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[wallworm]

I'm not sure how many people here have ever taken the time to make a model for the Source game engine. In case you have, you know what I mean when I say that it's a giant pain-in-the-@ss!

Well I've been working on taking a lot of that pain away... well as long as you use 3ds Max: The Wall Worm Model Tools.

Key Features:

• Automatically generates a QC text file for your model
• Can automatically generate convex collision hulls for your model (not yet implemented)
• Allows you to pick your own custom collision model if you don't want to use the auto-generated model
• Auto-generate LOD models of your model
• Gives you a visual representation inside Max of the limits (range) tied to each LOD model which is especially helpful if you are also building your level design inside of Max (with Convexity)
• Visually set the $illumposition position
• Assign a surface property to your model from inside the Max interface
• Set various model flags including $staticprop, $opaque and $mostlyopaque, $mass and $automass
• Will automatically create textures for your model and each LOD (not yet implemented)
• Automatically makes layers in the layer manager for the model, hull, LODs and helpers
• You can select LOD objects in layer manager and tweak their Multi-Res settings or edit the LODs to your liking after they are created

Here is a screen shot of the tool (at version 0.85:



Anyway, it was even featured on the front page of Polycount News on Nov. 24.

Anyway, I figured I'd share it here since I recently re-discovered the world of Goldeneye! If you use the tool, please feel free to share your experience, ideas and suggestions.

[Mangley]

Excellent work. Yes, there has been some discussion and excitement between the developers about this tool. I myself am also interested in it. What versions of 3DS Max are supported?

[wallworm]

Excellent work. Yes, there has been some discussion and excitement between the developers about this tool. I myself am also interested in it. What versions of 3DS Max are supported?

I have been developing it in Max 2011. I assume it works in 2010... but otherwise I don't know. A friend who uses Max 5 for testing confirms it doesn't work for Max 5... he may help retrofit it for older versions. I personally own back to Max 2008 so can't really test further back.

There are many features that I plan on adding to the tool... but it may be after the new year before there are any significant updates. The ability to use the tool on a hierarchy of animated objects is the next main change... though I may add some minor features before then.

[wallworm]

Today I've updated to version 0.85... added $masscenter helper control... and fixed the error in the QC where you might see a compile error about a file named "30" (or another number). It was a bad line in the QC for the FPS where the FPS number was in the wrong sequence for the idle sequence line.

[major]

I'm not a modeler(yet), but loving the the support and community feel of this. Great to see open community type app.

Best of luck.

[wallworm]

The tool is updated to version 0.87. Go to http://wallworm.com/projects/utilities/wallworm_model_tools.html for the latest download and a new video showing its features. This is probably that last update in 2010.

[wallworm]

I have updated the tool to version 0.92 to include sequences, automatic compiling and other options. The docs are also started at http://wallworm.com/projects/utilities/docs/

[Jonathon [SSL]]

Insanely cool, thanks for posting updates on this awesome plugin!

[wallworm]

Insanely cool, thanks for posting updates on this awesome plugin!

Thank you! There are still a few quirks I am trying to work out. The documentation is incomplete but gives some info on what some of the features are... especially important is the configuring to compile. I'm hopeing to add texture compiling soon.

Eventually I'll add videos for each feature.

[wallworm]

The 0.92 update had a bug with picking a Collision Model. That is fixed and there is a new version at 0.921. Sorry about that.

PS. If there is anyone here who has experience making animated models with animated collision hulls, please let me know if you have any tips on a good way to make that happen from Max. I only recently learned to do animations for Source... and I am having a problem figuring out how to make the QC attach the collision hulls to the sequence animations.

[Jonathon [SSL]]

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/$collisionjoints

This what you're looking for? If that doesn't help hopefully another developer with experience with animated props comes by and can provide a .qc example.

[wallworm]

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/$collisionjoints

This what you're looking for? If that doesn't help hopefully another developer with experience with animated props comes by and can provide a .qc example.

Thanks, I've already read those docs. Really, I'm looking for the method that people generally use to make animated collision hulls in 3ds and get them to their compiled model. I'm not clear how to tie a hull piece to a specific mesh/bone . If someone can help figure this out, it will mean that the tool will also handle animated models that have to also collide...

It's just something I haven't done before... so I'm floundering around trying to figure it out. Looking at the QCs that are in the SDK don't really help me visualize the process.

PS. I've already loaded yet a new version tonight. V 0.93

[killermonkey]

If I have time I'll post a detailed overview later. I pioneered a lot of the xsi tutorials back in the day so I know a lot of wrong ways to export for source and the magical "right way". Although I can't speak to specifics of 3ds max.

[wallworm]

If I have time I'll post a detailed overview later. I pioneered a lot of the xsi tutorials back in the day so I know a lot of wrong ways to export for source and the magical "right way". Although I can't speak to specifics of 3ds max.

Thank You! The priority for me at the moment is tying the collision hulls to animations.

[killermonkey]

Well ok, in XSI, this is a trivial matter. These directions are most likely due to tool limitations in the XSI Source Plugin (which sucks a large amount of ____) and less on the process that *should* occur.

You create independent meshes to cover the area of the body/object that the bone will control.

[insert pic]

Then you combine the meshes together into one polygon mesh using a merge tool or whatever, as long as its one piece (again this is for XSI at least, your tool might have more control). Then create an envelope for that giant mesh that attaches to all the bones of the object.

[Insert Pic]

Then weigh each independent piece to the specific bone 100% that you want it to follow. So all verticies for that one block will be pointed 100% to bone X.

[Insert Pic]

This creates literally the same thing you would have when exporting the regular object's weighed mesh, however, it will be independent pieces that represent collision hulls. They move with the bones just like the main mesh, but you have to define it in the QC with $collisionjoints so that the engine knows the mesh is not static.