Skinning Help

[Rinpun]

This dang thing doesn't work v_v

Ryoko, could you give me a basic summary of what the heck I have to do? I can create uvws to fit with a texture (that for some reason doesn't work), but they're no good--I can't find them in the mdl file and such.

 

[SD_Ryoko]

How to use UVW Unwrap for skinning
Select the geoset. Drag and drop your texture onto the geoset. If nothing is selected, it will ask you the stupid background question.

Add the UVW Unwrap modifier (not the UV Mapping one) to the geoset.

Then click on the modifier in the tree.

Then I prefere this method.

Select the faces that compose one side of the geoset (left, front, whatever) manually.

Then at the right hand side, click the plane that best suits those faces, and click Planar Map. This will flatten the faces out on the texture map and align them. As you click on X, Y and Z, it will show you a yellow plane in your veiwport, so you can get an idea about which you should use.

Then click EDIT. Inside the vertex unwrap editor, click the triangle to mask for selected faces only.

RESELECT those vertexes, or you'll drag the joints for undesired faces.

Position your vertexes as necesary. For repeat patters and faces, be effiecent and vertex weld them together (symetrical objects, common textures, etc).

Repeat for other faces on the model.

DO NOT convert the geoset to editable mesh now. When you do this, or compact the geoset and all its modifiers, DEXPORT doesn't export them anymore.

The modifier MUST remain on the list for it to work.

After exporting to an MDL, and pasting the code into a text editor, and edit in your materials.

(WARNING - some text editors don't wrap huge long lines correctly! Notepad does work however).

Every geoset has a material ID. Default for DEXPORT is ID number 0.

So edit in your textures and materials, starting with MaterialID 0, 1, 2 etc.

Then change the geosets to the desired material. If you only have one (MaterialID 0) then the geosets don't need changing.

My bone rotations and positions don't work correctly in Warcraft
Warcraft only uses TCB controllers for rotation, and TCB / Linear for positions.

I keep trying to key in the rotational values for bones, but it never rotates correctly
This is because of the math the bone uses to move. Inside Animate mode, rotate and move them with the cursor tools. Its much easier.

How do I associate bones that are not connected in the model?
Use the link tool to like a child bone to the parent. Click the link tool, and click on the child bone. Hold the cursor down and DRAG it to the parent bone, then let go. You should see a dotted line extend from the child to the parent.

My bones rotate correctly in GMAX, but not in warcraft.
Create more key intervals for the animations. Warcraft does not do well at automatically generating the bone transitions.

My bones don't export with DEX exporter
Bones will only export if they are linked to a skin modifier. You must add a Skin modifier to your geosets and add a bone to the modifier.

My attachment points don't export with DEX exporter
This is because the tutorials provided are outdated. The correct name format for attachments is 'ATT:Origin Ref'

 

[Rinpun]

So basically I keep the UV Unwrap, not bother about a uvw, and apply a tga to get the uvw in place? Because then I convert the tga to blp and put it in a folder and import the two into the editor. I change the pathing of my blp to the exact same of what is in the Textures " ". But, it doesn't work. This is my problem.

 

[SD_Ryoko]

Use / keep whichever one is UNWRAP. (I forget the prefix, irrelevent).

If your textures says "Yourfile.blp", your imported skin should be "Yourfile.blp" with no path in front.

Make sure its converted properly.

 

[Rinpun]

It was converted properly and it didn't work. Well, I'm probably going to give it ago in about four hours. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Rinpun]

Stupid )_%&@)#%&

Now it isn't doing well with my skin....



Is there anyway I can use ChilliSkin (or something like that) or Milkshape to skin it?

It'd be good if I could actually rotate the points and polygon in question to the uvw in the Z direction (So I'm not looking head on at it).

And possibly be able to select only a few polygons (not the whole object) and give them a piece of the skin.