How to add a 3D unit?

Post by **pipfromslitherine** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:19 pm

Hmmm - maybe. Going from .X to S3F might work - although that assumes a .X exporter for every platform.

But without the infantry animations to work from, it becomes very hard for people to generate new infantry units.

I'm working hard on a more robust MP replay system at the moment, but I will investigate whether your idea could at least simplify one half of the process!

Thanks

Pip

Post by **pipfromslitherine** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:05 pm

I have updated the _3DS.zip file with new .X files. These are in binary format and seem to load up correctly (they run fine in the DX viewer), so that might be something you can work on until I get a more robust solution in place! I am looking at something which will convert from .X files to S3F, but no timeline at present.

Cheers

Pip

Merr · Post by **Merr** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:42 pm

That's great news Pip! ... thanks for update.

I'll have a look and get back to you in a few hours (at work now so can't check).

I'm getting desperate now because my modding has brought me to the point where I need to make models.

My MINEFIELD's are looking very ugly with the smoke and mirror's I'm currently using.

You'll

and

at the same time ...

Thanks

Merr · Post by **Merr** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:50 am

pipfromslitherine wrote:I have updated the _3DS.zip file with new .X files. These are in binary format and seem to load up correctly (they run fine in the DX viewer), so that might be something you can work on until I get a more robust solution in place! I am looking at something which will convert from .X files to S3F, but no timeline at present.

Cheers

Pip

Pip,

Works beatifully in fragMotion !

MS3D can't import animation but the mesh is all correct, albeit the dummy "arms extended" but that's normal.

I can't believe you have 826 frames of animation for the churchill

, but at 30 FPS it's about 27-28 seconds worth .... understandibly the frames are called for in the TXT.
The infantry figure seems to slowly "lean over" as it animates but I suppose that's corrected by your engine.

I'm beginning to drool

... Looking forward to any exporter for X you've got in mind ... holler if you need to test one.

Thanks for your support!

Amaz_Ed · Post by **Amaz_Ed** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:54 am

I can't believe you have 826 frames of animation for the churchill

Is that correct? The sample Churchill that I have looked at in 3ds Max only has 200 frames.

Post by **pipfromslitherine** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:58 pm

Could be a bug in the .X exporter - I exported the churchill after the inf and it may have taken its animation count?

Cheers

Pip

junk2drive · Post by **junk2drive** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 3:01 pm

Now that we have had the game for a while, I am looking at some of the early posts.

Since I am now unemployed I thought I would try to learn 3D to keep me busy.

I installed blender. Free, not user friendly, lots of hotkeys to remember. Uses python for scripts.

Looked at fragmotion. Uses Lua or C++ to script.

The game uses CScript, Max uses MaxScript. I found a program to convert MS to python for use in Max but not sure it would work to convert MS to python to use in blender.

I am looking at the s3f converter in notepad++ and wondering how to convert it to something the other programs can use. I assume that is what Pip is talking about when he mentions coming up with an exporter for other programs.

Pip, any news?

Post by **pipfromslitherine** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:33 pm

Gotten bogged down in Mac porting stuff to be honest. I will take a look at it next week, if only to prevent me pulling out my hair!

You managed to get the unit examples in OK, or were you going to build your own?

Cheers

Pip

junk2drive · Post by **junk2drive** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:40 pm

I want to try making my own. Simple stuff and objects. I would hate to bug other people to take my 3ds and convert it to s3f.

Current max is $3500 lol

Merr · Post by **Merr** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 5:48 pm

junk2drive wrote:
Current max is $3500 lol

Yup ....

junk2drive · Post by **junk2drive** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:12 pm

fragmotion seems to be the easiest to use but for 3ds will only import the mesh and won't export 3ds. Not free

blender seems the most difficult to use but imports and exports 3ds. Is free

google sketcher will only make objects with the free version.

Mikeshape 3D was tried by another game team and discarded for frag.

It seems that the mods that we have so far have been done by people with access to Max.

Amaz_Ed · Post by **Amaz_Ed** » Sat Oct 30, 2010 9:17 pm

Find yourself a student. Students can download ALL Autodesk software on a free 3 year license. Just need to register a university/college email address.

junk2drive · Post by **junk2drive** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:46 am

Somewhere I read that you can learn Python in a day. Armed with confidence and no job, I started the tutorial this morning.
Python was already installed as it is needed for blender.

My goal, convert the BA exporter to a Python script for blender. Opening the converter in Notepad++ it looks similar to the cscripts we have been modding in BA. Which turns out is similar to Python.

Thank goodness I messed with DOS years ago and fought with ubuntu linux last year.

I soaked it up like a sponge until #6 Modules and Scripts. My command line isn't working like the tutorial. By now it is afternoon and I start bing and google looking for answers. My first thought was that the tut was written for 2.7, dated today, 02Nov and that maybe it is different that 2.6. Nope. I found the 2.6 tut and older ones that use the same text and examples.

It's now evening and I think I'll quit for the night.

Post by **pipfromslitherine** » Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:48 pm

I probably won't get a chance to look at this stuff until after the France expansion has shipped I'm afraid.

So if you can work it out, then awesome! If there are other exporter scripts out there, they would probably have some good info on how to extract the positions etc at a given frame.

Cheers

Pip