Alternative to MD3 format for misc_models

[Asgarath83]

I wanna build maps by prefabs and i found on web a lot of free architectonic stuff, but i need to know a thing. 3d max and gtk radiant can manage, other that md3 format also OBJ, 3ds  and ase format for misc models. i know hown to create or convert an md3, but apply texture material each time for each mesh with custom properties and export every mesh into a modular piece is really a badass and painful work . and also mesh need to be decimated for not overload 1000 vertexes limits (but is optimal not go never over 500 vertexes for mesh for avoid shader problems)

i am curious to know the following things:

1 how to apply textures and materials path or change the path to a Misc_model did with obj or 3ds format.

2: the easiest and fastest way for get for JKA modular staff for fastly build maps.

 

i hope that AshuraDx will end his plug in for max for convert models into maps soon... ç_ç

 

 

 

 

 

[AshuraDX]

I wanna build maps by prefabs and i found on web a lot of free architectonic stuff, but i need to know a thing. 3d max and gtk radiant can manage, other that md3 format also OBJ, 3ds and ase format for misc models. i know hown to create or convert an md3, but apply texture material each time for each mesh with custom properties and export every mesh into a modular piece is really a badass and painful work . and also mesh need to be decimated for not overload 1000 vertexes limits (but is optimal not go never over 500 vertexes for mesh for avoid shader problems)

i am curious to know the following things:

1 how to apply textures and materials path or change the path to a Misc_model did with obj or 3ds format.

2: the easiest and fastest way for get for JKA modular staff for fastly build maps.

 

i hope that AshuraDx will end his plug in for max for convert models into maps soon... ç_ç

My plugin is not a model to map converter in any way.

Q3map2 also doesn't give a shit about misc_model entities with more than 1000 verts on a surface iirc.

[Asgarath83]

My plugin is not a model to map converter in any way.

Q3map2 also doesn't give a shit about misc_model entities with more than 1000 verts on a surface iirc.

well i not tell these about the plug in. also because is not easy to put a model or a scene inside max preserving textures and material before convert into a map.

i did some test... mmm no format works fine like md3.

also with custom properties md3shader put into data on blender before export, obj and 3ds lose these or ignore texture path.

3ds are nice rendered on max but without texture... for see texture i need to put into models folder... not much good with tons of models.

obj... total fail. their are not rendered at all. if obj is imported by my max is rendered but is without textures.

if obj if exported by blender geometry is missing...

so there is no other way.. md3 or nothing... ._.

i seen about Ase, but ase sometime deform textures and strecth uvmapping, no format is compatible like MD3 for radiant and JKA.

[Tempust85]

One thing I've learned with MD3 that you should scale the model using the misc_model entity, rather than scaling it in modelling software. Other model formats (OBJ & ASE) don't seem to work as well, at least not for me. Btw if you use 3ds Max, we have an extremely decent MD3 exporter.

[Asgarath83]

One thing I've learned with MD3 that you should scale the model using the misc_model entity, rather than scaling it in modelling software. Other model formats (OBJ & ASE) don't seem to work as well, at least not for me. Btw if you use 3ds Max, we have an extremely decent MD3 exporter.

yes, i know about modelscale key not worry

 

https://jkhub.org/files/file/1848-3ds-max-2012-32bit64bit-md3-exporter/ that? seems pretty nice... pity i have max 2010 and max 5.-. i i fear it not works. i haven't max 2012. :\

 

https://jkhub.org/files/file/2982-3ds-max-quake-iii-md3-exporter-multi-version-pack/ oh, nice there is already that... i wanna try

[Ramikad]

One thing I've learned with MD3 that you should scale the model using the misc_model entity, rather than scaling it in modelling software. Other model formats (OBJ & ASE) don't seem to work as well, at least not for me. Btw if you use 3ds Max, we have an extremely decent MD3 exporter.

 

To be perfectly honest, I prefer to scale models directly in the program. At least doing experiments with large terrains (mostly ASE), it seems like the compilation process is way longer if a model is scaled a lot in Radiant, instead it's much faster if it's already scaled in the program. Not sure why.

