cannot get actors to show textures

[mpmumau]

i really am not sure what im doing wrong, but i cannot get my actors to show their textures. if anyone has a link to a site that has a tutorial about how to do it, but the book and various other help docs don't seem to be working for me. in any case, this is my exact process:

1: exported model from maya to maya ascii format (.ma) and imported into milkshape.

2: applied a material to the model in milkshape -- a bmp file that i created in photoshop.

3: exported the file from milkshape as a bdy file. save in the directory c:\program files\realityfactory\media\actors

4: copied the bmp to c:\program files\realityfactory\media\bitmaps

5: opened up the actor studio tool, and started a new actor, specifying the actor path mentioned above. it attempts gives the file an apj extention.

6: under paths i type in the materials directory i type in the full path to the bitmap as i mentioned above

7: build

8: open up in actview.exe and i see the model, but with no texture. if i open up the default models that came with reality factory, they are textures, so i know that the program is at least capable of texturing, and that its likely my actor file just doesnt have its texture file embedded.

where am i going wrong? im guessing it has something to do with actor studio not finding the original bmp and hence not embedding it in the final actor. thanks in advance for the help.

[mpmumau]

just so no one takes the time to write out a reply to this, i figured out my problem. to texture the model in milkshape i was applying a new material. however, there is a default surface applied to a model when you import it, and it was being specified as the "top" texture or something. i simply delete the default texture so that only my texture was there, and it imported as an actor with a texture just fine.

now if i could only figure out how to import skeletons animations from maya into milkshape, to export into a format i could make into an actor, i'd be all set!

[hike1]

Good job, I put your solution in the faq
http://terrymorgan.net/rffaq.zip

now if i could only figure out how to import skeletons animations from maya into milkshape, to export into a format i could make into an actor, i'd be all set!

I don't have maya, but I heard that .smd was the way to go,
Mike at beyondvirtual.com might know.

[GD1]

just a side note though, you don't have to put the texture into the \bitmaps directory, as long as it's compiled in the model that's all RF needs.