To all modders using max 2009

[Hans Witteman]

Hi gentleman's,

My nerve are cracking so that the reason i start this new thread.

Something is wrong with the import/export process and i am not new to 3d and computer stuff so i ask anyone who is using 3ds max 2009 a step by step process because i already used the step by step done by skwasjer but he was using an earlier version of it and it doesn't work in max 2009 something has change and i just can't find what so far!

What i need is in order : the step when exporting to obj from sh3 specially regarding the additional uvw i mean by that after import in max you have only edit mesh in the stack, so to import the additional uv channel do you have to add only one unwrap uvw in the stack or 2 it seem max 2009 is confusing channel 1 and 2 i'm not sure about that but i saw some post on autodesk forum talking about it. The confusion about this issue is simply unbelievable!

And when i want to re export from max to sh3, sh3 won't see additionnal uv i have save from max, how do you save the uv channel? The step i do are as follow : I add an additional unwrap uvw on top of the one already there, i select uv channel 2 and click the save uvw with prefix -uv2,3,4 etc but nothing work!

Thank to anyone who have the courage and patience to get me out of that mess.

Regards Hans,

[KL-alfman]

I'm sorry that I can't be of any help.

but you could try out some boards:
http://forums.tutorialized.com/3ds-max-71/
http://www.3dstudiomaxtutorials.com/
http://www.3d-tutorial.com/

[Madox58]

I use Max 2008.
Try the suggestion in this thread:
http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=63389

Let us know if it works.

[Hans Witteman]

Thank to all for the help, i will try your link privateer and Kl-Alman but i think that i will release it without lightmap because i try all that i can possibly imagine and it doesn't work on the interior conning tower the ext and the sub work fine.

To bad i work so damn hard in the past 3 weeks to come to that deceiving result :cry:

I think i will take a brake cause I'm going nowhere right now.

Regards Hans,

[lafeeverted]

I might be able to help you but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I dont use UVW unwrap often but to change the channel of the map change it under mapping co-ords after you access the map.All maps default to map channel 1. Change the map channel # of the map.. Then change the the UVW map channel #. Does that helP?

[Madox58]

I'm getting issues with Max 2008 in other areas.
So I'm going to reinstall Max 9 and see if those same
areas are affected.
:hmmm:

What's with all the bugs in software now days?
:doh:

[Hans Witteman]

I might be able to help you but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I dont use UVW unwrap often but to change the channel of the map change it under mapping co-ords after you access the map.All maps default to map channel 1. Change the map channel # of the map.. Then change the the UVW map channel #. Does that helP?

Thank lafeeverted but i already tried this one yesterday and again map channel 1 seem to be weld to map channel 2 even if i push reset uvw the same map appear again and again maybe my file is corrupt i don't know.

If only skwasjer was available just to solve this one cause in many thread he talk about enabling the SelfOccEnable to true in the UnifiedRenderControler.
But he never mention how or where, i made some search in Sh3 and found the unifiedrendercontroller i try to put it at the end of the node tree but nothing change.

Can someone tell me the exact order to put the lightmap cause when i set them correctly as Flakmonkey show me all i get is black and in game no shadows at all i don't know maybe i reach a certain limit impose by the game engine on this asset? Is there a limit of how many channels maps we can use on CT interior?

I have no problem making my lightmap i taught that in college but i cannot integrated them on my sub interior conning tower the rest is fine, again maybe because i change the original layout of the uvw map it trigger a conflict with the way ambient occlusion operate in game engine.

They are so many thing i would like to know about integration in this game engine, i dream last night that i very nice guy from Ubi Romania send me a mail with all my answers! Wishful thinking but dreams is all we have left.

Well i guess i will have to abandoned the idear of shadow in CT interior.

Regards Hans,

[verte]

If only skwasjer was available just to solve this one cause in many thread he talk about enabling the SelfOccEnable to true in the UnifiedRenderControler.
But he never mention how or where, i made some search in Sh3 and found the unifiedrendercontroller i try to put it at the end of the node tree but nothing change.
Did you tried to PM skwasjer (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=230811)? He is still active on this forum

[flakmonkey]

Make sure your using uv1 for diffuse and only uv2 for your lightmap, the game doesnt seem to recognise the texture as a lightmap if its attached to uv3/4/5 etc.

I dont think there is a limit on the number of channels since ive seen units using uv1-uv6 in the stock files but as a lightmap channel you can only use uv2 for some reason.

As for youre issues with max i cant really help, i have max2010 but never really use it apart from for messing with materials on obj files made in maya.

[Hans Witteman]

Make sure your using uv1 for diffuse and only uv2 for your lightmap, the game doesnt seem to recognise the texture as a lightmap if its attached to uv3/4/5 etc.

I dont think there is a limit on the number of channels since ive seen units using uv1-uv6 in the stock files but as a lightmap channel you can only use uv2 for some reason.

As for youre issues with max i cant really help, i have max2010 but never really use it apart from for messing with materials on obj files made in maya.

Hi Flakmonkey

I just made one last night using channel 3 and it work fine but the CT TurmIIA int one isn't working i wonder if it has something to do with the rearrangement of the uv layout i did because i split the CT interior in two different uv layout one for the floor and one for the rest, the one for the floor is in channel 1 at 1024 and the wall and the rest on a 2048 layout in channel 2.

As a last resort solution i will used my baked ambient occlusion pass in photoshop and blend it to the diffuse layer to see how it look in game, i saw some render in game with that technique and i don't see the difference between one support in game engine and this one they look both great the only difference and it is a huge one is that the one done in photoshop doesn't cripple the fps of the game engine.

I will do some test with that and if it look good i will all make them in photoshop for my next work, better fps is always a big+.