[Asgarath83]

well it works but textures on radiant are missing and it told me on load model

 

Texture load failed: "1"
Texture load failed: ""
Texture load failed: "X"
Texture load failed: "    "
Texture load failed: "¬"
Texture load failed: ""

[AshuraDX]

well it works but textures on radiant are missing and it told me on load model

 

Texture load failed: "1"

Texture load failed: ""

Texture load failed: "X"

Texture load failed: "    "

Texture load failed: "¬"

Texture load failed: ""

Are you exporting to ASe from 3ds max?

 

Your materials are most likely set up the wrong way.

[Asgarath83]

Are you exporting to ASe from 3ds max?

 

Your materials are most likely set up the wrong way.

Nope, i tryed the plug in on the last link i inserted above in the last post. i exported into MD3. mmm so...

or path is set on 3d max before exporting md3...

or path is set on blender with md3shader inside custom properties, before export with mrwonko plug in. all other tecnique cause issues and not allow to apply texture path in the correct way. md3shader on blender not works on 3ds and obj. already tested. .-.

how can i set texture path on max for have fine textures?

@@DT85

[AshuraDX]

Nope, i tryed the plug in on the last link i inserted above in the last post. i exported into MD3. mmm so...

or path is set on 3d max before exporting md3...

or path is set on blender with md3shader inside custom properties, before export with mrwonko plug in. all other tecnique cause issues and not allow to apply texture path in the correct way. md3shader on blender not works on 3ds and obj. already tested. .-.

how can i set texture path on max for have fine textures?

@@DT85

For md3 models exported with this exporter it works like this:

Exporting Process:

**********************

- Make your model.

- Apply your texture using the 'standard' material only.

- Make sure your texture is in a 'models' folder (e.g.: models/map_objects/ships/ship.jpg ),

*** or alternatively name your material slots with the relative path and check "Use material name..." -- this new feature does not require a "models" folder in the path name.

- Make sure the destination folder has 'models' in it (e.g.: models/map_objects/ships ).

- Export it with 'Smart paths' checked and/or 'Use material name...'

- For a static model (no animation) just leave the default value of '0' in the 'frames' field.

 

[Asgarath83]

For md3 models exported with this exporter it works like this:

so basically i need to slaps all texture inside and model path and export md3 inside this model path?

i need also to change reading path of max relative to the bitmap \ photometric files destinations?

[AshuraDX]

so basically i need to slaps all texture inside and model path and export md3 inside this model path?

i need also to change reading path of max relative to the bitmap \ photometric files destinations?

Not exactly.

Have you ever used the material editor in 3ds max? (the menu that opens when you press m)

Rename the materials to match the shaderpath you need.

[Tempust85]

To be perfectly honest, I prefer to scale models directly in the program. At least doing experiments with large terrains (mostly ASE), it seems like the compilation process is way longer if a model is scaled a lot in Radiant, instead it's much faster if it's already scaled in the program. Not sure why.

 

So do I, but you can't properly export extremely large models as MD3.

[Asgarath83]

Not exactly.

Have you ever used the material editor in 3ds max? (the menu that opens when you press m)

Rename the materials to match the shaderpath you need.

Never used... i pressed m and i see the menu.

where is the name of material?

[Asgarath83]

on JKA the best thing is a map make of brushes. md3 can be useful but really is not a easily way for doing stuff for this game.

the main problem is other

 

mmm okay. this was all the thing i can do. i want to be really honest with you, guys

i have two big projects. but i have the self knowledge know that alone i cannot do much.

however...

first project was a conversion of JKA related legacy of kain series, just for hobby and for a narrative role game i played for years in a clan \ forum italian about this saga. but also if i learn a lot of tecnique... really i see is a impossible task. basically for map and model builing. same truouble for other idea, the idea about i was seeking about making a NPC fighter class for so many time for make also space combat gameplay inside JKA: i am science fiction writer, but i never have much success with my books on italy. so i was thinking about the idea of making, just for hobby because i leave every commercial porpuse of this finality on my life after the delusions and after i seen how is damned the book markets... well the idea was to change media for create my saga, a game or build on JKA was the best things. i am too many old for learn unity and unreal also for my illness and heal troubles i have not much energy to spend in hard works. but however, i need a direction on my life. 

