Updated versions of NWmax (original by Joco), Veltools and Tileset Creator.

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               

I have modified the original scripts as released by DLA and available on both vaults.

 

These modifications include adjustments to allow all three of the mentioned tools to work with 3dsmax2014/2015 but will also likely work with earlier and/or later versions of max.

 

Note that Veltools and Nwmax also orginally claimed to work with Gmax, I have made NO edits to those sections of the code so likely these new updates will now also work with Gmax, but I have no way to test them.

 

NWN-Set, or Tileset Creator by Velmar, this release is a much updated version that never made full release to the public by Velmar and was in storage on the DLA site just prior to DLA closing up shop.  It includes many features that were never seen by the public at large, most particularly the mini-map creation bits, AND group handling for the given .set file that you have loaded within it.  Velmar had given me specific permission to release this version, I did not realize that this version had not actually been placed onto the vault.  Please note that TSC is very SLOW to load and to export the .set file, but it gives enormous power to anyone working with a tileset's .SET file.  It has tools to allow you to 'see' just about everything related to a tileset and to edit each bit as needed.  It is truly a godsend for folks working with tilesets as it allows adding, removing, duplicating tiles and/or groups to the .set file, up to and including the 'hidden' details that can sometimes confuse folks.  It was never intended to work with Gmax and to my knowledge has no code to work inside of Gmax due to needing to implement the listener.exe that comes with NWmax.

 

Veltools 1.25

(Please also note that there are scripts that are included as 'quick scripts' within veltools, some of those, not all, but some will likely fail with later versions of windows but are not used all that often by any tileset modder anyway, things like creating haks for all folders specified... the script runs, but windows8 onwards block the actual action)

 

NWMax 0.8C00

 

NWN-Set 2.09

 

The edits I have made strictly corrected issues that prevented these scripts from loading in the later versions of 3dsmax due to the much stricter scripting language abilities built into the later versions of 3ds.  This includes how 3dsmax handles variables, loading files, function returns etc.  I have also removed a huge number of old/usless/never intended to be added files that have accumulated within these various tools over the years, extra temp folders, copies of files generated as reports from sanity checks (over 1 thousand extra files deleted here, which are only reports of various files that failed sanity checks by the author of NWMax) and I have included the most up-to-date versions of erf.exe and nwnmdlcmp.exe that are called from within these scripts.

 

Version numbers were changed to reflect the fact that I have had to edit them.  I make no promises that anything works specifically, but they do load and run on my machine.  If you have issues with any of these, let me know and I will see if I can fix those issues, again, no promises other than that these script sets WILL take up space on your HD. 

 

Also note that NONE of these are self-installers, as such you will manually have to extract these, including the folder structure, and copy the resulting folders directly into wherever the main 3dsmax.exe file resides, overwriting/adding to whatever files are there.

 

Special warning on NWMax0.8C00, it can not be loaded in max memory at the same time or same session of 3dsmax/gmax as MDA's nwmaxplus version as nwmaxplus was a direct copy that was modified by MDA and uses many of the same variable names etc.  As such, you can run either or in one session of max, but must completely exit if you wish to run the other version then reload max, and run the script that you choose to run.

 

Also, each of these script sets includes a file that will go into the 'startup' folder of 3dsmax/gmax and will automatically load them, if you do NOT wish them to auto-run when you start max, simply delete that file (there is a copy also located with each set of folders for each program so you can always recover the autostart file).

 

 

Veltools 1.25

NWMax 0.8C00

NWN-Set 2.09

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               

Ok,

 

There is apparently some sort of error with the Tileset Creator.  It will likely fail the first time you run it.  I can't find the actual error, but I suspect that something is being called that is not properly set until the near the end of the script set.  Meaning, it may load the rollout menus, but it will likely fail with the first load of a given .set file. 

 

The only way I have been able to get around this is to run it normally from the auto-start, then manually close it out, and re-run it again manually. 

It then appears to work correctly.

