Need BETA Testers for NeoDex Exporter 2! (a 3dsmax mdl exporter)

[BlinkBoy]

A while ago I stopped working on NeoDex Tool suit due to 2 big reasons: terrible core code which I inherited from the original dexporter and gmax support. After a long time, I finaly decided to recode the full exporting script in order for it to be more friendly, powerfull and easier to use. I currently have a working prototype which exports the basic stuffs (geometry, bones, helpers and animations). I need some testers to make sure the new version be bugless before improving it further.

NeoDex 2 has a lot of advantages compared to NeoDex 1. To name a few:

• Better Mdx/mdl format support: adds Tvertices Animations, Color Animations, among other things
• A warnning report mode which shows things that could go wrong when exported (example: unbalanced weights in Skin, TCB rotations with more than 90°, using uniform scale keys, assigning non Wc3 materials, etc)
• Lots of bug fixes such as the typical bug which messes up your model if you don't convert your model with magos or the Visibility bugs.
• A lot of flexibility for errors (you didn't assign a material? No problem! we create a fake one so it keeps going!)
• Modularized and mantainable code. (sepparated to many files with a module approach)
• Support for newer versions of 3dsmax
• The new code will make the process of making an importer way easier. It also makes writting to mdx format directly

Downsides of NeoDex 2

• GMAX support has been dropped (use Neodex .78b for that)
• Scenes made for NeoDex 1 may need some changes to be fully exported (mainly, colission shapes, attachments and event objects).
• Still is very extrict at exporting, things must be made with a lot of order. (less strictness than neodex 1)

Let's talk of what I got and the BETA.

I currently have a working prototype which does most of the basic stuffs. It also provides mechanisms which NeoDex 1 didn't.

What does the current prototype has that the old one didn't:

• Tvertex Animations (Animating the unwrap of a model, like in the water Elemental)
• Full float animations (For example: animating values of a particle emitter like life or emission rate, good for making explossions)
• Color animations (Animating colored parameters)
• perfect global sequences support.
• lots of bug fixes.

What it doesn't have yet:

• Biped support (will be readded soon).
• Particle emitters and ribbon emitters.
• Cameras and Colission Shapes.
• Warnning Mode (half complete, will be in BETA)

Planned changes:

• Warnning/Informative mode.
• Importer that supports full mdx format and allows reanimating and editing easily.
• Smarter IK Snapper (the tool used for writting FK keys to bones in an IK chain or influenced by a Constraint)

So with all said, let's talk of the BETA. I need people who can help me find any bugs on the new script, the idea is that the script be as buggy less as possible. I also want to check newer 3dsmax versions support for the script. Since 70% of the code has been remade, it's probable that it may break backward compatibility or forward compatibility (I'm using max 2008)

If you want to participate just post here, I'll send the tool in about 1 week with instructions on how to use it.

 

[BallisticTerrain]

I'd like to participate.
Max 2010. If you can get the tool to me before next week that would be good, as I'll be gone all of next week.

 

[BlinkBoy]

I'd like to participate.
Max 2010. If you can get the tool to me before next week that would be good, as I'll be gone all of next week.

Well I'll see what I can do.

Here's a sample of some of the new feutures:

 

[Talavaj]

I'd like to participate as well. I have max 2009.
I love using the tool, never really had problems with it (except that animated texture sequences never really exported for me)

Also according to my friend tobyfat50, the art tools allows, although not explicitly, for multiple UVW coordinates to be stored for a single material using composite material with layers each having a different channel.
Do you know of this functionality ? I've never managed to export things like that nor I found any documentation on it so I assumed Dex was not build with it. (although it is likely I was just doing things wrong)

Importer that supports full mdx format and allows reanimating and editing easily.

yes.

 

[BlinkBoy]

I'll check that out. I doubt you can really have multiple uwv because the format is not capable of holding it

EDIT: I have looked into that and I think I know what he means. The idea is that each unwrap map modifier which has a different map channel and is specified by the material does a different vertex animation. I'm implementing it in.

Today's progress:

• Reimplemented biped support.
• Reimplemented: Ribbonemitters, Events, Lights, Cameras and Collision shapes.
• Created plugin for collision shapes, they are no longer created from any random sphere or box there.
• Fixed some bugs.

 

[BallisticTerrain]

I hope we can get some more Max users in this. This plugin is going to be immensely helpful to me, even more than it already is. Thanks again BlinkBoy.

 

[Adiktuz]

wow this is nice... though I don't really do much wc3 stuff nowadays, too busy with life... but I guess I'd test this out when I have time...

 

[Manoo]

Hey blinkboy, Now i'm currently in war with your old neodex maybe u have some ideas to help me.

Helpful Info:
I'm using 3ds max 2011 64x bit
This model using IK and Orentations.
I didn't used mirror bones.
Model using Float keys, but even tried with linear - no change.
For Root i'm using circle, also using few dummys but they are not animated objects just helpers

Foto

Problems:
Firstly after ik to fk, some bones decide to go 90 angle degrees.

