Looking for a Noob explanation on 3DsMax6

[LStone]

Just got BTB and am having a blast making my first track. Now I would like to apply objects, stands, ect... I have 3DsMax6 messed with it a bit (No expert). Just wonder the steps I need to take to get my track from BTB into 3dMax to add objects??? or what exactly I need to do???

By far the most fun I've had in a long time, and have always wanted to make tracks. Was hoping Piddy might come out with a video on how to go about this or just someone explaining in lamen terms on how to accomplish this. Thanks in advance and perhaps one day you guys might just be driving on one of my creations due to your help

[ennisfargis]

Go to

http://www.rfactor.net/index.php?page=devcorner

& download the "rFactor mod development tool pack (Mas utility, scene viewer and more)" - version 2.

Unzip these files.

Copy these 3 files (converter.dlu, material.dlt, texture.dlt) from the "max6" folder into the 3dsMax/plugins folder.

Run the Mas.exe program that comes with the ISI tools & use it to extract all files from the Coreshaders.mas file into the 3dsmax/HardwareShaders folder.

Download the "GMT2 Importer v0.94 by Zoli" below.

Place importGMT2.ms into 3dsmax\scripts\startup folder.

Go to BTB & export your track to rFactor if you haven't already.

Copy your track folder from rFactor into a place were you want to keep your work files.
(If you exported from btb to "BobsTrackBuilder/xxx_track", only copy the xxx_track folder, not the BobsTrackBuilder folder)

Open 3ds max.

Go to Utilities (the one with the hammer on the far right)
& go to Max Script & in the Utilities drop down menu select "GMT2 Importer"

Change the "Additional texture path" to your tracks directory.

Go to "Import a directory" & navigate to your tracks directory.

Click OK & give it some time to think depending on the complexity of your track.

All going well you should have your track in Max.

Now the fun really starts.

Good Luck!

[LStone]

Thanks so much for taking the time to really explain in detail how to go about this process. Like I said, I pick it up pretty quick if walked through it. Again, thanks a bunch. Oh yea, got you textures pack, you da man.

[ennisfargis]

If you get this error while importing.

"error creating direct3d device"

(which i am getting, possibly just a Vista thing).

Try this fix -

Go to your \stdplugs\dxplugins folder in your Max directory
and move these 2 files

dds.bmi
dxDDS.bmi

to the \stdplugs folder

Max will error on startup but will still import fine.

Cheers

[Abujamra]

May I drop a quick tip?

Try to modelling all objects in Google Sketchup and export to 3DS afterwards.

Is awfully quicker to construct track buildings. The following tower I've made using Google in a couple of minutes.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3...lotorrecr6.jpg

[DrBob]

Well a legally obtained version will have easy to follow tutorials available from help and a book to help you throught the commands and tools. Failing that try something like this;

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Se...4694&prh=&prl=

For ?6 you can't complain when it'll probably show you how to use every facet of the program.

[RT1971]

Originally Posted by DrBob

Well a legally obtained version will have easy to follow tutorials available from help and a book to help you throught the commands and tools. Failing that try something like this;

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Se...4694&prh=&prl=

For ?6 you can't complain when it'll probably show you how to use every facet of the program.

Whats this got to do with importing .gmt's in to max, does max have tutorials on this.

[LStone]

Thanks very much for the tips and advice I have been able to get in here.

[mk_knights]

well there quite a few tutorials on 3dmax.com i think the web site is.
skyscraper building.sketchup is better for building main layouts,(hate the textures on that).

but importing to your track is really easy.try www.uspits.com for simed tutorials.

[LStone]

Originally Posted by mk_knights

well there quite a few tutorials on 3dmax.com i think the web site is.
skyscraper building.sketchup is better for building main layouts,(hate the textures on that).

but importing to your track is really easy.try www.uspits.com for simed tutorials.

Thanks mk. I have decided to use sketchup. The only question I have is when I import it into 3dSimed the building looks great with the exception that all of the connection lines are white???? (each line I drew to make the building edges). How do I either get rid of these or make them the color of that section?? Sketchup is so much easier to use, and expensive to PRO6.

