3d models

[m_vav]

I do a lot of 3d modeling using 3ds max and other apps (film based animation mostly). I downloaded r4 and saw the skull that was in the presets. This might be a dumb question but i was wondering if anyone would explain how you can make a custom scene with a 3d object like the skull.

I have had r2 for a long time and r4 is quite an achievement. Great job!!!

I am debating with myself to buy this one also or not. If I could take some of the 3d models out of one of my modeling programs; and put one in r4 it would be the topper and I would buy this instantly.

Oh and does any documentation come with the full pro version?

[Rovastar]

LOL documentation in the full version....(sorry too drunk new year here..)...I have not written any yet

The 3d models are made simplily with triangles with the point1,point2,point3 formation.

Look at the model file in text form to see

If you do some good ones I am sure you can can get a free version..sticking my neck out here but I want a mushroom do a mshroom and a few others and you wil get a free copy

[rabidhamster]

[Rovastar]

[m_vav]

[m_vav]

i found a FREE converter program that will be very usefull for this. It takes the .3ds files and converts them right to .raw (RAW triangles). This is going to be a fun afternoon.


the program link--

READS: _3D, 0, 00x, 32D, 3D, 3D2, 3D2, 3DC, 3DD, 3DF, 3DMF, 3DO, 3DP, 3DS, 3DS, 3DT, 3DW, 3DX, 3DZ, AC, AGT, AN8, ASC ASE, ATR, BASE, BIN, BMF, BPOLY, BRP, C3D, CAD, CLI, CMF, CMO, COB, D3D, D4D, D4P, DAT, DB, DBV, DCC, DDM, DEF, DFF, DIM, DOF, DW, DXF, EMD, F3D, FAC, FACT, FFF, FLT, GDL, GEM, GEO, GLC, GLF, GRD, GTS, GVO, HCR, HRC, IGL, IGP, IMG, INP, IV, JAW, JEO, K2A, K3D, KFI, KS3, LAT, LF, LP, LTH, LWO, M, M3D, MAP, MASSIVE, MAT, MD2, MD3, MDL, MDX, MFX, MIF, MLRAW, MS3D, MSDL, NFF, NOB, NSC, OB3, OBD, OBJ, OBQ, OBT, OFF, OOG, OPT, P3D, PAK, PEO, PGM, PKG, PLY, POB, POL, POLY, POR, PP2, PRJ, PRO, PXL, Q3O, Q3S, QUAD, R3D, RAD, RAW, RAX, RAY, RDC, RF, RIB, RL, RPL, RWX, SAM, SBM, SCENE, SCN, SCRIPT, SDA, SDML, SDN, SF, SG, SHD, SHP, SHW, SIN, SLC, SLP, SMD, SMF, SMPL, SOL, SPX, SRF, SSL, STL, STP, SUT, TER, TIN, TM, TOF, TPOLY, TRI, TXT, UPF, V10, VAL, VDU, VEF, VGF, VMF, VO, VOR, VR, VTX, WLD, WRD, X, X3D, XOF, XSI, YST

WRITES: _3D, 0, 00x, 3D, 3D2, 3D2, 3DB, 3DF, 3DMF, 3DP, 3DS, 3DS, 3DV, 3DW, A3D, AC, ASC ASE, ATR, BAS, BIN, BPOLY, BRP, BYU, C, C3D, C4D, CAD, CDL, COB, D4D, D4P, DAT, DB, DBV, DEF, DIM, DW, DXF, ENT, FAC, GEM, GEO, GLC, GVO, HCR, HRC, IGL, IGP, IMG, INP, IRT, IV, JAW, JEO, K2A, KS3, LF, LWO, M, M3D, MAT, MCO, MGF, MLRAW, MS, MSDL, NFF, NSC, OB3, OBD, OBJ, OBJF, OBQ, OBT, OFF, OGL, OOG, OPT, PI, PLG, PLY, POB, POL, POLY, POR, POV, PRJ, R, R3D, RAD, RAW, RAY, RDC, RIB, RL, RPL, RSD, RT, RWX, SCENE, SCN, SCRIPT, SDML, SF, SHD, SHW, SLP, SMPL, SOL, SRF, STL, STP, SUP, SUT, TIN, TM, TPOLY, TRI, TXT, UDO, UPF, V, V10, VAL, VB, VGF, VIB, VMF, VO, VOR, VR, WLD, WRD, WRL, X, XOF, XSI, YST

I tried going backwards and opening your .raw files but this program doesn't seem to want to do it.

