.smd for anims,but what file for base model?

[Veleran]

If i start a new actor and first import an .obj ,will the Skeleton links,the physique vertex assignments and the materials info be taken from the .smd motions that i will add later?

The smd motion i export from max must have a mesh ,or be just exported bones?Then from where the vertex info will be taken from?
Or you can have the first smd motion added to include mesh and the rest motions to be just the skeleton?

Until now i tried to import an .obj first and i got a message warning vertices to mesh and then it crashed.

Then i got a 3ds imported and added an smd motion ,got a message that the motion bones do not match the actor bones (the 3ds was loaded with only one joint) and equity closes.

I ll try a milkshape exporter plugin in case i can make the base actor from that (if it exports correctly.

I tried importing ms3d and it crashes again.I tird first loading the ms3d file to lithunwrap and it was loaded fine there,but then i re exported it from there as ms3d and imported it to equity and it crashed again.
I dont know from what i can make the base actor since .3ds dont have bones.

[Veleran]

But i tried loading the character in equity 5.5 and after few minutes it loaded.
I loaded it to version 6 to add the .smd motions but i got the message that the bones in the motion do not match the
actor bones and it closed.
I noticed that when i loaded the ms3d in lithunwrap the skeletion is missing the pelvis bip.I exported another smd without the pelvis and still the bones dont match.
It seems i am stuck.

[Allanon]

I haven't tried this but it seems Equity can import Ogre .mesh and .skeleton files. So you might try downloading OgreMax Scene Exporter which seems like it will convert models and animations from 3ds Max 2011 to Ogre .mesh and .skeleton files.

If that doesn't work then Ogre has a lot of other exporters that might work.
http://www.ogre3d.org/wiki/index.php/OGRE_Exporters

[hgt_terry]

Hi Veleran

It seems like there is a miss match between the body skeleton and the motion files, Equity when loading a motion to add to the Body first check to see if the bones in the motion actually exist in the body skeleton if it cant find that bone in the body skeleton it wont add the motion.

In the next release Equity7 we plan for you to be able to alter the bone names in the motion but even then you have to be careful as the motion could produce unexpected results hope this as been of help to you mate.

Cheers
Terry

[Veleran]

The bones in max during the smd export and the ones in equity before the motion import are the same number
(excluding the pelvis bip-without it i dont know how the character would be but never mind)
i dont know what seems different to equity.

the ms3d exporter log says 53 joints while there are 54 bones.
i noticed that when i import the ms3d in lithunwrap the pelvis bip is nt in the bones list.
there i see 53 bones.

then i go to export the smd.
i first hide the dummies and i am left with 54 bones including the pelvis and chose export selected.

maybe even if i hide the pelvis to avoid export its joint remains

the smd max exporter read me says these somewhere

* In addition to bones, each mesh also exports an extra "mesh bone" corresponding to the
meshes own origin. These unused bones are stripped out by the model compiler and can be
ignored. However, if you export a mesh that uses a Skin or Physique modifier and fail to
unhide or select the bones it uses for weighting, every vertex weight for that mesh
will be assiged to the mesh bone instead.

i ll think of it later .I cant add motions,but i probably can add static objects,although i wanted to build actors from animated characters from max2011 due to better biped with extra bones stuff.

[Veleran]

i found a plugin that exports nfo and key and i will use these which i know better.