@EdwardSolomon: Go
I was just searching for this today (I could afford 3Ds Max if I zealously overstretched my budget, but I'm rather strongly pro-open-source programs, and won't use closed source ones where open alternatives exist if at all possible) - as far as I can find, no such exporter exists.
For now, it isn't very hard to write something like that (because we have working open-source projects here), but free software have one big problem (don't get me wrong, I really really like it). People who made it, don't have much time and don't have money from their work... so, if I could, I'd do it, but it is hardly possible (high school exam this year, work... erf). If you want it done and know (even a little) how to do it, you can fork this project on github, do some work in your free time, share it with others. Use the power of community, and remember, never claim you do this all, because it is nothing but stealing ;)
@EdwardSolomon: Go I was just searching for this today (I could afford 3Ds Max if I zealously overstretched my budget, but I'm rather strongly pro-open-source programs, and won't use closed source ones where open alternatives exist if at all possible) - as far as I can find, no such exporter exists.
Technically most people who can afford Starcraft 2 can afford 3Dsmax by stretching their budget as well (like me) but I'd rather spend that money improving/repairing/tuning my piano or upgrading my hardware for my computer.
It might be a while before someone makes an exporter, BUT... you could import to Blender as .m3, export as .obj, and ask a friend to import into 3dsMax then export as .m3 for you.
I don't get it... there has been a program made that uses M3 like M3 Viewer that converts to obj. Can't we just get a tool that can set the textures of the model and export to M3? Something like Magos War3 model editor even if with assigning textures and exporting to M3 only? It doesn't even have to be Blender.. so far the only way to ever convert to M3 is 3ds max and installing GBs just for this, if you dont use it for modelling is... retarded. And to OP there are other ways to use 3ds max you know, but it's not worth it for using it just an exporter too. One year passed and no1 made some simple tool to assign textures and export to M3 .. :|
The m3 format is a little bit more annoying especially since blizzard won't release anything on it and it's all binary. :(.
It took a long time for a mdx converter that supported animations(they did get animations right?). I mean I was writing a parser just to convert mdx from the text format to dotxsi and I never got it finished because I got hung up on interpolation in time domain to coordinate space. I actually did get to bone assignments but it was pointless without the splines :(. I am not even going to touch binary... Imagine trying to figure out all of the pointers to the structs and how the data is packed and if there are any padding and checksums and all that crap...
Then imagine trying to write something for displaying and editing that stuff in real time. Makes you respect people like mago and oinkerwinkle for what they did.
If someone could make a Stand-Alone tool for exporting to M3 and setting the Diffuse/ Emissive/ Normal/ Specular textures like a stand-alone tool of the M3 plugin of 3ds max, that would be great. A tool with just two functions,
1) set/browse DDS file for each texture type
2) export to m3
It doesnt need interface, preview, something as basic as this that imports OBJ or other model types and exports to M3 and sets the type of textures would make very useful for anyone who wants to use his own model from anywhere.
The problem isn't buying the product.One could get it 'by other means' lol. The problem is some of us want to just to convert to sc2 models, which requires assigning and giving them the additional textures and of course pretty much what the M3 export plugin has. And for just converting while using another modelling program such as Milkshape or Blender, having to install a large program just for conversion seems not right. I can't work with Blender but it was OK to use it even as a conversion tool, as it is only 100MB and you can unzip it, no install. But there is no M3 export for blender.
One has the source code of M3 export plugin of 3ds max, cant a tool that opens obj or other model files and export to M3, assign textures and that's all - be made as a stand-alone tool out of that plugin? Even without animations, for a starter until at later phase that is also made.
Quote from Eimtr:
The problem isn't buying the product.One could get it 'by other means' lol. The problem is some of us want to just to convert to sc2 models, which requires assigning and giving them the additional textures and of course pretty much what the M3 export plugin has. And for just converting while using another modelling program such as Milkshape or Blender, having to install a large program just for conversion seems not right. I can't work with Blender but it was OK to use it even as a conversion tool, as it is only 100MB and you can unzip it, no install. But there is no M3 export for blender.
