I think with normal maps you could reduce this things polies by a third with no major visible difference (From an in-game perspective). Looks pretty badass though.
This is true. In theory you could use the high-poly variant to make normals from some of the greeble in particular. I am not versed in this kind of thing, though. :(
Waste? Nah. High detail models are good when they are really big. I can't texture anyway so no matter. There are obviously parts that could be optimized a bit with normal maps but I'm not too concerned.
FPS won't be effected unless you're running a terrible computer. Which also won't matter, because nothing I'd make will be public anyways. :)
Polies don't impact performance nearly as much as they did in 2001. After stressing Supreme Commander's engine with as many high-poly models as I could (100k) on a relatively old computer and only moderately impacting performance, I'm pretty confident I could go well over 100k if I really wanted to.
Sc2's models are going to be very, very low poly because Blizzard wants the game to run as good as it possibly can on low and medium range hardware. I build my stuff exclusively for top-range.
(I also stress tested SoaSE's engine, but that was hard capped at 25k polies, so I couldn't put in a 50k monster even if I wanted to. Still, 200 20k ships didn't cause any serious performance drop and that is a very slow engine.)
What I think might be more of a problem with sc2 is the fact that a large amount of those polies is contained in moving turrets. Homeworld 2 could take a ton of polies but performance died with subsystems. We'll just have to see when I get around to trying it.
Your creators are dead, child. You have nothing left in this world. Not hope, not salvation. Only the hand of God reaching down to suffocate your last whimper.
25% complete. CTS hurts too much to continue at this time. 58k quads - perfectly suitable for sc2 for what I'd use it for. Tentative upper limit is 100k but doubt I'll reach that. This is a 2 year old model I spent some hours updating today.
In sc2 this would be about the size of the screen. Might put it into SC2 in the late future; honestly rigging the weapons in sc2's confusing editor interface is more scary than finishing the model itself and then optimizing it.
I can't UV or texture so not worried about that.
Old model - about 15 hours modeling time. Updates took about 4 hours total; it's extremely hard for me to focus on something this difficult.
This is my most detailed model, along with the DyiithJhinn Juggernaut and Leviathan. It represents the pinnacle of my juvenile modeling skills I've struggled to nurture over 10 years.
Most of the glitches in the Thor are definitely fixed, there's a few notable issues left though. Weird, random pieces of the model end up in strange places or scatter around in some animations.
Well, what I tried to do was first bring down the total frame count to about where the last animation data ends (around 200k). Then I timescaled it all the way down to around 2k-3k frames. It works in theory but it's still a big mess to go through with all of the weird transitions.
I didn't see a sequence menu but I'll have a second look. :)
It's taken this long for someone to finally update the mdx importer. Brings a tear to my eye. If I was still modding wc3 I would have baked you a cookie or something in return. Instead, I'll just thank you profusely - this will allow me to bring some of my wc3 format WoW models into max until I get the m2 importer. :)
/edit
Okay, I'm not exactly adept with 3ds max (re: I'm terrible and don't know anything), so hopefully you can give me some guidence here.
I have here a Protodrake from the Lick Ling beta someone converted over to m2. I'm trying to get him into 3ds max. Well, this importer does exactly that. It imports it into 3ds max. However, I end up with around 8 hundred thousand frames, many of which contain no data at all. Additionally, I am aware that wc3 has some kind of animation blending for transitions, and this seems to have made it into the scene as well.
I'd like to split apart the animations but I have no sensible idea how to go about that with so many frames. I want to reduce each animation down to around 60-100 frames a piece. Time scaling doesn't seem to alleviate the weird transitions and it's kind of hard to tell where animations start or stop.
Awesome! I just received a script for batch renaming renders from max for my Age of Wonders 2 project, so I'm totally ready to start making sprites out of Sc2 models. Your work is greatly appreciated.
What do you mean by "tools for modeling?" All Blizzard has ever/will ever release is an exporter plugin, and probably one that only supports an ancient 3ds max version like it did for wc3.
/e In response to your edit - Blizzard doesn't support or update their tools (as demonstrated by their ancient wc3 exporter), and they don't release importers; there's always going to be a high demand for someone who knows his way around this business.
I for one would kill for an m2/mdx importer for 3ds max 2009 right about now.
Ah, some of the animations when imported are definitely broken still (My test is the Thor), but it's improving every version. Last time there were parts freaking out all over the place, now it's just the rear of the guns and the legs.
Too bad I don't know how to do anything other than basic modeling, or I'd try throwing in my mecha spider.
Comment by KorvinGump taken from the last newspost: Quote:
NiNToxicated Thank you for plugin. Hi all i found impexpMDX plugin, which work in 3ds max 2010, you can import models from warcraft 3, but i don't know imports if he animation or not because I recently started studying 3dsMax. Put files in 3dsmax directory/scripts/startup
DOWNLOAD
MIRROR 1
MIRROR 2
This is having major issues importing some of my WoW models in mdx format, the animations get totally destroyed. :\
They may help you gather an understanding of how our editors were built through years of perfection, and how our experiences may assist you in designing your own editor. :)
Your data editor is already leagues ahead of the official one in terms of organization and professionalism. Please keep up the excellent work, I'll be keeping an eye on your progress. :)
0
This is true. In theory you could use the high-poly variant to make normals from some of the greeble in particular. I am not versed in this kind of thing, though. :(
0
@tigerija: Go
Waste? Nah. High detail models are good when they are really big. I can't texture anyway so no matter. There are obviously parts that could be optimized a bit with normal maps but I'm not too concerned.
