Gmax

I know there are a lot of you who are interested in modeling custom static meshes for your RvS maps, but do not have the cash for 3ds max or Maya Complete. So I did some research and testing to see if a free solution exists. The challenge is to get the rendered models into a file format that it can be imported into the RvS map editor. First I investigated whether gmax--a free tool provided by Discreet, the makers of 3ds max--could be used to create static meshes for Raven Shield. David Smith from gmaxsupport.com was an enormous help in finding a file conversion solution. Be warned, this is a work-around solution intended mainly for Quake map-makers who are already comfortable working with gmax, or for 3d modelers who have worked with 3ds max in the past, but no longer have access to the full version. (If you’re an UT2003 map maker or a UT2003 player, I recommend you skip to the next section on Maya Personal Learning Edition instead.)

First, download the following three files:
(ftp://ftp1.discreet.com/web/products/gmax/gmax12.exe)

(http://www.dsmith.gmaxsupport.com/downloaditems/md3exp.zip)

(http://www.dsmith.gmaxsupport.com/downloaditems/3dexplor1_5.exe)
The first file, ‘gmax12.exe’, is gmax itself. Install it to your hard drive. (You will need to obtain a free registration key from Discreet’s web site.) The second file, ‘md3exp.dle’, is a plug-in that will allow you to export from gmax into .md3 format. Place this file in the ‘\gmax\stdplugs\’ directory before you startup gmax. The third file, ‘3dexplor.exe’, is the setup file for 3d Exploration, a graphics program that we are going to use solely to convert our .md3 file to an .asc file. (I warned you that this was a work-around solution.) Install 3d exploration to your hard drive.

Startup gmax. Open the “Customize” menu and choose “Units Setup…”. Make sure “Generic Units” is selected and click the “OK” button. Open the “Customize” menu again and choose “Grid and Snap Settings…”. Select the “Home Grid” tab. Set Grid Spacing to “16” and Major Lines every Nth to “8”. This will match the standard grid configuration in UnrealED. Model your object. (If you’re brand new to the program, just select “Sphere” from the “Object Type” options on the right and left click and drag in any viewport to create a simple model.) Do not assign uv maps or mapping coordinates. Don’t bother assigning textures, because they won’t make it through the import process. With your object or objects selected, open the “File” menu and choose “Export Selected…”. Save the file as “sphere”, making sure that “Save as type:” is set to “Quake III (*.MD3)”, and remember where you save the file to. In the dialog box that appears, set “The Following Frames:” to “0” and uncheck “Show Warning Dialogs”. Click the “Export Now” button. Close gmax (you can save the scene if you wish to).

Launch 3d Exploration. Open the “File” menu and choose “Open…”. Set “Files of type:” to “Quake 3 Model (*.MD3)” and open the “sphere.md3” file. Open the “File” menu again and choose “Save as…”. Set “Save as type:” to “3D Studio ASC file (*asc)” and save the file as “sphere”.

Unfortunately, we still can’t import this file into UnrealED as a static mesh, so we’ll import it as a brush instead. Open the Raven Shield map editor and subtract an area to work in (or open an existing custom map). Open the “Brush” menu and choose “Import…”. Open the “sphere.asc” file. In the dialog box that appears, make sure “Solidity” is set to “Solid mesh” and click the “OK” button. The red builder brush will resize to the imported model. Select a texture and add a geometry brush somewhere in the subtracted area. Move the builder brush out of the way. Select our new brush in one of the 2d viewports, right click, and select “Convert | To Static Mesh”. Enter a package name, group name, and static mesh name. (As always, I recommend naming the package with your map name, followed by “_SM”. Immediately click the “Save” button in the static mesh browser and save your .usx package.

I can’t promise that UnrealED will agree with every .asc file that you try to import. In my testing, I was successful at importing some pretty high-polygon models. The few crashes I experienced occurred when I didn’t have vertices explicitly defined for a model. Thanks again to David Smith for providing most of the information above.