One has the source code of M3 export plugin of 3ds max, cant a tool that opens obj or other model files and export to M3, assign textures and that's all - be made as a stand-alone tool out of that plugin? Even without animations, for a starter until at later phase that is also made.
----
It's not as simple as just re-writing the code in the 3DSM exporter. You would then have to rework the code to convert the format of the data in any other model into M3, which in itself is an extremely complicated file.
Look on the bright side, when we pass away and DIE, we will (hopefully) go to paradise - and in the perfect world, there will be just one format for model-files, and not 1(+) per game!
Having many different model formats isn't that bad; most companies that 'encourage' modding release tools for it fairly quickly, or at least information that will allow other people to develop tools to do so. Blizzard, for whatever reason, made the decision not to do this for reasons I cannot fathom.
The reason for not using only one format universally is that many of them store irrelevant information to the game, so they write their own that condense everything, or leave things out, to minimize the space requirements for installation.
And custom format makes transfering same model material to another environment harder. Firm spends $$$ and workhours to create content, they do not want to see that content in homebrew games next day after their product release.
Though I think universal format to m3 is legal while m3 to universal format has its issues. By the way some people like me are seldomly working on porting 3ds Max maxscript (mxs) script to another format, it takes time and with few project members it is mostly hobby.
EDIT: Blender importer script does exist (for Blender 2.59?), it can convert m3 to blend file. Though there is not blender file to m3 converter aka exporter.
If I remember correctly it comes with Blender vanilla, it needs to be enabled from add-ons in Blender IO menu.
For the 99% of people who cannot afford 3Ds Max.
@EdwardSolomon: Go I was just searching for this today (I could afford 3Ds Max if I zealously overstretched my budget, but I'm rather strongly pro-open-source programs, and won't use closed source ones where open alternatives exist if at all possible) - as far as I can find, no such exporter exists.
@mentalisttraceur: Go
MilkShape or Gmax is also ok.
For now, it isn't very hard to write something like that (because we have working open-source projects here), but free software have one big problem (don't get me wrong, I really really like it). People who made it, don't have much time and don't have money from their work... so, if I could, I'd do it, but it is hardly possible (high school exam this year, work... erf). If you want it done and know (even a little) how to do it, you can fork this project on github, do some work in your free time, share it with others. Use the power of community, and remember, never claim you do this all, because it is nothing but stealing ;)
Technically most people who can afford Starcraft 2 can afford 3Dsmax by stretching their budget as well (like me) but I'd rather spend that money improving/repairing/tuning my piano or upgrading my hardware for my computer.
60 dollars for Starcraft does not equate to 3500 for 3ds Max by stretching your budget.
Funny.
I would rather soend the money I could spen on 3DS max on my bills...
Kind of makes it worthless when I lose my house...
I'm sure we're talking about an long term payment, alhtough it would be outdated by the time you payed it off.
It in no way makes sense. Besides, the poor man's option of Internet sleuth always exists.
It might be a while before someone makes an exporter, BUT... you could import to Blender as .m3, export as .obj, and ask a friend to import into 3dsMax then export as .m3 for you.
I don't get it... there has been a program made that uses M3 like M3 Viewer that converts to obj. Can't we just get a tool that can set the textures of the model and export to M3? Something like Magos War3 model editor even if with assigning textures and exporting to M3 only? It doesn't even have to be Blender.. so far the only way to ever convert to M3 is 3ds max and installing GBs just for this, if you dont use it for modelling is... retarded. And to OP there are other ways to use 3ds max you know, but it's not worth it for using it just an exporter too. One year passed and no1 made some simple tool to assign textures and export to M3 .. :|
@Eimtr: Go
The m3 format is a little bit more annoying especially since blizzard won't release anything on it and it's all binary. :(.
