.ASE files and Lightwave.

(Raven) #1

Is there any way possible to get the .ase file (that has been exported by Q3map2) into Lightwave? Is there a plugin that either converts .ase files to LWO’s or allows Lightwave to import .ase files? Thanks :slight_smile:

(Davros) #2

try this program, deep exploration, http://www.righthemisphere.com/support/downloads/download.php?prod=4

you can import ase and export all kinds of formats including lightwave

just make sure when u import choose “all files”

(Raven) #3

Thank you very much :slight_smile: I appreciate the help.

(Raven) #4

Ok. That works great for simple geometry (without curves), but does anybody know a program that will allow a .map file to be loaded into Lightwave and still maintain patches (bezier curves)? Or is there a way to get it so that the exported .ase files can maintain the curve information so that the .ase file can be converted to a .LWO, with the program mentioned above, and have the curves show up in lightwave?

(ratty redemption) #5

slightly off topic:

I recently got ja, which I love btw :smiley: …and have been loading up extracted ja png tex into psp7, partly as Im comparing the format to tgas which I normally use for alpha channel tex.

but I realized last night that if I resave the ja png`s without altering the images at all, then the file sizes are sometimes a lot lower then the original versions.

I tried this in psp6 and was surprised to see colored pixels where the transparent ones are shown in psp7 :???:

I also noticed that if I attempt to merge, flatten all layers and save them in psp6, then all the color data is kept, but looses the alpha channel data …as opposed to psp7 where color data in masked areas just becomes white when layers are merged.

when you guys normally work with pngs, do they look like tgas would in psp7 with a loaded mask, alpha channel, ie we can still see color pixels if the mask contains say %50 translucent data as opposed to fully transparent like Im getting with these pngs?

if psp7 cant read or save them properly, is there any stand alone or plugin tex converters, which could read pngs and not loose some of the color data? …I`d rather not get and learn a whole new paint program like ps if I can still use psp.

I dont mind saving my alpha channel tex in tga, but its driving me nuts not being able to load up png`s as I imagine they should be :frowning:

(Raven) #6

I think that you need photshop with the latest update in order to deal with .png files and have them work correctly. When the designers were messing with the textures they were .jpg’s and .tgas, and were converted to .png files later to reduce their size as far as I know. I am pretty sure that psp has no current way to deal with them correctly I am sorry to say. I don’t keep completely up with the Jasc updates though, so do not take my word for it.

(Davros) #7

compiling your map (to a bsp) with -patchmeta -subdivisions x will mean that curves and brushes can be converted to ase. x is just the detail of the curve(s) which q3map2 will store them in the bsp. (like r_subdivisions in quake 3)

i hope you get my meaning

@ ratty

i use psp7 aswell, whenever i want to flatten layers i just save the image and reload it. once it reloads all the layers are in layer1 anyway. layers>merge>merge visible, seems to flatten them without losing the alpha aswell.

(rgoer) #8

Unless you have some extremely delicate patches, you can use -meta -patchmeta with the default -subdivisions setting (just omit -subdivisions from your command line) and get pretty satisfactory results, with potentially fewer tris in your eventual ase conversion.

(chavo_one) #9

If you are exporting patches from radiant with the intent of editing it in a real modeling program then I would set -subdivisions 1. That’s as close as you can get to what you see in radiant. If you use the default value for subdivisions, even normal arches will turn out looking like this:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kevin.ferree/images/patch_ase.jpg

(Raven) #10

Many thanks, yet again!!! We will see how this works. Basically our intent is to pull a map out of JA with all of the curves in tact and bring them into Lightwave. From lightwave we will be moving the sections we need into Unreal2003 as static meshes.

Does anybody have a quick batch they are willing to post up that will export the bsp out as an .ase file? Thanks :slight_smile:

(rgoer) #11

First do:

“C:\path o\q3map2.exe” -meta -patchmeta -subdivisions 1 -fs_basepath “C:\path o\gamedir” “C:\path o\yourmap.map”

Then do:

“C:\path o\q3map2.exe” -convert -fs_basepath “C:\path o\gamedir” “C:\path o\yourmap.bsp”

You will end up with yourmap.ase (saved in your maps directory).

Small note about -convert: the map can’t leak (must be sealed in structural brushes) and it must contain at least one info_player_start (or deathmatch, or some kind of spawn) in order for the bsp (and thus conversion) process to work. And any nodraw (caulk, clip, nodraw, etc) faces do not end up in the ase.

(chavo_one) #12

You forgot a bit rgoer. :wink:

“C:\path o\q3map2.exe” -convert -format ase -fs_basepath “C:\path o\gamedir” “C:\path o\yourmap.bsp”

(Raven) #13

Thank you very much guys. We really appreciate the help!

(rgoer) #14

I did not forget a bit ;^)

-format ase is default for -convert… if you are making a .ase file, you don’t need -format, Chavo ;^)

(ratty redemption) #15

thanx Raven and Torchy, although in psp7 merge visible layers is ghosted with the ja png`s, so the only option I can see is merge all.

Ill see if I can stick with jpg and tgas for the time being, but will consider getting the latest ps, if I need to work with fully working png`s in the future.

for simple pngs like making a crosshair or grate tex where it doesnt matter loosing the color data from the non masked areas, I think png`s will be fine and they do have a very good compression.

but if anyone hears of psp or a stand alone converter fully implementing this please post in this forum.

chavo, did you ever find a way for us to use ase models in maps but have them triggered, scripted on and off? …the last I remember you saying on this, was you thought it wasn`t possible.

I ask cus I like building and “skinning” my detail map objects in gtk but keeping them in brush, patch form is a pain as we can`t rotate, move them easily without them breaking.

and I need them to be trigger, removable since I like having a lot of dmg versions of models being loaded up during gameplay.

(chavo_one) #16

Ahoy! I stand corrected. I wasn’t aware of that shortcut. :slight_smile:

AFAIK, ase models always get baked into the bsp geometry. It might be possible in ET, by attaching the model to a script_mover and using setstate invisible, but I’m not sure.

(Detoeni) #17

Yes, this works fine in ET.

(ratty redemption) #18

wow, thanx guys, thats the best news Ive heard in ages :smiley:

am I right in thinking we can build ase models at a larger scale then use some key value to reduce them for loading back into the game? …for the purpose of having higher detail then working with the restrictions of radiant`s grid size.

is this also possible in ja? cus after playing and messing around with its assets for the last week, Im in two minds whether to port my maps and tex over to et or ja.

do they both use the same basic scale of maps or is there a difference like I heard with ef1 and ef2? …currently the only q3 engine I`ve mapped with is wolf.

Im prepared to rebuild my maps, and both et amd ja engine versions sound appealing, Im just curious about the differences.

sorry Ive steered this thread off topic again havent I? bad ratty :wink:

(rgoer) #19

Yes, the modelscale key works fine on .ase misc_models – be careful, though, because sometimes tris can start getting corrupted and not render correctly if you scale it down too small. Small details were dropping out when I was playing around with modelscale values less than 0.1 but ymmv…

(ratty redemption) #20

thanx rgoer, and I think I`d be scaling my ase models by 0.5 or 0.25 at the most… and is there any performance hit in doing this?