3D Model Details Available in the Engine Docs!

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pipfromslitherine
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3D Model Details Available in the Engine Docs!

Post by pipfromslitherine »

The Engine documentation available from the Modding Portal has been updated to detail how the create and add 3D units of your own.

Included is a link to example MAX files and the exporter script needed to create game assets.

Grab it now from the Modding Portal!

http://www.slitherine.com/modding/bbc_ba_pc

Cheers

Pip
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Post by tim1966 »

Pip - is it possible to upload the max files as 3ds files - I have Max 8 and it can't load newer versions. Also is there a list of emitters and what they emit?

Thanks for releasing the exporter - I assume there is no importer?
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

Sadly no importer - it wouldn't be possible to rebuild the bones in max for anything which was skinned.

I'm not sure whether 3DS files would contain all the animations correctly? But I will give it a go for you and post them in a moment.

Cheers

Pip
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

OK - there are 3DS versions up in an a small file

http://www.slitherine.com/files/bbc_ba/ ... ck_3DS.zip

Grab them and take a look, do they contain all the info you need?

Cheers

Pip
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Post by tim1966 »

Perfect! Thanks Pip. :D
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Post by undercovergeek »

ive got a copy of 3ds MAX 7 - forgive my ignorance but is this the max software we're referring to, and if it is - when i try and open the sample max files from the BA-3D-pack there are 'class' errors and it wont open the image. The 3ds animation opens fine, i can even see a thumbnail of the british infantry but it just gets hit with class errors and refuses to open - any help greatly appreciated
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Post by undercovergeek »

and secondly (!!) if im creating a new model - can i put the skin over the top of the existing animations - the animations are fine its just the appearance of the units i wish to change?
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

I believe we use Max9 for the content creation and so I don't expect Max 7 to be able to open them. You would try the 3DS files though - they should work correctly?

Cheers

Pip
undercovergeek
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Post by undercovergeek »

3ds is fine but this is just the wire frame and animation - i was actually looking for the model itself
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Post by Amaz_Ed »

The wireframe is the model? I haven't used anything as old as Max7 but I think it's probably the same as newer versions. At the top left of the viewport you are using click on the word 'wireframe' and select 'smooth & highlights'. See below;

Image
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Post by undercovergeek »

yeah thats what i thought - but if i switch smooth on i just get a white 'mushroom' over the top of the wire frame and i cant see anything underneath it!!
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Post by Amaz_Ed »

:shock:
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

What happens if you hide the mushroom object? It could just be a bug in the Max 7 importer causing an odd scaling of something? Who knows with Max!

Cheers

Pip
undercovergeek
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Post by undercovergeek »

i cant upload a picture to show you guys - let me see if theres max 9 knocking around somewhere
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Post by undercovergeek »

ok this might be the right time to ask - im looking at changing just the skins on all the infantry and the vehicles, dont want to change the animation or anything else - is it better then to mod the .dds file with trial and error - or is it going to be a whole lot less painful to make new models?

ok - mushroom (?!?!) has gone and im left with the model underneath - this isnt what i need to mod the appearance and colour though is it? i just need the static base model - for want of a better word the .dds wrapped up properly and coloured
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

If you only want to alter the texture, then you can do this by just making your own DDS file, yes.

If you want to make a campaign using current units, but with different textures, then this is simple - you just create new textures in your DATA\BATTLE\UNITTEXTURES folder.

If, however, you want to create a new unit which uses the same model but different texture then you'll need to tweak the S4F file for the unit, which needs to be done with a binary editor. Or if you let us know which unit, I can upload the S3F file which is in plain text, and thus a lot simpler to do! I think there were a couple of threads about doing just this.

Of course you can always just change the texture in MAX and then export an S3F of your own.

If you are more specific about what you want to do, then it will be easier to recommend the best course.

Cheers

Pip
undercovergeek
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Post by undercovergeek »

ok - full story - im looking to convert the models to Warhammer 40k - the engine lends itself perfectly to a turn based WH40k game - i was looking at changing the british infantry/desert rats to a 1 or 2 unit space marines unit - need to make them bulkier and taller and convert the axis to an 8 man Ork unit making these much cheaper to purchase so the marines are outnumbered but out class the Orks, and then changing the tanks to appropriate WH40k tanks, and the stuart to a dreadnought.

so far ive fiddled about with the desert rats dds but the shoulder pads and the colour and the detail is very hard to make symmetrical - so im open to your suggestions really!!
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Post by junk2drive »

From the pic you posted at Matrix in my Japan thread, seems you'd be better off making 3D models from scratch and then the UV wrap. Export them as s3f and dds. Or export as 3DS and dds and ask someone to export it to s3f.
You can call me junk - and type that with one hand.
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

Ah - I see. Yes, you'll need to alter the 3D models in Max for sure. But leaving the animations as they are will definitely make things simpler for you (if only because you can use the TXT files which denote the animations etc). As Junk says, you could do a completely new model, or just tweak the meshes that are there (for the men) - someone more at home in Max would be more able to give best advice.

The kind of full skinning of the game you are talking about is pretty ambitious, but we're happy to help :)

Cheers

Pip
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Post by undercovergeek »

looking at various max tutorials the model is built from the ground up including the face and colouring - whereas the .3ds file ive imported from the sample folder is just the white smooth model or the wire mesh and presumably the .dds file transfers the detail onto the model - if i change the model does this automatically generate a dds that fits or do i need to design both?
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