3DS Max: How do I get this panel / menu appear?

[Elianora]

I'm looking at tumbajamba's NIF export tutorial and I wanted to cut some polygons from vanilla meshes to make some new items and merge them in Outfit Studio, but I can't figure out how to get this menu to appear so I could re-link the skeleton after polygons were removed.

 

http://i.imgur.com/E5BqHyu.png

 

I mean the whole part where tumba wrote down what to keep and remove. The mesh browser kinda thingie. I can't find it in Max. Yes, I'm a total noob with this.

 

Using 2014 version of Max.

 

Thanks in advance!

[DogtoothCG]

Tools>New Scene Explorer.

[Elianora]

Thank you!

Found the menu, still can't get it to work though. I can't get it to export the skeleton along with the armour. I'm starting to be ready to give up on these armours.

[KorinOo]

I'm not sure I understand the problem here... You want to delete the mesh, but keep the bone, right? And the menu you can't find in your 3dsmax is the sidebar on the left (in that screenshot)?

I think I can help you, but I need a little better description of what we are looking for.

 

EDIT: Can you show us your export options and a screenshot of your exported nif from NifSkope? If the nif file don't have skeleton, then it's probably something wrong with the export.

I'm reading this tutorial right now, and I must say, it's not the best one... A lot of stuff is all over the place.

Edited January 15, 2016 by KorinOo

[Elianora]

Ok, I'm trying to remove the chest piece and some bags off the lite combat armour:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdTbtatlYM0

 

The tutorial said first import the skeleton. Remove meshes you won't use. I did that, then it said import the nif you want to link to skeleton. According to tutorial it should just happen. I import the thing, they seem linked, but when I export the whole thing (ctrl + a to select all) it only exports the belt, not the skeleton.

[Elianora]

All I want to do is remove polygons to make belts and shiz ;__; I don't even need to create anything new, I just need the weighting to work so I can use there belts with other outfits.

[KorinOo]

Ok, you can throw that tutorial out of the window :)

 

Here is what you should do:

1. Start 3dsMax and open new scene (empty)

2. Import the armor piece you wanna edit. Import it with skeleton.

Note: It should have "Skin" modifier on it in the "Modify" tab. http://s11.postimg.org/7xtwd69lf/Untitled.jpg

3. Edit your mesh (delete polygons you don't want)

4. Export it (with skeleton and skin modifier selected in export window)

 

That's all. It should work. As long as you are just deleting polygons, you don't have to re-skin the whole mesh.

 

Also, for people who try to learn from that tutorial- don't. It skips a lot of things that are important when working with skinned/rigged objects. It works if you follow it in 100%, but it doesn't teach you enough to actually allow you to work on your own. And let's face it, you are reading it to learn a little more than how to import and export that exact jetpack.

[Elianora]

Thanks, I'll try that!

 

There is no way to specifically select skeleton in the export window, though, only Skin :O

[Elianora]

OH MY GODS IT WORKED I LOVE YOU RANDOM HELPFUL INTERNET STRANGER YOU JUST MADE MY WEEKEND!!! :WUB: :WUB:

[KorinOo]

No problem :) Glad I could help!

 

Working with skinned/rigged object is not an easy thing and there are no good tutorials as far as I know. I personally learned it the hard way (from many bad tutorials like the one you were reading, combined with a lot of trial and error method), so now I try to help whenever I see someone having problems with it ^^

 

Oh yeah, I forgot that skeleton option is only for importing. My bad.