No matter what options I change, no matter how many times I unwrap the model, no matter how many different .dds export options I use, it all comes out the same when I go to preview it in the cutscene editor.
Using literally the EXACT same workflow I used to get my other models into starcraft, it is suddenly not working.
What the hell am I doing wrong? This has happened to 2 models now and I'm really getting frustrated because I didn't start changing my workflow until this started happening. I've looked the art tools documentation up and down looking for a reason for this, but I've found nothing. It's not exporting my textures. I applied the sc2 standard material to the object. I can preview the diffuse in 3DS max and it looks just fine. But when I export it to SC2, it glows like this.
@unclesatan: Go Have you double checked the texture paths and file names you used for the model? It usually happens when textures aren't in the correct folder or have the wrong file name.
@unclesatan: Go Have you double checked the texture paths and file names you used for the model? It usually happens when textures aren't in the correct folder or have the wrong file name.
I've named textures in the past whatever I liked, and exported with mopaq paths and never had issues. I did change the texture names to the same naming format that I used previously, and it gives me the exact same preview in the cutscene editor.
Edit: In the export floater, when you click preview is it broken or something? I don't want to go through importing models and textures into a test map and opening Starcraft 2 to see if the model actually works. I'll do it if I have to but I've never had issues with previewing models like that before.
Did you truly import them? All I can see there is the previewer, thus, it's not an exportation issue any longer, is it (?)
This occurs to me when I export something from 3ds Max (with StarTools) and then attempt to preview another model, without closing the program first. Try restarting Max and venture the preview again. The other occurrence is in case I didn't tick the Use Mopaq setting in Export Floater, but you said you did. Maybe the naming convention interferes?
Did you truly import them? All I can see there is the previewer, thus, it's not an exportation issue any longer, is it (?)
This occurs to me when I export something from 3ds Max (with StarTools) and then attempt to preview another model, without closing the program first. Try restarting Max and venture the preview again. The other occurrence is in case I didn't tick the Use Mopaq setting in Export Floater, but you said you did. Maybe the naming convention interferes?
I've restarted the cutscene editor in between each preview, and restarted max at least 5 times. Even redid all the textures on the model each time I restarted max. Also, importing them into maps provides the same result.
I've named them multiple different things, including the convention for naming that they use in SC2 (nameofobj_diff.dds nameofobj_norm.dds, etc.) which is the current naming convention I'm using now.
After restarting Max, did you export anything? Frankly I cannot see another issue (even though you are more experienced in this than I am).
The last thing I can think of is to preview the model by the drop-down menu and not through the Export Floater.
Edit: Just saw your edit. So neither do they display, even when they are imported?
Edit2: Try removing every object in the cutscene editor, restart it and preview the model alone. Maybe the other models for some unprecedented reason cause this.
After restarting Max, did you export anything? Frankly I cannot see another issue (even though you are more experienced in this than I am). The last thing I can think of is to preview the model by the drop-down menu and not through the Export Floater.
I've exported the model each time I restarted max and also attempted to preview it each time. I tried previewing it from the drop down menu with the same results just now. Thanks for your help, I'm just stumped right now.
edit: here's what it looks like inside the import menu
here's what it should look like
it won't let me take screenshots of it ingame, but it looks the same.
Okay this is what I am saying. Don't preview it AFTER you've exported it. This is the main cause of this issue. Restart Max and preview it, then export it. If you do it in a different order, it causes the textures to be invisible.
And import manager has an asterisk on top = not saved map and the textures are not imported - this is not tested appropriately. Anyway, I still insist on what I said earlier.
Okay this is what I am saying. Don't preview it AFTER you've exported it. This is the main cause of this issue. Restart Max and preview it, then export it. If you do it in a different order, it causes the textures to be invisible.
And import manager has an asterisk on top = not saved map and the textures are not imported - this is not tested appropriately. Anyway, I still insist on what I said earlier.
I did all of that in that order (again, because that's the order I typically go in), and I got the same results. I imported the textures and the same results happened.
I'm also curious that I didn't need to import textures for my other models that I made from scratch, I only needed to export the .m3 with mopaq file paths.
Export the model once using "export" with "make dds" and then once using "use mopaq paths". Don't use commit.
The first export is to dump your textures, in our experience commit tends to not export them all, the second export (with use mopaq paths) is to get an m3 that doesn't look for the files using your 3ds max paths, because it will do that with "make dds".
Also, iirc using "mopaq paths" on preview results in things breaking for the exact same reason that make dds doesn't work for actual exports, ergo it's looking for textures that won't normally exist.
Export the model once using "export" with "make dds" and then once using "use mopaq paths". Don't use commit.
The first export is to dump your textures, in our experience commit tends to not export them all, the second export (with use mopaq paths) is to get an m3 that doesn't look for the files using your 3ds max paths, because it will do that with "make dds".
