3DSM 5 Importing War3 MDX models into Max

3dStudio Max 5.1 MDX to max Guide v1.2

Greetings,

This guide focuses how to import existing WC3 MDX files into MAX so that custom modifications goes smoother and

to answer all of the questions running on this forum ^_^
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Tools you need

The tools with the * can be replaced with similar ones, as long as they fulfill their functions correctly. Your

responsible for the correct functionality of your tools. If you do not know how to run it or you cannot run it,

don't knock on my door as it is not my responsibility. The scripts should be in the script folder of Max. You

need the following tools to import a model:

Winmpq* - to extract mdx files.

Wc3 image viewer* - DnbJacks image converter, to turn blp into tga.

Fadi's Importer script 1.00 - NOT the program that turns mdx into md3. I havent seen a single md3 importer that

can handle Fadi's md3 files.

Art Tools - To export your stuff into mdx

Yobguls Converter - Mdx->mdl and backwards

Notepad - To edit the mdl

3d studio max 5.1 - Max 4.2 is quite possible although I do NOT support it in this helpfile. Dont bother asking

about Gmax, I wont support that either

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Lets start!

We will take Arthas.mdx as example (the hammer version) that is extracted from War3.mpq. Use WinMPQ to extract

arthas.mdx and use WC3ImageConverter to browse for the arthas blp and to extract it as a tga file (it is located

in textures\ folder). Both files should be put in a folder you can easily find back again.

Convert the mdx into mdl with Yobguls tools (then close Yobguls tool), then open the mdl with notepad. Goto the

Animations List header and you will see:



Copy the last framenumber in the last animation [Walk], which is 127433. Now goto the first animation and replace

its ending framenumber with the copy. Then finally change the starting framenumber of the first animation into 0.

Then remove all animation sequences but the first. You should have this:



Save the mdl and turn it back into mdx with Yobguls converter. Now load Max.

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Load the mdx importer by Fadi first, and load the mdx of the arthas.mdx. Now with the option [skin envelope]

tagged on, select the animation (It contains all the animations in ONE animation sequence as you have made it run

through to the last ending frame) and import it directly in max. Now it has the bones and the keys as well. Close

Fadi's importer and save.

Ok, after you have saved the geosets of Fadi's version in the maxscene, save it under another name. We will

continue working here. Now, create a box at the center with the aid of keyboard entry (so that the pivotpoint is

EXACTLY at 0,0,0), name it Bone_MasterRotator (or anything , as long as it starts with "Bone") and change its

properties into "Bone" with the help of wc3 's [User property Editor]. Now find the master parent bone (that

means, where EVERYTHING depends on; if that bone moves, all bones are moved. Usually it is called Bone_Root) and

the bones that are NOT linked to a parent bone. Now, LINK them to the Bone_MasterRotator box you just created.

Finally select the box and rotate it 90 degrees, so that all bones will face alongside the Y axis. Fadi's

importer turns them 90 degrees to the left so its wise to do this at forehand beforehand before splitting etc.

You cannot select all bones downright and rotate them 90 degrees, as some bones with position keys will not

rotate correctly. Now SELECT ALL bones and tag them as bones with the user poperty editor. The geoset should

rotate as well along with the bones.

You have now set the bones correctly! :D
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Save and rename the scene if you want for backup issues. Just select all geosets and tag them with [Connected]

with the user property editor. Now use the material editor and assign to the geosets the materials with the

correct textures on. Fadi's importer imports the uvwrapping incorrectly though, so you have to enable wrapwidth

and heigth. You can either do this by clicking on the diffuse channel of the material and select the u and v

options (which should be the right collumn of the checkboxes) or just manually fix the uvwrapping. This can be

done by:

-Delete the skin and vertex mege modifiers. if you are going to cut it in several parts, it will screw up

everything mayorly. Remove them at forehand
-Select the geoset
-Goto modifiers and apply a unwrap modifier
-With the unwrap modifier active, click the edit button under its options.
-A seperate uv editing window appears, now, zoom out a bit and you see why applying the texture wouldnt show.
-Select everything in that window and move them correctly back where they belong.
-Close the edit window and rightclick on the modifiers menu, then Collapse all. A warning will pop up, neglect

it.
-Now start cutting the geoset data.

Now after you have cut arthas geoset into logical parts (upper leg, pelvis and stuff) and link them to the

correct bones. I suggest dealing this systematically, hiding parts that are already cut into pieces and linked.

Use your logical thinking and you will figure out which parts they should be linked to (usually the bones with

the names as meshes or boxes or objects are the bones that are attached to the geoset, so you should link the

geosets meshes to those! The bones starting with "Bone" are usually helpers, which you dont have to link meshes

on it...although there ARE exceptions).

There is a reason why you should save the scene under different names. If you fubar one scene, you can always

fall back to another. Also, use the maxscene with Fadi's geoset intact to check up how the geoset skin is linked

up. Check the skin modifier in that maxscene and use [edit envelopes] to view which part of the mesh are linked

to which bones.

