[Galemp]

Due to problems I'm having with getting my finished Karnak out into a Pof, and due to a lack of support since I used Styxx's Max plugin, I am now petitioning the community for a method of getting my Max model into Freespace without using the exporter.

Kazan tells me I have to to through COB, but I can't export from Max to Cob. I have tried going through 3DS and OBJ then converting that to Cob, but PCS won't import any geometry from it.

I will NEVER use Truespace again. What do I do?

[Vasudan Admiral]

Assuming there are no severe mesh errors, you should be able to stabilise a pof exporter generated mesh by using PCS2 to clear the BSP cache and resaving. That usually fixes collision errors anyway - are those what you're referring to?

Anyway, I've had the most luck exporting from Max to OBJ, and importing that into Blender. However, the cob exporter script from there only supports one texture per mesh object and smoothing options of either all smooth, all autofaceted or all faceted as opposed to the combinations of those settings that would be ideal.

This is usually enough to work well with most models though, which is cool.

[Kazan]

Assuming there are no severe mesh errors, you should be able to stabilise a pof exporter generated mesh by using PCS2 to clear the BSP cache and resaving.

PCS2 won't even cache BSP from those POFs

they're bad, and automatic correction is impossible on such data

[blowfish]

PCS2 won't even cache BSP from those POFs

they're bad, and automatic correction is impossible on such data

Well, do you have a better idea?

[Kazan]

PCS2 won't even cache BSP from those POFs

they're bad, and automatic correction is impossible on such data

Well, do you have a better idea?

save to .max and use something that does nothing but convert from one format to another to do the conversion from max to cob

the Max POF exporter SHOULD NOT BE USED

once i get time (later part of june) to do more work on PCS2 and Collada gets done.....

[Vasudan Admiral]

Applications that go straight from any format to COB usually mess it up in some way. Most commonly they will merge objects, lose hierarchy etc, and they're usually unsalvagable once in the POF format.

As such, it's much better to import it into another modeller that can save correctly formatted COBs, and do any repair work nessecary in them. At this point in time those apps are only Blender with Waters modified COB export script and Truespace itself, and TS' ability to repair models is somewhere between 'none' and 'hinderance'.

[Kazan]

yeah... soon as i can get 2.1 out with Collada life will be a lot easier for the non-TS users

[Water]

I've had good results with AccuTrans  http://www.micromouse.ca/
Mainly going from PCS2>.cob>Accutrans>.dae>Blender.

Your main problem is keeping the turret hierarchy intact through the export. Obj is out, leaving maybe 3ds?

Blender now works well for setting up turret heiarchy for export. It has a good track record and has the ability to export large files to PCS2 (files that made the Max plugin cry)
_{So if all else fails I can convert a turreted PCS2 frendly cob file.}

[Col. Fishguts]

Could you elaborate on what problems you are facing exactly with the Max exporter ?

[Kazan]

Could you elaborate on what problems you are facing exactly with the Max exporter ?

other than the fact it generates corrupt models

[Galemp]

Could you elaborate on what problems you are facing exactly with the Max exporter ?

No, actually. Kazan won't even look at it. He writes off anything that comes out of the Max exporter, so all I'm left with is hangs and crashes.

[Kazan]

i am going to take a peek - but i write off anything coming out of the max exporter because error correction is impossible for such data

take basic error correction theory -

given a n-bit string with r-bits of redundant data as follows

[n data bits][r redundancy bits]

now there is a k-bit error in your n-data bits, how large must r be to automatically correct that error

the answer is 2k+1


and this is SIMPLE bit level errors.... the more complex the data the harder automatic error correction becomes.

[Kazan]

So.. Galemps model did find a bug for me - some infinite recursion avoidance code written by bob has a logic bug in it and wasn't giving up trying to correct the error like it was supposed to after 15 tries.. i plopped a breakpoint in the right spot when i twas on try like... 1.6million

fixed the logic error and put a small optimization in conversion of the points list.. currently watching it pack the tree into a memory block now.

[Galemp]

...

[KewlToyZ]

Have you tried Exporting to 3DS or OBJ then convert to COB using 3D Explorer?
I have the 3D Explorer file still if anyone needs it?
Then likely PCS 2 to finish conversion to POF.