FPS won't be effected unless you're running a terrible computer. Which also won't matter, because nothing I'd make will be public anyways. :)
0
Polies don't impact performance nearly as much as they did in 2001. After stressing Supreme Commander's engine with as many high-poly models as I could (100k) on a relatively old computer and only moderately impacting performance, I'm pretty confident I could go well over 100k if I really wanted to.
Sc2's models are going to be very, very low poly because Blizzard wants the game to run as good as it possibly can on low and medium range hardware. I build my stuff exclusively for top-range.
(I also stress tested SoaSE's engine, but that was hard capped at 25k polies, so I couldn't put in a 50k monster even if I wanted to. Still, 200 20k ships didn't cause any serious performance drop and that is a very slow engine.)
What I think might be more of a problem with sc2 is the fact that a large amount of those polies is contained in moving turrets. Homeworld 2 could take a ton of polies but performance died with subsystems. We'll just have to see when I get around to trying it.
0
Your creators are dead, child. You have nothing left in this world. Not hope, not salvation. Only the hand of God reaching down to suffocate your last whimper.
25% complete. CTS hurts too much to continue at this time. 58k quads - perfectly suitable for sc2 for what I'd use it for. Tentative upper limit is 100k but doubt I'll reach that. This is a 2 year old model I spent some hours updating today.
http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2783/gbc2.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8446/gbc1.jpg
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/19/gbc3.jpg
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8455/gbc4.jpg
In sc2 this would be about the size of the screen. Might put it into SC2 in the late future; honestly rigging the weapons in sc2's confusing editor interface is more scary than finishing the model itself and then optimizing it.
I can't UV or texture so not worried about that.
Old model - about 15 hours modeling time. Updates took about 4 hours total; it's extremely hard for me to focus on something this difficult.
This is my most detailed model, along with the DyiithJhinn Juggernaut and Leviathan. It represents the pinnacle of my juvenile modeling skills I've struggled to nurture over 10 years.
0
Most of the glitches in the Thor are definitely fixed, there's a few notable issues left though. Weird, random pieces of the model end up in strange places or scatter around in some animations.
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8123/image1ee.jpg
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/9433/image2ew.jpg
Also, how does the exporter handle hardpoints? Or does it yet? I assume you just have helpers with names/orientations?
0
@Bouda456: Go
I sometimes get that mesh error as well. No idea what causes it.
0
Well, what I tried to do was first bring down the total frame count to about where the last animation data ends (around 200k). Then I timescaled it all the way down to around 2k-3k frames. It works in theory but it's still a big mess to go through with all of the weird transitions.
I didn't see a sequence menu but I'll have a second look. :)
/edit
There we go, figured it out! Yay! :D
0
It's taken this long for someone to finally update the mdx importer. Brings a tear to my eye. If I was still modding wc3 I would have baked you a cookie or something in return. Instead, I'll just thank you profusely - this will allow me to bring some of my wc3 format WoW models into max until I get the m2 importer. :)
/edit
Okay, I'm not exactly adept with 3ds max (re: I'm terrible and don't know anything), so hopefully you can give me some guidence here.
I have here a Protodrake from the Lick Ling beta someone converted over to m2. I'm trying to get him into 3ds max. Well, this importer does exactly that. It imports it into 3ds max. However, I end up with around 8 hundred thousand frames, many of which contain no data at all. Additionally, I am aware that wc3 has some kind of animation blending for transitions, and this seems to have made it into the scene as well.
I'd like to split apart the animations but I have no sensible idea how to go about that with so many frames. I want to reduce each animation down to around 60-100 frames a piece. Time scaling doesn't seem to alleviate the weird transitions and it's kind of hard to tell where animations start or stop.
0
Awesome! I just received a script for batch renaming renders from max for my Age of Wonders 2 project, so I'm totally ready to start making sprites out of Sc2 models. Your work is greatly appreciated.
0
What do you mean by "tools for modeling?" All Blizzard has ever/will ever release is an exporter plugin, and probably one that only supports an ancient 3ds max version like it did for wc3.
/e In response to your edit - Blizzard doesn't support or update their tools (as demonstrated by their ancient wc3 exporter), and they don't release importers; there's always going to be a high demand for someone who knows his way around this business.
I for one would kill for an m2/mdx importer for 3ds max 2009 right about now.
0
Ah, some of the animations when imported are definitely broken still (My test is the Thor), but it's improving every version. Last time there were parts freaking out all over the place, now it's just the rear of the guns and the legs.
Too bad I don't know how to do anything other than basic modeling, or I'd try throwing in my mecha spider.
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4402/spider11gd8.jpg
He'd need working ik for sure.
0
This is having major issues importing some of my WoW models in mdx format, the animations get totally destroyed. :\
Even non-WoW mdx's are getting destroyed.
0
Awesome! I should be able to get some sc2 models into the age of wonders 2 format now, since their animations will import correctly. :D
0
Have you considered looking at community-made Starcraft 1 tools to help you design your interface? Such as Datedit?
http://files.campaigncreations.org/resources/sc/programs/DatEdit.zip
They may help you gather an understanding of how our editors were built through years of perfection, and how our experiences may assist you in designing your own editor. :)
0
@Sholdak: Go
Your data editor is already leagues ahead of the official one in terms of organization and professionalism. Please keep up the excellent work, I'll be keeping an eye on your progress. :)