, and after. Sword is exported directly to solid, and Sword-inflatedsize is exported as COLLADA then imported back in and exported to solid.

[rudel_ic]

The smaller solid has only half the faces.



(The lower partial mesh is from Sword.solid)

So these meshes aren't identical - something must be off in your COLLADA export settings, I think. Or at least it seems that way.

I'm not experiencing this myself. Could you detail what you're doing? Like, with all settings and stuff? I'd like to reproduce it.

[Lotus Wolf]

Well I said that I forgot to convert quads to tris. that's why the one I exported as collada has all the faces.

To get an inflated mesh file, export as collada as outlined in this. then import it with the default settings and export as solid.

[rudel_ic]

I end up with exactly the same mesh. Well, some coordinates are rounded, but the filesize is the same.

This is really weird. Why doesn't this happen to me? Goddammit.

[Lotus Wolf]

Odd, are you using a COLLADA 1.4.1 exporter/importer cause mine's just 1.4, could it be so?

[rudel_ic]

I use what came with Blender 2.49, it says 1.4.0.