Set up for working at 1unit = 1 meter scale in max..

#1 I just use generic units. It doesn't matter what unit you use 1 unit = 1 meter. I still get the same problems though to a point. The perspective veiwport absolutly will not get close enough but the USER and all the others have no problem with it getting close. I use "ARC_Rotate Subobject" for the camera.
I usually build real big and scale it after its texmapped, reset the xform (AS long as nothings linked up) then rig the model.

Not much of an answer but it really isn't a problem anymore.

Matt

#2

Quote:I just use generic units. It doesn't matter what unit you use 1 unit = 1 meter.

hmm let me make sure I'm not being silly. My understanding is that no matter what you set up in max, 1 max unit = 1 game meter. So even if I set up 1 unit = .1 meters and I work at a scale where I make 10 max units when I want something to be 1 meter, then in the game that object will actually be 10 meters high in regards to other game items.

correct?

Quote:
I usually build real big and scale it after its texmapped, reset the xform (AS long as nothings linked up) then rig the model.

yeah, I guess I should just do the same.

thanks for the reply.
-c

#3 Clint,

Another option is to use the 'Rescale World Units' utility (in the utilities tab).
That way you can set up your scale just the way you want it, then scale everything up a hundred times for editing.
You're just scaling the world units, not the shape itself, so if you scale by clean increments, things will be exactly the
same scale when you scale back down later. You also won't have to change your unit type this way, which can get confusing.

I had the same problem, I only want to work in perspective view but the camera wouldn't let me get close. The world unit scale was the best work around I could find.

You'll also notice that the zoom jumps quite a bit at a small scale....but it's nice and smooth at the higher scales.

Hope that helps,

Weston

#4 You are correct. Also change the grid (Homegrid) to somthing 1. That helps define a unit or meter in game.
One real importatant nope is NEVER adjust your "System Unit Scale".... Very Very Bad thing to do.
LOL simple as pie.

Matt

#5 @Weston
Thanks I'll try that out.

@Matthew,
"NEVER adjust your System Unit Scale...."
that's a big warning with little explanation :)
how come? the docs warn about incompatibility with scenes made with default unit scale. is there another reason?

I did do that and so far haven't seen any big problems _yet_.
I'm working at 1 unit = 1 meter (I don't believe that was the default), I have grid ticks at .1 units, with a major grid line every 10 ticks (so I can see where 1 meter is nicely)

I guess I could have instead left 1 unit at whatever it was (What is the default? 1 inch?) and just made my model be 2 inches tall in max so that he is 2 meters tall in game.

somehow I feel like I'm missing something that would have been easy to do.

#6 System unit scale is different from what your thinking. You can read the helpfiles in MAX for the specifics.

Matt

#7 Nope, system unit scale is exactly what I'm talking bout :)
Customize -> units setup ->System Unit Setup -> System Unit Scale

I have mine set to 1 Unit = 1.0 Meters

which was not the default.

#8 Ouch, this has become particularly painful when I started a complex skinning job. all of my bone envelopes are about 50 times the size of my poor little character.

nows the time to try out that rescale world units....

#9 ...and that did not work well for me at all.
messed up the relative scale in a few different ways.

it actually looked very promissing at first.
1. rescale world units 10.0
2. add skin
3. add bones to skin
4. edit envelopes....much better defaults here
5. play animations...ok looks like an ok starting point
6. time to check the scale back down
7. rescale world units 0.1
8. kabloooey

the skin was all messed up there.

oh well time for lots of envelope dragging for me.

#10 Ok, I just noticed that I can type in the new radius for each envelope adjuster, that makes things a lot easier.

#11 You can also set your bones width and height to .1 instead of ten or somthing before you build them.

Matt

#12 For anyone else who runs into this, in addition to being able to type in the envelope radius, you can use the copy and paste evelope properties to do a quick set of all your other bone envelopes before you start working on the details.

- edit envelopes
- zoom out so you can see your outer envelope radius
- select it
- type in the radius to be a good default, for me this was 0.1
- select the other side of the envelope radius
- type in the radius again: 0.1

now you have a single bone set up with some workable starting radii

- with the bone still selected, hit the copy button in envelope properties.
- walk through each of your other bones hitting the paste button in envelope properties. that will set all the other radii to be 0.1 also

now you can get to work on the skin like you wanted to in the first place

#13 Generally if you make sure your bones are sized closed to your mesh (both bones and biped), the skin modifier will adapt to the size of the bones. They will tend to be just slightly bigger than bone encompesing the mesh.

If your envelopes are blowing up outa proportion you should delete your MAX.ini file for the 3dsMAX directory. This resets you system back to default and gets rid of alot of bugs.

Matt

#14 Does anyone have any documentation, which specifies the dimensions of the Torque Orc, or the Torque Crossbow?