Simpson3k wrote...
...but how am i supposed to open those mdl files in 3ds Max? do i need a plugin for the animationeditor or something like that?
If you have NWMax installed correctly, when you load up Max, NWMax will load up as well. You load up NWN models in Max
not by using the open or import menu items but by going to the NWMax rollout and looking for "NWN MDL Loader". Click to expand that. Basically, all you really have to do is click the "Browse" button in there, browse to your NWN MDL and after you've selected it, click the "Import" button a little ways below. There are some other options which you'lll find use for later, like whether or not to load animations as well as geometry, but those will become more apparent/useful as you progress.
To save a model, it must have an AuroraBase. If you've imported a NWN model the AuroraBase will already be present. If not, you can create one by going to the Helpers tab on the Create menu (all of this is on the right side of your screen by default). Helpers is the icon just to the right of the little camera icon. When you click on it
and then click somewhere in your perspective view you'll see that one of the types of helpers you can create is an AuroraBase. When you click that another menu will come up asking you for some options. For a basic test model all you really need to do is have a good name (I use plc_a01 because it's an easy name to remember and anything saved with that name will override the "armoire" placeable) and make sure the AuroraBase is at 0,0,0. You can put a check next to "Create to [0,0,0]", fill in "plc_a01" (without quotes) and hit "OK". Bam! You've got an AuroraBase.
I really nice, simple, exercise would be to just practice a few times making an AuroraBase which overrwrites some existing bit of content, creating a box, right clicking on it and converting it to editable mesh, maybe dragging your favorite 256x256 or 512x512 texture on the box from your override directory, selecting and linking the box to the AuroraBase and then selecting the AuroraBase so you can export it. Be sure to make sure it has the correct path for your override dir. You can choose to export just the mesh or the mesh and its animations. I don't think I do any importing but
this tutorial (which is for GMax but should work perfectly for Max) gives you a basic idea of some of the fun stuff that you can do with little work and also shows the exporting process.
When I was first starting out I just had no bloomin' idea where to begin. There were so many damned buttons. Buttons and dials and all sorts of crap,
everywhere! But really, once you get the hang of it, you use precious little in Max to do your NWN editing. It's actually kind of merciful that way because even GMax just freaking goes on and on with the buttons and settings.
That may sound noobish but i cant open the mdl files with 3ds Max. Do i have to convert them into the max fileformat first?
Thankfully, NWN 3D modeling for the most part is just dealing with simple editable meshes. You don't have to convert them into any kind of Max "format", just be able to load and save them like I talk about, above. While you're working on your model, its recommended to save your model in Max and you just do that like saving any other scene. It is best to do things like this (as opposed to exporting and importing via NWMax again and again) because with each export into NWN MDL format, little (really little) errors get introduced. Theoretically, they do stac u with the more imports and exports you do on the same model. So after an initial import into Max via NWMax, I save my progress in max fies and export to the NWN MDL format only when I'm done.
Modifié par OldTimeRadio, 14 septembre 2011 - 08:58 .
