MAX2MAP release alpha
by Matthew Jones · in Torque Game Engine · 02/25/2003 (7:46 pm) · 17 replies
I have handed out a version of MAX2MAP, that me and my programmer built for ourselve in an attemped to construct some different shapes that you aren't able to build in Quark or worldcraft. The couple of people who have used it like what they tried so I figure I'll go ahead and kick it out in a Thread. Its not worthy of a resource as far as I am concerned because it does have a few problems right now.
1. Textures do not correctly export
2. Does not proccess lights colors or positions
3. No scripted lights previewing actual lighting conditions.
4. No Build interface script.
I plan on eventually getting all this going but I found another way to solve my problem with the geometry I require in my game so this is on hold until then.
Included in the download is a scene that has all the dummy objects already linked in a heirachy. Also I have a small tutorial for setting your own stuff with the new naming convention.
It will properly export Regular Polies, Detail Polys, Both Vehicle and Regular Collision, and Portals. Lights do export but the position of the light won't.
It still not up to par enough to start building skyscraper and definatly don't try to export a sphere segmented 45 times either way. (Quark will spend about 10 minute loading it and crash). But for simple stuff it can serve a purpose. Especially if you need that one box you just can't quete make Quark or WC do to no true vertice manipulation.
If anybody is a Good MaxScripter and would like to take a look at the Script I started for the Tools and Building enviroment and maybe take it over plaese feel free to email me.
Download MAX2MAP
Have fun!!
Matt
1. Textures do not correctly export
2. Does not proccess lights colors or positions
3. No scripted lights previewing actual lighting conditions.
4. No Build interface script.
I plan on eventually getting all this going but I found another way to solve my problem with the geometry I require in my game so this is on hold until then.
Included in the download is a scene that has all the dummy objects already linked in a heirachy. Also I have a small tutorial for setting your own stuff with the new naming convention.
It will properly export Regular Polies, Detail Polys, Both Vehicle and Regular Collision, and Portals. Lights do export but the position of the light won't.
It still not up to par enough to start building skyscraper and definatly don't try to export a sphere segmented 45 times either way. (Quark will spend about 10 minute loading it and crash). But for simple stuff it can serve a purpose. Especially if you need that one box you just can't quete make Quark or WC do to no true vertice manipulation.
If anybody is a Good MaxScripter and would like to take a look at the Script I started for the Tools and Building enviroment and maybe take it over plaese feel free to email me.
Download MAX2MAP
Have fun!!
Matt
#2
06/27/2003 (5:45 pm)
Matthew, how would one start the conversion of the old max2map31 source code to run with max 5? I'm a newbie when it comes to programming plugins. Also, how much of the code structure would I need to change when converting the old files for max 5. Maybe I can help you with the texture mapping if I can get max5 to run this plugin? Thanks
#3
You'll have to make a folder in your project similiar the the existing max3.1 and max4 folders located in your Torque/lib folder.
Then recompile the map2dif. It should work then.
Also if you would like the source for the one I in this thread email me and I'll send it to you.
Matt
06/27/2003 (9:11 pm)
All you need to do is download the Max5.1 or 5 SDK and make the correct links to it in vc6 (or whatever you use). You can go into "Project Settings" select your map2dif project open the C++ tab and change the link under project options. Do the same under the "LINK" tab.You'll have to make a folder in your project similiar the the existing max3.1 and max4 folders located in your Torque/lib folder.
Then recompile the map2dif. It should work then.
Also if you would like the source for the one I in this thread email me and I'll send it to you.
Matt
#4
I had map2dif working already. But Max2Map is a different matter. I got as far as having 3ds max 5 not choke when loading the dle, but it doesn't load properly into the plugins list. I'm thinking that the source code for max2map needs more revision than just switching project dependencies.
