Efficient modeling for TGEA

#1 For ease of use setting up your skinning (ie. weighting your mesh to your rig, aka true skinning) you're better off as rigging to one node as opposed to multiple nodes. IMHO unless you are swapping out model parts or hiding and unhiding them there really is no need to make your model segmented like you are saying since it really doesn't boost effeciency.

With regards to TGEA and Quads, the DTS exporter converts everything to triangular polygons so I don't know where you heard that bit of mis-information. The DTS exporter sometimes doesn't like you using an ePoly class object from 3DS Max, and in those cases putting an Editable Mesh modifier on the model is the quickest and easiest solution to use.

I hope that helps.

Logan

#2 Hey thanks a lot Logan that really does help! It was a tut online where a guy said that the tgea engine hated quads and then he pushed some trianglate button on the program he was using (Maya) I believe and it magically changed them from quads to tris and I couldn't find a button like that in Max so I thought I was screwed!

From what you are saying the exported will switch them automatically right? And to be sure of this using Max I will just need to apply an edit mesh modifier and it should be good right? And as far as swapping out parts if I wanted to be able to have the character switch gear items such as weapons and maybe even flak vest and such these items would need to be set up like disappearing objects right where one hides so the other can be seen? Is this how that should work or no? Meaning they would all have there own separate nodes then?