How to import,create and export stuff in 3d max

[Kaibamon]

I use 3d max,feels more comfortable for me.I admit the only mod i did was a sword in Oblivion,but now i want something more complex and in Fallout 3.So is there a 3d max tutorial for Fallout 3 armor?Uh plus Im also thinking of making some creatures in Fallout 3 so can someone point me to the right guides?And maybe something more noobish..a gun tutoiral..i wanna see exactly how to break it in pieces for Fallout 3,and curious if i need to animate it myself?Thank you in advance and sorry if this was covered..i recently found teh courage to ask and talk in this forum...so only looked ath frist and second page

[Ghogiel]

guns seem to cause much confusion, modders are still going about it ass backwards for the most part.

 

for several reasons, I actually recomend something far simpler. like a helmet.

 

for a start, you can demostrate succesful export of a skinned model

or

you often have the option(mesh requirements depending) of the cheaper, more efficient method of using the prn attachment( like whats used on weapons and some bits of armor)

 

Doing the first will have you deal with as basic a rig job as you can get. so you should have the basic from which every bit of skinned geometry will export and be working in game. ie outfits/creatures. from there its only rigging more bones, and more testing the rigging. and dismemberment setup< which is very easy with the niftools modifier...

 

doing the second, will have you deal with aligning object pivots/rotations to bones(nodes). so that in game everything sits exactly how you intended it. which is what modders tend to be fighting when exporting weapons. so if you understand that, then weapons are the next step.

[Kaibamon]

Yah I'm kinda lost.I know how to import -export,also saw a tutorial on belder on how someone imports and creates s cylinder around the model,didn't understand the skinning or wraping stuff..dose he model around the mesh or he uses a modfier like cloth to make it so?And if i do a armor around the mesh,do i still need the verts of that model anymore?I mean can't i delete whats covered so i can save more polygons?

[pob255]

As Ghogiel wrote armour in FO3 is more complex because of rigging

Rigging is connecting the individual vertices of the mesh to a skeleton, so that as the underliying skeleton moves the mesh bends and twists to follow it, simple rigging involves 1to1 scaleing, ie each vertex is linked to only one bone, although almost any number of bones can be linked and thus effect a vertex, normally a blend of 1:1 and 2:1 is used but some times more.

(generally 1:1 should be used on solid objects eg metal armour plates, and 2:1, or more, should be used of flexable objects, eg cloth sleaves and skin)

 

The way FO3 seems to work is with helmets, hats and other headware only have the one bone associated to them and so don't need to be directly rigged, you treat them like a static mesh that's linked to the head and so are very simple.

Note there is still some pivot&positon info to deal with but it's fairly minor.

 

There is a lot to learn in 3d modeling, esp modeling well, start simple learn and grow to the more complex stuff.

From my past experience with modding other games UVmapping is something that many fall short on, although now we have the added layer of complexity in normal mapping (although the photoshop filters do a fine job of making one from scratch with a bit of manual work)

I also fully recomend importing objects to use as a base for both size, scale and position.

Side note, perceived realisum vs realistic, yes they are different, it's about perception and what looks right reguardless to wether or not is is actually accurate

WARNING this is an area that is one of my pet peves, a lot of people complain about things not being realistic with out fully grasping what realistic would be like and they actually mean perceived realisum. Guns are a classic example here, in almost every game you can mention guns modles are made more chunky than they actually are in reality because otherwise they look too small, thin and weedy.

The other advantage that using existing models as a base for size and scale, is that if your models conform to them then you have far less chance of clipping errors, animations errors and generally looking like they fit in better with existing models.

[Ghogiel]

(generally 1:1 should be used on solid objects eg metal armour plates, and 2:1, or more, should be used of flexable objects, eg cloth sleaves and skin)

 

everything except that. Nearly always the rigger/animator will choose blended weights on anything to avoid clipping. even what in reality would be a completely rigid object, ie armor plates. apparently clipping is more immersion breaking than armor plates bending as if a they are a soft body. So pauldrons or whatever are usually rigged to multiple bones to combat clipping. supposedly the lesser of 2 evils. :shrug:

[Kaibamon]

Can't i simply make a mesh over the body of a existing mesh,lets say body type 3,export what i made over it and add it to that body?Or can't i use the existing skeleton system in fallout 3?From what i saw in most meshes i tred to import in 3d max,ppl dont rig em i tryed to import a model with its skeleton but dose not find it..looked it up in Fallout 3 data and its there...Afterall it seems to much work dor a model you make basicly over anther one.If i wold make my own model and try to import in 3d max yah that i agree i gotta mek it with skin modif and bones.Sorry for tehse questions but i recently saw Malos Custom Clothes Tutorial (Fallout 3) ,all i see he douse is adds something over a existing mesh.Hma lso i wold like to kow if i make a armor over that type 3 body,there are already alot ov verts on it so can i delete the aprts that are covered by teh armor,lets say i make her wear a full body armor that vocers all her body exept for a small aprt of the legs,can't i delete the rest of the mesh and atach the new one over it?