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DONLOAD & TUTORIAL page
Newest Release v0.91

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Heyho

I'm working from time to time (and now again) on a 3ds max model importer and exporter for 3dz-txt files.

I havn't really tryed to finish it bc my tests with the RS_calculators weren't really successful. But yesterday I've made a positiv test and others here are also reporting that the RS_Calculator doas acutally work (somehow)

So I'm now trying to get my own plane into the game (a simple one .. I don't trust the rs_calculator yet) and see whats possible

the 3dz file is quite strange and messy so it's not possible to get it 1:1 into max .. but most of it works and for newly created models it shouldn't be a big problem esp. with the additional help of the 3dz-studio

The question is.. is there any need for an import/export tool für 3ds max?

Hi Rolin.

Some people might like to use 3ds max, because it's very quick to build in, but the down side is it's very easy to build an impossible model, EAW RS wise.

I personally feel a better idea would be to update our existing studio.

The VB source does exist.

jie the RS stuff.. I personally would love to see a solution where the RS stuff is going to be handled by the graphics cars like in any other game i know -.-

the project is a personal project.. so I'm doing it anyway

I'll post some more info when I can get some basic plane ingame

Go for it.Anything to make the 3D fraternity grow here..

ok some info I need:

do we need Lines support? (heard the rs_calc_ don't likes them?!)

how important are single and multi colored polys(elements) ?

is the color index read from the actual applied texture?

thx for the info !!

this is how the exporter will look like

ok another question.. piggybacks are elements that are connected at the end of an Element?!

like here

E006= 3 10 38 40 42 43 41 39 142 144 143 141 112 2 10 200 255

there is an hardpoint piggybacked on element 6
normally lines are also just piggybacked and do not represent an separate element

is this true?

how many elements can be piggybacked on one Element? only one or infinite ?

I've red that piggybacks are baaaaaaad.. whats the deal with them? or are just polygone-piggybacks bad, but hardpoint piggybacks are ok?!

I specialize in upgrading old lo-res models to hi-res and I have some that are just riddled with piggybacks while others use almost none.

FYI, I've chosen to upgrade old models because it's much faster than building a new model from scratch.

There's nothing inherently bad about piggyback elements. They don't affect the function of the model within the game. They just don't fit some people's ideas about how to build models because they are a bandaid.

You can stick about 15 piggybacks on any one element before the converter gives up the ghost and scrambles the model.

But you can go past that limit by adding the piggybacks from within 3dz Studio. It's more time consuming but not much.

It's a "desperation" move though because once you have used that method to go over the 15 piggyback limit you won't be able to use the text conversion method if you have to apply another patch somewhere else on the model. I've only used this method a couple of times.

whats the actual use of these elements? to use the RS position of an already working element?

There's a couple of different uses.

The one that causes the most contention around here is as you stated, to take advantage of another element's R/S. That is the bandaid I was referring to.



But there's a couple of other important use that get almost no attention.

In the case of the landing gear wheel wells on the underside of the wing or fuselage these needs to be one element showing the wheel well open and one showing it closed. We apply an action code to the two elements, one for the landing gear down and one for the landing gear retracted.

Actually it usually involves more than one element, sometimes as many as four different elements.

Then the builder maps the "closed" elements to a position on the texture file that is drawn with the wheel well closed and the "open" elements to a different position on the texture with the wheel well drawn in the open position.

Now when the action code is activated you will see the open wheel well on the underside of the wing when the landing gear is extended and vice versa.

On many older models this is either missing or poorly done so when upgrading the easiest thing to do is to get the closed elements shaped as accurately as possible and mapped to the correct position on the texture file.

Then it's a simple matter to make a piggyback of the element and map the piggyback to a different position on the texture file.




Another use is when making a four bladed prop from a three bladed prop.

In that case you move the two blades that are at 120 degrees and 240 degrees into new positions at 90 and 270 degrees. The you make a piggyback of the vertical blade at 0 degrees and change the height numbers from positive to negative. The blade makes a mirror image 180 degrees from the original. Then all you have to do is reverse the nodes so that the blade faces front, apply the correct action code and you're finished.

heres something else about piggybacks, since am probably the next biggest offender of recycling pre-exsisting 3dz work because quite simply i don't have the time and easier to use whatever original 3dz has to offer as a viable base. So if i can reshape it in short order with the expected rendering issues! then thats close enough for me and will deal with the time consuming process of remapping and piggyback after the fact and in exactly that order...

but depending on the text lenght of each piggybacked element there is one exception which i discovered with Tumas work! if you can manipulate the last element to finish exactly when notepad is maxxed out with it ending with the last node you can rap that elements text to a second line and cheat that 13-15 max element line from crashing or in some cases multiple rap arounds, i have some elements going up to 30+ piggybacks long, no crashing. Just better have your mapping correctly done prior because that becomes the real pain in-the-ask!

my hatchet tip for the day - cheers

thx Rotton50 and FlyRight! I do now understand the way of piggybacks and I'm quite sure I'll not implement it into my exporter .. simply bc it's incredibly difficult to find a representation of this in 3ds max.. it's simply not build for something like that.. and on the other hand it's very easy to deal with this even by hand in the txt-file itself..


Ok but now going on.. since I've solved the RS-Problem I'm now leaving the rs-calculation treat
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2874456/Rendering_Sequence_Tree_calcul.html#Post2874456
and continuing here.

