SC2Mapster

I just down loaded this program and me oh me oh my it is huge lol

I just don't know if I am smart enough to handle this level of detail.

http://usa.autodesk.com/3ds-max/

I just watched the tutorilas provided and I think this is really for people who already have a job related to this type of program.

I got the student license version and now I just want to make my dark protoss work :/ ... I cant even import the units I have downloaded.

@ScorpSCII: Go

So ive made progress.

Youtube did not help.. well it did tell me what i do not have.. So i downloaded the plug in from mapster.

I cant get the m3 import to do anything.. all the while i dnt even know if im going in the right direction.. I read the read me: 1. Must have 3ds max installed

2a. Extract the m3_import script (.ms) into your 3ds max '...\Scripts' directory, optionally you can place the script in your '...\Scripts\Startup\' directory to have it automatically load when you launch 3ds Max.

2b. If you want to use Starcraft 2 objects in max (custom materials, maps) then place 'sc2_objects.ms' into your 3ds max '...\Plugins' directory.

3. Click on the hammer icon on the default right hand side pane, and click on the MAXScript button. If you didn't have 3ds max automatically load it upon launch, click 'Run Script' from the rollout dialog and locate the script.

4. Select 'M3 - Export' from the Utilities drop down menu.

5. Click the 'Export' button!

I got the 2012 version so maybe something has changed? There is no export button that I saw.. I have redownloaded the mapster plug in 3-4 times..

I just want to get units from sc2 into it.

I made it a few seconds into the video to see him go into the utilities, and thats the part.. he has that drop down menu just below "run script" that has "m3-Export"... ive restarted the 3ds max program like 4 times hoping that each change i made with the files would be the one that makes it work. I moved the files (like the readme says i could do) into the startup folder.. I also have a copy in the scripts folder.

No matter what i do with any of the "MAXscript" buttons there are no things that say "ms - Export" anywhere..

@sigmapl: Go

So you're saying I have to download an older version??

Or is there something I can change in the settings of 3dsmax to make it run like a 2011?

Im hoping that you are wrong lol Most programs, if they are working with older programs will work fine with newer ones because theyve just improved..

like sc1 will work on windows xp...and will definitely work on any computer that uses vista or 7.

I really hope I am just making some sort of error that someone else has already made... but since no one is awake yet lol I will try downloading 2011 :/ on top of 2012

The following was copied and pasted. . . thought it would better fit here than where it was.. : Hey, another person who uses solidworks for making the models, great! I'm assuming you've done everything correctly in converting the imported models into editable meshes, and so I will give you some basic guidance on how to do texturing, because it is not anything like any of the other engineering programs I use for applying textures (Granted, that is only solidworks and rhino).

First off, you have to create a material, as described by xcorbo. I personally use in-game textures (i.e., things from existing starcraft models) because I don't have the will/capacity to do any 2d art, and making normal maps looks like a pain. It also makes it easier for people to import. A good point of reference is to import an existing model and look at some of its material properties (specularity, flags, and multipliers) to see how things should be. This will also be VERY important in using particle emitters.

3ds max allows significantly more control of how textures are applied through use of the modifier "Unwrap UVW". This will allow you to "paint" a texture onto an existing model. Once you apply this modifier, you can click on "edit UVW". A window with a checkered background and a bunch of green squares will appear. In the upper right corner is a drop-down menu with the option to change the material from checkered to "Composite texturemap". The checkered squares are a default because they are extremly useful in checking scale/alignment between contiguous pieces, but in general you are going to want to work off the composite texture map, or the textures you are actually using. Once here, you may notice the green squares correspond to faces of your model. Play around to find out what all the different settings do, as there are quite a few that can assist the process. One hint: at the upper ribbon of this window is a menu called "mapping". Experiment with the different kinds of mapping you can perform on your model, as it will create different chunks of faces spaced out in different ways which can greatly ease your ensuing pain. Finally, if you are using a symmetric model, I suggest using only half of it, texturing it, and then mirroring it. It will save you some pain with 3ds max's lack of snaps.

@xcorbo: Go

lol u could have pm me :p

I'm very interested. Im on here now waiting for just that lol A SOLUTION!

Do you have team viewer? I could let you make an example out of my problems :/

@DarcZaFire: Go

turns out i do not need 3ds max for what I was doing. Thx corbo.. I just needed an "import path".

I uploaded a loading screen before so I was pretty sure i knew what I was doing there..

For those who dnt know... Textures (dds) go to (and u have to type this in the blank box), "assets\textures\".. and the models (m3) go into no specific import path. leave it blank.