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Enhanced W3D Importer

w3d import bfme graphics

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#1 NDC

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:35 PM

Hi everyone!
It's high time to resurrect and augment our good old W3D importer!
In this version texture import for BFME 2 files is fixed, and also you may split meshes by dependencies (it seems to be quite handy for working with animations of collapsing buildings from BFME 2).
Should you have any questions/observations, do not heaitate to ask me.

Attached File  w3dimporter.zip   10.41KB   409 downloads

Acknowledgements: Coolfile

Edited by NDC, 03 February 2014 - 10:50 PM.


#2 Irenë Hawnetyne

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:39 PM

So... where is it?


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#3 NDC

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 04:43 PM

I do apologise - stumbled across a glitch!
Now everything should be fine!

#4 Mathijs

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 09:10 PM

Holy...

 

I tested it, and it works.

 

Thank you so much for this awesome contribution to the community! 

 

EDIT: I tried to set my usual import W3D hotkey to your importer in Customize User Interface, but I could not find your importer in the list. Any help?


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#5 NDC

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:30 PM

Thank you, Mathijs!
In the 'Customise User Interface' form click on the 'Category' dropdown list and pick the item 'W3D Importer/Processor'.
I hope it helps!

Edited by NDC, 02 February 2014 - 10:31 PM.


#6 Mathijs

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 10:52 PM

How strange... Coolfile's W3D Importer doesn't seem to want to get out of my dropdown list, even if I don't have any w3dimporter in Scripts\Startup.


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#7 Elric

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Posted 02 February 2014 - 11:18 PM

does it work with 3DS Max? and what versions of 3DS Max? hopefully the latest version??



#8 NDC

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 02:18 AM

Mathijs, I'll try to have a look.
Elric, well, I'm not sure about all versions, but it definitely works fine with 3ds Max 8 and 3ds Max 2012.
However, I couldn't advise you using late 3ds Max versions for working with .w3d models, because you won't be able to export your work back: EA's .w3d exporter is not compatible with Max versions since, methinks, 3ds Max 2009.

#9 Elric

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 02:52 AM

I know, was just wondering though. :D if your up for a challenge maybe you can update the exporter :p now that would be one hell of thing to do for the community.



#10 NDC

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 08:31 AM

Might be too tough a challenge! This exporter is not just a script, but a compiled file - therefore, the code cannot be accessed, and editing it would just mean writing a new exporter from scratch (damn it!).

Edited by NDC, 04 February 2014 - 12:40 AM.


#11 Radspakr Wolfbane

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 11:35 AM

So any chance of getting the BFME2 animations to import?

 

I tried it out in gmax and it doesn't seem to work, it imports the fortress meshes as messed up balls.

3ds 7 seems to work ok.


Edited by Radspakr, 03 February 2014 - 11:45 AM.

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#12 Irenë Hawnetyne

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 12:37 PM

Woah, woah guys, give him some air - he's just presented something really good, don't ask for more straight away!


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#13 Mathijs

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 04:07 PM

Yeah... how about some manners? Did your mothers teach you to ask for more and better candy right after getting the first?

 

3ds7 and 8 work fine for me. This opens up quite some possibilities for artist-impaired BFME2 mods, I think. No more annoying hex editing.


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#14 Elric

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 05:02 PM

We just want awesome stuffs though :p haha



#15 Mathijs

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 05:28 PM

You *got* awesome stuff. I've waited for an importer like this since 2006.


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#16 NDC

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Posted 03 February 2014 - 11:06 PM

Thank you for your laudatory comments!
Radspakr, as concerns animations, it might be quite tricky - unlike texture data, animations are stored completely differently (you must have noticed that new files sometimes are ten times smaller than their older counterparts). At the moment, I can only isolate fragments where animation data are kept, but I have no idea on how decipher them.
Without documentation on the new animation format it may require hiring a team of cryptographers to decode the data.

Edited by NDC, 03 February 2014 - 11:09 PM.


#17 NDC

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Posted 04 February 2014 - 12:15 AM

A bit of good news!
Please welcome W3D Importer v 1.10 with a new auto-bind option!
The option is still being tested, so do not judge it too stringently.

P.S.
By Auto-bind I don't mean the notorious 'Auto-link' thing from EA's toolbox, but rather recovering W3D-stored dependency data.

The file was humanely exterminated - see my next post for details.

Acknowledgements: Coolfile

Edited by NDC, 04 February 2014 - 09:42 PM.


#18 NDC

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Posted 04 February 2014 - 09:37 PM

As it happens, I found a bug in the Auto-Bind section.
I do apologise to those two, who downloaded version 1.10 - thank you for bearing with me.

P.S.
I removed the file from my previous post to avoid possible confusion.

Attached File  w3dimporter.zip   11.09KB   195 downloads

Acknowledgements: Coolfile

Edited by NDC, 04 February 2014 - 09:39 PM.


#19 Mathijs

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Posted 04 February 2014 - 09:48 PM

So, this allows us to import infantry models, edit their vertices/mapping/apply new textures, then export them again without having rerig?


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#20 NDC

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Posted 04 February 2014 - 10:58 PM

Yes, exactly! Just have a go!

Edited by NDC, 04 February 2014 - 11:02 PM.





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