Foto

Secondly, after export some bones like root changes they coordinates. So I can't make animations like eye blinking 'couse bones moving like +1~2 range from original theyre position. I think I happens 'couse theyr not using IK or maybe I'm wrong...

Other Bugs:
For example you can not export two materials with same texture (texture id), even if they are totally same.

 

[BlinkBoy]

Hey blinkboy, Now i'm currently in war with your old neodex maybe u have some ideas to help me.

Helpful Info:
I'm using 3ds max 2011 64x bit
This model using IK and Orentations.
I didn't used mirror bones.
Model using Float keys, but even tried with linear - no change.
For Root i'm using circle, also using few dummys but they are not animated objects just helpers

Foto

Problems:
Firstly after ik to fk, some bones decide to go 90 angle degrees.

Foto

Secondly, after export some bones like root changes they coordinates. So I can't make animations like eye blinking 'couse bones moving like +1~2 range from original theyre position. I think I happens 'couse theyr not using IK or maybe I'm wrong...

Other Bugs:
For example you can not export two materials with same texture (texture id), even if they are totally same.

Well the IK snapper uses a 3dsmax inner tool to snap fk keys into them. That tool is buggy itself sometimes. What I used to do was snap in and fix the problems by hand. If things get really bad use: http://www.wc3c.net/showthread.php?t=82515 that tool bakes anything, however it adds a lot of unnecessary keys and will just generate copies of your bones (convert them to editable polies so neodex ignores tham as geometry). After the importer i'll try to integrate his method to the IK snapper (I think the IK snapper already does that for constrained bones)

2nd Problem: It's fixed on NeoDex 2 since it uses a different method to gather information from your scene.

EDIT:
Ok the exporter now exports Particle Emitters 2 as well. Still need to implement: Animated Textures, Particle Emitters 1 (the ones that emit models) and work on warnning mode and anti stupidity systems).

EDIT2:
Today's Progress:

• Implemented Particle Emitters 2, Particle Emitters 1 and Animated Textures. (98% of mdl format support)
• Implemented "Geoset self Animations" this means that if you want to animate a full mesh without adding an skin modifier is possible. This is perfect for reactor animated pieces and for baked objects.
• Implemented Standard and Debug Mode. (Standard does little to none error reports and runs faster, Debug reports detailed reports on bugs, mainly for developing reasons. Neodex 1 ran in debug mode).

Pending before BETA:

• Finish Tvertex Animations.
• add default materials and improve responses to wrong materials.
• Implement advice mode.
• Implement "Scene Diagnoser" to tell you if you have anything that's unexportable or may cause issues.

 

[Talavaj]

Implemented "Geoset self Animations" this means that if you want to animate a full mesh without adding an skin modifier is possible. This is perfect for reactor animated pieces and for baked objects.

This sounds very interesting, not quite getting it though. You mean animating an object similarly to how you would animate in max viewport by simply dragging objects around ?

So it would allow to bake things such as Havok rigid body physics ?
If so, would it be more effective than converting it with vertex anim converter ? (which makes a bone per vertex if I'm not mistaken)

 

[BlinkBoy]

This sounds very interesting, not quite getting it though. You mean animating an object similarly to how you would animate in max viewport by simply dragging objects around ?

So it would allow to bake things such as Havok rigid body physics ?
If so, would it be more effective than converting it with vertex anim converter ? (which makes a bone per vertex if I'm not mistaken)

Actualy is just animating the whole mesh. For that case is better to use the VA Baker. I thought of reactor for a particular case. I have a model where the guy has a lot of bones (he's an skeleton) at death I want the bones to fall into the floor very naturaly. It's mainly designed for simple things. It's also useful if you are making a construction and you have a saw geoset. Why not animate the saw directly, instead of making a bone for it and skin it over?

 

[skrab]

Nice work BlinkBoy.
My modeling days are numbered, but I will give my best to participate in the beta.

 

[BlinkBoy]

Well so far the tool is working pretty well. I still need to test a few things before sending the BETA build. I'll do my best to get it sent tonight.

 

[BallisticTerrain]

Looking forward to it.

 

[BlinkBoy]

ok, Beta has been sent. Check your PMs.

EDIT: keeep looking into the pastebin. New beta versions will keep popping as bugs are found.
EDIT2: The Beta is going pretty well. Most bugs reported were fixed and further Implementation has been done.
New Implementationsd for Beta B:

• Geoset Merging (the tool now merges similar geosets)
• Inherited Visibility.
• Art Tools style of skinning (specialy designed for future gmax support).
• GMAX support (atleast exports geometry, bones, AT Skinning and animations)
• NeoDex Finalizer, a tool for fixing up your scenes and defining synthetic Skinning.

Pending before release:

• Bug fixing.
• More optimizing options.

 

[Chucky]

I want to be a tester !
3D Studio Max 2010

 

[BlinkBoy]

I want to be a tester !
3D Studio Max 2010

It's already released, download it and enjoy

 

[Gottfrei]

man, I need dat thing long long time ago. why all good stuff comes when the game is already out of date.