If it's alright with you, it would be good to get a head start on your code. Thanks again
Marv
06/28/2003 (10:19 am)
Hi Matt,I had map2dif working already. But Max2Map is a different matter. I got as far as having 3ds max 5 not choke when loading the dle, but it doesn't load properly into the plugins list. I'm thinking that the source code for max2map needs more revision than just switching project dependencies.
If it's alright with you, it would be good to get a head start on your code. Thanks again
Marv
#5
Here is my SOURCE with project file.
Most likely if its not working for you, you probably just don't understand how it works. Read Desmonds stuff and you should be able to get the standard one going. Then you can fool with mine. It needs alot of work and I just don't think its worth it. Your about the tenth person who has wanted my source to do somthing with it and none of the others have ever contacted me since.
Good Luck!
Matt
06/28/2003 (12:38 pm)
Its just an export plugin. It will show in possible exports (Under File / Export). No it doesn't need any more revision than that. Outside of the fact you'll have to write an interface script to make MAX build CSG geometry and get a translation of the textures coordinate system working it works just fine. You do have to have a certian heirachy of dummy boxes. I have instruction in the above download and Desmond Fletcher has a tutorialon how to use the origanal that comes with the engine. Here is my SOURCE with project file.
Most likely if its not working for you, you probably just don't understand how it works. Read Desmonds stuff and you should be able to get the standard one going. Then you can fool with mine. It needs alot of work and I just don't think its worth it. Your about the tenth person who has wanted my source to do somthing with it and none of the others have ever contacted me since.
Good Luck!
Matt
#6
I didn't realize it was an export plugin. I thought it would be another ultility plugin like the max2dif project. I'll see what I can do with it now. Thanks again.
Marv
06/30/2003 (10:31 am)
Thanks a lot Matt.I didn't realize it was an export plugin. I thought it would be another ultility plugin like the max2dif project. I'll see what I can do with it now. Thanks again.
Marv
#7
Marv
06/30/2003 (2:04 pm)
It seems like the max2map convertor used texgen coordinates instead of the regular UV scale mapping. Instead of converting texgen coordinates to UV coordinates, which probalby will result in a loss of information when it comes to spherical maps and such, I converted map2dif to take to read texgen coordinates. Torque's own internal data format uses texgen, so it's not all hard to do. Textures are scaling and shifted properly now when viewed in torque, but of course you can't edit the map in Quark since it can't seem to read texgen coordinates.Marv
#8
06/30/2003 (3:19 pm)
Would you have any ideas on how to start converting mesh objects into brush entities? I don't know how to pull this off, but if one can first break a mesh into its textured parts(creating a series of complex meshes objects that are each one texture), then explode that(like a 3dsmax explode function which splits meshes up into component pieces, depending on the angle relation between a face and another face) into convex shapes, that might be a way to generate brush entities from mesh files. Would that work?
#9
Also the origanal max2map that comes with the code already does what your talking about. On the export proccess it turns each face into a pyramid type shape. But this causes excessive geometry. We went and stopped that from happening so we could build boxes that come out like boxes. Through a naming convention and Heirachy we managed to export entities like portals and detail brushes.
Opp I'm babling.
The biggest problem with ours and the geometry is if you have a POLY (2faces) and they are not on the same angle it will brake the face. Part of it is the transfer of the coordinates of the vertices. They round out I think. We never touched the math stuff. It is possible to find everyface and disect them according to a certian paremeter using the MAX sdk but I am not real sure how to pull it off or I probably would have done it.
I just think a front end tool would be the best. Somthing that would set max to only build like quark but with Vertice manipulation.
Matt
06/30/2003 (6:25 pm)
I think it might be easier to just build a front end script that would build things only in a convex shapes. Or in the proccess of building it would convert objects into convex shapes.Also the origanal max2map that comes with the code already does what your talking about. On the export proccess it turns each face into a pyramid type shape. But this causes excessive geometry. We went and stopped that from happening so we could build boxes that come out like boxes. Through a naming convention and Heirachy we managed to export entities like portals and detail brushes.