It took a long time for a mdx converter that supported animations(they did get animations right?). I mean I was writing a parser just to convert mdx from the text format to dotxsi and I never got it finished because I got hung up on interpolation in time domain to coordinate space. I actually did get to bone assignments but it was pointless without the splines :(. I am not even going to touch binary... Imagine trying to figure out all of the pointers to the structs and how the data is packed and if there are any padding and checksums and all that crap...
Then imagine trying to write something for displaying and editing that stuff in real time. Makes you respect people like mago and oinkerwinkle for what they did.
If someone could make a Stand-Alone tool for exporting to M3 and setting the Diffuse/ Emissive/ Normal/ Specular textures like a stand-alone tool of the M3 plugin of 3ds max, that would be great. A tool with just two functions,
1) set/browse DDS file for each texture type
2) export to m3
It doesnt need interface, preview, something as basic as this that imports OBJ or other model types and exports to M3 and sets the type of textures would make very useful for anyone who wants to use his own model from anywhere.
GUYS! You do NOT have to buy 3ds max if you're a student... they give it away for free...
http://students.autodesk.com/
It works perfectly.
The problem isn't buying the product.One could get it 'by other means' lol. The problem is some of us want to just to convert to sc2 models, which requires assigning and giving them the additional textures and of course pretty much what the M3 export plugin has. And for just converting while using another modelling program such as Milkshape or Blender, having to install a large program just for conversion seems not right. I can't work with Blender but it was OK to use it even as a conversion tool, as it is only 100MB and you can unzip it, no install. But there is no M3 export for blender.
One has the source code of M3 export plugin of 3ds max, cant a tool that opens obj or other model files and export to M3, assign textures and that's all - be made as a stand-alone tool out of that plugin? Even without animations, for a starter until at later phase that is also made.
You can simply download 3ds max from...other webs
Quote from Eimtr:
The problem isn't buying the product.One could get it 'by other means' lol. The problem is some of us want to just to convert to sc2 models, which requires assigning and giving them the additional textures and of course pretty much what the M3 export plugin has. And for just converting while using another modelling program such as Milkshape or Blender, having to install a large program just for conversion seems not right. I can't work with Blender but it was OK to use it even as a conversion tool, as it is only 100MB and you can unzip it, no install. But there is no M3 export for blender.
One has the source code of M3 export plugin of 3ds max, cant a tool that opens obj or other model files and export to M3, assign textures and that's all - be made as a stand-alone tool out of that plugin? Even without animations, for a starter until at later phase that is also made.
----
It's not as simple as just re-writing the code in the 3DSM exporter. You would then have to rework the code to convert the format of the data in any other model into M3, which in itself is an extremely complicated file.
Look on the bright side, when we pass away and DIE, we will (hopefully) go to paradise - and in the perfect world, there will be just one format for model-files, and not 1(+) per game!
Good luck on your mission though :)
Having many different model formats isn't that bad; most companies that 'encourage' modding release tools for it fairly quickly, or at least information that will allow other people to develop tools to do so. Blizzard, for whatever reason, made the decision not to do this for reasons I cannot fathom.
The reason for not using only one format universally is that many of them store irrelevant information to the game, so they write their own that condense everything, or leave things out, to minimize the space requirements for installation.
And custom format makes transfering same model material to another environment harder. Firm spends $$$ and workhours to create content, they do not want to see that content in homebrew games next day after their product release. Though I think universal format to m3 is legal while m3 to universal format has its issues. By the way some people like me are seldomly working on porting 3ds Max maxscript (mxs) script to another format, it takes time and with few project members it is mostly hobby.
EDIT: Blender importer script does exist (for Blender 2.59?), it can convert m3 to blend file. Though there is not blender file to m3 converter aka exporter. If I remember correctly it comes with Blender vanilla, it needs to be enabled from add-ons in Blender IO menu.