How to create a simple objects?
Re: How to create a simple objects?
would like to see this one when ready, Senshi
Re: How to create a simple objects?
I realize my last post was a bit ambiguous. What I meant to say was that I had worked on getting them to work about nine months ago and then stopped because I kinda stopped modding BF42 at all at that time. Plus, trying to recode the MDT is a huge pain in the ass, as the scripts have been written in a mess and fixed and expanded over dozens of versions, all without anyone caring to use contingent naming conventions or - god forbid - even write an explaining comment...
Just yesterday I went over them again and this is what works:
- Everything relating level import (incl. object placement import and SetupLightmap)
the one and only issue is that the textures of the terrain segments have a messed up tiling on import. This is caused by the setting "Real-World Size" on the mesh (not the material!). This is a new setting that didn't exist in older Max versions, so this issue will only show on newer Versions (Max10+, I believe). Sadly, Autodesk simply forgot to put a script pointer towards that specific setting, so it's impossible to untick that box on import. If you do this manually after import (Select terrain mesh, untick the box in the Modifier Tab) it instantly shows the correctly tiled texture.
-Import .sm (incl. materials& textures, which was damn tricky), as well as batch import (Importing all .sm from an entire folder)
- I also added/ changed (almost) all the settings and checkboxes to save their state to an .ini file that is being loaded when the MDT is started. This means that whenever you open the MDT, you get the very same selections ticked (even folder paths) you had used the last time. And it's not some shitty way that only saves the selections on exit or when performing something: The very instant you click a box it gets saved to the .ini. There is no perfomance drop whatsoever caused by this while working or loading up the MDT, and - while a really minor issue - it always bugged me, having to re-set most of the settings every time on import/export...and it was surprisingly easy to implement
Not tested:
skn/ske import/export
.tm import/export
baf import/export
Fails:
.sm export
This is the one thing I really wanted to get done, but I stumbled on another huge issue when I noticed that the .sm exporter is actually a wild mix of max scripting and the use of several spawned .cmd commands and .exe uses. Funny enough the ancient Rexman .sm export still works, but it has various downsides in terms of settings compared to the MDT. This is a pretty big obstacle to overcome and when I felt there was not really a big demand for an actual updated MDT for Max 8+ I stopped work there. As I now see that demand exists - and once my current Bsc thesis grants me some desperately needed spare time - I will dive back into that pool of dung and try to figure out how to plumb that clogged pipe...
In the meantime, I offer the current build of the script set for download. If you happen to test it out, I would be very interested in feedback concerning what works for you and what doesn't, as I only tested it on my local computer so far.
Just yesterday I went over them again and this is what works:
- Everything relating level import (incl. object placement import and SetupLightmap)
the one and only issue is that the textures of the terrain segments have a messed up tiling on import. This is caused by the setting "Real-World Size" on the mesh (not the material!). This is a new setting that didn't exist in older Max versions, so this issue will only show on newer Versions (Max10+, I believe). Sadly, Autodesk simply forgot to put a script pointer towards that specific setting, so it's impossible to untick that box on import. If you do this manually after import (Select terrain mesh, untick the box in the Modifier Tab) it instantly shows the correctly tiled texture.
-Import .sm (incl. materials& textures, which was damn tricky), as well as batch import (Importing all .sm from an entire folder)
- I also added/ changed (almost) all the settings and checkboxes to save their state to an .ini file that is being loaded when the MDT is started. This means that whenever you open the MDT, you get the very same selections ticked (even folder paths) you had used the last time. And it's not some shitty way that only saves the selections on exit or when performing something: The very instant you click a box it gets saved to the .ini. There is no perfomance drop whatsoever caused by this while working or loading up the MDT, and - while a really minor issue - it always bugged me, having to re-set most of the settings every time on import/export...and it was surprisingly easy to implement
Not tested:
skn/ske import/export
.tm import/export
baf import/export
Fails:
.sm export
This is the one thing I really wanted to get done, but I stumbled on another huge issue when I noticed that the .sm exporter is actually a wild mix of max scripting and the use of several spawned .cmd commands and .exe uses. Funny enough the ancient Rexman .sm export still works, but it has various downsides in terms of settings compared to the MDT. This is a pretty big obstacle to overcome and when I felt there was not really a big demand for an actual updated MDT for Max 8+ I stopped work there. As I now see that demand exists - and once my current Bsc thesis grants me some desperately needed spare time - I will dive back into that pool of dung and try to figure out how to plumb that clogged pipe...
In the meantime, I offer the current build of the script set for download. If you happen to test it out, I would be very interested in feedback concerning what works for you and what doesn't, as I only tested it on my local computer so far.