 

I have also tried it without auto-start, by manually loading it.  Again, the first time it is run, it may likely run into errors.  After closing that first run, and manually starting it a second time, it again appears to work correctly. 

 

I will keep digging to try to figure this bit out, but this 'error' has existed since version 2.05 of the TSC, so it has existed for a long time.  It does not seem to generate a meaningful error since it will work fine on the 2nd run.

 

The reason I released it, was that I was manually testing and reloading it continuously until I had it successfully running, but I was not testing by exiting max and going back in... so I missed the fact that it only works on the 2nd run.  Sorry.

 

It DOES work, you just must run it, close it out, and re-run it to get it to work correctly.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Michael DarkAngel]

               

It's most likely an undefined variable/function.  Unless the error pop-up gives you the name of the variable/function causing the issue or the script window that generally opens highlights the right spot where the error occurred you may have a tough time finding it.

 

That has been my experience with what you have described.

 

 MDA

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Michael DarkAngel]

               

Just tested.  The issue is the lowercase function.  A couple ways to fix.

 

You could set up a fn_proto.ms file, much the same as Joco did for NWMax with the aurora_fn_proto.ms file, to pre-define the lowercase function.  You would then need to make sure you call the fn_proto.ms file somewhere before the lowercase function is called in set-manager.ms.

 

Scratch that, this is not what Joco used this for as I had thought.  Tried it recently with another project and it did not solve this particular issue.  The other two options below will solve the issue.

 

or

 

You could move the lowercase function from whatever file it is in (sorry I didn't look for it), paste it into the set-manager.ms file somewhere before the lowercase function is called.

 

or

 

By far, the easiest fix, put the following at the top of set-manager.ms with all the other global variable declarations

 

global lowercase

 

 MDA

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               

Just tested.  The issue is the lowercase function.  A couple ways to fix.

 

You could set up a fn_proto.ms file, much the same as Joco did for NWMax with the aurora_fn_proto.ms file, to pre-define the lowercase function.  You would then need to make sure you call the fn_proto.ms file somewhere before the lowercase function is called in set-manager.ms.

 

or

 

You could move the lowercase function from whatever file it is in (sorry I didn't look for it), paste it into the set-manager.ms file somewhere before the lowercase function is called.

 

or

 

By far, the easiest fix, put the following at the top of set-manager.ms with all the other global variable declarations

 

global lowercase

 

 MDA

 

Thanks MDA, I couldn't figure out what was causing that issue, so it will be fixed when I get the next update ready.  I knew it was the lowercase function causing the failure, but I couldn't figure out why it would work from second pass but would not work on first pass. It seems that there are a couple sections / functions that were never quite finished so I need to get them working.  There are likely other issues that will need adjustment as well.

 

All 3 sets of scripts have several different 'styles' of coding, and in my opinion, they should be re-coded in the same format across all of the scripts to make them easier to understand.  Also I should likely add a bit more in the form of comments to the series, but that will come as I make additional edits anyway.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bannor Bloodfist]

               

Well, it looks like Veltools has several, never-ending it appears, issues with how variables and functions have been changed across the years in the various versions of 3ds and Gmax.  Currently, I am working through as many as I can find, but I am having issues with getting the 'creator' set of utils to work at all, much less in Gmax.  These 'creator' tools are under their own menu option in the veltools menu system, and attempt to auto-generate the base 'helpers' that are needed for NWN to interact with your mdl files.  So far, for every fix I find, I end up with 10 or more errors caused by the fix or not fixed when you would logically assume that the 'fix' was what was needed.

 

I am almost sorry I am attempting to get these actually working.  Attempting to follow the logic of up to 5 different authors buried within the various scripts, AND to understand how max scripting trashes things, is making my life miserable at the present time.

 

I think the nwmax tools are working, and I have about 85% or so of the Set-Manager, also known as TSC working locally, with only one serious issue left behind that I am spending the most time on attempting to get the groups section to work correctly.  Dig, dig, dug, dug out, re-dug, buried, threw out, re-created, and dug up again... still not working yet.

 

Anyway folks, I am continuing work on getting these to work as originally intended.