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Fixing the dotXSI 3.0 Exporter for 3ds Max...


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Update:  I just emailed @@DT85 a new beta v1.9 dotXSI 3.0 exporter to test out for me.  Exporting of Vertex Normals using Smoothing Groups should now be supported. :winkthumb:

 

I still need to add the code to deal with Specified/Explicit Normals (i.e., the Edit Normals modifier)... but I hope to have that completed soon as well.

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Well honestly i don't need to previz in XSI viewer, if i need a good approxmimation i'll load the stuff in mudbox 2011, its default display options look pretty close to what JA will do. @@DT85 when you say smoothing groups i'm assuming you broke them off manually in max before export? Lookin' great by the way.

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Well honestly i don't need to previz in XSI viewer, if i need a good approxmimation i'll load the stuff in mudbox 2011, its default display options look pretty close to what JA will do. @@DT85 when you say smoothing groups i'm assuming you broke them off manually in max before export? Lookin' great by the way.

@@Psyk0Sith - you use Max 2011 correct? Once I get the Max2013 dotXSI 3.0 Version 1.9 finished, I'll apply all the fixes and recompile all Max versions: Max6 to Max2016.

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Update:  Ok... so I have resolved the crashing during export when choosing the new option of exporting "Vertex Colors" -- however, I'm quite sure the vertex color indices (in the SI_TriangleList template) are not correctly matched to the vertex colors given in the SI_Shape template; but at least it doesn't crash anymore.  So I'll have to fix the vertex color index mapping later... for now I'm going to focus on the flaws in the specified/explicit normals export option.

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Update:  I just emailed @@DT85 a new beta plugin to test out for explicit normals-- from my simple tests using a Cube mesh it appears to export explicit normals correctly.  Hopefully, DT can post results for a more complicated model. :winkthumb: 

 

Updated Update:  I sent him a newer plugin to test out... it fixed a minor issue of not outputting normals when you chose to export explicit normals (but didn't have any...)-- so now you should get at least the normals from smooth groups if no explicit normals (i.e., no Edit_Normals modifier [either on stack or collapsed]).

 

For completeness, I still need to fix exporting of vertex colors, and also fix exporting of vertex normals to use smoothing groups/explicit normals when not triangulating the mesh (I know this doesn't apply to this game engine or Carcass...)-- but I'd like to have it working correctly all the same.

 

I would especially like to thank @@Scooper for his assistance and his smooth group vertex normals code snippet-- it (along with some other help from CGSociety) was invaluable in helping me write my own class method.

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Guest KENNITHH

I've got some examples aswell, I hope its good enough to compare them:

 

 

 

Srry that the perspective is a bit off

 

3DSMAX

ed961ac2bd.jpg

 

 

XSI Export

ac5ebbf66d.jpg

 

XSI Settings

3ea0f5f4e5.png

 

GLM Export

288b9c12e6.jpg

 

 

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@@KENNITHH, @@Scooper, @@DT85:

From these screenshots, (@@Scooper) it would appear that the GLM exporter is only exporting the (green) explicit normals. And the dotXSI exporter appears to be exporting more normals than 3ds Max is showing (e.g. on back of hand and side of pinky finger).

Are all faces assigned to smoothing groups? Are there any faces that are unassigned? Are any parts of the mesh detached as elements?

Are you using a Multi-material or individual standard materials? Are different materials used on the hands? Would you email me your 3ds Max scene?

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Guest KENNITHH

Just a tip: You don't need to tick animation unless you're exporting an animation. Saves bloating of the .xsi file if you have animation data that isn't to be exported.

If i untick animations i get the 0,1 frames error and it says i have to reexport

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From these screenshots, (@@Scooper) it would appear that the GLM exporter is only exporting the (green) explicit normals. And the dotXSI exporter appears to be exporting more normals than 3ds Max is showing (e.g. on back of hand and side of pinky finger).

 

Ah so you're comparing my exporter here too. It does appear to ignore those, guess I'll have to fix that. During the last couple of days I've worked a bit on fixing some reported bugs, so this has just been added to the list.

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@@DT85, @@Psyk0Sith et al...

 

Although I have vertex colors exporting for the SI_Shape & SI_TriangleList templates, and I'm close to getting the face vertex order correct... I think I am going to abandon exporting vertex colors because they aren't used by the current game engine-- and I just discovered today that you cannot animate vertex colors at that base level of the mesh (perhaps via a vertex paint modifier or tension modifier... but then that's going down a rabbit hole I fear).

 

Also, now that I believe I have smoothing groups and specified/explicit normals (i.e., the Edit_Normals modifier) working successfully, I was thinking of perhaps exporting the 3ds Max smoothing groups info in a custom template under each SI_Model template for each Mesh Object... this would only be useful if someone has to import a dotXSI file back into 3ds Max (where it would automatically re-apply the smoothing groups)This would mean I would also need to update my dotXSI Import Maxscript to handle this new custom smoothGroup template.  And my importer script would be the only dotXSI importer that could import those templates (but it might be a nice feature for 3ds Max users).

 

What do you guys think about that?

 

Also, I still have to write one other method to properly export smooth groups, specified/explicit normals for polygon (non-Tri) meshes.

 

Thanks for your feedback. :winkthumb:

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