Also, iirc using "mopaq paths" on preview results in things breaking for the exact same reason that make dds doesn't work for actual exports, ergo it's looking for textures that won't normally exist.
that made it work properly in the previewer (previewing using make dds rather than use mopaq), but it gives me errors when i attempt to export it "Texture conversion failed" with make dds.
it actually exports using mopaq file paths, but it doesn't find the textures apparently because it's not using them at all.
ok. so i got it to export once with all the textures in the right spots, I had to export it directly into my map folders when using "make dds". but I haven't been able to replicate it since
Edit: awesome. now all the test maps that I have for this are being rendered unsaveable, because "archive cannot be moved"
i'm done for the day, maybe i'll check on this later.
I haven't seen that error before. What are your source files for the textures? Are they tgas or something else?
They're .dds files. I'll try using tgas though, see if that makes a difference.
Edit: No luck. Here is what I have tried.
1 - Exporting directly into map components folder (won't let me save afterwards, unable to move existing archive)
2 - Exporting into a separate folder, first as "Make DDS", then as "Mopaq File paths", then importing textures nad model through import editor. (Didn't work)
3 - Exporting into a separate folder, first as "Make DDS", then importing textures and model through import editor, then exporting as "Mopaq File paths", then re-importing model again. (Didn't work)
4 - Changing textures to .tga format, and trying #2 #3 again. (Didn't work)
5 - Attempting to export without mopaq or make dds ticked. (Didn't work)
6 - Doing #5, except by changing textures to .tga format first. (Didn't work)
7 - Saved as a regular map file, then attempted #2 #3 and #5 (Didn't work)
8 - Exported with "Cached DDS files" only ticked, then attempted #2 #3 and #5 (Didn't work)
9 - Exported with the drop down menu rather than the export floater (Didn't work)
10 - Restarted 3DS max and done all of these things again 3 times (Didn't work)
11 - Made 10 separate maps and attempted to import them into each one of them doing everything I said above (Didn't work)
I just don't get it. I've imported models into my map using the exact same workflow like 5 times now, and there's something about this model that won't read the texture files. I'm stumped.
.... I was fully ready to stop this madness and just give up for the day, then I tried another import. I removed the old .m3 file before importing (As I did previously nearly 50 times already), and reimported the model file and now it works for some unknown reason. I'm still scared because I did not do anything differently to this import/export. Thank you guys for your time, and let's hope this doesn't happen again....
So I've been testing it, and your method works nicely Iskatu, thanks alot.
Could be a cache issue. Starcraft 2 likes to hang onto old mod files and stuff and cause lots of problems with them. But if it's working, then excellent.
If you have that issue, try going thru the team colors (pressing 1 to 9 on the keyboard) if it changes it means that you need to turn of the alpha channel in Max for the diffuse map. You can do this by selecting only the RGB value of the diffuse map in stead of the RGBA.
This means that there is an alpha channel on you diffuse map that is not explicitly white (rgb 255,255,255) or not explicitly black (rgb 0,0,0)
If you have that issue, try going thru the team colors (pressing 1 to 9 on the keyboard) if it changes it means that you need to turn of the alpha channel in Max for the diffuse map. You can do this by selecting only the RGB value of the diffuse map in stead of the RGBA.
This means that there is an alpha channel on you diffuse map that is not explicitly white (rgb 255,255,255) or not explicitly black (rgb 0,0,0)
Hope this helps, a bit...
T.
I thought it might be something to the likeness of this, but I do have them using RGB only rather than RGBA. I'll definitely keep these tips in mind for the future, if it happens again.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
No matter what options I change, no matter how many times I unwrap the model, no matter how many different .dds export options I use, it all comes out the same when I go to preview it in the cutscene editor.
Using literally the EXACT same workflow I used to get my other models into starcraft, it is suddenly not working.
What the hell am I doing wrong? This has happened to 2 models now and I'm really getting frustrated because I didn't start changing my workflow until this started happening. I've looked the art tools documentation up and down looking for a reason for this, but I've found nothing. It's not exporting my textures. I applied the sc2 standard material to the object. I can preview the diffuse in 3DS max and it looks just fine. But when I export it to SC2, it glows like this.
@unclesatan: Go Have you double checked the texture paths and file names you used for the model? It usually happens when textures aren't in the correct folder or have the wrong file name.
I've named textures in the past whatever I liked, and exported with mopaq paths and never had issues. I did change the texture names to the same naming format that I used previously, and it gives me the exact same preview in the cutscene editor.
Edit: In the export floater, when you click preview is it broken or something? I don't want to go through importing models and textures into a test map and opening Starcraft 2 to see if the model actually works. I'll do it if I have to but I've never had issues with previewing models like that before.
Did you truly import them? All I can see there is the previewer, thus, it's not an exportation issue any longer, is it (?)
This occurs to me when I export something from 3ds Max (with StarTools) and then attempt to preview another model, without closing the program first. Try restarting Max and venture the preview again. The other occurrence is in case I didn't tick the Use Mopaq setting in Export Floater, but you said you did. Maybe the naming convention interferes?
I've restarted the cutscene editor in between each preview, and restarted max at least 5 times. Even redid all the textures on the model each time I restarted max. Also, importing them into maps provides the same result.
I've named them multiple different things, including the convention for naming that they use in SC2 (nameofobj_diff.dds nameofobj_norm.dds, etc.) which is the current naming convention I'm using now.
