Open monsters in 3DS Max

[beginnerX]

Hello there!

I'm here to ask about opening monster files in 3D Studio Max to do further editing than mere texture editing. To some of you, this might be a very simple process, but I've tried and failed multiple times with the different SMD Readers I found in the forum. And before I go any further, I apologize in advance if this question has already been answered in the forum.

I was able to convert the monster files using the few SMD Readers available. However, 3DS Max crashes at ~99% when importing the ASE file. I saw a comment in a thread suggesting that the monster files have a section that the maps don't have, and that it might be the cause for the SMD Reader to not be fully functional with monsters.

Any pointers to topics and/or guides would be extremely helpful. Even a successfully imported ASE monster would do to help me get started.

Many thanks to the community. It's great to see that, after such a long time, RageZone still helps the newcomers like me

Thanks for your time.

 

[SunnyZ]

Which smd converter are you using? You said you have tried different SMD readers?
I am only aware of one, this one: http://forum.ragezone.com/f399/sandurrs-smd-converter-736316/

Which version of 3DS Max are you using, the ASE import and export plugins made by Sandurr only work in 3DS Max 6, 7 and 8 for me.

Also, first try just try converting the SMD, not the SMD and the SMB.
The SMB is the animations file, this can sometimes cause errors.
So make sure to not have the SMB file in the same folder as the SMD.
If this is what you were originally doing, grab both the SMD and the SMB (they should have the same name with the different extension) and copy them into the same folder as the SMD reader. Run the smd reader type away the path name and smd file name. THen try importing that generated ASE.

 

[beginnerX]

Thanks for your response SunnyZ!

Here are the results of the suggestions you provided trying to import the monster "Cold Eye".

1) Convert the SMD with the SMB not in the same folder:
I see an error in the SMD reader


Something weird, really big and with no shape gets imported


2) Convert the SMD with both files in the same folder:
SMD Reader succeeds this time


3D Max crashes at 99%


------------------------------------------
Then I found this post: http://forum.ragezone.com/f740/smd-converter-707619/#post6026976

So I downloaded Biturn, which opened the ASE file and I resaved it as ASE.


So late thanks to you SunnyZ for letting the community know about Biturn!

Now I have a new problem which is, the game crashes as soon as I spawn the exported mob with no modifications at all. Just import-export directly. Any guidance? There is a thread where the same issue appeared when exporting bones/animations for char models.

Thanks once again!

 

[SunnyZ]

You must make sure to have the ASE in both the server and the client.
The game checks whether the monster in your client folder matches the monster in the server folder.
If it does not match, your game will crash.
Even though you did not change anything, the file size and check sum will never be 100% the same as the original.
You should also always use the original SMB animation file, not the one that is generated from your ASE file, as sometimes 3DS Max can screw up the animation keys, if the INX file refers to animation keys that do not exist, the game will also crash.
Remember to apply the skin to the monster, no skin can also make the game crash.
The export options are also very important. The incorect export options can once again make the game crash :blink:. I have forgotten which settings to tick, I will have a look around later.
Isn't it just fantastic LOL

That being said, I have never been 100% with editing monsters, ScreamingFox appears to be a pro at that: http://forum.ragezone.com/f740/cat-npc-foe-xd-876195/
Perhaps he could give some insight to this.

Also, I never got a working version of 3ds max 6.
At the moment I use 3DS Max 8, and it works perfectly at importing ASE files directly created from the SMD reader.

 

[beginnerX]

Thanks SunnyZ! All good information and yet another hand full of issues to take into account when doing this

I downloaded 3D Max 8 and I'm seeing better results overall. However, while just a minute ago I was seeing the Cold Eye move in 3D Max (although some funky weird moves), now I'm unable to open the ASE for some reason. 3D Max keeps giving me the following error:



I haven't changed anything. I tried deleting the plugin and put it back there. Running the SMD reader again but I keep hitting this error all the time. Have you ever seen something like this? Could you please attach your ASE to help me isolate the problem?

Once again, many thanks!

 

[ScreamingFox]

I am no 'pro', i am but lover an thats it... in Portuguese, 'amateur' ("amador") is close to 'lover'("amante"), and both can mean 'one who loves' (just like 'matador' mean 'killer' or 'one who kills'), "amar"="to love", so i can be an amateur, an enthusiast maybe =D..


I lost the cat when i lost my old pc :z.. but it just waggles the tail on the game, it is a 'map asset'.. map animation seems to be a bit easier.. I was mostly testing the



But.. About the SMD converter, although i was able to convert the meshes perfectly and put it on 3ds, like Sunny kindly demonstrated, all the times the Physique rig was lost or wasted.. But you can evade this hindrance by editing the ASE using the imported-to-3ds as a visual basis.. It is like when doing armor parts piece by piece and exporting them to ase and editing the exported ase basing it on a functional ase.

To new monsters, well, i did the dragon but it was my first 'creature', and it was complex and with some mistakes, so i did the cat that was simpler, but got pc issues and lost it.. but what i was going to do (to do a new monster) was going to be:

-To export the new character (monster, npc, etc..) rigged with Physique , rigid and with no blending between links.
-Having the animation intervals noted (ex: walking = 100-200, attack1 = 500-700, etc..) i would edit an leaked INI file (INI file is to an INX what an ASE is to a SMD) to my animation intervals and mesh names.
-Perhaps it would be " " " " just " " " " it... XD


But you can radically alter existing monsters without even put them on 3ds, things like adding effects to parts of the monster, etc.. and having the monster's mesh on 3ds, you can add or remove stuff from the monster as well. Well you can remove stuff without having the monster's mesh on 3ds, but you can't add new stuff to a monster without having it on 3ds, since you would have to rig it to a fitting link.. etc..


Resuming, to open a character's (monster, npc, etc..) mesh it is not complicated, but i never imported the ase into 3ds with working Physique..


@begginer: If you import then export the same thing (into 3ds and to ase, etc..) it will not work because importing to 3ds or converting with biturn will ruin the Physique and all the rig (bad bones and textures not being BMP or TGA crashes the game on the spot, other things though very strange, can "work").




@edit: Yes, it crashes a lot.. :z.. use this 3dsmax with 'compatibility mode'.. import the mesh and then save it quickly XDD

 

[beginnerX]

Thanks guys! Update: I got Chaos Cara working. For some reason Cold Eye refuses to open again.

Here is what I got in 3D Max.

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As you can see, the animations are there but it does not move right I think it does the movement that normally Chaos Cara does with her hand, but it applies to her entire body. At this point I'm not even trying to export it yet. As a first step, all I want is to reuse Chaos Cara and change her model without messing the animations/effects.

 

[ScreamingFox]

Rig your new model to the chaos cara bones.. If they are invisible or just dots there is not much problem, since the Physique rigs vertices to links not bones themselves.. ah, so you select the elusive bones with 'select by name'.. Then you export just your new and rigged model (export selected) to ase, and on this ase, you will copy your new model's GEOMOBJECT part(s) with the Physique block.. and then paste it above the original chaos cara GEOMOBJECT, on the original chaos cara ase..