Please help with model insertion...and ability altering

I really want to put custom models/skins in my maps, but WE deletes anything I put in there the next time I save it. I know I could just get a final version, then add all the models and then never edit it again but honestly I am constantly thinking of things I want to change. It seems there must be a better solution. I read something about adding a custom .wav file first, but that did not work either when I tried it.

While I'm posting I might as well ask about modifying the upgrades and spells. Someone posted something about using triggers with custom characters for a way around the upgrade problem, but that seems very inelegant to me. Isn't there some way to actually overwrite the default values in the map, as you would load in a custom model for a unit? Although I guess that is quite different, it still seems something like that should be possible.

Also, is it actually possible to make a model in 3d studio max and get it into a .mdx format? I read something about doing that on some other site, but I didn't really want to put any work into testing it if I wasn't reasonably certain it could actually be done.

Thanks in advance for any help...

Beav

Create a custom MPQ and add your modls/textures to it and then save it on w3 folder as War3patch.mpq. Please backup the file first. After you have the FINAL version of your map, please make sure to add those files to the w3m.

As for the upgrades question, the only way would be by using custom SLKs and even we can add them to the map, it won't work coz slks get loaded first. Again, you would need to create a custom MPQ and all players would need tha custom mpq to play, otherwise they'll get a "MPQ-Desync".

So far, there isn't a way to create MPQs. KMK is working on a Max Importer but it only imports MDX and is is not finished yet.

That would seem like a reasonable solution, but you tell me to make a custom mpq and then tell me it's not possible to make one a little later on? I would just add them to war3.mpq, but I'd be a little nervous to since I don't know how to delete files from an mpq. Is there no truth at all to the "add a wav file first" trick?

Beav

no what he meant was:

while you are editing the map (it is not finished) you make yourself a war3patch.mpq (or better solution: copy war3patch in a backup folder and then insert your own models/skins into war3patch.mpq)

you now will see your own units, dont have to edit the w3m all the time.

but if you want to release the w3m, then add your models to the w3m.
if your w3m is finished, you can replace the war3patch.mpq with the original one.

repeat:
while you edit, you use patched war3patch to see your customs
if you release map, you patch the w3m

okay?

btw. you have custom models??? are they cool? =)

I have a few custom models, but they are actually only the skins right now. Although I did use transparency a lot in one of them so it looks quite different. I have some experience with 3d studio max, so I want to actually make my own models, but I'm not sure exactly how just yet...

Beav