Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SAS~Sani]

I've never seen any practical/usefull importing tutorial,so I'll try to make one
This may not be the correct way to do it,but it works for me...meaning that
a couple of planes that I've imported work ok ,And it will be fairly simple
because this model doesn't have LOD's.

I will not go into 3d max techniques like mapping,adding materials or centering
pivots to object.I will assume that you know that and that your model is finished
and mapped.
Also I find it best that model is pointing in X direction in max viewport.

So,let's dig in,shall we? .Subject of this tutorial is Spad VII



Let's start from the beggining,ie propeller.



First,center the pivot point to object.Then make a dummy object,place it like
in the picture and name it _Clip00.





This is a hook .It goes from 00 to maximum of 60.Game uses these Clip hooks
to "know" where model is in game and to detect collisions.Also,game uses _Clip00
hook to determine in which direction model will fly.Make two clones of _Clip00,
and name them in numerical sequence (_Clip01,_Clip02).Position them at tips of
propblades.They will detect if you,for example,hit the ground with propeller
during take off.





Now we make a collision box,or hit box.This detects if bullets have hit the
propeller.Just make a simple shape (box) that roughly match propellers size.
Name it xxeng1prop and align it with propeller.Hit boxes must be converted to
editable mesh before export.





Next,shadow mesh.Select propeller model...clone it and name it SHW_Mesh.





Apply one of the unused default materials on this shadow...





Now we need to link all this stuff to main propeller model.Go to schematics view
and connect clip hooks,collision box and shadow to main propeller model.




In reference coordinate system pick world,select main propeller mesh and write
down it's position (marked in red).This is important...marked part will be position
of propeller in hier.him file.




Next,move propeller into center of the viewport grid (X=0,Y=0,Z=0).




And now you can export it with max exporter script.Go to Utilities/MAXScript,pick
Buggy Buggy IL2 Exporter...since this model doesn't have LOD's use only one
(I'm using 2000)....and that's it for the propeller .





I will update this tutorial as I progress with this plane,and hopefully I will cover entire aircraft...from importing all 3d stuff
to applying damage textures,overlay markings etc.Also I will explain how to customize java for this (moving parts,gauges etc)

Have fun

[SAS~Anto]

Thanks Sani, nice and clear. Definately cleared a few minor points up for me

[SAS~Friction]

Great tutorial! Answered quite a few of the questions I had!

Regards
James

[ModdingMonkey]

Me thinking this good.

[Radar]

Thanks mate

[asheshouse]

Very useful. Thanks

[SAS~Sani]

The way I'm doing this is making text meshes for major parts of the plane,like
engine,fuselage,wings.Then put them in game and add details later.

Next part in line is engine cowling.Since you know now how to make shadows and
add hooks,here I will only show you how I would position clip hooks.Another important thing
is that pivot points need to be centered to object for every part you export.This
can be nightmarish later in him file,but it affects how parts fall of from the plane.
Meaning will they rotate normally or fly of in some weird trajectory.



Write down it's coordinates,move to center of the grid and export.


Fuselage.Or CF_D0.Every other part is linked to this one in him file.So,since it is
a center of aircraft,put his pivot point in center of max grid.

Hooks...we have a new one here..._ExternalBail01.Pilot will bail out from this hook.




Here we need to add collision boxes for cockpit and ammo.Name of the fuselage hit box
is xcf1...make it as a simple box that is roughly sized as fuselage mesh.Like this



It will detect bullet hits to fuselage.


Next hit box is for cockpit.It should be named xcockpit,and size it to a cockpit size
in the fuselage.





Yet another hit box for ammo .If this gets hit then bye bye ammo,gun jammed etc.
Since the (one) gun is belt fed,logical place for ammo box would be underneath the
gun.Name it xxammo01.





Connect everything in schematic view and export.

[SAS~Sani]

Tail.Usual stuff,center pivot (and write down it's coordinates),shadow,clip hooks.





Tail hit box is called xtail1,simple box shaped similarly to tail main mesh.Here we have
a few additional hit boxes....for tail spar,elevator and rudder controls.
Tail spar hit box should be named xxspart.




Since rudder and elevator are controled with wires,controls hit boxes are pretty small
Control box name is xxcontrols,and you can have a lot of them (xxcontrols1,xxcontrols2 etc).




Fuel tank hit box...xxtank1.




Two new hooks here..._Tank1Burn and _Tank1Leak.I usually put leak hook on the bottom of fuselage
and burn hook inside fuel tank.




Connect everything to tail main model,move to center of grid and export.

[ModdingMonkey]

actually with objects that do not move you dont have to move them to 0,0 it just makes them harder to align the other parts.

lol

in the heir file the last three numbers are just 0 0 0  that way.

[SAS~Sani]

Yes,but when tail gets shot off it flies away in a weird way,rotating around a point that is like 3m away from the actual object...and that's not looking good 

ALL parts in IL2 rotate around the center of max grid.

[Docholiday]

As newbee Your tutorial is worth gold for me !

Thank You

Doc 

[Radar]

As newbee Your tutorial is worth gold for me !

Thank You

Doc 

+100

its gold for everyone who's looking for things known by most speakers and never explained