[fritzisbro]

Go to View on the top menu bar
scroll down to edge style and untick display edges.
then when you import into SimED you don't get gaps between the surfaces

[dosgraphix]

I have designed a building and exported it into a 3ds file. when i open this file in 3dsimed none of the textures appear on them. can someone help me, am i doing something wrong? (see pictures attacheed)

[mk_knights]

the textures store along with the skp file.they are usally jpgs files.
C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\Desktop\foldername\sketchup\imag es
or in this area somewhere look for folder images

[dosgraphix]

Thanks for the reply mk_knights. I was starting to think that i wasn't going to get any answers. However i am not sure that i follow , This is the process that i went through.

1 created my building in sketchup pro using textures that i converted into .dds files. (at the right pixel counts)
2 Exported to .3ds which exported just the .3ds file. (no other jpegs or dds)
3 Opened the .3ds file in simed with the result of no textures. In 3dsimed the missing texture option in the menu says that i am not missing any textures, but clearly i am.
Even when saving it out as skp file into a new folder it doesn't create the jpeg textures, i can even email that .skp file (on it's own) to another address and open it in GSU (with textures in place).

Although i have read that GSU isn't great for texture quality (i wasn't expecting no textures at all ) I am now thinking that the wall option in BTB is the way to go, but it has it's limitations as well.

Have you used GSU?

If anyone else has had any experience with this problem i would love to hear about the solution.

PLEASE HELP !!!!

[Abujamra]

I have built all of my last track's objects in Google Sketchup and I conclude some aspects afterwards.

1) Forget about to use textures in Google SU. Just keep a table in NOTEPAD or something with the relationship between GSU colors and the final material that you want. For example:

GSU Color#01 -> Wood
GSU Color#02 -> Concrete
GSU Color#03 ->Bricks

I do prefere do not apply the real materials in Google for a couple of reasons. First of all, change the scale and anchors of texture inside GSU has no effects when you export to 3DSimed, so you will need to resize and offset the textures again (double job). Second, there's no bump and specular resources in GSU, and, finally, very probably you'll have some problems when you open your exported 3DS in 3DSImed, even you have all your textures in correct sizes.

2) Apply GSU collors on the groups of objects that will receive the same material in 3dSimed. For example, all walls that will receive "Bricks" material, must have the same GSU Color (GSU Color#03, in this case). Your SketchUp model will have only basic colors, not materials so far.

3) Export your 3DS file from GSU.

4) Import your 3DS file in 3DSimed. Don't worry about the lack of textures right now.

5) In 3DSImed, click on DISPLAY, so MATERIALS FILTER, and select the material FOREGROU. Then click in "Select all displayed" and "DELETE". It will remove all of traces from your model.

6) Return to MATERIALS FILTER and turn all textures on.

7) Now, it's time to apply the real textures on your model. Go back to MATERIALS FILTER again and select only one material, for example, GSU Color#01.

8) Now, you have in screen just the materials that you need to put a Wood texture on. So, Click in EDIT -> Material Editing and select your correct DDS file for wood. If you have just JPG files, you must to convert in DDS files using the "BATCH CONVERSION" button in 3dsimed and convert all JPGs in DDs, observing if all of them has sizes multiply of 4 (irregular sizes will crashes 3dSImed)

9) Choose your DDS file for main texture Wood. All of objects that you're seeing will turns them aspects to your new texture.

10) Go on filtering your GSU materials one per one and choosing the correct DDS files for each one of them. If you want more realistic textures, you will need complementary textures (BUMP and SPECULAR MAPS). You can to learn how to produces this kind of textures reading the stick post in this forum (Ennis bump & textures Tutorial).

The method described above works fine here. If you think it's necessary a more detailed explanation, let me know, I may write a tutorial for that.

Regards

[dosgraphix]

Thanks very much abujamra!

That is great and well detailed. I will try this later today, I will let you know how i go.

cheers,

[Beyou]

Does this method works with all 3DS Max version?
Because I tried with 2009, and I had errors with "converter.dlu, material.dlt, texture.dlt", and then nothing.

[ennisfargis]

As far as I'm aware it only works on 5, 6, 7, & 8.
The plugins are not compatable with later versions.

On another note the BTB forums have now moved.
http://forum.racedepartment.com/bobs-track-builder/

Cheers