Need help with weapon creation

[kuuga28]

Hi,I'm new here and just starting to learn to put custom weapon model into FF7.The problem i'm facing is as follows:

Step 1:

It Came out OK in 3D studio max


Step 2:

Came out an error in Biturn when i try to convert from obj to 3ds. The error message is badly triangulated because of normal : 5  polygons

Step 3:

When i open PCreator,it came out like the pics with the weapons not showing at all

Anyone can help me on this matter? Thank you.

[kicker]

I think that it's normal to have that on biturn. When i unlgped my battle.lgp all the files had the same think but i converted them into 3ds just fine. Now for the Pcreator i can't help u cause it doesn't work on my computer.sorry.

[obesebear]

Don't use Biturn to convert it.  Use Wings3d instead.

[kuuga28]

Will try that and see what's the result.Thanks for the advice guys. I think i've found the problem of the error,could be one of the mesh is hollow.

[kuuga28]

Tested with Wings3d,still same error.When double clicking on kimera,it crashed

[BlitzNCS]

Why are you getting max to export it as an .obj file and then trying to convert it afterwards? Just get max to export it as a .3ds and your problem is solved.

With regards to your problem with PCreator, it doesn't look like you're actually encountering a problem at all, just a glitch that I've always had problems with when using that program. I think it has something to do with the pivot point data from the 3DS file.
From the looks of it, the weapon is loading fine. The 3D view in the top left will always show the view at the center of the model itself, while the other three views (Top, Side and Front) show the center point where the model should be. Zoom out in each of them, and then move them into the center on all three counts. This should correct your problem, if I recall correctly.

Also, if you've got the model broken up into parts, Pcreator only likes to load the first part it sees into group 1. If you're only getting one part of the model (looks like you are from the UVs), attatch them all to one part before exporting in max.

[apz freak]

BlitzNCS That's all excellent advice!

To add to it. Sometimes old pivot point data get's saved when you open it in pccreator even when you manually edit the pivot in max first. To solve that:

First I line up the object where it's supposed to be. I use an imported model from the game to guess it.

Then I create a box using the keyboard entry creation dialogue. usually X=0 Y=0 Z=0 and length width and height at 10 or something. Doesn't matter, only the 0 for the X Y and Z.

Then I right click Convert To: > Convert to Editable Poly

Then all you gotta do is use Attach in the Modify panel of that box and attach your model. VIOLA! It resets the pivot to Zero!

Aaaaand. Then I go to Element subselection mode, and delete the box. Because Element is the quickest way. DONE!




That's one of those APZ technique born out of countless hours screaming in anger at the monitor in 2007 to 2008. Thought someone might find it useful. Doesn't have to be a box. Just anything that get's generated at the world 0, 0, 0. It was frustrating when even if I went to the Hierarchy Panel>Affect Pivot Point Only and manually set the pivot.... it didn't register in pccreator...? But when I did this trick I just explained... it worked!

[BlitzNCS]

It's weird, I've always found that max's pivot point editor never worked very well either. Maybe I've never understood it properly, but most of the time  I've tried to move or rotate it and it would just horribly distort the model, especially when setting a pivot point for multiple objects. Thank God max has a button for using the exact center of the object as the pivot point, or I would have never got the hang of it at all.

[Vgr]

Guess it's getting more and more important for me to put up my tutorial... I will redo it from scratch I think.

[kuuga28]

Thanks for all the reply. I will try what was suggested and see how it goes.If it works i can make more weapons

[kuuga28]

Ok.I've export it to 3ds and when i open pcreator the uv seems to have lots of line on it. Attached is the problem i'm facing now.