Plug-in for 3D Studio Max 2010

[popifrex]

Hi, all! Somebody here at the forum can send me a warzone plug-in for 3d studio? I think the plug-in is a PIE one.
Thanks, and congratulations for this wonderfull game!

[Crymson]

I thought the plug-in is only for blender?

[Olrox]

One of the ways of importing PIEs to 3DSMax is via blender (install the blender plugin, import the PIE, export it to any format you can import with 3DSMax, and then do so. 3ds worked fine with me, and provides a nice connection with the "3ds2PIE" converter.

Colditz imports PIEs to 3DSMax, you could ask him how he does it as well.

~Olrox

[Saberuneko]

Oh! So I can use 3DsMax for making models for WZ?

If I knew I would give some collaboration! I've been using 3DsMax for a while!

[Olrox]

Oh! So I can use 3DsMax for making models for WZ?

If I knew I would give some collaboration! I've been using 3DsMax for a while!

Yeah, you can. I, for one, use AutoCAD for the initial stages of design, for its precise measurement systems and solids operations, and do stuff like deleting faces, welding, and UV mapping & unwrapping with 3DSMax. I use blender to import files only, as it doesn't work for exporting back to PIE

The hardest thing about that is scaling the model properly.

~Olrox

[popifrex]

Thanks a lot everyone, I already downloaded the 3ds2PIE program. However, I didn't used it so far... I'm familiarysing with 3ds max making some simple models. Maybe some day I upload some screenshots of my work...
It is only a hobby for now.

Again, thanks a lot for your help!

[stiv]

I use blender to import files only, as it doesn't work for exporting back to PIE

The current Blender PIE exporter expects a certain structure and naming (details below) for a model to export successfully. Imported PIEs have the correct form to be exported, but imports from other 3D formats need some touch-up work. I am not sure from a work-flow point of view whether simply relaxing some of the naming restrictions or a conversion script to set up the PIE structure is a better way to proceed. Relaxing the naming and simply exporting the selected Object sounds easier but you would still need to create some parent-child relationships for the connectors and levels.

Hint: having some models in other formats to play with would be helpful in working out these issues.


Blender PIE model structure:
An Empty named PIE_XXXX that is the parent of the whole model with the following children:
+ A Mesh named LEVEL_NN for each LEVEL in the model
+ An Empty named CONNECTOR_NN for each CONNECTOR in the model

A .png file for UV textures

[Olrox]

I use blender to import files only, as it doesn't work for exporting back to PIE

The current Blender PIE exporter expects a certain structure and naming (details below) for a model to export successfully. Imported PIEs have the correct form to be exported, but imports from other 3D formats need some touch-up work. I am not sure from a work-flow point of view whether simply relaxing some of the naming restrictions or a conversion script to set up the PIE structure is a better way to proceed. Relaxing the naming and simply exporting the selected Object sounds easier but you would still need to create some parent-child relationships for the connectors and levels.

Hint: having some models in other formats to play with would be helpful in working out these issues.


Blender PIE model structure:
An Empty named PIE_XXXX that is the parent of the whole model with the following children:
+ A Mesh named LEVEL_NN for each LEVEL in the model
+ An Empty named CONNECTOR_NN for each CONNECTOR in the model

A .png file for UV textures

Man, stiv, that was great! I've asked some other people how to do that and couldn't get the answers (probably if Kage was still here I could get one, but unfortunately... don't tell me it's the same case as Rman, I'll feel really deceived if it is)

I agree that making the format conversions more flexible doesn't sound like the right path. But, definetely, this information should be more easily accessible, by all means! Wouldn't it hit the spot to add it to the trac, close to elio's stuff regarding models? I remember that I've accessed those pages some 3~4 times in the past 2 years hoping that the info about that could be there, as well as I've searched the forums a lot of times for things like "blender PIE LEVEL_ create"...

That will most probably solve my issues with scale problems, am I right in guessing that if you import a PIE, and resize something to the same size, and then export it to pie again, it'll have the same proportions? If so, definetely you've just helped me save a lot of time.

I'll try that later, and have some in-depth topic about that to help other people finding info about that more easily - posting it in the Artwork Development board.

Again, thanks.

~Olrox

[popifrex]

I'm glad seeing that I've helped you.

By the way: the PIE's where can I find them?
At warzone directory or using the warzone modding kit?
, Thanks for the help!

[Olrox]

You can find the models inside the base.wz and mp.wz files, inside your game directory. Those are renamed .zip files, you can open it with your compressed files manager (winRAR, winZIP, 7zip or whatever) and extract them. Base.wz contains stuff for everything that for the single-player campaign, and mp.wz contains stuff from multiplayer. If you search inside the folders you'll find the PIE files. The units' models are all inside the "components" folder, for example.

~Olrox

[popifrex]

Thanks! Can you give me a link to a working pie editor, I want to try with different programs and see which one
gives better results! And one more thing, how to install the PIE plug-in for blender? Thanks olrox!

[Olrox]

Thanks! Can you give me a link to a working pie editor, I want to try with different programs and see which one
gives better results! And one more thing, how to install the PIE plug-in for blender? Thanks olrox!

Mff, you won't want to mess with specific PIE editors, those are really primitive. Perhaps you'll find a real use to add connectors to your models and check their position with more precision, though. I don't have a working link ready at hand, but the most usual is PIESlicer, search around for it.

To install the blender plugin, you have to download the package (use the advanced search button, come on!) and put it into the "plug-ins" folder after you've installed blender (along with python script). This plug-ins folder you're looking for should be in the application data/blender foundation/blender/.blender or something like that, it isn't the install folder. After you've done that, the "import file" menu should already contain an entry for "Warzone 2100 (PIE)".

That, adding to stiv's information, should be enough to export your models to PIE format. Always remember, you'll want to check your pie files:

1- with PIE Slicer, to be absolutely sure about the position of your model in relation to the origin.
2- with notepad of some other simple text editor, to be absolutely sure that the texpage is specified correctly.
3- in the game and back again, probably several times, until you get used to the particularities of each kind of model.

Also, remember to check the .wrf files... hmmm, I think I'm repeating myself in some aspects. Here's a link that involves most of the necessary info to get your models in-game:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4994#p50777

I'll probably dedicate myself someday to write a wide-range explanation of those steps, in the form of a guide. That comes after I've mastered the procedure myself, of course (has yet to happen, since it's been a really short time since I've started modding anything). I'm sorry about not providing working links for the plugins and PIE slicer, but I am sure you can find them quickly if you use the search button

~Olrox

[Berg]

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=5002&p=50948&hilit ... cer#p50948
Posted in another thread the info you ask for

[MaNGusT]

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4967#p50425

[popifrex]

Thanks everyone! I have found them! Thanks specially to olrox!