so basically i used JKA modding skills for try to realize my dreams, almost for satisfation of see my characters and other friends characters  come to live.

but problem is... make models. never easy stuff works and for an lonely person is impossible to do something so big.

for LOk, i ripped with 3dripper maps of blood omen 2 by game, (there is not tool for take stuff of this game like other lok games that have model converter and edxporter)but this is painful because the procedure for port on JKA something with 3dripper is:

1 rip model

2: open 3dr on max, clean up by character and all unuseful stuff and item (if is a map)

3: export to blender in OBJ.

4: on blender... decimate the mesh with > 500 vertexes... or split into more... or separate into more scene \ models files.

5: apply md3 custom shader for each texture... if someone not know, textures ripped by 3dripper are dds (and need to be convert to jpg but i have a tool that do this fast). the biggest problem is another: textuee are named with absurd coded name like 2effaab.dds or something like that.

thanks to mr wonko, i leanrned how to apply md3shader on blender and export md3 on blender. but md3 created by blender are very big, entire megabyte, respect to md3 created by max.

Otherwise, with blender i have a plug in that copy custom properties by a mesh to other of scene, on 3d max i should set the texturee alphanumeric name and path correct for hundreds of meshes before export on md3.... this can be good for little md3 models, but is not human possible for a map area with dozens of coded textures

on blender this trouble is partially solved. thanks to copy custom properties plug in, i not become mad to digit each time "md3shader model/bo2/cy/blablabla" for apply texture. i need just to set name texture after i applied this kind of custom properies on all mesh  scenes. and after...,finally export for have a damned md3 with a piece of map or a prefab model, (if is something about my space opera saga). after that porting into radiant and build map. 

also if on radiant see terrains is an other painful problem because their are all covered by shader terrain, so for place the models and orientate during map assembling i need to work into a decompiled map that allow to see terrain texture and after copy all entities and past on the map copy with terrain entity shader. moan.

well, sorry for the long post and for the off topic. i am kinda frustrated about that and about my impossibility to make my dreams coming true. but really i fear there is not a fast way or solution for recreate a world inside JKA without really a killing works. (consider thi produced gigabyte of stuff on my computer for lok saga into ten years of job, and also i coded SP JKA for change gameplay for make the mod more ... lokable). about my saga... eeeew... create twelve (yes, twelve... i start this project on 1997) worlds by zero on a game engine... i really not have much idea about where crush my head at this point.

well, sorry for all and for off topic, if i created some problem with this, topic can be also closed. >.<

[AshuraDX]

To be perfectly honest, I prefer to scale models directly in the program. At least doing experiments with large terrains (mostly ASE), it seems like the compilation process is way longer if a model is scaled a lot in Radiant, instead it's much faster if it's already scaled in the program. Not sure why.

 

So do I, but you can't properly export extremely large models as MD3.

Yup, the max space for md3 models is from [-256,-256,-256] to [256,256,256] so unless your objects fits into a 512x512x512 cube you'll get messy results.

[AshuraDX]

@@Asgarath83 This is for you

[Asgarath83]

@@Asgarath83 This is for you

thanks, i seen now. really many thanks so much. now is more clear.

so procedure is: 1

1: put textures of model inside the models map object folder of model of JKA.

2: search texture with max by material menu (M) of object, and assign texture from the new path to the mesh.

3: name the material with the path name of JKA where is the texture.

4: export the md3 inside JKA folder.

5 done. and load to radiant MD3 configured.

mmm well, this is the point.

i have a lot of big area maps and models that have a large amount of dds texture as bitmap \ photometric files material, imported with 3dr. 

for works this on my ripped area, so i need to...

1: copy on the folder i desire of JKA the textures of area converted into jpg.

2: change the path of bitmap \ photometric files of radiant by utilities, mores, bitmap photometric files. edit resources for match the path of textures inside models JKA folders.

