PinkyandBrains Beginners guide
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When I export a untextured L4 (pType 5) from 3dsMax it’s missing colour in the OGLLod viewer.
This is how it looks in LE
I can add the colour in LE
but would like to setup the correct 3ds Max Material as there are many settings and it’s probablly something simple.
Many thanks, Ramsay
Edit: I’ve had a look at TomCatz Kub-Radar and the pType 5 Material in his model exports correctly until I convert it to an editable poly in 3dsMax 2013
Edit 2: The L4 had no colour because the Exporter was wrongly installed in 3DSMax 2013.
WaveyDave explained how to check/fix the file locations in Post#122 in the 3DS Max Exporter thread. -
May I ask for some basic help on the lights please?
I followed some previous hint to me to get some light objects to 3ds and see how it works, but I don’t believe that this helped me alot…
I converted the street light.lod feature to 3ds then to max. Now looking at it I couldn’t find out how the light and the light switch works…what confuses me is that:
There are 3 objects… Red Green Blue. I painted them for easiness.
Red ok the light pole.
Green??? is it needed? how it works?
and blue??? is what??? size is zero. it’s the light object? or like that, green object, we declare the area that will be lighted?I uploaded the file here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ou508ldk1b54xw4/street+light.rar
could please someone add the light and switch as it should? and share it back? I believe this would be a very fine basic tutorial - helper how light works for 3ds max - falcon.
I want to create - add some lights and I’m confused how to do it…
Thanx in advance…
Also as the exporter works couldn’t there be made an importer also so to import objects back to 3ds max?
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Arty, IIRC while using LODto3DS you’ll lose everything like switches, dofs, UVW mapping, P-types.
The only thing you get is pure 3D geometry. So you can’t see how it’s done in 3DS Max.I would look at the AB flood lights in LE (switch(es), P-types, etc.),
then set it up the same way in 3DS Max, then export to lod again using Wavey’s tool.Cheers,
LS -
Green??? is it needed? how it works?
and blue??? is what??? size is zero. it’s the light object? or like that, green object, we declare the area that will be lighted?Green imitates glow of light
Blue is like light bulb (vertex). Similarly, work taxiway lights or runway lights.In 3ds add switch 0 and Link with blue and green.
Red, you can use texture or not (no matter)
Export to LOD
In LodEditor find all the green node and change to:
Culled Primative (CP)
Ptype 16
Vertex Color whiteFind blue and change to:
Primative T (PT)
Ptype 0It’s just a base, skipping ZBias and others ……
I’m not an expert.
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Green imitates glow of light
Blue is like light bulb (vertex). Similarly, work taxiway lights or runway lights.In 3ds add switch 0 and Link with blue and green.
Red, you can use texture or not (no matter)
Export to LOD
In LodEditor find all the green node and change to:
Culled Primative (CP)
Ptype 16
Vertex Color whiteFind blue and change to:
Primative T (PT)
Ptype 0It’s just a base, skipping ZBias and others ……
I’m not an expert.
Cheers,
LS -
Thanx Eghi
Green imitates glow of light
Blue is like light bulb (vertex). Similarly, work taxiway lights or runway lights.Ok thanx for the info… So all lights must be a just vertex or I add in 3ds a light source and adjust light params?
In 3ds add switch 0 and Link with blue and green.
both with one switch? or one switch for each? and default status of the switch to on?
Red, you can use texture or not (no matter)
Export to LOD
In LodEditor find all the green node and change to:
Culled Primative (CP)
Ptype 16
Vertex Color whiteFind blue and change to:
Primative T (PT)
Ptype 0It’s just a base, skipping ZBias and others ……
I’m not an expert.
Can the vertex color be something else? If I want to use blue light or red or green?
If I got it right the blue vertex is the light source. No parameters from 3ds just a simple vertex. So I make a plane and edit it to leave just a vertex. No other edits or params, no material.
Next I create a plane and give it the shape where the light will fall. And it will be an object without material, or other params.Then I do the stuff u say in LodEditor.
Once again another thing that kills creativity… Way hard to do something simple. I thought lights where changed, and would be easier to have them in BMS… as we have the new lights and gfx engine in BMS.
