Sc2 Art Tools are possible in any 3ds max version

[BlinkBoy]

Yesterday I took some time to look into the Sc2 Art Tools files, I then noticed a file called SC2ArtTools.mzp. It's actualy a zip file with a bunch of maxcripts in .mse format. I later extracted those and decrypted them (3ds max's encryption algorithm is terrible).

Inside of that I noticed a lot of interesting things:

• all the helper plugins are scripted in maxscript.
• Data comunication between 3dsmax and sc2editor is done through command line operations. This one is important, because any modeling tool can use Sc2Editor's Preview and Monitor feuture
• All of the functions are accesible without hacking by using the global: StarTools in maxscript (open the listener and write it, then use "show StarTools" to browse it).
• The liveUpdater is also managed using maxscript.
• The only code which is version dependant is the Exporter itself (the one that writes the file) and the next plugins: All Effects plugins (Sc2Particle, Sc2Ribbon, etc), All Material Plugins and Sc2Omni, Sc2Camera and Sc2Spot.
• Identifying install directories for Sc2, logging and configuration is all version independant. It all runs on maxscript.
  
  Some important information:
• All the version dependant plugins are scriptable through maxscript.
• The code is very well organized, it's easy to just replace the hardcoded exporter with a maxscript coded exporter.
• The data gathering from the scene is already made by StarTool's maxscript only conversion of the data gathered to m3 file is hardcoded.

The hardcoded library is called Sc2ExporterLib, it's job is:

• Setup image conversion.
• Generate M3 file from the data gathered.
• Generate ConvexHulls for Sc2Physics.
• Commit models into a mod file.
• Prepare some files for previewing? (Still not sure how it works).

Mainly anyone interested on making them compatible with any 3dsmax version. Would need to redo those jobs on maxscripts or through standalone aplications.

 

[Deolrin]

Wow, that's pretty sweet. :O
Do you think it's also possible to make it work with Maya?
Oh, and... You pretty much did this for Warcraft 3, Blink. Is it at all possible that you will do the same for Starcraft 2?

 

[BlinkBoy]

Wow, that's pretty sweet. :O
Do you think it's also possible to make it work with Maya?
Oh, and... You pretty much did this for Warcraft 3, Blink. Is it at all possible that you will do the same for Starcraft 2?

About maya:

Not really, the open code is maxscript. Maxscript only runs on 3dsmax. Maya uses melscript and python, plus maya works very different to 3dsmax. If a toolset for maya would be made, it would need to be completely designed for it.

About possible NeoDex tools for Sc2:

It's possible but not in the near future. The format is not fully reverse enginered yet.

My current objectives, in order, are:

• Fix GMAX compatibility with NeoDex importer - done.
• Add multimaterial to GMAX. - done.
• Finish the Neodex importer optimizer (it's beautiful how it's importing models right now, soon the models will be as editable as if you had the original scene at hand, not only that but it reduces things that other tools can't do like geosets and eleminates useless crap out of models like all those stub bones).
• Make NeoDex import for Sc2 Art Tools (auto convert your wc3 models into sc2's).
• Refactor the WoW importer and incorporate it into NeoDex.
• Make the WoW importer produce Sc2 Art Tools and Neodex Scenes.
• Write an M3 Importer into Sc2 Art Tools.
• Rewrite the version dependant part of Sc2 Art tools.