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[3dsmax] model export


SeriousToni

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I read in the forums that there are a few people, who work in 3ds max. Same for me here! Only stupid thing is, that I can't import premade darkmod models (can't import .ase but can export to [seriously wtf?]). As there's no plugin for 3ds max 2012 I can't look on the already created models.

 

I read in the modeling section of the dark mod wiki and also some of the tutorials about exporting on the web. I understand that I have to "bake" my texture on the exported model. It works so far as there are .tga files created (e.g. for diffuse map, bump map, etc.) then I export my model.

I can insert it in Dark Radiant too but there's allways "shader not found" on the object, so it's not the correct way I've done this.

 

Does anyone know how to export the model correctly from 3DS Max into .ase for TDM / DR?

Note that I've followed the "starting to model" tutorial in the wiki (like "3dsMax: turn to poly, max sides 3, turn to edit mesh before export.")

 

This whole thing isn't completely new to me since I had a crash course on 3d modeling in 3ds max in which I rendered a self created scene into a .tif image. So I know the basics. I've read some tutorials on this texture exporting theme, but since they're not tailored for exporting this to TDM I am stuck so far.

 

May some of the 3ds max people read this and can help me out a bit. I'm sure I can create some models which are needed for TDM as long as it hasn't to be organic things like faces or animals which seems a bit too hard for me at the moment.

 

Thanks for reading!

"Einen giftigen Trank aus Kräutern und Wurzeln für die närrischen Städter wollen wir brauen." - Text aus einem verlassenen Heidenlager

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1: the turn to tris from max is a myth. Maybe from Maya or Blender it is required, but not Max/ase.

The drawback is if you don't save and later edit it tri'd it's harder to work with than quads. The benefit is you can easily see how the edges are turned.

It will be turned to tris on export.

 

2: It is true that Max has very poor .ase import options, which is odd since .ase is a MAX native file. I think Max 7 had an importer (or maybe 5) but I use 8 so I can no longer import them either. Quite a bummer, so I can only work from my source files.

 

3: You don't have to bake your texture to the model. Only have it applied in Max.

.ase can easily be edited with notepad.

You need to edit the .ase and put the SHADER NAME in the materials at the top of the model.

(not at home so bear with me).

(There is also a line at the end of each piece of the mesh with the mat # in it, so if your textures are messed up - wood where metal is and metal where wood is you can swap those by changing the numbers)

 

ie:

materials

mat 0 "wood_brown_rough"

mat 1 "metal"

 

It will show the material you used in Max, so I like to name mine in Max. ie: if you don't name them they will be 'default #117', etc... If you name them they will be 'wood', 'metal'. This makes it much easier to get proper shader names in there. If possible use the shader name in Max for the material name. ie: wood_brown_rough

 

Now you also need a mtr file (notepad again), look at existing material files and copy/edit.

The material has all the texture properties and most important the name the model points to:

 

wood_brown_rough

{

 

wood

 

texture path

normal texture path

 

shader paramters, etc...

 

}

The model doesn't look for the texture name, it looks for the shader name, which contains all the textures and properties (ie: diffuse, normal,spec textures and how they interact with lighting, and what they sound like when collided with)

--------------

exporting is as easy as selecting desired meshes and export selected...ase.

 

It's easier to deal with materials if you ONLY use the required slots in Max. ie: if you use 10 materials in max, but your exported object only uses 1, then you have 9 materials to clean out of your ase file.

So that sucks if you preload a bunch of metals and woods to use in various parts of the model, then only end up using 2 or 3 of them.

At that point I usually export an .obj file, reimport it into a clean file, reapply only needed materials, then export the .ase

 

 

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Thanks a lot for you big comment Baddcog!

I copied the .jpg files into the TDM directory and linked this in the .ase material list

*BITMAP "//base/textures/darkmod/metal/schuppen1.jpg"

 

Then I created a directory materials/metal for the .mtr, but I don't understand how I link from the .ase file to the .mtr which I had created now.

 

I opened some .ase files and the .mtr from a score to settle to see how things are linked but I still find this a bit confusing. Are there dummy files for such a case?

 

PS: Downloaded Notepad++ which did a good jhob as well in old Thief times. :)

Edited by SeriousToni

"Einen giftigen Trank aus Kräutern und Wurzeln für die närrischen Städter wollen wir brauen." - Text aus einem verlassenen Heidenlager

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Well, your material name shouldn't have jpg in it. The texture name off course is schuppenl.jpg, but your material name would just be schuppenl

 

So that would be the name in the mtr file.

 

Then in your model (.ase file) the name in the material slot would be schuppenl also.

 

Your are putting it in the correct spot in the ase file (ie: *Bitmap...) btw.

 

[ //base/ ] just tells it to look inside the doom3 folder, you HAVE to have //base/ there.

-------------------------

 

Also, SOME of the TDM material names DO contain the path to them. This isn't required, but we started doing it to make it easier to find them.

 

So in your mtr file you could have

 

textures/darkmod/metal/schuppen1

{

material properties in here

}

 

or

 

schuppen1

{

material properties in here

}

 

The bold text IS the material name. That is what will be used in the model ase file.

Eveything inside the brackets just describes properties of the material.

=====================

(So ase would be:

//base/schuppenl

or

//base/textures/darkmod/metal/schuppen1

 

Just //base/NAME

(no path required unless the path is part of the name)

)

===================

 

The engine preloads all the material names. So when it loads the model it knows where that material is and will find it.

 

It really doesn't matter if you put it into an existing TDM metal mtr file, or if you put it into a file called

 

Serious_Toni.mtr

Which is actually the best way to do it.

Then all your custom model/terrain materials can go in here (they work both ways btw, you can use terrain textures on a model)

Then if you just release a model with an FM you can just include your mtr file.

And if they get included in TDM itself they can be copy/pasted into files that make sense as needed.

 

But if you put your mtr descriptions into TDM mtr files there will be console errors for duplicate materials, etc... if you include that with an FM.

 

-------------

 

If that's not confusing this will be, lol...

 

diffuse and specular textures should be saved in dds format.

dds1 for no alpha (I think 5 is best for alpha).

 

They go into (I think I got these paths right):

 

darkmod/dds/textures/darkmod...

 

-------------

Normal maps and editor images (small compressed jpgs) go into

 

darkmod/textures/darkmod...

 

===============

However, in your material file you do NOT need to point out the DDS folder.

 

So your diffuse, spec, editor, and normal maps paths will all be

textures/darkmod/...

 

==================================================

I'll be home all weekend, so if you're still having problems PM or upload the files to dropbox or something so I can DL them.

 

I can put all paths correct so you have something relative to look at directly and see how it goes.

It's all a bit complicated and confusing until you see how the pieces fit. After that it's really not too bad.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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