Tutorial for MD3 loader

[vermeer]

@r2d2

hey man.VERY interested I am in you testing this works. As even if I don't use CFX, or if I find a way to batch-weld the meshes-frames to make it not so tedious, I can use yet other 3d packages to export in form of ASE or 3ds, obj, etc...and compile as md3 in NPHERNO MD3 compiler. Is quite easiest than producing md2, and I also wanna see if an engine can eat an md3 that is not in pieces but in one only piece and letting the smooth stuff be done by the md3 quadratic spline interpolation... Please, check it...

My md3 here:

HERE, DOWNLOAD


@ Aefecelis, you know a load of mod editing...

Do you know a way to weld common vertices once compiled as md3?

I have a full set of animations of the model i am giving him, and I'd giv eit totally free, but I don't see a way to weld it...I can do this with and OBJ or an x file, but with md3...the tools I have can't...

the fact is it got unwelded while exporting the whole frames as OBJs or 3ds from Character Fx...I know it must happen with 3ds, but I am really angry it happened also with OBJs...as OBJ DOES support shared UV vertices... If u look well, it has geometry seams (splits, it duplicates vertex were there wsas one and live unconnected, so ...visible crack there) It is not nPherno MD3 compiler, which works very well. Is Character FX geometry exporter. It always does so, grrr..

Hapens as well with md2, as seems to be in the main routines of uvmapping-3d geometry of the exporter.At least, when I export as x, I can fix it Ultimate unwrap. As md3 or md2...I cant...


I made a test, and could import md3 into Gmax and export it, but as so many frames, much memory, and crashed my pc. Gmax is worse in memory handling than Max I discovered. I could just grab less keyframe meshes, and so I'd test interpolation, but was lazy to test again, as it was slow due to memory.

max has also an dmd3 importer. U can easily weld all coincident geometry vertices in Gmax and Max, that's not the problem.I wanted to make it all with th etools I could have...even more did not want to really use gmax, as wanted this file to be really free: for comercial or free projects.

hmm...may I try and see q3data tool(in case it welds), but that's an ID tool it would leave the model only for non comercial projects...

[vermeer]

oops

[r2d2]

has anyone got a site with information about file formats(espacially the md3 one)?

i also googled but i only found one site (http://linux.ucla.edu/~phaethon/q3/form ... ormat.html) and it seems like that data is not all the way right

[vermeer]

...but I do actually insist...is enough if u support just the full meshes like I am sending u, as to provide a better vertex animation than md2...u don't need to get into the qc file, shaders, or TAGs nightmare...

little intro (and no more I can say, I'm no quake3 expert) is:

- tag-->polygon that is put in the inbetween of two parts (ie, torso and head or torso and neck. Or arm and torso) so the engine later on can distingish parts. The engine does make kindda melting in the joint area so the mesh is seen deformed as if it had weights.That's the advantage over Halflife models, that had no weights and no engine deformation. They trusted only in rigid and extra bones to tweak it. The bad part of this "melting" (like extra polies, that appear to deform accordinly to joint rotations) is that I think is only 50% "weight" or an effect that works as if it were weighted so. Much less control than with an x weighted file.

-shaders. Kindda similar efect to vertex colors. Like an overlay of color, or light. I've seen simila rstuff in the c++ game I worked for with vertex colors.

- th qc file. Don't know much of it, but imho is a file where it's told which frame to which frame is each animation (iddle..) and some extra info

Many of the other info is related to the specific quake3 game but remeber ur not making it for q3, so don't mess so much...

As I say, just if u can interpolate some meshes with spline interpolation, I'd be very happy (to have then two great formats for irrlitch: x and md3. represnting weight-boned, and the older vertex animation, respectively)

I will write a short (no need to be long, is damn easy) tut for the art steps to ouput an md3 using nPherno free md3 compiler (is not and ID tool ! )

The important part here is maybe interpolation.Though with the md3 I postes, is almost unneded, as ALL the freaking frames were exported, instead of trusting on engine interpolation...lazyness of mine...

maybe Aefecelis knows a load more of md3 format.But i insist, as I see it the stuff to do is plain simple, and I already checked the quality in art is enough good...if done ok...one only piece, and not using tags, not cutting the model in pieces...-> md2-like , but much better. (rgb textures, etc, etc, etc) yet so I may have good news bout x format at the end of the day...


http://www.cyberloonies.com/animation_formats.html

http://linux.ucla.edu/~phaethon/q3/form ... ormat.html

-- edit oops, this is of BSP format...I'll leave it here anyway...
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/q3/
http://www.planetquake.com/spog/stuff/technical.html
---edit

http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/quake3/UQ3S

http://members.fortunecity.com/torktool ... ormat.html

[ mds format (heh, just found it. Now is better to add the newer one, md5, as blender supports it! (and max))

http://www.quake.cz/winclan/mdsexporter/MDSFormat.html ]

[Peter Müller]

@Peter Müller
Du Nachbabl0r

Yheaa getting md3 models into irrlicht .... have anybode md3 modles for me

http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/do ... /index.asp
See Q3 Models

[LordNaikon]

danke herr müller

[afecelis]

hey Lord, did you check the link I sent you? that one also has some cool md3 models.

[r2d2]

It's really somehow strange some models work some not but all are completley different but there are only very few models that really work even the standard Quake 3 Models seem not to work.
I think the Problems are Irrlicht specific but i can't say that for sure. I also tried to recode parts of it but it doesn't work. Always the same Problem: vertices are mixed up.

[LordNaikon]

hey Lord, did you check the link I sent you? that one also has some cool md3 models.

YES i did !! danke schön!

[r2d2]

I'm still working on it and i rewrote the file loader. Now it loads some more meshes i don't know if it loads all or ever will be able to load all. I'm now reimplementing texturing and animation.

[r2d2]

Ok Animations are working now. Now only Texturing and Tags are missing.

[vermeer]

just curiosity; are you able to load my md3 file?

[r2d2]

Not yet but i am working on it because it loaded before i didn't show up properley but it loaded now it doesn't load anymore but i hope that i will find that bug.

Btw Texturing is now working.

[afecelis]

those r great news r2!!! I'm glad you retook the project and I hope you get to make it work. md3 models would be a major help in Irrlicht.

@Lordnaikon:
Kein Problem!

h eheheh e, It's always a pleasure to help!!!

[Peter Müller]

dito.

Have you got a webside with a news tracker or can you send me an eMail (asm_wdt_at_yahoo_de), when it's done?