Archangel35757

@@KENNITHH -- So he is using 3ds max 5? Because I've uploaded newer 3dsMax dotXSI exporters in the JKHub utilities section.

@@DT85 -- Here you go: http://archive.gamedev.net/archive/reference/programming/features/mayaexporter/index.html http://docs.garagegames.com/artist/official/Maya/Characters.html http://nccastaff.bournemouth.ac.uk/jmacey/RobTheBloke/www/research/index.htm Get crackin'

@@DT85 -- I downloaded them years ago. No, I don't think it is that simple. These are C++ Object files... compiled from the source code. Like the 3ds Max dotXSI source code-- each .cpp file gets compiled into an Object file. The linking stage takes these Object files and builds the final executable or DLL. So we're talking about old Maya versions 6.5, 7.0, 8.0... that's like saying I'll take the Max6 Object files and build them into a Max2013 plugin-- it won't work. Best you could do is determine the latest version of Maya that uses the same SDK as Maya 8.0.

I think it would be easier to make a standalone dotXSI 6.0 to dotXSI 3.0 converter utility. Presently, I'm still working on the Max2013 Unicode conversion. By the way, @@minilogoguy18 -- I have the dotXSI exchange for Maya 6.5, 7.0, and 8.0 -- but it is compiled Object code and not the actual source code ( I don't think that actual source code was ever released). So I'm not sure how useful it is... @@Xycaleth & @@eezstreet -- can c++ object files be decompiled back to source code or anything useful?

@@DT85 -- Try exporting my skeleton and bringing it into Maya.

I guess I'm comfortable with the 3ds Max workflow, MAXscript, etc. -- to each his own.

...and what is the basis of your statement? What animation feature can it not do?

It's really personal preference. 3ds Max is a very capable, high-end 3D package... besides how do you propose to export the Maya file to dotXSI 3.0?

You said Max2010 looks bad... is this because of the cloth plugin? There are some other cloth plugins you might try in Max 2010. For Max2010 check out SimCloth3 v1.84 or nVidia PhysX plugin v3.00 that includes Apex clothing & Apex destruction.

Has anyone tested out the 3dsMax .map exporter yet?

I would encourage you to keep working at it. When you go to last frame where the character is in the root pose... select all scene objects while on that last frame and then go under the character tools menu and select "Set skinpose" then do like @@DT85 said (you've imported your noesis file starting on frame 1) go to Frame 0 and then with everything selected select "Assume Skinpose"... the character should snap to the root pose-- set keys at Frame 0 on everything while you have them selected.

I was not suggesting to manually move the timeline... but the rescale time function method that I suggested does this automatically. I'm not sure how quickly it would work. But assuming skin pose on Frame 0 will work also-- as long as the skin pose was set properly for all objects.

Try this: 1. Change time range to show -1. 2. Go to the last frame where the root pose is located in your scene... select everything on this frame. Then copy the keys at this frame to frame -1(minus ONE). 3. Go into your Time Configuration Panel and use the Re-scale Time Segment feature to move your entire animation from -1 to whatever to the new start time of 0 to whatever. 4. See 3ds Max help docs on rescaling time.

My dotXSI exporter assumes the root.xsi pose is on frame 0 for exporting the basepose transforms (where skin modifier is applied). If it is not then you will likely get weird distortions in your animation. So You are exporting one giant file to dotXSI... so you need to copy root.xsi to frame 0 as well. Arms straight out in the T-pose is not the pose you used to bind mesh to bones via skin modifier. So after you copy the root pose to frame 0, change your configuration time settings to start on frame 1... then export.

For your animations you're exporting with the dotXSI exporter... you mist have the root.xsi pose on frame 0 of your 3daMax animation. When you export, change your time to start on frame 1. When you compile your new GLA... from my testing with @@DT85 's new Assimilate you want your modified root.xsi containing your cape/cloth bones to be at the top of the list... the one on top is the one used to build the hierarchy in my testing.

Okay well there are 53 bones in the _humanoid_info.text file ( counting from 0 to 52)-- which includes model_root and face.

Are you not counting model_root and face_always as bones?

51 bones? Just guessing... but are the missing two the tail bones? They do serve a purpose to keep the buttocks area from collapsing-- but it doesn't appear they were utilized (properly or at all)... but if you watch some of the animations in MODView you can see examples of where the buttocks area is collapsing. Also, I wholeheartedly support your effort, but if I understand... you are converting the _humanoid.gla file using Noesis to get it back into 3dsMax? If so, the downside to this approach is that GLA is a half-precision format (I.e. about 4 decimal places of accuracy) whereas the dotXSI files and Max scene files use single-precision data (about 6-7 decimal places of accuracy)-- or twice as accurate than GLA. This precision loss is intentional and saves on memory at the cost of accuracy. Further, it can also introduce jitter into your animation-- as @@DT85 has experienced. Then when you export your new animations (based on the imported GLA) and compress this again to a new GLA you'll get a second dose of precision loss. At least that is my understanding. A more accurate solution, IMO, would be to import all of the dotXSI animations into 3dsMax and start from there based on the skeleton I uploaded.

The beatings will continue until morale improves!

@@DT85 -- here is the weblink describing my LNK errors: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=98&t=1162458 So far nothing has worked to resolve these issues.

@@DT85 -- helped me with my modding setup questions offline. Thanks!

Sure... when I get from work today-- but they're pretty cryptive.

Update on Max 2013: Everything is good until the Linking stage... then I get two Linker errors that are vexing me! All I can decipher is that it has to do with inappropriately handling a const char*.

@@DT85 -- Yes, 2013 plugins are compatible with 3ds Max 2014 (both use the same SDK version).

What I want to do is extract all the assets to a D:\base folder and mod/create maps from there. So how do I modify GtkRadiant paths to point to game engine in default C:\… yet have it point to the assets in D:\base ???