One question I have atm is .. what's this about the flt-files ?

is there some editor that can handle this stuff ?

As far as I understand it the muzzle flashes are not added by hardpoints but in the flt file.. is this right?!

Hi rolin.

Yes, the flight files control where the gun flashes appear. Mr. Jelly, has an editor for these data files, just I'm not sure where it's posted. Ray should have a copy.

thx gibbon! I'll see if i can find it


something else:

is the _f value of a hardpoint ALWAYS -32768 ?

Hi rolin.

If the original element is correctly rendered, and has correct normals, then the Hard point will also show correctly with the _f value at 0, but if it does flicker, then the good old -32768 normally fixes it.

but a hardpoint can never ever be connected to any INSERT part (except the root) ?!

Correct rolin.

That's why the _f must be 0, or -32768, so it shows at all angles. If the _f value is 1,2,3...... then it's linked to the insert codes.

ok all main goals are reached..

model was build in 3dsmax and exported with my tool.. I've just used the txt-to-3dz converter



now some bugfixing, implementing exception handling and polishing some stuff
edit: and I have to write a tutorial for sure..

thx all for your help!!


btw .. this is the wrong texture for the model.. that's why it looks so strange (me so lazy)

Well rolin, that is a milestone in the history of EAW for sure.

Now where is that copy of 3DMax I have here somewhere???

how important is the colour index stuff?

would it be enough to give the whole model one colour index or is it important to give special parts different cI's ?

and is this a lot of work in 3dz studio (it's been done..) ?

Hi Rolin.

We hardly use any of the coloured polygons [type 3 & 4], so I would not bother supporting them. It's a simple job to change the polygon type in either text, or 3dz Studio.

Looks like I'd better get a copy of 3ds Max.

ok thx gibbon.. that makes things easier

another question ..the INI value is what _exactly_?



and: this is how the tool looks like atm still working on this-and-that

The INI value is the maximum radius in EAW points, of the model. Say a model is 400 long by 500 wide, and 50 high, it's INI value would be 500.

It's important though, to have this figure slightly larger than the exact value, because on the larger screens it's possible to things disappear before they leave the screen. So, I would allow a further 25%, the actual maximum radius, to cover these small annoyances.

ok then I'm right with it..

that's how it works: you can calculate the true INI value trough the "get radius from mesh" button and then add a slight additional value by hand to be on the safe side

Hi Rolin.

As you have cracked the RS calc, is there any chance you could add your code to our 3dz studio?

Or, can you make a stand alone 3dz checking version, with an element error text output/RS if successful??

hmm .. my code uses 3ds max build in functionalities so you can not just copy it..
and I don't have knowledge (and tools) to create a standalone solution let alone working on the 3dz code

Imo the fastest way would be to update rs_calc from gurney ..


there is no magic behind my solution.. I simply go down the branches of the rs tree, cutting the space along the best fitting poly into halves. And if I can't find one poly that can cut all remaining branch-polys into above/below I'm selecting all polys of this rs-loop-branch.

Fact is my calculator can not run into an endless loop like the rs_calc tends to.. so maybe gurney IS doing something different..

Isn't he around anymore?

OK rolin.

I just had to ask.

tutorial is online..
might fix some errors if I could find them though


there are some pictures if you want a small preview

TUTORIAL

updated the first post!

So this is the first release.. there are for sure still some bugs in there but I hope I've found the most and important ones.

If you have questions or ideas for improvements regarding the tools or the tutorial, tell me

cheers

Hi rolin.

A big thanks for doing this.

I'm sure a few new modders will be encouraged to try building in 3ds. but is there another free version which people can use? I know of Blender, and I have a copy of an old version of 3ds Max somewhere, but I doubt most people here would not like to pay the megger bucks for a new version of 3ds Studio Max.

Hi Gibbon,

jie I know about the problem of using professional tools for mods.

But there are always some people who have access to them.


I'm just contributing one tool for one program.. It's up to others to build tools for programs they know.
Imo it wouldn't be a big deal to implement the rs-cal-check into 3dz studio for the person who wrote it in the first place..
that would be the fastest and for for everyone cheapest solustion

ok supporting blender would be great too..

But I for my part can only support max

Hi rolin.

Does it matter which version of Max? I'll have to look out my disks, as I can't remember which version I have, but it's going to be OLD!

to fully use the script you need max 8 I think

but I have older versions to test it on.. I think I can say more about it tomorrow

as I thought you need at least max 8 (not 2008) to run the script

maybe some functions still work in older versions of max though



I've updated the download with a new version 0.91c

fixed problems when using the "calc. rs on export" function

hello sorry to butt in here.... lurker headwax paying my biannual visit

this is very exciting, along with spaw!

I'm not sure how this works with the 3ds file but if you are after a free and simple (and powerful program once you get used to it) that will export in 3ds format I'd recommend anim8or

http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html

I've used it for several years and the latest verison is very stable. It will export in 3ds and obj format amongst others.

Working pipeiline would be for users to make their planes in anim8or and export it in in 3ds, and then for the lucky users with 3ds max 8 to run the code that will export it in 3dz - or whatever is needed

could work, but obviosuly needs people to work together - which you all do I see

cheers

these planes were modelled in anim8or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlcUcwb92rA

Hey Headwax- how about some online games again with 1.28C and SPAW!

Try GameRanger!

Jel