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3DS Max Modeler Request

S

Sig Hansen

Messages
18
Hi fellas. I was lucky enough to get the Acceleration F-18 .3ds file from Microsoft. They gave us permission to modify it as long as no one sells it afterward. I have zero knowledge of 3DS max but have what I think is a fairly simple request. I'd like simply have it re-compiled without LOD_5 so all that is left is LOD_140. I'd be willing to pay a fee to have this done. Thanks in advance.
 
Hi

Did you get a .3ds or a .max file?
If it is a .3ds file you can import it into gmax, you would only need 3dsmax if it is a .max file. :cool:

Sascha
 
.3ds is a completely useless format, since no FSX Materials nor animations are present. This doesn't pass the smell test... :rolleyes:
 
n4gix said:
Very simply put, MS would have provided the project in .max format...
Click to expand...

Well, they didn't. Perhaps they were taking advantage of my lack of knowledge. I couldn't tell ya. But are you saying there is not much I can do with this .3ds?
 
Sig Hansen said:
Well, they didn't. Perhaps they were taking advantage of my lack of knowledge. I couldn't tell ya. But are you saying there is not much I can do with this .3ds?
Click to expand...

That is precisely what I'm saying. Aside from the raw mesh, it would require recreating the FSX Materials, renaming and reanimating all moving parts, re-rigging the XML animations, etc.

The renaming of parts would be the big chore, since .3ds only supports the ancient 8.3 convention, which makes a complete mess of the original names.

If this .3ds is the result of ripping the compiled .mdl files, then the amount of work required has just increased at least a thousand fold.
 
Could all be a misunderstanding, too. Perhaps they assumed you had gmax only and sent you a .3ds because of that. Nothing wrong with asking please Sir can you give me the .max files. I guess it would also help if you explained (in this forum) exactly what you wanted to do with it, I for one am at a loss to guess what you are after. Maybe there are other ways to reach what you have in mind ... If it's a more frame-rate friendly version, it might be done using less powerful textures, killing Mipmaps etc.
 
Basically, I like to use FSX to make videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMicroproductions?feature=mhum
I was going to make one featuring the F-18 but once it gets a certain distance from the camera it goes to LOD_5 and looks like a 1985 computer model. So I was hoping to re-compile the model without LOD_5 so it always looks fairly realistic at any distance.

P.S.: I just learned all of those terms in the last week or so, so if I used them incorrectly my apologies.:o
 
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Ah, I see. And have no idea how to get this done other than your way, ie by deleting the lower LODs. Short of asking them for those other files, after all the PR value of what you are doing is considerable. Tried Neusinger's new Render-capable Recorder yet? Must be a quantum leap for you video guys ...
 
It took me a while to realize what did not make sense here...but it would seem to me that if MS was indeed allowing you to tweak their F-18 model they would have provided a "usable" file format.
 
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