[rabidhamster]

wow. cheers.
That'll be amazingly useful. I'll have a look at the kinds of file it produces. Also, i'll see if there's an easy to read file that provides texture coordinates and make a loader for it.

RAW files are *very* slow to load, because triangles much then be re-joined in the computer. A decent model format would be good.

The RAW files i made were produced from 3D Exploration. Its possible RAW means different things to different people I'll check out what it produces.

- Gordon

[m_vav]

I was able to load a few different models into the skull preset scene. I used the old teapot test. I replaced the skulls in the background and the upper part of the front skull. The jaw was still floating around there. But all in all it looks very nice. I did notice that since I was exporting to .3ds from 3d studio max and then converting straight to .raw there was size issues. The size i originally start with in 3d studio max is very inportant. I had to downsize a few times in order to see the teapot, and not have them so big that they just took over the entire screen and turned it into a fractal blob.

Anyway I have models of tons of different things including a frew manga-ish female models. I would have to put a bones structure into them to make them easier to pose. They aren't going to be moving around but they will load and just sit there in the pose that you make in 3d studio max.

I will mess around with this some more but its going to take some time to get used to these scripts since I am not a programmer by nature. I am a 3d artist/animator and a hardware test engineer. I think that inventor needs to be thrown in there somewhere but not until I actually sell one of my inventions........

[Talesin]

Just a thought, Gordon... any chance a more.. robust model-type might be included? Namely, something with a skeletal animation structure? ^_^ Not sure as to the legality of using something like the Quake or Q2 animation system, but there are a number of exporters that can toss out to those formats with full anims.

Also had a couple of ideas for new transitions.. might be easier to just model them up and toss over a DivX than to try to explain 'em.

[rabidhamster]

Skeletal? Unless i'm getting the wrong meaning. MD2 is just animated vertices. I don't want to do anything thats proper skeletal, because to draw it properly would use a vast amount of machine time, or vertex shaders.

I was considering MD2 files - as long as people can import/export to them i could produce a loader i guess. I'll have a look into it this weekend.

- Gordon

[rabidhamster]

right. I've made an MD2 loader for R4 0v17 now. I'll upload it in a bit.
3DStudio Max should be able to export animations of poses to MD2 format via a plugin - i'm sure other programs will do the same.

There's a tutorial on converting MD2 using only an old version of 3DStudio and ID's free tools at

[Talesin]

The strength of skeletal animation more lies in that the skeleton can be tweaked on-the-fly instead of relying on poses.. allowing it to go through permutations rather than just moving through the same motions (well, without a lot of work). So you could set an arm to be governed by the music input, drawing its rotational and transformational data from the current values and 'magic' numbers.

At least this should allow for some interesting model-based transitions a little more easily than before.

[rabidhamster]

Yeah. i think skeletal animation would prove too complex for most people to use - and also more of a hinderance than a help for those that just want to do simple (non-human) animations.

[Talesin]

Eh? It's used in Half-Life as a default. Why things look a lot more fluid (blending motions properly instead of having an 'upper half' and 'lower half' animation), compared to Quake2. Though yeah, it'd probably be more hassle to get working than it'd be worth.

Just curiosity, would there be a relatively easy way to map a PBuffer onto a portion of a model as a texture, or load/use other textures on the fly, when you're using an animated MD2?

[rabidhamster]

yeah. Its like all the rest of R4 - you just say what you want to use as the texture. If its a pbuffer, it'll use that.