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Arty, I thought you’ve already been through that “lights at night” -topic
while you’ve worked on that 3D city project.Anyway, (in some way) you’ve forced me to look at the lights in LE,
so anything I try to tell you now is theoretically, because I’m looking at those AB lights the first time myself.The experts will please correct me if I’m wrong.
So all lights must be a just vertex
Not imperatively. Looking at lights in LE says you can also use “Polys” as lightsource. (Floodlights for example)
or I add in 3ds a light source and adjust light params?
Wavey’s tool don’t care about your 3ds light source
both with one switch? or one switch for each?
There is no need to use more than 1 switch 0.
Anything linked to switch 0 will be affected (lights on here) at night.
So if you 3D model a sexy girl and link it also to switch 0,
then she will be only there at night, GET IT ??? (ups, it seems demer has infected me whit that GET It virus )and default status of the switch to on?
I would leave it default off.
As far as I can remember (could be wrong though) if you use “Normally On”,
then Wavey’s tool will export a X-switch instead of a simple switch.Can the vertex color be something else? If I want to use blue light or red or green?
Looking at the AB taxi lights, … the answer is yes for the light source.
But I would leave the vertex color for the “lights target” white as master Eghi said.If I got it right the blue vertex is the light source. No parameters from 3ds just a simple vertex. So I make a plane and edit it to leave just a vertex. No other edits or params, no material.
Next I create a plane and give it the shape where the light will fall. And it will be an object without material, or other params.Then I do the stuff u say in LodEditor.
Sounds good to me!
Once again another thing that kills creativity… Way hard to do something simple. I thought lights where changed, and would be easier to have them in BMS… as we have the new lights and gfx engine in BMS.
You thought that creating lights in/for BMS is easier, but you thought wrong, Sorry.
The pos lights on the F-16 for example is a mix of “old skool” and “new skool” lights.
“old skool” = 3D geometry + LE stuff (optionally textured)
“new skool” = parameters in AC.dat file only
… to make both looking nice is more time consuming than just doing “old skool” lightsAnd AFAIK “new skool” lights are limited, so you’ve to go the “old skool” - route anyway.
IIRC you can setup vertex colors in 3DS Max, whereat I can’t remember if there is a plugin needed.
Also you can setup Ptypes in 3DS Max correctly, (read Ptype manual from Wavey (again))
BUT that could be more harder and time consuming for one or another, than setting up the Ptypes and vertex colors in LE.To me, Wavey’s tool is great stuff. It decrease workload and increase creativity a lot.
LE is what it is, but still indispensable.I hope it helps.
Cheers,
LS -
Just a quick and easy-dirty way to do some basic simple things.
I believe this technique can be used for Harbors Docks and for Airports Taxiway and Runway areas:
I believe it will be of extra great help the Corel Function where it power clips the bitmap inside the closed curve.
Also it might help 3dmodels designers to better create the basic vertical plane curves from blueprints. For this Corel Draw has another powerfull function where it auto generates the curve if the blueprint is good enough (detailed) I will create one today and upload it ASAP.
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So for the Lazy (yes Lazystone I mean u :lol: ) here is how u can get a blueprint in to 3ds.
The clearer the blueprint is the better the higher the detail and resolution the blueprint is the better.When u make it a poly in CorelDraw u can edit it there to fine tune or u can get the outline as u can see… the black figure of the F-104. This is a poly with fill, u can remove the fill from object properties in Corel and u will be left with the outline. In case the outline doesn’t show just apply one and choose hairline or whatever thickness u wish.
U can the convert it in Poly in 3ds when it’s imported and when u create your model I believe this can help to exactly align your model with the blueprint. It can also in Corel draw in conjunction with 3ds help for creating the texture for your model…
Example: u have a camo bitmap, then u can powerclip it (Corel Draw functionality) inside the poly as I showed in the previous video remove the outline and u have a clean ready texture with camo and ready shaped as the actual model.
So here is the Vid:
I hope it’s helpful.
In case u need some more info or details don’t hesitate to ask.
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Can’t remember if it was told earlier but a member in our squad dev team found that when u export a model convert it to 3ds and import it to AutoCAD it has the same measurement in feet. Well actually we had a difference in decimals but this is minor and maybe cause of mouse click accuracy.
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Just tested it by myself and I see the same thing. The difference in measurement between lod editor and AutoCAD is on decimals. Te difference derives from mouse pointer accuracy in LodEditor, cause in AutoCAD it’s spot on.