NOTE that the arthas.mdx is probably quite confusing, so you can use the Fadi's maxscene to sort out which part

of the geoset should be cut and linked too. I have chosen this model though because people were requesting it and

so a example file exists.

If you run into any problems you can refer to the Arthas_Export.max in the download link! ^_^
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Now, you must know that Fadi's importer imports the keys of the bones not quite accurate. Try selecting all the

keys of all the bones and try "moving" them in dopesheet. This will correct them and align them to the dopesheet.

After this is all done create the notes in the notetrack to tag and mark the sequences. Just use the mdl as guide

which framesequence is a animation. Remember that the numbers are not the same in your mdl, depending on your

timebar view (ntsc/pal or custm fps). I use custom fps with 960. This is quite close of the mdls frame rating.

Also Global sequenced animations are not quite done in Fadi's importer;you have to manually select the bones and

change their out-of-range controller type into cycling in the dopesheet.

Voila! You are done importing . You can now edit everything at your heart :D
Just use the art tools to export the shit as it used to be and check the animations with WC3 previewer.

IMPORTANT!

If you ever find a model that generates an error while importing into 3d studio max, its 100% certain the faces directory is more then 1. Check for reference a regular model and check the mdl=you will notice all faces are in one { }

The models that crash have more then 1 { }. To fix it, delete and rebuild the faces list back to one { }.

IMPORTANT! II

The importer has difficulties with importing helpers, especially the ones that have minimum move values. Check and compare your model with that of the ingame one. If you see a weird or irregular movement in the animation, then most likely one bone has no rotation values. This happens with helpers that start off with a translation sequence. Again,you can do a double key: apply the new imported bone key with rotaion over the old one. In order to make the script detect it, you have to delete the translate part afront the rotation part.


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The tools you need and the sample files are in this

link!.

The file is a zip that contans:

Fadi's importer script
kmk's importer script
yobguls tools (very big as it needs cracked dll's)
Arthas_export.max alongside with the tga's. It has al the animations, materials global seq fixes and stuff. NO

particles though as Fadi's importer does NOT import particles.


Enjoy!

Cookie,
Wc3c Art Director

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Version history

v1.2
-added information regarding models that generate error when trying to import

v1.1
-Fixed Fadi's name =)
-Updated the issue with the unwrapping. Kmk's import script removed as it was no longer necessary
-Keep booskipping!

v1.0
Basic information

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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER

This guide/text is Copyright (c)2004 Andrew Vache (Cookie). All rights reserved. This may not be reproduced under

any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise distributed

publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public

display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright law.

Created for helping people out with hero glows, this guide should only be found at

www.wc3campaigns.com

If you find it on another site, please drop me a Personal Message at the forums of wc3campaigns.com, since I will

then need to contact them and remind them about a copyright problem. Thanks for your help. If you want to post

this guide and its contents on your site or in your magazine, please contact me first before doing so. Again,

thank you for your help.

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What is "User Properties Editor" ?

It comes withe the Art Tools. You open it like the preview.

Cookie, I love ya! Well, not literary as I have a girl, but... DAMN! Nice work! Spielberg bless ya!

Am I the only one getting the following error when trying to import a GEOMerged model?

ah that is probably a downside with famis importer: it cannot handle third party models and models from the art tools. You can only do the "legal"

Hmm I used Nicoli_s' importer to make the pieces of the GEOSets I added... hmm so I'd have to start my Loth Archer from scratch and re-add the Bow/Quiver manually for it to work with this... well that sucks...

Actually, XA, I had the same problem. No matter what I did, it just didn't want to import the model. Then, for some wierd reason I tried to load it via KMK's importer (bone rotations included) and - it worked. I still couldn't get it to work again, but I'm trying hard...

Tufy, remember then you cant import the animations thorugh fami's importer. If you wish to edit your created model, I do not suggest using the mdx-> max method. Fami's importer will not function. I suggest to use that method for your new creations of redo some of the creations you think they are not quite good (like head etc are not quite linked etc)

For Xarans loth archer its quite easy to be honest: Just import and cut and link it the spell breaker. Then fix the things up (like anims etc). Then import the bones of the PoTm or archer or naga seawitch and use import its attack anim. Now delete the mesh of the potm/naga or archer and then use the bones as helpers. Just make them fit in the anim (use your imagination) and just delete the anims of the bones (or in other words remove anim keys of the parts you wish not to have animated). Static meshes like bow and quiver can just be linked and even wrapped along with the original skin so that is not a issue at all it would =) (note: keep the porttrait anim). If ya want I can make another tutorial how to merge the anims of two.

I think I understand :)

Do ya need a example how its done 9with using the spellbreaker+ archer anim tutorial?) I have to create one anyways so I might as well use that as a example file

Sure, go ahead. I'm pretty happy with my existing one anyway but I'll be making a heavily modified version fo an archer in Forsaken Destiny. Plus the one I made still stands as a benchmark for me: first time I transferred individual animations for individual body parts as opposed to all the anims from one unit to another.

Perhaps I could do with a bit of help on this afterall.

can i use this turtorial in GMAX to....i not is there an other one like it for GMAX cause this turtorial is very good :D