I saw a post made by skwasjer and he said this about the black render issue for lightmap :

Black' textures can have several reasons. Some of which are:
- Incorrect chunk position of materials or model.
- Units: No lightmap uv-data, but UnifiedRenderControler has AO-map set to true.
- Interior: No lightmap uv-data, combined with InteriorIllumination controller.
- No or incorrect materials assigned to node.
- Problem with material: texture not found, diffuse set too low, missing lightmap chunk (only in certain cases)
And some more.

And i still have my uvw channel problem in max it seem like i cannot separate my uv channel 2 from the 1 i try everything so i suspect uvw corruption, i am able to split the id in mesh rollout id section but when i try to save the newly made id of channel 3 it is still saving channel 1 in it! This is mind boggling.

Since it is my first attempt at using sh3 i am still on the learning curve but i have already learn a lot of trick and when I'm finish with this i will write clear and concise tutorials about what i went true.

[Hans Witteman]

Did you tried to PM skwasjer (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=230811)? He is still active on this forum

Thank Verte i will try that but in a post he look like he was tired of answering questions and i understand that so i didn't want to bother him with that so maybe in despair i will send him a message.

[Hans Witteman]

Hi again gentlemen's,

After many hours of testing and reading i finally found what the issue is, when i start to unwrap the uv layout i didn't reset the uvw to start working on uv channel 2 so that why uv channel 1 is overlapping uv channel 2, this is a change introduced on max 2009 that i didn't notice before.

Now what i need to find out is how to split out uv 2 from 1 or else i will suffer the pain of unwrapping it for the third time, i am currently trying the channel info utility but i don't understand it well so trial/errors will lead the way.

If anyone know how to easily split uv2 from uv1 let me know and it will save me hours more of work.

Thank to all regards Hans,

[lafeeverted]

Hans, sent you a PM

[Hans Witteman]

Hans, sent you a PM


I'm confused with the pm system over here firefox is playing trick on me

[lafeeverted]

Ok, I can't help you but my much better half might be able to:up: she is the Max expert but she won't be home for a few more hours. Perhaps she can take a look then.

[Hans Witteman]

Ok, I can't help you but my much better half might be able to:up: she is the Max expert but she won't be home for a few more hours. Perhaps she can take a look then.

Thank you Lafeeverted it is very nice from you i am at the moment trying to split my second uv channel but when i saved it back reset and load i still got the channel 1 showing, i think that somewhere in the import process i must have collapse the stack without remembering it.

I will come back later

Regards Hans,

[skwasjer]

Hi gentleman's,
And when i want to re export from max to sh3, sh3 won't see additionnal uv i have save from max, how do you save the uv channel? The step i do are as follow : I add an additional unwrap uvw on top of the one already there, i select uv channel 2 and click the save uvw with prefix -uv2,3,4 etc but nothing work!

Verify that you have the correct radiobutton (import .UVW files) selected in the import dialog of S3D, and that the filename convention is followed:

model.OBJ
model-uv2.UVW

If you have the other radio button selected, S3D will not see the model-uv2.UVW file, instead it is looking for model-uv2.OBJ.

[Hans Witteman]

Verify that you have the correct radiobutton (import .UVW files) selected in the import dialog of S3D, and that the filename convention is followed:

model.OBJ
model-uv2.UVW

If you have the other radio button selected, S3D will not see the model-uv2.UVW file, instead it is looking for model-uv2.OBJ.

Hi Skwasjer i am please to finally meet you here plus a fast answer i know you must be a busy man with all those crying to get help, i hope i am not causing you more stress.

Ok for the import/export i now completly understand the process except when i am saving my uv layout and used the 3dsmax uvw import option i don't see the others uv channels except the default one in obj. So i used loaded uvw objects instead and it work fine.

I only have 2 majors problem to solve before finally showing my work first i am using 3ds max 2009 so procedures might be different regarding the reset uvw mention on your import/export tutorial, for now i have collapse uvw unwrap after editing both channels and my first problem occur in max 2009 they change the way uv channel work! So i have uv channel 1 showing in my uv channels 2 and i don't know if it is possible to separate them, i try a lot of thing like adding another unwrap on stack changing to channel 2 reset and load back 2 and still see channel one under it so i maybe force to redo my uv layout for the third time since i try many different way.

My second biggest problem is the ambient occlusion map that show in black in sh3 editor and in game it just doesn't show at all i have the conning tower texture ok but without shadow, i have read all your post on submarine sim central regarding this issue and try everything you mention, moving node upper etc. with no success so far. You where mentionning to check if selfOcclEnable was set to true in UnifiedRenderController but maybe i figure it was only regarding Silent hunter 4, i saw that controller for sh3 and try to put it at the end of the tree and on top without sucess.

to conclude that lengthy post when i finish my first mod i will write extensive tutorials regarding your wonderful software and believe me i know the effort behind the code that why i reiterate my offer to do anything graphic for you as a form of deep gratitude since money is not my best friend currently. You want your 3D self at the periscope with a beard as your loading screen just send me right side view, left side view and front view of your face and i'l do it with pleasure:salute:

Best regards Hans,

[Hans Witteman]

Hi again,

I forgot to ask how can i import let say an animated object fixed on the sub that user can activited with keyboard command on will with sound file associated?

Do i have to make the animated object a child of the sub in 3ds max and export as a child node of the sub, and how to save animated object as .anm in data/animations folder?

Flakmonkey also told me ambient occlusion didn't work in uv channel 3 but it work for me on the ext turmIIA and i was wandering if i could write a FAQ about what is generally possible to modify in sh3 editor and what impossible to achieve, this would save tremendous amount of wasting time for new modders.

Regards Hans,