So if we want the exact size of an object we should export it from LodEditor, convert it to 3ds import it to AutoCAD and export it to 3dsMAX.
Kinda tricky if u want to do it with multiple ones.
Also may I ask since the exporter from 3dsMAX can create the LOD file can’t this be done viceversa thus import the lod to 3dsMAX? It has the engine - code to go oneway, can’t go in reverse?
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So for the Lazy (yes Lazystone I mean u :lol: )
LOL
It’s nice to see you are into CorelDraw that deep,
because it’s a really usefull piece of software now and then.Sadly where your video stops, … the hard work begins.
So I prefer to do my “2D- stuff” in 3DS directly,
… from start to end with 100% control of each part of the 3D model.Cheers,
LS -
Well sure anyone can use what’s best for him.
For my likes 3dsmax kills u if u have to work with curves.
Also there is a kingy plugin for 3ds where u can go from splines to 3d mesh detailed model in just a few clicks.
Finally if your aim is runways and taxiway and park - ramp areas on airbases all u have to do is texturing. To add to the last if u want to go like Demmers way u can get high res pictures of those areas and power clip them in coreldraw and your textures are ready in zero time…
If u had to do an airbase from scratch with 3ds only I believe the time needed would be x times more. So u finish those areas in a snap and off u go for textures and the rest of the buildings etc. -
Ok guys and since Wavey Dave mentioned packing buildings textures in one texture and pack and damaged also… This is about FBB project.
So the problem.
With what I know I bring the city (or part of it) to 3ds. The uv’s are there. but when I create the dds texture the areas are way small and they look terrible as of resolution. what is needed is to overlap the areas of the same texture usage in uv editor.
The source model uses multi sub materials… which looks just great.
Now as I searched and read 3ds max can’t pack them (overlap the areas of the same multi sub material) for those files and uv’s so to save space and have better resolution.One way that I thought was to manually first narrow down the source images - multi sub materials and then in uv editor work on the material ID and one by one overlap them. Then to the next material Id and so on and group them and then park them all together to the correct area.
I could use the Id’s from the object to select them before going to uv editor.
Right?
Is there any other way? any plugin that might help or a script that could taken your attention on the subject, or maybe some settings that could help on the process?
thanx in advance.
Edit: in the previous procedure i have to work on different map channels on the uvw unwrap modifier then group them in the uvw map editor then back and move the map channels back to channel one and then create the texture? would this work?
I’ve seen the projection modifier but tutorials say it’s for normal map only… could be used to do what I want?
Nove how did u produced the textures for your city?
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AFAIK multi sub material in 3dsmax is not supported by the exporter or Falcon at all.
IMHO you’ll have to create a texture which goes to the diffuse color slot,
assign it to your model(s) and re-adjust (or redo) the uvw mapping.I bet nove is using the normal workflow.
create model, create a texture and uvw texmap it.Cheers,
LS -
well ok I get it I create a big texture and then by mat id I move the uv’s accordingly. bit tricky. Hope that grouping uv’s will help also there will be a big problem with image texture area…
Somewhere I saw a tutorial for uv mapping offset… hmmm -
Like I said, multi sub material is not supported and so are material IDs.
Get rid of it and re-texmap/texture your buildings manually.
Cheers,
LS -
Never knew how to make them…
Don’t know the how it works and to be done in 3ds but today I got that and I liked it…And this with alpha:
Not final just a first draft… on my 3ds endeavors
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hmmm multimaterials to one texture the easy way:
Works like a charm…
Some times the easiest way is the best for complex problems…
This is step one…
The next is making also the damaged and destroyed to the same map - texture.
With the move from one channel to the other (say from chan 2 to chan 1) it completely overwrites it or adds to it? how to merge those 2 or copy paste current pack them and then do changes for the damaged and destroyed.
Edit: but it would be of great help if there could be some fbx or obj support and just drop the materials and be done with it.
This way overlapping map areas is not doable thus for large objects might be useful…
Any one any thoughts on this? -
I’m not entirely sure what is being discussed here but the exporter will export multi/sub object materials. Just make sure that the sub material is setup correctly (eg. file name nnnn.dds etc)
Regards
Dave