Building a new Weapon model for your character

In this tutorial we will create a simple pistol. Start a new file in Max.
Step 1) Create a 'Dummy' object. These are under the 'Helpers' section of the 'Create' toolbar. Place it anywhere in the model and name it 'Shape'.

Step 2) Create a second Dummy object. Name it anything you want.

Step 3) Create a third dummy object. Name this will be a LOD identifier. Name it Detail128. You can add multiple levels of detail to an object by adding more of these with different numbers. The numbers are the detail level.

Step 4) Add a shape to the grid. Make this the Barrel of your weapon. I had a simple Cylinder shape:
(the pink one). Name it 'Barrel128'

Step 5) Add a handle (the green cylinder). Call it 'handle128'

Step 6) Now select Detail128 and the Dummy object you named, and select the "Select and Link" button on the top toolbar. Then press the "Select by Name" button. Link these to the 'Shape' object.

Step 7) Select the Barrel and the Handle and link them to the Dummy object you named yourself.

Step 8) Create a box around the weapon and name it 'Bounds'. Adjust the Pivot point of it to where you want the player to hold the weapon. Rotate it so that Blue faces upward and Green faces the front. The Pivot adjustment is under the Hierachy tab. Select the 'Pivot' function as in the picture below:

Step 9) Once properly adjusted, Save the file and use the DTS Exporter Utility and export it to the directory "starter.fps/data/shapes/crossbow/" and overwrite weapon.dts. (make a backup first).

Test the weapon. If you can't see it, you have either made it too big or too small. This can be fixed by using the "Scale" function in Max. If the game crashes, then my Tutorial didn't work for you.

For the Original tutorial, please visit www.garagegames.com/articles/dhannah/tutorials/simpleweapon.html.