posted 02-07- 06:44 AM               

K guys this might take a couple.

I'm having problems. I am having no luck moving things from ac3d to ops and ops to ac3d.

When i try to export a LOD mesh as a obj or 3ds in OPS with version 1.2 i get nothing. It doesn't do the export. I don't get any error message or crashes it just doesn't happen.

Also when i try to load a LOD mesh as a OBJ it doesn't work.

Any way the big question is how do i move stuff from AC3d to OPS and back to AC3d. And how do i move it from OPS to SDOE?

Nice and step by step k? Thanks alot.

posted 02-07- 09:00 AM               

To work in AC3D, you must have extracted the .lod files from the .sm file. Assuming you've done that, you "import--LOD" from the folder containing the .lod files into AC3D. When you extract the .lods, an html file is created listing the name and number of each object. Use that to figure out which piece to work on.

Once you get done modifying your parts, you have to "build" them back into an .sm file using "Builder," which comes with Extractor.
Now you can use OPS to work on your new .sm file. From OPS, you can also import .lod files, assuming you have one of the newer versions. Make sure you are looking in the right directory. It won't import a .lod from a .sm file. You have to have the extracted .lods in a folder somewhere for OPS to get at them.

After you work with an .sm file in OPS, you must SAVE it as your new .sm file. Then, to work with THAT in AC3D, you must EXTRACT the .sm file again, to get NEW .lod files reflecting the work you just did in OPS. Then you can import those new .lods into AC3D for further work.

Not sure what else to tell ya...

posted 02-07- 09:13 AM               

So what you are saying pretty much is that i have to use extractor and builder in bettween ac3d and ops all the time?

I guess that means the plug ins arn't done and working quite right yet?

posted 02-07- 09:32 AM               

I fooled with the plugins a bit, and they do seem to work.

Export as .LOD from AC3D. Then select a model in OPS. Now chose to import LOD. Your LOD will be imported.

I have not tested to make sure all the flags, textures and texture ID work correctly.

Using Builder/Extractor goes fast once you get used to it, and you can also verify your LOD file settings better. Also you must add new textures to the .asc file often anyway...

posted 02-07- 02:05 PM               

If you're trying to add a NEW .lod in OPS, you have to make a place for it first. For example, say you want to make a sliding canopy. There is only one canopy object in the model to start with. If I just try to import one, nothing will happen. If I click on the canopy in the model in OPS, and import a new canopy, it will replace the existing canopy--not what I intended. What you do is create a COPY of the existing canopy, and make it a "child" of the first canopy.

Select the canopy object. Edit--copy. Now select the canopy in the list of parts on the left of OPS. Edit--paste. Now you'll see a "canopy1" under the original "canopy" (actual part is CPG-HW in the .sm file). In the picture, you WON'T see the part, because it's superimposed over the first one. But now you have two canopy parts. If you open "canopy" in AC3D and cut off the aft section, and open "canopy1" in AC3D and cut off the windscreen section, you'll have a two-piece canopy when you re-Builder it and re-open it in OPS. Then you can DOF the aft canopy section to slide or hinge or whatever.

But as far as I know, that's the only way to add a new part--make a copy of something and paste it in. THEN you can replace your copy with any .lod you want.

You can make repeated changes in OPS without using Extractor or Builder, but if you want to actually modify a part, you'll need to use AC3D or Max or whatever, and for that you need the separate parts. If you use OPS, it makes a NEW .sm file, so to get at those parts, you need to re-Extractor. If you use AC3D to make a new part, you need to re-Builder to compile a new .sm file for OPS to look at.

A normal progression would be Extractor--AC3D--Builder--OPS--sim test--OPS--sim test--Extractor--AC3D--Builder--OPS... (you could skip the sim test but that's the only place you'll discover CTDs).

posted 02-07- 02:22 PM               

Cool guys i'm too sleepy to try much right now but i think i have my head wrapped around it now.

posted 02-08- 07:05 AM               

The exception is canopy parts. For some reason, AC3D defaults them to "2-sided," which screws up their transparency. Any time you import a canopy .lod, be sure to set it to 1-sided as the first step.

If you WANT to actually color something in AC3D, make sure to select ONLY the surfaces you want colored. Use CTL-SHF-click in vertex mode to select either entire surfaces in the 3D window or individual vertices in the 2D windows. To actually texture a part, refer to SV's tutorial...

The "shininess" value of the AC3D colors is actually the index of the texture .tif file for that part. For example, if you set the white color in AC3D to have a shininess of "1", it will reference the first texture file in the .sm file, usually the main camoflage pattern. However, that .tif won't match up to your parts until you actually texture them. See SV's tutorial for more...

posted 02-08- 09:22 AM               

I have had problems importing LODS directly into OPS (not using Hippie's builder) - if you have multiple textures used on the same LOD it seems to revert the LOD to use only the first texture...