Workflow tutorial

[Oiolosseo]

Hello there, I come to you with a special demand for I recently reinstalled DAO and checked out the toolset to see what I could do with.

My job is game artist, I model and texture characters and environment for video games and I really want to build something with the DAO Engine.

 

The problem is that I couldn't find any tutorials that explains the workflow from A to Z.

Here is what I'm looking for :

 

- How to export my 3D models into a toolset readable format. (I mean 3D models that I created from zero, not an exported model that I just edited)

- How to import the resource into the toolset (where to put the files ==> folders, naming convention and so on)

- Tutorials about basics and advanced features of the toolset (building, lighting, resources using)

- How to play the map I'll build of course (things to know to make it playable, etc)

 

 

All the links to tutorials about those things you'll be able to provide me will be really welcome or even, (let's dream :) ) tutorials of your own for those who master those steps already.

At the moment I use Eshme Importer/Exporter, I began with a wood barrier that I modeled and textured than tried to export it.

It resulted into a 4kb .met, a 5kb .mmh, a 36kb .msh, a 2kb .phy and a 1 kb .mao for my 750 tris model.

I am now stuck because I don't know how to get this stuff into the toolset.

 

Hope some of you will be able to help and I'll feed with you links to tutorials, thanks !

 

Oiolosseo

[WastelandAssassin]

i have never done this, but i have found a tutorial about putting your models and textures into the game, as new items

i'm not sure how helpful it is, but i thought it is worth mentioning

you can find it here

[Oiolosseo]

Yeah, I had seen that one, and it didn't really help me for it seems to be a complete different way of exporting the resources than Eshme tools.

So, if in the end, it doesn't seem to have a way to get the resources in the toolset with Eshme tools, I'll dive deeper into that way of working.

 

Thanks for your quick reply anyway, I appreciate :)

[WastelandAssassin]

don't mention it

wish i could have been more help, but i really don't know how it works for Dragon Age

as far as i know, you could use NifSkope as an importer\exporter, but i have no idea about how to set it properly for DA

 

wish i could help you more.......

[rainshock]

Yeah, I had seen that one, and it didn't really help me for it seems to be a complete different way of exporting the resources than Eshme tools.

So, if in the end, it doesn't seem to have a way to get the resources in the toolset with Eshme tools, I'll dive deeper into that way of working.

 

Thanks for your quick reply anyway, I appreciate :)

 

I've found that most models (for me) will still show up in the toolset if the are in the override folder and in the correct format.

[Oiolosseo]

I have put my files into Dragon Age/packages/core/override

 

Is it there you think I have to put mine ? if not where ? and if yes, How to find them in the toolset after ?

 

Any links or tutorials are still very welcome, drown me under ! :P

 

Oiolosseo

[rainshock]

I have put my files into Dragon Age/packages/core/override

 

Is it there you think I have to put mine ? if not where ? and if yes, How to find them in the toolset after ?

 

Any links or tutorials are still very welcome, drown me under ! :P

 

Oiolosseo

 

As long as its the my documents override folder and not the root override folder it should show up. You can check that its working by going to File->New->Material, right click anywhere in the screen and select Insert->Insert Model. It'll bring up a list of all the mmhs it can it can find. Yours should be buried in there. Open it and (if everything's right) it should show up fully textured. To actually use it in game, however, you probably have to create a new gda in a similar way described in the previously mentioned tutorial.

 

I don't have a lot of experience with adding new placeables but your best bet for help would be the Bioware Social Forums and the Toolset Wiki. In the case of a wooden barrier you're probably looking for this tutorial: http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/Tutorial:_Creating_a_custom_placeable_from_a_model

 

Good Luck :)

[Oiolosseo]

Thanks, I've been around all of this and that still doesn't work, many tutorials learns to use resources from edited existing resources that I assume already "flagged" with appropriate language the toolset can read.

Here I just can't get my own stuff in the toolset and I guess that's why we se only edited content and no original creations, maybe this is because we just can't or we just can't without spending 2 years on coding or something.

 

By the way, as you'll have noticed, I'm so frustrated, I'll let it go for now until they release tools to allow the community to create and not just play around with existing things, I'll try out other engines or toolsets to reach my goal.

 

Thanks again for those who helped,

 

Oiolosseo

[Thandal]

Thanks, I've been around all of this and that still doesn't work, many tutorials learns to use resources from edited existing resources that I assume already "flagged" with appropriate language the toolset can read.

Here I just can't get my own stuff in the toolset and I guess that's why we se only edited content and no original creations, maybe this is because we just can't or we just can't without spending 2 years on coding or something.

 

By the way, as you'll have noticed, I'm so frustrated, I'll let it go for now until they release tools to allow the community to create and not just play around with existing things, I'll try out other engines or toolsets to reach my goal.

 

Thanks again for those who helped,

 

Oiolosseo

There are no indications that BioWare is going to release a "new set" of tools. Even for DA2, the only hint we have is that they used "basically the same one", and that they might tweak the current publically released one to include some new things they added.

 

In other words, the Toolset "is what it is". Many, many modders have created new items, NPCs, areas, quests, effects, appearances, full VO, and even cutscenes. As far as I have been able to determine, every one of them has commented on how different, and relatively difficult (compared to some other games) the process was. :ohmy:

[sacredtrojanblade]

The problem is that I couldn't find any tutorials that explains the workflow from A to Z.

Here is what I'm looking for :

 

- How to export my 3D models into a toolset readable format. (I mean 3D models that I created from zero, not an exported model that I just edited)

I suggest you use Eshmee's DAO Model/Animation Import/Export tools. It's works great with 3ds Max and gmax. PDF guide included.

 

 

- How to import the resource into the toolset (where to put the files ==> folders, naming convention and so on)

You can't. You have to use it's native format such as mmh, msh, phy and mao for model. 3rd party tools such as Eshmee's DAO Model/Animation Import/Export tools and Tazpn's tools will convert your model into native format for use with toolset.

 

- Tutorials about basics and advanced features of the toolset (building, lighting, resources using)

I'm afraid you wouldn't have the answer as most of us are relatively new to modding and much of advance features are not yet known. For basics, you could always refer to DA wiki.

 

- How to play the map I'll build of course (things to know to make it playable, etc)

Open new map, define wheter it's underground or open worldwide etc, set pin marker and rename, set pin image, set trail, refer your map to your custom area. This going to be a lot to explain but in short please refer to default vanilla's map. I study from there. All you need to understand is their parameters.

 

 

All the links to tutorials about those things you'll be able to provide me will be really welcome or even, (let's dream :) ) tutorials of your own for those who master those steps already.

At the moment I use Eshme Importer/Exporter, I began with a wood barrier that I modeled and textured than tried to export it.

It resulted into a 4kb .met, a 5kb .mmh, a 36kb .msh, a 2kb .phy and a 1 kb .mao for my 750 tris model.

I am now stuck because I don't know how to get this stuff into the toolset.

You can open new file =>your .mmh but what you see are just parameters. I don't know if you could view your custom model from toolset. I do know how ever, you can view hairstyle mmh format in toolset. Open morph mrh file, pick new hair, browse for all hairs, select your custom hair mmh and you can view your new hairstyle in toolset. ( I couldn't get it to work in game tho. )

Edited December 11, 2010 by sacredtrojanblade