SC2Mapster

I've finally found a working BLP>TGA converter

http://wc3r.forumcircle.com/viewtopic.php?t=4075

I'm having trouble finding out how to get textured warcraft 3 models imported into 3dsmax10. I understand the BLP file contains the textures but I cannot find a working conversion tool to change it into a usable format.

Note I hope to use the models as a base to make higher res and higher poly versions but having the untextured is not very helpful.

Quote from Triceron: Go

When working with skeletons with pre-existing animation, you generally don't want to modify the bones in any way, or you risk breaking animations. You position your model to match the skeleton as close as possible in its bind pose (usually frame 0).

There's a few different methods you can use to skin objects.

The first is using the 'Skin' modifier, which is your basic rigging tool. You select your mesh, apply this modifier, and through it you can choose which bones to influence the model. Keep in mind that you do not need to work with one solid mesh, and using multiple objects with multiple skin modifiers works just the same, although if filesize is an issue you may want to stick with one mesh. Personally I try to keep parts separated, so if I need to make use of attachments or modifications it would be easier to swap parts.

Second method is using 'Select and Link'. This method simply parents a mesh to a bone, so the mesh will follow wherever the bone moves. This is the simplest solution if you have parts that are rigid, like a gun that fits in a hand, or a hat that fits on a character's head. The drawback is that select and linking only works with one bone, so if you have something that bends like an arm or a leg, use Skin instead.

Third option is using Skinwrap. I use this method when the model I am using is very similar to the model/skeleton that I am attaching it to. Say I made a custom marine model with a jetpack (Rocketeer), it has a jetpack, new gloves, new helmet. By using Skinwrap, I can make my Rocketeer mesh bind onto the same skeleton as the Marine, and it will use the Marine as a basic envelope. Think of it as shrink-wrapping your model onto a pre-existing one so that your mesh basically moves the same way the original does. After you Skinwrap, you convert the modifier into a regular Skin modifier and do your adjustments from there. This is a more complicated version of Skinning, but it can also save some time if your model isn't too different from the original.

I would suggest checking up some tutorials online if you're not familiar with rigging.

Thanks a lot for the reply! It was your videos that originally inspired me to try replacing most of the units in my map with my own models. I'm heading back from vacation now so I look forward to giving it a try with much more effort and enthusiasm.

Hi I'm having trouble skinning my own models on existing sc2 bone structures. I don't know much about animation in 3ds max other then what I've tried to learn in the past few days.

I'm not even sure what questions to ask, and most tutorials I find are not very helpful.

Does it matter if I move the bones to make it easier to skin, will that break animations? I made an infantry model and the default pose of the replacement is very awkward.

I have successfully imported my own models as doodads, just with this I'm in very unfamiliar ground. Thanks for any help.

I'm having trouble figuring out how to add a new model into sc2 using existing animations from another unit. Although I've been using 3dsmax to build assets for a long time I know nothing about animation and I can only find small bits of information on how to properly export replacement models.

I've only found bits of information on these boards, if someone could do a quick walkthrough I would be grateful.