76 replies to this topic

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, thanks Valheru. I was guessing as much.

 

 

No guys, I'm not adding anything to the asset as I'm only testing on existing models ATM.  Despite not solving the issue yesterday, I did still feel like we were getting closer to solving it. I kinda feel like we're only one setting away from solving it or something.

 

 

Basically, here's what I did yesterday:

1. I extracted gumaarms_skn.W3D and gumaarms_skl.W3D to a folder (not in my mod).
2. I copied gumaarms_skl.W3D to  the art/w3d/gu/ folder in my mod.
3. I opened 3DS Max and imported gumaarms_skn.W3D
4. I clicked export, choose the W3D Asset format and set a destination (art/w3d/gu/  same destination as the gumaarms_skl.W3D file).
5. I ticked Hierarchical Model (Smooth Vertex Normals Across Meshes was ticked also so I just left that as it was) and then ticked Export Using Existing Skeleton.
6. I choose the gumaarms_skl.W3D file from the art/w3d/gu/ folder as the skeleton and then clicked OK.
7. Then I loaded up the game and tested but the model was invisible.

 

I tried it all a few times just to make sure.

[Mathijs]

To my (albeit limited) knowledge, you will still need to make the asset.

[Kwen]

Even if the model is the same, you will still have to compile an asset.dat. Any time you do anything art related you have to compile asset.dat.

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, I'll try that next. Thanks man.

 

Just as a note though, if I extract a W3D file and put it straight in my mod (without editing it at all), it works fine. No invisible model. I would have thought that because I'm not actually trying to edit them (not yet anyway), just import and then export them, they should work. All I'm trying to do at the moment is see if I can export them without braking them.

 

 

ADDED: I missed you post as I was posting Kwen. /doh.   Ok, I didn't know that. I'll try that when I get home and see if it makes any difference. Cheers guys.

Edited by Titan Cronus, 31 August 2015 - 11:04 AM.

[Kwen]

You're not "breaking" anything. Just that even of the name of the same when you export a model the even with the same name the hex code is still different and thus the game sees it as a new model. So without an asset.dat the game will not display it. It's only a minor inconvenience because once set up making a new asset.dat is literally just double click one exe and it's done.

Edited by Kwen, 31 August 2015 - 11:22 AM.

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, sweet. I makes sense. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

(man I love this community, you guys are the bomb!)

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, I tried that and still no success. I must have some settings wrong then.

 

Here are two pics, maybe you can spot something wrong in them.

[Mathijs]

Question, are you exporting them with the name mueasternhelmet_skn.w3d, or do you type in mueasterhelmet_skn?

 

When you say 'still no success', describe in detail what you are doing and what the result is. ie. your method of creating the asset.dat.

[Kwen]

Also how do you have your mod set up?

[Titan Cronus]

Oh, the easterlinghelmet yoke is bogus, it was something I tried a while back and need to delete.

 

I either type the name in or copy/paste it from the original. I do not type .w3d in the name as that's the file type and not part of the name.

 

As to the asset method, I do it in the same way as I do when adding new art (I open the asset builder and drag my files in and then append to an existing asset). I using Sy's Assetbuilder and it seems to be working fine, like I have added new art in the last few days and that worked ok. Is that what you mean or do you want more info?

Edited by Titan Cronus, 31 August 2015 - 03:58 PM.

[Kwen]

Well for one, I recommend to stop using Sy's. It's not better and it's hard to offer support for it because it has compatibility issues. The tutorial I linked you to explains how to very simply make asset.dat files using EA's builder. You don't need to append to an existing asset.dat because if you're running your mod through the -mod command then you only need to have an asset.dat containing your modified art and nothing else.

Have you tried exporting the model with a different name, and then changing the ini to reflect the changed model name?

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, man.

 

No, I've not tried that but I'll try it next.

[Titan Cronus]

Ok, some success!

 

 

I deleted the current asset I was using and went back to a backed up asset I had from a few weeks ago. I managed to get the new model _skn to show in game but it looks all wrong. It has a big box on it and it won't animate. I didn't edit the file in any way, just exported it with a new name. Here's a pic of what it looks like.

 

Added: You know when I export it, I tick Hierarcgical Model, should I not tick Hierarchical Animated Model?

Edited by Titan Cronus, 31 August 2015 - 08:52 PM.

[Kwen]

The box is a BoundingBox, it's what allows your units to be selectable. In the w3d settings you have to check off AABox or OBBox for it to work.

 

 

For the units not being animated, that's because they're not rigged. When you are importing a model select Auto Bind:

 

 

Then when you export your unit it will retain the rigging that was present from the beginning. You do not select Hierarchical Animated Model because that is only if your model is physically animated in the scene. A good example of these is building build-up animations. Which often times don't use bones, instead they animate the mesh itself. You simply use Hierarchical Model and select the correct skeleton.

 

As Mathijs posted before, have a look at this rigging tutorial. You will need to learn this because if you edit your models much (or at all) then you will be forced to have to rig it again yourself. The good thing about the w3d importer is that it can preserve the rigging from before so you don't have to do anything if you're simply importing/exporting. But if you edit the model much it will break the rigging and when you try to use it then it will appear seriously messed up. But for your case all you need to do is use the auto-bind and export it.

 

Note: I say rigging/binding interchangeably, they mean the same thing. But I prefer the term "rigging".

Edited by Kwen, 31 August 2015 - 09:51 PM.

[Titan Cronus]

Ok man, you're a star! I'll give that a try and see how I get along.

 

All I want to do in the way of editing is add forged blades, will that mess up the rigging?

 

 

 

ADDED: Stupid question: Where do I find the W3D Tools? (The top of the tool window yoke is just out of shot in your picture) Thanks a million for the pictures too man, really appreciate it man. Makes it so much easier.

 

I got it. I had to add it to the tool window yoke. : )

Edited by Titan Cronus, 31 August 2015 - 10:58 PM.

[Titan Cronus]

SUCCESS!

 

I didn't actually edit anything but got a new model to work perfectly. You guys are amazing!

[Kwen]

If you want to just add forged blades, then import the model you want (with auto-bind) then make a separate forged blades object. You can then bind the forged blade object to the sword bone already included in the wwskin that popped up with the imported model. You're not editing the original model so the rigging won't be messed up at all, you'll be able to just add the forged blade object then export it. It should work perfectly fine in game.

[Titan Cronus]

Thanks man. I'm actually in the middle of trying to do that right now.

 

Sorry for not understanding but how do I bind the forged blade to the B_SWORD bone?

[Kwen]

http://www.the3rdage...?apage=405#page

[Titan Cronus]

Hey again guys.

 

I have been through those tutorials so many times ( I have been through every modelling tutorial on the site) but they all seem to be written for renx. Also, they all assume I have some basic understanding of the program but I have absolutely none. Like it literally just took me hours to find the "Bind to a spacewarp" option. Even after finding it (and having read all the tutorials several times) I still don't know what to do with it. I have seen it has a drag-line yoke to obviously make a connection from one object to another but I have no idea which object I select first (like drag from the WWSkin to the forged blades or from the forged blades to the WWSkin). Either way I do it, I cant see it make any difference.

 

 

ADDED: If I look at the properties of a forged blades in an unedited file, it says it's Parent is B_HANDR or whatever so I assume that's basically what I am trying to do with my file but nothing I do seems to make that happen. This is so unbelievably frustrating, I feel like I'm being proper technologically retarded.

Edited by Titan Cronus, 01 September 2015 - 02:27 PM.