Max Netimmerse/Gamebyro Exporter Error. Splits Models

[luckarusky911]

Thanks for answering my post. The title is pretty descriptive, and I've been trying to get past this one for four days now. It's playing hell with my group's project. So maybe I can get some aid here.

 

The error couldn't be more straightforward. Whenever I import or export from max, It cuts into and across the geometry based on the UV map boarders. Any sections with their own projection or separation will come out as if I used the cut tool rather then their original sewn forum. for example, it will cut across a torus as it if was a detachable or hollow cut ring across it's UV edge. This counts for vanilla oblivion meshes as well. The error came out of nowhere while working on a custom face mesh. And now applies to any and all meshes which go though the plug-in's pipeline.

 

I've tried different versions of the plug-in from early to later. what's bazaar is this problem persists across two different computers and two versions of max. 8 and 9. I've done everything short of re-install my copies of Max, but am starting to consider it. heh :wallbash: And Ideas what could be the cause? I can safely say it's not the nif files themselves. Either Max or the exporter is doing this.

[Vagrant0]

Something like this is probably better to ask over at niftools.

 

By splitting models, are you talking about them being different nitrishapes in nifscope, or are you talking about them being the same object, just with a break?

 

How UV maps work is basically by breaking an object down into elements and then mapping the faces on a flat plane which corresponds to locations on a texture. Where faces are detached from eachother you have a seam. Where groups of faces are detached from all other faces, you have an element. The software typically always breaks the mesh along seams so that each side of that seam can have its own location in the texture map. (or atleast my understanding of it all)

 

If a mesh uses multiple texture sources or multiple texture materials, rather than being broken into elements, the mesh will be broken into separate objects, each with their own material, texture, and skin instance, even if the mesh was a single object originally.

[luckarusky911]

Something like this is probably better to ask over at niftools.

 

By splitting models, are you talking about them being different nitrishapes in nifscope, or are you talking about them being the same object, just with a break?

 

How UV maps work is basically by breaking an object down into elements and then mapping the faces on a flat plane which corresponds to locations on a texture. Where faces are detached from eachother you have a seam. Where groups of faces are detached from all other faces, you have an element. The software typically always breaks the mesh along seams so that each side of that seam can have its own location in the texture map. (or atleast my understanding of it all)

 

If a mesh uses multiple texture sources or multiple texture materials, rather than being broken into elements, the mesh will be broken into separate objects, each with their own material, texture, and skin instance, even if the mesh was a single object originally.

 

Same object with a break. It's using one uniform material per object and texture.

[Vagrant0]

Something like this is probably better to ask over at niftools.

 

By splitting models, are you talking about them being different nitrishapes in nifscope, or are you talking about them being the same object, just with a break?

 

How UV maps work is basically by breaking an object down into elements and then mapping the faces on a flat plane which corresponds to locations on a texture. Where faces are detached from eachother you have a seam. Where groups of faces are detached from all other faces, you have an element. The software typically always breaks the mesh along seams so that each side of that seam can have its own location in the texture map. (or atleast my understanding of it all)

 

If a mesh uses multiple texture sources or multiple texture materials, rather than being broken into elements, the mesh will be broken into separate objects, each with their own material, texture, and skin instance, even if the mesh was a single object originally.

 

Same object with a break. It's using one uniform material per object and texture.

 

Then that is exactly what normally always happens. Just means that when working with conformed objects, like heads, you have to take a more "wholistic" approach to the texturing IE: seams only along those parts that don't move much, everything in a more or less conjoined piece. It's less of an issue with clothing and armor mods because the split verticies have the same exact weighting, but can be one with conformed meshes due to how the information is generated post-split.

[luckarusky911]

Got my terminology straight. It's creating double vertices along the UV boarders. Those boarders share the same Normal groups, so before they would remain wielded instead of splitting.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46116838@N00/4148388893/

 

It's creating double verts along the edges of the Map. I tried a suggestion to collapse the verts as a poly object. But that was welded before the export and collapsing the vert on a re-imported surface doesn't stop the problem occurring on export. What's more, It was not doing this beforehand. Before it would cause double verts based on my smoothing groups, which was acceptable. To clarify, I'm using the Netimmerse/Gamebryo 3.3.0.4477.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46116838@N00/4149175992/

[luckarusky911]

According to amorilia, this is a bug that's been around for a bit with the nif export tools. http://niftools.sourceforge.net/forum/view...f=22&t=2501

 

If it's a problem with the code, then it's one that will have to be fixed before I can proceed. I'm posting on the bug tracker for niftools. But any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

[Vagrant0]

If it's a problem with the code, then it's one that will have to be fixed before I can proceed. I'm posting on the bug tracker for niftools. But any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

Or, just use a texture that doesn't require any breaks between elements. Not sure what kind of face you are wanting to do, but can't think of anything that couldn't be textured as a whole object, or split only in those places which are not likely to have visible gaps due to being conformed. It just requires a decent handle of UV map creation/adjustment and texturing. Maybe if you give an example of what you're working on, and how it is turning out, some help can be given.

[luckarusky911]

First off I should apologize to Vagrant0, I didn't pay heed to his advice and moved on to other aspects of the project. Including what I've linked below. But I've gotten better since then, so I'll take it more professional.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46116838@N00/4212739302/

 

As you can see, the character is inspired by a rat. Part of the concept work I was given involves a long muzzle which extends from the face. This is why making the face texture one piece is so difficult. All textures on contorted cylindrical surfaces will ward slightly. The muzzle would warp unacceptably when mapped as a normal human face would.

 

What Vagrant0 suggested is still possible though. So I'll look into other ways to make the face UV map more smoothly. It could also be a setting associated with max.

 

So far though, I'm experimenting with two solutions. And both have promise.

 

 

1: Since this happened so suddenly, I'm thinking it might be a setting within max. So that's an aspect I'm looking into.

 

2: Other exporters do exist, and I have this geometry in Alias Maya. That presents it's own challenges, but I tried exporting some geometry using Netimmerse plug-in. Sure enough, it stayed in one piece and didn't split verticies.

 

Maya presents some problems with exporting bones. They tend to not export with the correct world space or rotation information. So models will bend out of shape. But the geometry consistently does export at the correct number. About 5050 faces every time regardless of the shape or UV mapping. I'll do some experimentation, but would love to hear if anyone's already successfully exported a skinned armor or clothing prop using Maya. (I use version 8.5)