MD3 loading in (kind of :) )

archive development-discussion-jme2
21

Yes that’s a fact. Blender is probably the less intuitive software to learn. I like it a lot now, but I must agree on this point.



The bad thing is…the other option is use ware$ software…



or…what I did. And still do, as Blender does not cover all I want. And even, there are some areas that it covers that I don’t like how it does it. I only use it for animation, export to 3d games, and casual renders.



I have handled dozens of 3d, and 2d softwares. tried blender at first, and even having been then before to a 3d studio msdos course, couldnt learn Blender after it.



After handling loads of softwares, free and other of low cost that i purchased, and having to work on it as a job, I encouraged myself and spent quite a time and patience on trying again to learn it…some improves on the UI also helped a lot. Once you’re used to deal with vertices and 3d, it’s all a bit the same, anyway. I’m at the point in which I don’t mind how complex the ui is, but if the power is there. As only time I really cazre bout this is during modelling stage, and that is solved in Wings3d.



Now I use : Wings3d for modelling and selections (for exporting for late ron mapping groups) , Ultimate Unwrap for uv mapping (40$) , Gimp (free) , and Deep Paint3d (paint textures in 3d realtime) (dunno, I think it was like 1000$ or 1500$…was long ago, and lots of extra charges added for th way i purchased it…) , Character Fx (15$) for animation…or lately Blender, (I’m a tester of the x export plugin, so I know it already works…) , Gile (40$, high quality) or Slim Shady (free) for Lightmaps, amorphium1 (300$, but free for those who buy certain Digit’s magazine issue) or zbrush for modelling the very high res version of the model to generate the normal map.



But indeed, for amateur games…Blender could suffice if are ready to loose certain things like lightmaps.



I’d rather advice, for those using free software only:



Wings3d(mdoelling), lithunwrap or uv mapper classic for UVs, Blender for animation, Gimp for textures, slim shady for lightmaps.



Quite a harder way , but free. i did several models without much hassle with those.





Usually, curious is typical blender user does not know, and does not want to know , in general, of other 3d tools like I do. That’s no good.



Anyway, couldn’t resist… :wink: had uploaded some other blender pics to my space, as the previous, are from some of the best blender users.



http://picserver.org/view_image.php/R7WIV8H9R5R9/picserver.jpeg

http://picserver.org/view_image.php/BR1B25H63XUF/picserver.jpeg

http://picserver.org/view_image.php/58G2955H72U8/picserver.jpeg

http://picserver.org/view_image.php/YV8FXMGLT219/picserver.jpeg

22

I went ahead and added lara to the jmetest/data/model dir in CVS. That jar is getting large…

23

just a small bug cep. Its not possible to load two textures on the same model. E.g. Lara_upper, you can’t assign a head texture, only a body. Tried to multitexture, doesn’t work.



DP

24

Just to add a bit interesting about this.



Seems is perfectly legal to produce an md3 using Gmax for comercial projects, and exactly this plugin (as if you use the linked in gmax site, teh ID’s Tempest plugin…that’s not allowed for comercial projects) works like charm and has no legal issues. Is quite allowed, as even one of the moderators at turbosquid (where the gmax forums are now) is the author of this plugin. I put yoy the link.



http://mojo.gmaxsupport.com/Sections/Plugins.html



Only remember :md3, for now, is ok for characters. But has a limit of 8,192 tris . Indeed I did the try and the plugin wont let you export more than that. The limit is that number, and/or 4096 vertices, if I remember well.


  • A question :



    Anybody tried already md3 in jME? how hardware consuming is it? how much it suffers compared to an md2? What kind of interpolation does it use? I doubt anyone may had made the comparison of a 1500 tris with md2 , and a 1500 tris of md3, and see which takes more hardware… (that is, and md3 one piece only and one texture, like if it were an md2…)



    I have been seing the jME md2 demo, and I see it has vertex wobbling/trembling. I think is for the no use of floats, by md2 design, as I mentioned. So, even targeting for very low hardware specs, I’d prefer to use md3 over md2.



    BTW, another way that may allow using any package that export *.3ds, lwo or ase… is the nPherno md3 compiler.



    Of course, I keep thinking x and md5 are way more advanced and better; my friend and I just want to do our next project for very low specs machines…



    Thanks, if someone answers…