3: go into material menu of each mesh (these is fucking painful for a big area and rename material name of every drawcalls into the path of the texture inside JKA folder.

4: export to MD3. in this step md3 exporter tell me what meshes have too many vertexes or other issues that need to be fixed.

5: enjoy the entire level area inside the game, right?

mmm bo2 have 13 maps area for levels. but the trouble is that 3dripper capture only what see the camera inside the game and scenes need, before exporting to be cleaned up by playermodels and other all npc models. in every case, is not the entire area level, so level need to be also splitted into modules and assembled after on radiant... is a biiiig works but with many time and patience i suppose should be possible... the main problem of all that is to put path texture name in every material name before exporting... mmm Otherwise, this method can really be useful for the other my projects for my alien buildings and stuff that i create and ripped by spore. (yes, i use spore game for give a look to my saga assets enviroments of my books, for the other projects)

and in that project - more important, should be more easy because i sure not use the silly and cartoonist textures of spore, i replace with my own more realistic. so i suppose is a good way. o.o 

the unique issue is that this method is fine for a little md3 with monotexturee, for complex md3 with multiple materials or prefabs reqiuire really a lot of works. there is not some way on max for apply rthe material name of an object\mesh to other meshes, for boost up the job? (like i do on blender with the copy custom properties plug in. until know i make md3 on bleder with mrwonko plug in and istruction about md3shader and put paths ).

 

Oh, well i see the names of materials can be easy copy\pasted inside materials windows choosing. okay this open possibilites for my saga models. for bo2 areas, instead... eeeewwwww... argh D: i thinks i will get an hand by some friend for do that. alone is little difficult.

[Asgarath83]

Well i discovered another alternative and fast way that can be use also with md3 programs. that's solve resoulve the problem related to the areas game...

basically.

1 i import area of a game with 3d ripper on 3d max.

2 i clean up by npcs players etc and save scene

3 i exported into OBJ by max version (in this case max 5)

4 i imported OBJ inside blender 2.68.

5: i exported as 3DS the area.

6: i load as misc_model the area with spawnflags solid.

7: the area is good spawned inside gtk radiant 1.5.0 but textyres are missings. 

8: converts all textures by dds to jpg or png.

9: add at the end of the textures the sufix *dds. a windows utility can be used for make that to a massive texture numbers.

10: testing with another simple 3ds with an only mesh, i see that all textures of 3ds in that case, are readed by the base folder by default. (or by the mod folder) this is a problem i need to fix. how to customize texture paths. for the rest at this point the map area can be builded and played inside game. i not encoutered issues and all textures in that case are on power of 2, so their fine. the unique problem can be caused by an area too big and vaste that is superior to the maps units but for that modelscale can solve trouble (but cause FPS drops problems with complex structural geometry).

i tested that with a Very Old Game of 2001 so the lod of polygon of 3ds is very very very light. sure not works for modern games with HD graphics.

And so... Many thanks @@AshuraDX and @@DT85 now i am in condition of create my stuff. i have 3 different way for making static mesh (max, blender or 3ds) and i think i will use one or other depending but the kind of object i need.

[Asgarath83]

 maybe someone is interessed to this news:

recently i discover that q3map2 and radiant can read also 3DS and OBJ as misc_model and without the graphic limitations of MD3s.

also with the solid spawnflag sets. obvius, they are not much high poly meshes, but they have dozens of mesh pieces for 3ds files and many mesh overcap the 1000 vertexes limit. in game, they are fines. they are solid and is possible to walk and run like they're brushes. also i not get FPS drop problem o.o

the unique problem is to set the relative path of 3ds textures. but this can be done by blender 2.68 with the batch rename script

addon before export to 3ds format.

Md3 are niceful for little static mesh, but for a big building prefab or a terrain or a map area... i see 3ds have great potentiality.

[Archangel35757]

One thing I've learned with MD3 that you should scale the model using the misc_model entity, rather than scaling it in modelling software. Other model formats (OBJ & ASE) don't seem to work as well, at least not for me. Btw if you use 3ds Max, we have an extremely decent MD3 exporter.

...just decent?

[Tempust85]

Extremely decent.