Michael Dark Angel mentioned a possible renderer for Gmax (http://forum.bioware...-and-dirty-way/). He said, that he didn't find the time to check it out, so I took a dive at it.
It's the Gmax Render Suite 1.0 Beta 3 by Knochlet.
The tool is able to render in Gmax, so thanks MDA for the finding!
I posted it to the neverwintervault:
http://neverwinterva...-gmax-nwn1-nwn2
The following text is the same as on the neverwintervault-page:
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Gmax Render Suite 1.0 Beta 3 - A renderer for Gmax
by Knochlet
Source-URL: Project Perfect Mod
http://www.ppmforums...pic.php?t=31569
Tested on Windows 7 (64)
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Installing:
Unzip (eg. to your desktop) and run "RenderSuiteInstall.exe". It should create a new subfolder in your Gmax folder: "RenderSuite" and a batch file to launch it.
It will change/exchange some files, so backup at least these, or even better, your whole Gmax folder:
gmax.ini
maxscrpt.dsk
a new startup scene: ...\Gmax\Scenes\gmaxstart.gmax
You can extract the "RenderSuiteInstall.exe" with eg. 7-Zip and check out the ".text" file with a text editor for more details on what will be placed where.
For Win 7, this key is added to your regestry:
Key name: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\YafRay Team
Key name: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\YafRay Team\Yafray
Value: 0
Name: InstallDir
Typ: REG_SZ
Daten: [Installation path] ...\Gmax\RenderSuite
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Basic instructions:
After installation, Gmax starts with a new start scene, which already has the needed objects for rendering. And you'll have a new top menu entry "Rendering" and a new viewport option "Camera01". (Right-click onto the top left corner to choose another view.)
To render, you need to have switched one viewport to "Camera01" and select it.
There is already 1 omni-light source in place. Maybe it needs to me moved around and maybe adding another light with a different positions helps to improve the outcome. The result of a light-position change is to be seen in the "Camera01" viewport.
Hide parts, which should not be rendered (walkmesh, collision meshes, ...).
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NWN1:
The "problem" here is, that NWmax and GmaxRenderSuite both need to be started with a special "starter". When you exit Gmax, if it's loaded with the GmaxRenderSuite (GRSuite), the renderer is unloaded (displayed via a "thanks screen").
Good thing is, that NWmax is not unloaded upon closing Gmax. So, first start NWmax, close Gmax after loading and then start Gmax with the GmaxRenderSuit-bat.
Exporting a NWN1 model should now work.
Importing a NWN1 modlel (with the RenderSuite-scene loaded):
If importing a NWN model leads to an error message: Delete render helpers (Camera01, Camera01.Target, Omni01-light), import the model and merge the GmaxRenderSuite-start scene.
Use TGA (only?).
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NWN2:
The "official" DDS-format is not suported. Use TGA instead.
GRSuite seems to be able to work with multible textures applied to an object (eg . diffuse+bump) as long as all of them are TGA. If you want to render a scene, which has DDS textures, replace the diffuse one with a TGA version and deactivate the other slots. [I made a test and applied an additional (DDS) bumpmap to an object and deactivated it (unchecked it) and the renderer worked.]
If you still get an error, empty additional slots by dragging an empty slot onto the eg. Bump-slot.
Still: If "yafray.exe" does not work anymore / crashes, check the DOS/CMD-window (in the taskbar) BEFORE you "close program". The DOS/CMD-window Will tell you, which texture lead to the crash or at least at which point of the process.
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Further issues:
- It seems, that the RenderSuite might crash, if model is too complex/made up of too many polygones - even if only TGA is in use. (I have not been able to nail down the cause to this.)
- If you don't get the "thanks screen" upon closing Gmax (eg. after a "yafray.exe"-crash), the renderer is still active. Use the task manager to end the task (GmaxRender.exe)
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Additional (non NWN) info on how to use the suite can be found here:
http://www.fsdevelop...ering_with_GMax
