MshEx Beta 3

Releasing the source files for your mod or map? Post em' here. (Applies to both SWBF1 & SWBF2)

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RepSharpshooter
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MshEx Beta 3

Post by RepSharpshooter »

Updates for 3: bounding boxes are fixed, rotation added (meaning you can rotate nulls and such).

A new reference pic:
Hidden/Spoiler:
Image

Notice how the "chairs" are separated by clusters. The cluster called Polygon is a group of polygons that use material 03 (the leather seat texture). Polygon1 is a group of polygons that usethe table texture. Under Node Properties, you should only have 1 Texture Coordinate property. (try using sub-projections in the Texture Editor instead of multiple projections). This also shows how the selection has a null as a parent, and is BRANCH selected.


What it does:
  • Visible mesh (textures, uvs, normals, etc)
  • Nulls
  • Hierarchy
  • Rotation
  • Translation
That's it, don't ask for more.


For exporting from XSI with Crosswalk 2.6 or higher only.
Exporting from 3DS Max with Crosswalk doesn't work because of incorrect normal export.

Rules you must follow:
  • Make sure you have Crosswalk 2.6 or higher (Softimage Mod Tool 7.5 already includes this)
  • A polygon has to be in one and only one cluster at a time.
  • Each cluster must have a local copy of a material (the material name will be italicized = BAD, drag the material from the material editor onto the cluster)
  • There has to be one and only one texture projection (can someone say how to collapse a lot of them into one explicit uv map?)
  • There has to be a null as the parent of everything.
  • You cannot use rotation or scale (well you can use them, but remember to freeze transforms before exporting).
  • You can only use a max of 5000-6000 triangles (polys times two). If you go over that, you're pushing your luck. ZE will freeze/lock up.
Instructions:
  1. Put everything you're going to export under a null (not the scene root).
  2. In the scene explorer, middle-mouse click the name of the null.
  3. Go to File, Crosswalk, Export (it should be on 6.0 text when it pops up).
  4. Click the Settings tab.
  5. Select a filename/filepath.
  6. CHECK "EXPORT SELECTION ONLY"
  7. CHECK "CONVERT GEOMETRY TO TRIANGLES" or "CONVERT MESHES TO TRIANGLES"
  8. CHECK "EXPORT XSI NORMALS"
  9. UNCHECK "Keep referenced paths relative"
  10. Press Export.
  11. Run mshex in same directory and convert file to a msh. (and if you're really stupid to put it bluntly, this means put the .xsi file in the same folder as mshex.exe and hedr.msh, then double click on mshex. Then type in the .xsi name such as box.xsi)
There! Now start to export beautiful mesh that looks exactly like pandemic rolled it off their exclusive exporter!

Image
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Click here only if you read everything. READ EVERYTHING! It'll be your fault when you fail at using it.
MediaFire

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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by AceMastermind »

RepSharpshooter wrote:For XSI Crosswalk 2.6 only. Max's crosswalk doesn't work because of incorrect normal export.
Do your models look like this when you export them from 3ds Max to XSI using Crosswalk?
I don't use 3ds Max so I have no idea what kind of normal issues you're running into, but Crosswalk 3.0 is now available, give it a shot and see if it works any better for ya.
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by RepSharpshooter »

Yeah that would be it, I'll have to try crosswalk 3 and see if it works straight from Max. Another problem is that between max and XSI, the Y and Z axes are switched, causing a lot of problems (perhaps they fixed that in the 3.0 release). But thank you! I shall give it a try.
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by wazmol »

Ahhh will crosswalk 3 make bones not transform into very hard to see and understand nulls? (talking player skeletons here.)
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by MandeRek »

wazmol wrote:Ahhh will crosswalk 3 make bones not transform into very hard to see and understand nulls? (talking player skeletons here.)
Yes they will, still meshex can't do these playermodels since it needs envelopes ;)
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by wazmol »

Im on about crosswalk.

Not Meshex
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by MandeRek »

Yeah so? :P Yeah crosswalk will, but MshEx can't do anything with it.. At least not what's meant with it..
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by RepSharpshooter »

Normals are stilled messed up from max. Crosswalk 3.0 appears to work with xsi still (however, I only tested it once).
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by Fluffy_the_ic »

By one texture projection, does that mean that t must all be (for example) Cubic XY, but the scales can be different? Or no?
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by AceMastermind »

RepSharpshooter wrote:Normals are stilled messed up from max. Crosswalk 3.0 appears to work with xsi still (however, I only tested it once).
The fix for that was posted in the topic that I linked to earlier:
thiago costa wrote:...what you need to do is open the object and remove that MaxNormal property.
That is the actual normals information that came from 3dsmax which are looking bad, as you can see.
So just open the explorer as I said (8), and under the object>clusters you'll be albe to remove that "MaxNormal" property.
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by RepSharpshooter »

I've been already doing that. It's no good if you're going straight from max to mshex though.
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by wazmol »

MandeRek wrote:Yeah so? :P Yeah crosswalk will, but MshEx can't do anything with it.. At least not what's meant with it..
Jeez... It was just outta interest. Crosswalk comes in very handy for me. Xsi modtools to Xsi Foundations.
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by FragMe! »

It's okay waz I know what you meant and I was wondering the same thing :D
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by Commander_Poecky »

i ran mshex over an model, but when it says:

Code: Select all

going into loop with vrtnum: 4370
IVRT: 4370
it crashes
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by woner11 »

Just noticed:
MandeRek wrote:Yes they will, still meshex can't do these playermodels since it needs envelopes
It doesn't do player models! Is there anyway then to get a player model with custom anims into BF2 then without full version XSI?
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by MandeRek »

woner11 wrote:Just noticed:
MandeRek wrote:Yes they will, still meshex can't do these playermodels since it needs envelopes
It doesn't do player models! Is there anyway then to get a player model with custom anims into BF2 then without full version XSI?
Only way is to find an exporter.. No other solution!
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by _BR3AK3R_ »

Does it also work with Crosswalk 3.1? .. I have to try it
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by iko94 »

Holy crap, Rep, I bet this took you ages. Still, it's what I needed so I love you. :bowdown:

PS What difference does it make whether all the things you are exporting are under the scene root or not? I only just noticed that after I exported a [working] model...
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by Tourny »

Um... What if you don't have a middle mouse button?
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Re: MshEx Beta 3

Post by AceMastermind »

Tourny wrote:What if you don't have a middle mouse button?
If you don't have a middle mouse button (scroll wheel) then just left click on dummyroot and press ctrl+T to branch select.
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