World - 3dstudio max's scripts

[johnwhile]

ok, the mesh script and my personal commitments took me a lot of time, i see that the script momently don't work correctly, i will check and try to made a tutorial for your case.

[johnwhile]

a first approch to *.anim file, now i'm testing the granny2.dll with a granny sdk found in internet:
Ansi C test

Seam very similar, now i'm trying to understand the raw format.

i only hope that 2.7.0.30 SDK don't have a lot of difference from 2.6.0.14 SDK found in the original file

[johnwhile]

Unfortunately I can't spend a single minute of my free time for modding so I can't continue the script... in the first post i'm writing a chm file to explain completely the script.

This Attachment is the first step of Castrum tutorial, i'll continue to write and after translate in English. But you can see a little example of new building.

Some bug fix find during writing tutorial are added in the release 47

[johnwhile]

Add a test about Wall system, with release 47.6 i correct some bugs

[johnwhile]

but anyone is interested? otherwise I don't waste time to do the tutorial...

[bobbin]

Yes there are people interested!

[johnwhile]

ah, ok... XD

[paradamed]

Nice vid, John! Those walls look good! Is that gate with 2 doors functional? +rep!

[johnwhile]

gate work, also wall but without animation. Example for gate you can see only entire and completely damage objects, but not the transition open-close and close-siege shot because they use a granny2 format that are currently too hard to understand.
I will upload a test where i set the gate animation with a different 3d model, you will see the original gate animation transitions and the modified model.
Like write here is possible use the "same animation" to move the "modified model", but unchanging bones, in this case can be useful but for wall destruction will be made a bad animation.

But you must wait that i complete the tutorial because without it is very hard understand now work.

[johnwhile]

Continuing with tutorial in chm help file you can see that happen when you set a vanilla animation with a custom mesh world file.
If the mesh Objects don't math with original, because you don0t have utilized the same mesh, the game work anyway but show a different animation.

In the next step i show you now using the same animation but a different mesh data, the process is a little complicated because you must use lzo compression step.


Castrum test : https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47659776/Tu...astrumTest.rar
If you read tutorial you know that to play with Castrum is sufficient start a new battle > siege mode > culture: North european , level: village.

[johnwhile]

just made a test for reading a world file with a C# dll :
middle_eastern_city_A.world 36MB read in 1,6 seconds... is a good result.

If someone are interested i can build all know tools into a big library, can speed up all language that support the external dll like Python, C++ , java, ecc...

[Tellos Athenaios]

Yes please. While I can't promise anything yet, having actual source code for tools to work with, packaged into a reusable library component is a definitely a good thing (tm).

By the by, if I can make a wish I'd love for the knowledge contained in your work & IWTE to be combined as a resuable Python library so we can hook it up to Blender. That way modding settlements can move beyond the limits of Milkshape and include WYSIWYG like editing without the cost of or limited availability of things like 3dsMax or Maya. Plus, IIRC there is Python support for Maya too. Imagine the possibilities, you know?

[megalitho]

I'd love for the knowledge contained in your work & IWTE to be combined as a resuable Python library so we can hook it up to Blender. That way modding settlements can move beyond the limits of Milkshape

I support this suggestion. Blender is not easy to learn, but it has masses of possibilities and is available for everybody.

[The_Steppenwulf]

I support this suggestion. Blender is not easy to learn, but it has masses of possibilities and is available for everybody.

From my experience the problem is with the joints and bones. There already exists a 3 stage process via .ms3d and then .3ds or .obj to get most models into Blender. The problem is converting that info back without something missing and getting flagged. I wish I knew what I was doing more with the conversion process because I might be able to crack a fluid process but unfortunately I'm completely in the dark with any of the modelling binary formats. From my experience the problem is with the joints and bones because .3ds doesn't store that information. The work-around is to merge a skeleton in milkshape but still won't convert to MESH due to comments and sometimes other irregularites. If someone has the skills, the time and the determination I would welcome illustrating the process I've been using in detail - someone more experienced than me might just be able to crack what appears to be only a small problem with a little tinkering.

Anyway I saw this post and thought the same; if Blender could be utilised as a modding platform for TW, there would be a hell of a lot more models flowing out of the woodwork- and more modders jumping back into Med2. If anyone expresses an interest I would be happy to post my method and a link to the various tools required.

[johnwhile]

thanks , at this moment i'm converting all my script into c# dll because maxscript don't work well with very big file (> 40MB ). Some function like MultiRes for lod generator and similar can't be implemented into dll because is a 3dstudio algorithm (and i don't know how they have done it), but all other things like Reading , Writing, manage data ecc... can be easy write in c#, the maxscript or other language can only "apply" the data into particular format of program...
The performance are very good, the performance are a little less than C but you build a tool not a game, so you gain in simpleness, Python is very slow compared...
A best solution is create a dll that do the more part of calculation, and then edit or show the result with other language.
We can also copy-paste a lot of algorithm and methods found in internet (c++ are more used than Python)

So Python can be used for Interface or 3d view, but all big process load from dll.

About performance : load a big settlement in maxscript take about 50 second + 1-2 minute for creating and linking in the scene, using the dll into maxscirpt can load a world file into 1,5 second !!! the creating process must the same but i noticed that if maxscript don't load a lot of information can be fast , so the result can be 1,5 second + 0,5 - 1 minute.

[johnwhile]

V51
The Mesh.NET.ms and animinstance_unpack_and_unlzo.exe show you how much is easy write a tool or implement a function with the dll. I put some comment into the dll (but i think you can read it only with visual studio editor)


So now some maxscript function like decompression ecc... will be switched with an external program interface (Python , Dos , Csharp form , ecc...)

[bobbin]

Your a star johnwhile!

[johnwhile]

in fact i decided to write my personal script in 3dstudio because i had the same problem, to create my first siege engine animation + model + skeleton with GOAT the process was terrifying. Now is very more simple and i can do the same things in one second.

Animation in Milkshape is somethings theoretical... i don't see key , value ... if there are an animation is well hidden XD. All third exported way (3ds , obj ecc...) was used only for 3d mesh. But why open in milk , pass to blender , pass to milk , pass to game, pass to hospital ecc...?

I read that Blender use Python as internal plugin language, but i must downl.... buy it to write script. If you told me about this a few months ago was better or you can ask to Wilddog that are an expert Python programmer now, although he is very busy with his tools should not be difficult to create a script, it is just to make a "bridge" from already knowed format or library into Blender.

[The_Steppenwulf]

I should have mentioned that there does exist an export (not sure about import) script for .ms3d in Blender. It isn't compatible with 2.5 onwards which effectively renders it useless (I'm on version 2.59 and currently I think a Blender beta 2.65 release exists). I've uploaded the script with this post as it might provide someone with the know how to enable it for the post 2.5 versions and later. Failing that, perhaps it might provide insight into the method for producing an entirely fresh script.

[johnwhile]

ah ok, but will be my first time with Blender, i must get it and try to understand how scripting. The code to convert the KnightErrant's ms3d version into 3dstudio was already made (i build only importer with Milkshape_utilities (workinprogress).ms + milkshape_class.ms script.) So is sufficent rewrite it in Python.

Wait a bit, untill I will get Bender