@unclesatan: Go
After restarting Max, did you export anything? Frankly I cannot see another issue (even though you are more experienced in this than I am). The last thing I can think of is to preview the model by the drop-down menu and not through the Export Floater.
Edit: Just saw your edit. So neither do they display, even when they are imported?
Edit2: Try removing every object in the cutscene editor, restart it and preview the model alone. Maybe the other models for some unprecedented reason cause this.
I've exported the model each time I restarted max and also attempted to preview it each time. I tried previewing it from the drop down menu with the same results just now. Thanks for your help, I'm just stumped right now.
edit: here's what it looks like inside the import menu
here's what it should look like
it won't let me take screenshots of it ingame, but it looks the same.
@unclesatan: Go
Okay this is what I am saying. Don't preview it AFTER you've exported it. This is the main cause of this issue. Restart Max and preview it, then export it. If you do it in a different order, it causes the textures to be invisible.
And import manager has an asterisk on top = not saved map and the textures are not imported - this is not tested appropriately. Anyway, I still insist on what I said earlier.
I did all of that in that order (again, because that's the order I typically go in), and I got the same results. I imported the textures and the same results happened.
I'm also curious that I didn't need to import textures for my other models that I made from scratch, I only needed to export the .m3 with mopaq file paths.
@unclesatan: Go
Hm, recheck the resolution of your bitmaps then. Seriously, this is my last guess. Unless you want me to test it on my own.
1024x1024 on all
Export the model once using "export" with "make dds" and then once using "use mopaq paths". Don't use commit.
The first export is to dump your textures, in our experience commit tends to not export them all, the second export (with use mopaq paths) is to get an m3 that doesn't look for the files using your 3ds max paths, because it will do that with "make dds".
Also, iirc using "mopaq paths" on preview results in things breaking for the exact same reason that make dds doesn't work for actual exports, ergo it's looking for textures that won't normally exist.
that made it work properly in the previewer (previewing using make dds rather than use mopaq), but it gives me errors when i attempt to export it "Texture conversion failed" with make dds.
it actually exports using mopaq file paths, but it doesn't find the textures apparently because it's not using them at all.
ok. so i got it to export once with all the textures in the right spots, I had to export it directly into my map folders when using "make dds". but I haven't been able to replicate it since
Edit: awesome. now all the test maps that I have for this are being rendered unsaveable, because "archive cannot be moved"
i'm done for the day, maybe i'll check on this later.
I haven't seen that error before. What are your source files for the textures? Are they tgas or something else?
They're .dds files. I'll try using tgas though, see if that makes a difference.
Edit: No luck. Here is what I have tried.
1 - Exporting directly into map components folder (won't let me save afterwards, unable to move existing archive)
2 - Exporting into a separate folder, first as "Make DDS", then as "Mopaq File paths", then importing textures nad model through import editor. (Didn't work)
3 - Exporting into a separate folder, first as "Make DDS", then importing textures and model through import editor, then exporting as "Mopaq File paths", then re-importing model again. (Didn't work)
4 - Changing textures to .tga format, and trying #2 #3 again. (Didn't work)
5 - Attempting to export without mopaq or make dds ticked. (Didn't work)
6 - Doing #5, except by changing textures to .tga format first. (Didn't work)
7 - Saved as a regular map file, then attempted #2 #3 and #5 (Didn't work)
8 - Exported with "Cached DDS files" only ticked, then attempted #2 #3 and #5 (Didn't work)
9 - Exported with the drop down menu rather than the export floater (Didn't work)
10 - Restarted 3DS max and done all of these things again 3 times (Didn't work)
11 - Made 10 separate maps and attempted to import them into each one of them doing everything I said above (Didn't work)
I just don't get it. I've imported models into my map using the exact same workflow like 5 times now, and there's something about this model that won't read the texture files. I'm stumped.
.... I was fully ready to stop this madness and just give up for the day, then I tried another import. I removed the old .m3 file before importing (As I did previously nearly 50 times already), and reimported the model file and now it works for some unknown reason. I'm still scared because I did not do anything differently to this import/export. Thank you guys for your time, and let's hope this doesn't happen again....
So I've been testing it, and your method works nicely Iskatu, thanks alot.
Could be a cache issue. Starcraft 2 likes to hang onto old mod files and stuff and cause lots of problems with them. But if it's working, then excellent.
@unclesatan: Go
Finally! I'm sorry I couldn't be of help, but kudos to IskatuMesk :)
If you have that issue, try going thru the team colors (pressing 1 to 9 on the keyboard) if it changes it means that you need to turn of the alpha channel in Max for the diffuse map. You can do this by selecting only the RGB value of the diffuse map in stead of the RGBA.
This means that there is an alpha channel on you diffuse map that is not explicitly white (rgb 255,255,255) or not explicitly black (rgb 0,0,0)
Hope this helps, a bit...
T.
My Starcraft II Tutorials Youtube Channel
My Basic Moddeling Tutorials Youtube Channel
My assets here
You did help, it helped me reduce it down to what could be wrong!
I thought it might be something to the likeness of this, but I do have them using RGB only rather than RGBA. I'll definitely keep these tips in mind for the future, if it happens again.