Any 3d Milkshape users here? (ST Models Available)
 

If you use Milkshake3d can you tell me how to export to DirectX? Not DirectX JT as those file formats don't work.

I need to know to export to DirectX, the format that SE V uses. Any help is appreciated.


Edit:
Down the thread a bit are two posts with attachments for Star Trek ships that can be used with SE V.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

I have done an exstensive search using google to no avail. So help is desperately needed here.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

There should be two directX options. Have you tried them both?

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Direct X 8.0 YES - no joy
DirectX (JT) YES - Again no joy.

Milkshape will open the .MOD files, that is it will import them, but the options for exporting are limited. I think we need to get the developer to improve the Direct X export options to include the format of DirectX that SE V uses.

Ideally that would be the best option.

The funny thing is, the TOOL - DirectX Mesh tool will show the model just fine with all the textures intact, however there is NO way to save the damn thing.

I am sure there is, but I am just to stupid to find it. Or the X-Viewer for SE V is just too damn finicky to open the files after they have been saved as X format by Milkshape.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

*Shrug* All I can suggest is fiddle with the options. Some of the programs require different options.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Thanks Narf. I will try all combinations and see if I can get one to work.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Here is an LWO model that I made by converting a MOD file.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

And here it is as an .x file (no textures.)

This ship, while pretty, illustrates the problem with converting models from other games, at over 5500 faces you're looking at the game engine getting bogged down when you have whole fleets going at it.

Not trying to discourage anyone, just wanted to point that out.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

We can made basic shapes look good, its just texturing them. David Gervais has posted about a program that helps to reduce the ploygon counts on models so perhaps that might help to reduce these models down to a more workable size.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Unfortunately most game models have already been optimized as far as they can go without leaving holes in the model, that's part of the artist's job.

To get models for conversion that won't tax the system (for Trek) you'll probably have to go back to Armada I and earlier.

I hate to say it, because I love this game, but the 3d engine in SEV is woefully behind the times and underpowered. Then again, 3d is not what the game is all about! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Despite these challenges I am very happy to see the old Atrocities fire stoking back up. I was a little worried that the SE Series was about to lose one of its greatest. I have faith you will get the models working and produce them for us all to admire and use.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Well I guess we could go pull the Armada models, and perhaps even those from BOTF for that matter.

I wonder if there is a way to beef up the 3d system in SE V via a patch or something?

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Not that an end-user could do. Now if MM were to do a rewrite... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

What we're running into is a problem that plagues small software developers, either they have to pay through the nose to license an engine from someone else, or they have to reinvent the wheel in order to put some eye-candy on the screen. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

ok got it. meta is just a bit fussy about where it looks for the texture files.

in meta.

Open LWO6_Model.lwo (the other one does not have the textures mapped)
it should open the model and you should also get a little "Material Panel" (click "MatPane" button if it's not there)
the material panel will have 4 materials in it, double click the first one, you will get a bit "Material Property" window.
at the bottem of the window there's a text box labeled "Texture" with "f_lakota_1.bmp" in it.
this is where metasoquia is a bit dumb, it's not looking in the folder where the mesh model is to find the texture. so click the "Ref" button and direct it to the correct file in the SFC_Excelsior_B directory.
do this for all the materials and you should be good.


these models are rather high polly, you could reduce some of them by taking out some of the detail underneeth the ship, since you don't see that much in seV. also some of the rounded dome bits could probibly be reduced too, they are probibly a bit higher than whan you need in seV.
then again, some peoples computers may be able to handle the high pollys anyway http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

nah, he should have used Oger, it's open source, free, can be used in a retail game, and one of the better graphics engines out there.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Very, very good point! Ogre could have given us some serious eye-candy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

More developers need to take a good hard look at Ogre and not be scared-off by the term "open source." Most folks tend to think all open-source stuff is GPL'd and that they would have to release all their source code but that is not the case with Ogre, it is released as LGPL.

Put simply, if you modify the engine you have to share those modifications, the rest of your code is... your code! You don't have to show it to anyone.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Well there are plenty of models for Armada 1 and 2...and I think that someone posted the BOTF models somewhere for SFC, I think I saw them on battleclinic the other day.

Best sites for Armada models and mods...

http://armada2.filefront.com/
http://www.armadafleetcommand.com/afc/index.php

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Thanks Se5a for the meta info. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Kana I tried to open the SOD files that I downloaded from the filefront site and Armada HQ site, with Milkshape using the SOD plugin, and it errored out saying that it could only open stock SOD files. Do you know of a way around this?

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

I really hate to say this about SE V, but that God Damned X viewer is a real pain in the ***! It is so damn finicky about what X files it will or won't open.

ANything with any amount of texturing to it and you get that alarming BEEP "error" message. SE V is proving to be far more frustrating than enjoyable at this point and that is in no small part to this crappy DirectX modeling system that Aaron elected to go with.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

The model viewer is a pain, yes. I find it easier just to load the blasted things into the game myself. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Here are 4 ships that I converted for use with SE V. The Frame Rates are all in the 100's so you can't have a lot of em.

You will need the X viewer utility to see them so I included it with the zip.

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Here are 8 Klingon Ships.

The files include both X and LWO files along with any credit file and Texture images.

You will need the X Viewer to see the models. You can get that by downloading the file in the above post.

B'Rel
D7 Battle Cruiser
K'Tinga
Vorcha 1
Vorcha 2
Negh'Var 2
Negh'Var 2
Station

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Not really, I havent had much experience with SOD files...I could look around and ask..Of coures you are just as capable as I of problem solving and searching, but two heads are better than one...I figure that armada2.filefront would have some kind of section on modding which may have links to viewers and plugins and such...

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Answer to your question AT, I posted over at http://www.dynaverse.net/ in their modeling section and this is the reply:

Re: Any 3d Milkshake users here?
 

Thanks Kana. I remember the old Armada forums from way back and don't want to revisit bad memories. *shudder*