Universal Forum Archive

First things first - mapping.

If there's no uvmapping found, well that's because you haven't mapped it :)

In Gmax you do that using two modifiers: UVW Map, and UVW Unwrap.

UVW map lets you assign different kinds of mapping to your model. You can use the modifier to map the whole model, by simply adding it to the stack and choosing a mapping type (spherical, planar, cylindrical etc etc). That's not likely to be useful, though, except as a first step to get most of the mapping into a rough shape before tweaking it. Or if you have an incredibly simple model, like a simple plane for a flag or something.

Better is to think about your model in terms of mapping "chunks" (for want of a better term). So, looking at your bison: well, the body is probably mostly cylindrical. So you'd add an edit mesh modifier, select the polys that make up the body; then, with those still selected, add a UVW Map modifier, and choose "cylindrical". Then you'd repeat the process for the legs (also cylindrical, only in a different axis), maybe the tail (perhaps just simple planar mapping), and the face, which is likely to be the trickiest bit (probably a combination of planar and spherical/cylindrical).

Once you're done with that, you can move onto the next step - UVW Unwrap. Another modifier, you just add it to the stack in the same way. Where UVW Map assigns different kinds of mapping, UVW Unwrap lets you edit the results.

So let's say you've added some mapping to your model, as above. Add the UVW Unwrap modifier to your model, then select it; click the Edit button, and you should see the beginnings of your texture template laid out for you. Now you can begin the painful process of tweaking the layout. Your aim is to fill as much of the space as possible without introducing too much distortion, and without missing out any polys.

You can also do a bit of simple mapping here, too: in the UVW Unwrap edit mode (basically, with it highlighted) you can select faces on your model and apply simple planar mapping to them.

It's essential to add a chequerboard material to the model for all of this. Basically, a bitmap that has a load of squares on it. When your mapping's good, you'll see squares on the model in the viewport too. When the mapping's bad you'll see where it's tearing etc.

Once you've done with this whole lengthy process, Gmax doesn't actually have a simple way to export the template file. You literally have to screencap the UVW Edit screen, past that into a paint prog and save it.


Finally: there are tools that automate the process for you. Others on this forum use Lithunwrap. If I use automated tools, I use Chiliskinner, which is a free script that works with Gmax. Actually I think I've described it before in other posts. Maybe you could explore that as an option too. It ain't perfect but it can speed up the process no end. Not as good for organic shapes though.

Mapping a model properly is at least as involved and time-consuming as actually building it. Way too complicated to explain in detail here, but hopefully I've given you enough pointers to go Googling for more info... feel free to ask Qs though, I'll help if I can.

Finally finally: don't even bother with the skeletal stuff until you've got the mapping sorted out!

f

Jayecifer wrote:This thread always makes me wish I had more time to devote.

Same goes for me...unfortunately I have things I must accomplish over the next few months that will cut into the time I would normally spend working on stuff for TU...as much as I would like to ignore these circumstances, my future does largely depends on how well I take care of them...so don't expect a great deal from me for awhile...especially over the next week and a half...

Is there anyway to have an animated texture (or animated UVmap) on a model?

would be great for sign making and many other uses...

I know you can't just use differently UVmapped keyframes to accomplish that (I tried of course)...

No, I'm afraid not. It's on the to-do list but it has been for years. You just have to work round it I'm afraid - like the animated billboard model...

f

For some reason as I run planes through the tempest exporter (converting into .md3) they have a severe tendency to get messed up...as below...(my space station model that got held up because of this)



On a different model I even tried booleaning the plane onto a non-plane object but similar results were still produced...

any ideas Fooli?

If this is during export from Gmax to m3d, the only thing I can think of is that it's a transforms problem - a weird one. So doing all the reset transform stuff before you export is often worthwhile.

Having said that, I've never used the Tempest pack to export anything (I found a standalone m3d exporter for that). So maybe it has a setting you can fix it with.

You get similar effects in the Model Converter sometimes, if you use "compress vertices" on a simple planar model. Maybe there's something similar going on here?

Other ideas: if the planes are part of the same mesh, try separating them and exporting the whole lot. If they're separate, try combining them.

You could try giving the planes some thickness, see if that helps.

Or maybe you could try rescaling the whole model... is it particularly huge, or tiny? Might be a rounding error in Gmax, perhaps...
f

Things I've already tried:

-Transform stuff
-Scaling
- Combining with non-planer model (from their originally separated state)
- Looking in saving option...'compress on save' is off

Things yet to try:

instead of combining in gmax...do it in lith...

(the planes on another, more recent model weren't messed up the first time I fed them through tempest...it's only when I was attempting to combine with another model and then export did I get an error...

in other words gmax -> tempest -> lith -> ATM -> gmax (combine) -> tempest -> error...)

Mmm. Feel free to send me your model and I'll have a look, if you like.
f

I realized that it wasn't necessary to back the model all the way to gmax (lith can do merging on .3ds just as easily) so atleast I now have a more or less working view augmenter/gun sight addition on my tie-fighter...does anyone want one once I'm finished?

i add all models to my pile, it will be used somewhere sometime i promise you.
Junk

hmm...i'm in the need of some humanoid models....kinda.

for sab, i need some severely injured soldiers that look like they are almost dead.
you know, use your imagination. things like a body lying on the ground, maybe its leg broken and bone sticking out, blood all over, maybe a guy positioned to be leaning up against a wall, with its leg and/or arm missing, blood around, shreds of skin, etc (like he stepped on a land mine). maybe one with intestines hanging out, lying on the ground beside it as if he got a few large caliber shots in the stomach and thus spilled his guts.

i plan to somewhat animate them to use them in quests (mainly so there just looking around in a daze for a last glimmer of hope). a player will go up to the guy, he will mumble a few last words (like 'please, as my last dying wish, please deliver this message to my brother on the other side of town'), then be inaccessible until you finish the quest.

i would post some pics of real injuries as examples...but...obviously wouldn't be good to do due to TOS, viewer ages, etc

depending on what I end up doing this weekend...I might finally get around to reading the manual/tutorial for gmax...maybe I can do it sometime after that...although I wouldn't count on it...

I'd like to request a sledgehammer (just a handle with a cyliner on the end)
and an double bladed battle-axe. they dont have to be fancy at all cause they'll only be seen for seconds at a time. it would be awesome if you could get to it.

Do you want them to do anything? Like twirl around or something?

nope, just static. i figured out how to make the engine swing them in a downward motion. but if you wanted to add a twirling animation to the ax, plz save that as a different model, cause i could use it as a projectile weapon like a "throwing ax". that would be pretty awesome too.
thanks!

That would be pretty neat...especially if there would be a way to have it 'stick' into the ground where it hit...

I'll try to throw something together for you really quick...I have some pressing matters I have to attend to...


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As far as humanoid models go...


It's ugly and poorly done...but the bones are working decently...at least considering I only figured out finally how to get them to work about a couple hours ago...

Throwing Axe, Static Axe
and Texture

I hope that's what you wanted flametard.

YES! thanks ill test em out tonight!

Fooli, is there any way to remove the bones from a model once the animation has been set, so as not to include unnecessary polys, etc? I would really like to use my robot character for in-game purposes, but the file size would be rather large, as is. So any suggestions would be great.