Opp I'm babling.
The biggest problem with ours and the geometry is if you have a POLY (2faces) and they are not on the same angle it will brake the face. Part of it is the transfer of the coordinates of the vertices. They round out I think. We never touched the math stuff. It is possible to find everyface and disect them according to a certian paremeter using the MAX sdk but I am not real sure how to pull it off or I probably would have done it.
I just think a front end tool would be the best. Somthing that would set max to only build like quark but with Vertice manipulation.
Matt
#10
I'm not too sure if a front end tool is what I'm looking for right now. The way I see it, if there's already a quark, there's no need to turn 3dsmax into another one. I'm just trying to convert some existing geometry/modeling into .map format.
As for the faces breaking, I think I'm getting a similar problem in my latest exports.
Marv
06/30/2003 (7:40 pm)
Yea, just looked through the exporter code and saw how it made the faces from geometry.I'm not too sure if a front end tool is what I'm looking for right now. The way I see it, if there's already a quark, there's no need to turn 3dsmax into another one. I'm just trying to convert some existing geometry/modeling into .map format.
As for the faces breaking, I think I'm getting a similar problem in my latest exports.
Marv
#11
I've been working on this for a while. I don't have access to ftp right now so if you want, but I can email it to you.
here's what the edit can do: it can now take any complex geometry and output to .map file without bad brushes and with textures properly aligned. It also optimizes meshes so that if you have a rectangle made of 16 quads it will convert to 1 .map brush. If the rectangle is multitextured, it sorts the rectangle by texture and converts to X(number of textures) + y(extra rectangles needed since brushes must be convex) .map brushes. Src is included if you or anyone else wants to compile for max3 or 4.
Marv
07/07/2003 (3:34 pm)
Hey Matt,I've been working on this for a while. I don't have access to ftp right now so if you want, but I can email it to you.
here's what the edit can do: it can now take any complex geometry and output to .map file without bad brushes and with textures properly aligned. It also optimizes meshes so that if you have a rectangle made of 16 quads it will convert to 1 .map brush. If the rectangle is multitextured, it sorts the rectangle by texture and converts to X(number of textures) + y(extra rectangles needed since brushes must be convex) .map brushes. Src is included if you or anyone else wants to compile for max3 or 4.
Marv
#12
Your the man. If you would like to put it up for download mail to me: mjones7947@comcast.net. I'll add a URL to this thread and update the resource I have for it.
Can't wait to give it a lookover.
Matt
If anybody wants to download Marvs latest version HERE IT IS
07/07/2003 (7:09 pm)
WowYour the man. If you would like to put it up for download mail to me: mjones7947@comcast.net. I'll add a URL to this thread and update the resource I have for it.
Can't wait to give it a lookover.
Matt
If anybody wants to download Marvs latest version HERE IT IS
#15
GLB 2.2 is working for me, and seems a great tool...incredible easier to use than any other tool.
But I've got a problem (as ever), I can't open the .map generated in Quark 6.3c, is a version problem?
Thanks,
--Jorge
11/20/2003 (9:51 am)
Hi all,GLB 2.2 is working for me, and seems a great tool...incredible easier to use than any other tool.
But I've got a problem (as ever), I can't open the .map generated in Quark 6.3c, is a version problem?
Thanks,
--Jorge
#16
if you open a map made by MAX/GLB 2.2 and by Quark they are everything but similar.
Anyone have some hints on what goes wrong?
11/21/2003 (1:53 am)
I cannot open/convert it using map2dif at all when produced by GLB 2.2. I also cannot open it in Quark.if you open a map made by MAX/GLB 2.2 and by Quark they are everything but similar.
Anyone have some hints on what goes wrong?
#17
Matt
11/21/2003 (2:40 am)
There is some problem with the way the header is output I'll see what I can do to get somthing stratend out on it.Matt
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