3D Modeling tutorial questions.

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Wed, 2. Dec 09, 14:00

i would suggest to model with gmax because you have to get familiar with gmax anyway cuz you can't texture your model with sketchup and for exporting you have to use gmax (/3dsmax)

Demonith · Post by **Demonith** » Wed, 2. Dec 09, 14:34

Killjaeden wrote:i would suggest to model with gmax because you have to get familiar with gmax anyway cuz you can't texture your model with sketchup and for exporting you have to use gmax (/3dsmax)

Aha ok i have the Gmax so now i wonth to modeling some ships is there any tut to make me easy to use and how to import it in to the game

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Wed, 2. Dec 09, 15:37

well as i already said a couple of times -
first learn to model then learn to export your model.
Don't rush it

Tutorials for gmax are kinda rare but the basics are the same for 3dsmax and gmax so you can use 3dsmax tutorials to get started.

a good keyword to start with would be polymodeling / boxmodeling

Demonith · Post by **Demonith** » Wed, 2. Dec 09, 16:04

Yeah i see it now xD is like 3ds max hmm loong time i was modeling with that bat now

xD what can i see i give up for now

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Sun, 20. Dec 09, 10:55

Hey guys,

I am using Gmax 1.2 (last build version) and DBOX2 1.10 and using YAGG as the Grabber.

Everything seems to be running smoothly except that I cannot export BOD models. I can import models fine from the X3 root directory, but cannot export back out of Gmax.

When I export a part or model or scene, the Grabber begins running, and stops. I check the location the model should be at and nothing is there.

Any idea's on why it is not exporting?

Many thanks for any help.

LH

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Mon, 21. Dec 09, 00:05

Hey guys,

I have Gmax 1.2 and cannot get it to export a BOD file, both body and scene files will not export. I can import a BOD file fine from the X3TC Root File, but cannot export.

I am using YAGG grabber and DBOX2 build 1.10.

Has anyone else had issues exporting BOD files? If so, what did you do to fix the situation.

Many thanks for any advice or input or ideas.

LH

jlehtone · Post by **jlehtone** » Mon, 21. Dec 09, 12:34

[url=http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=216693]TC Tutorials[/url] has some guides listed. Merging to one of them.

[Edit] Aha! You did double-post impatiently? You should not.

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Tue, 22. Dec 09, 04:19

I know..

I have been stuck for a week trying to get this to work. I was just hoping I could bring this to site of the proper masters that would know the remedy to this situation.

bad me.. arrgh...

Still not working. Well, I can always play the game. Making ships isnt the most important thing in the world.. I guess.

Winter Dragon · Post by **Winter Dragon** » Tue, 22. Dec 09, 06:12

I wrote a guide to basic modeling for 3d studio max yesterday, have a look at it, tell me if it's helpful or not.

Some buttons won't appear in gmax, but the fundamentals in the guide should still help get you started.

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Tue, 22. Dec 09, 09:19

Thanks WD,

I'll check that out right now.

LH

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Tue, 22. Dec 09, 20:32

Hey WD,

Many thanks for your link on your tutorial. Unfortunately it doesnt cover the DBOX2 system and exporting models into BOD format.

Great tutorial though. The guys just starting out in Gmax will really love that. At first site, Gmax can be very daunting. I have been working in Gmax now for perhaps 7 to 10 years now. I make flight sim planes with it for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Some of my planes are here;

www.lionheartcreations.com
http://www.lionheartcreations.com/Lionh ... tions.html
http://www.lionheartcreations.com/siteb ... 00x465.jpg
http://www.lionheartcreations.com/siteb ... 00x578.jpg
http://www.lionheartcreations.com/siteb ... 10x447.jpg

Seeing the awesome surroundings in X3TC really motivated me to make a few ships for it, but dang if I can figure out how to get the exporter going. Someday...

Bill

JaySuS · Post by **JaySuS** » Tue, 22. Dec 09, 20:38

abit offtopic but im kinda curious, can you live from that lionheart?

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Wed, 30. Dec 09, 03:54

JaySuS wrote:abit offtopic but im kinda curious, can you live from that lionheart?

Yes.

But the work that goes into alot of the flight sim planes can get incredibly sophisticated with the new FSX platform. FS2004 was the Sim for making planes for. Now its difficult...

In the models, you have clickable 'virtual cockpit' controls and switches, etc. Everything is designed to be functional and working. Opening doors, glove boxes, working pedals and joysticks, etc, etc, etc.. Hiding parts, everything is animated..

You certainly 'earn' your living.. Thats for sure.

Bill

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Wed, 30. Dec 09, 03:57

I finally got my Exporter working and created a CAT/DAT set of my ship.

How does one usually 'package' the ships to try in X3TC?

Do you just drop in the CAT/DAT's into your main folder and assign them the next numbers up?

