A script for exporting ASE format mesh files for use in creating
static meshes for the Doom3/Quake4 and Unreal game engines. Supports
Unreal collisions and provides a means to simulate 3dsmax smoothing
groups through the use of a mesh copy and material painting..
Usage:
It changes from trueSpaces right handed to left handed coordinate
systems by making X,Y or Z values negative. It looks like ut3 likes
the Y coming from trueSpace to be negative.
you tube here
Test object inside trueSpace. Image shows the mesh, a collision
object for use in unreal and a copy object painted to simulate 3dsmax
smoothing groups.
Definition of smoothing groups from the GMax help file:
Smoothing groups are numbers assigned to the faces or patches of an
object. Each face or patch can carry any number of smoothing groups up
to the maximum of 32. If two faces or patches share an edge and share
the same smoothing group, they will appear as a smooth surface. If they
don't share the same smoothing group, the edge between them appears as a
corner.
Create smoothing groups
Copy the mesh
Rename the copy to "smoothingGroups"
Use the paint faces tool to define areas that should be smoothed
together. Any combination of materials can be used, but it's
easier to just use plain color materials. The indices of the
materials will become the smoothing group numbers.
Unreal collision objects
Collisions meshes are created by
using special names on extra geometry in the scene.
For UT3 use the following prefixes to create collision objects
UBX_ - box
USP_ - sphere
UCX_ - mesh
For UT2004 and eariler use the following prefixes on the mesh names
MCDBX_ - box
MCDSP_ - sphere
MCDCY_ - cylinder
MCDCX_ - mesh
Ase object with simulated smoothing groups imported to unrealed.
Notes:
The plugin package is required to use this script. Download
the plugin package
here.
Support for 2 uv sets. The second uv set is good for
Unreal light maps.
Material names come from the material chunk nodes. Good for Doom3
material names. "%" in the material name is converted
to "/" on export.
1 trueSpace meter = 10 unreal units
only single mesh objects, no heirarchy
Simple collisions can be added using the unreal
editor.
Doom3 looks at the normals and ignores the smoothing
groups.