Do you convert them (somehow) to a Script package? SKP? If so, what software would you use to do that?

If one has the package in CAT/DAT, can you delete it or replace it easily (tune it up) without messing up the game saves?

I notice the Addon Manager does not work with CAT/DAT files, so I thought I would ask.

LHC

Killjaeden · Post by **Killjaeden** » Wed, 30. Dec 09, 11:51

usually just the mod-catalog with all needed data (tship, bodies, ...)

lionheart_001 · Post by **lionheart_001** » Thu, 31. Dec 09, 02:05

Killjaeden wrote:usually just the mod-catalog with all needed data (tship, bodies, ...)

Many thanks KillJaeden.

LH

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Sat, 11. Sep 10, 15:51

Hey look! I'm still alive!

I know I have missed the deadline for getting a ship on the Superbox, and that's somewhat depressing. But I still want to make some ships for X3.
I actually have 3Dsmax now. We wont discuss where I got it.

But it just seemed that trying to learn how to use gmax, with 3Dsmax tutorials always led me to looking for functions and options that were not there.
I've been messing about with it a little, and I am having to re-learn everything I knew before. Mainly because of the time I spent away. Many personal reasons, births, deaths and computer failure. Needless to say, everything I had made before now, is currently lost (possibly retrievable though) on my old, non-functioning computer.
Anyway, so I'm resurrecting my old thread. Because I figured it would be better than making a new one.

New question:
[ external image ]
Say I have two objects that are joined together. Or at least I intend them to look that way in the final product. For simplicities sake, I have a cylinder and a box. (see fig. 1) Now I can just sit them next to one another, touching. Is that enough or do they need to be joined together for the model to work as a ship? (see fig. 2) Just sitting them together (see fig. 3a) means there is a polygon face that is not seen. I could manually delete said hidden polygons, but that seems like such a hap-hazard way to do it. I tried several tools I could find to join them together. But none really seemed to work so well. One joined them together as one 'object', but then were still two independent objects, so when I went to rotate them, they each had their own center point and rotated independently of each other.
What I would really like is for them to become one object. Joined together, as if they were made that way. (see fig. 3b)

The new functions in the version of 3Dsmax I have sure are cool. Like the 'Graphite Modeling Tools'. So much more streamlined and hands-on. Heaps cool.

Although Paint in Windows 7 sure is awkward to use. I think I preferred the old version.

TrixX · Post by **TrixX** » Sat, 11. Sep 10, 16:51

Use GIMP instead of Paint. Much better program, though seeing as you like friendly software you may as well grab Photoshop CS5.

Can't help with MAX as I make my models outside then import for skinning and placement purposes.

Also need to find out how the clones of guns and stuff work as when I export there is only ever one of each asset, yet in MAX it shows them all...

killerog · Post by **killerog** » Sat, 11. Sep 10, 17:17

Gammel wrote: Now I can just sit them next to one another, touching. Is that enough or do they need to be joined together for the model to work as a ship?

That works fine as long as you export both parts.

Gammel wrote:
Just sitting them together (see fig. 3a) means there is a polygon face that is not seen. I could manually delete said hidden polygons, but that seems like such a hap-hazard way to do it. I tried several tools I could find to join them together. But none really seemed to work so well. One joined them together as one 'object', but then were still two independent objects, so when I went to rotate them, they each had their own center point and rotated independently of each other.
What I would really like is for them to become one object. Joined together, as if they were made that way.

Right click on 1 object, convert to editable poly, then in the right hand side bar find the attach button and click on the second object. 2 object are now one, but there vertex's will not be connected.

TrixX wrote: Also need to find out how the clones of guns and stuff work as when I export there is only ever one of each asset, yet in MAX it shows them all...

Open the scene file and make sure the that each cloned object is named probably, sometimes they have "b objects\weaponname2B" which should be "b objects\weaponname". That's one common cause of clone weapons not showing up.

Gammel · Post by **Gammel** » Tue, 14. Sep 10, 14:31

TrixX wrote:Use GIMP instead of Paint. Much better program, though seeing as you like friendly software you may as well grab Photoshop CS5.

Oh yeah. My missus acquired that program ages ago. There is no way I'd use MSpaint to texture a ship.

I was just using it to quickly knock up that little pic to help explain what
I wanted to say. It used to be a nice and quick way to do things. Now...not so much.

killerog wrote:Right click on 1 object, convert to editable poly, then in the right hand side bar find the attach button and click on the second object. 2 object are now one, but there vertex's will not be connected.

Is there a way to do it so the vertexes are connected? So its as if you crafted the whole thing from a single object?

I am working on something, I'll post a pic or too shortly, when I am happy enough with the progress to show it off.

3D Modeling tutorial questions.

Gmax users; a quick question