MDC => MD3

(P4nth3r) #1

Hi I’m replacing some models for my mod and I happend to replace the rocket (you know the thing a panzer fires)
It is the file rocket.mdc.
I import the mdc into milkshape and import my md3 model of my rocket.
Now I alter my rocket to match the mdc rockets size and direction.
Everything goes well, I export my md3, I alter the panzer.weap to make sure it fires my rocked2.md3
I pack it and test the rocket.

Now this it where things go bad. in staid my rocket moveing with point forward, it moved diagonal, I encountered this kind of rotation before when useing MD3 for MDC.
Is there anybody who knows what kinda angle it rotates or something when using MD3 instaid of MDC?

Greetz Panther

(Jaquboss) #2

my md3 rocket was spinning around , lol, however there shouldnt be any magic…

(P4nth3r) #3

Yeah I noticed the spinning part to (which is normal if the rocket is moving forward I think)
But you’re telling me I should just keep trying different angles until it shoot’s right??

Greetz Panther

(P4nth3r) #4

Arg, I cant get it to fire right.
Jaguboss, maybe you can send me your md3 model so I can see the angle and line it up with yours.
Or if you don’t want to share your model, maybe just make a little md3 arrow or something to make clear where my missle most aim to?
I tried loads of angles, but he keeps spinning around the wrong axe.
I looks more like a boomerang than a missle =/

Thnx & Greetz Panther

(Jaquboss) #5

i am not using md3 for it anymore i just wanted to remove those flames and i did it with shaders…

(P4nth3r) #6

Ok, well then I have to go on finding the right angle.
or is there a fast and easy way to convert MD3 to MDC?

Greetz Panther

(kamikazee) #7

I’m still working on that, however the project is “in the freezer” for now.

(P4nth3r) #8

That’s too bad Kamikazee, I think it would be really usefull for this kind of situations.
Btw do mdc work with qc files aswell??
I never seem to skin those right.

Greetz Panther

(No1_sonuk) #9

or is there a fast and easy way to convert MD3 to MDC?

There’s no point - it won’t fix your problem.
Last I checked, MS3D can’t export to MDC, so the QC files would be of no use (they are for Milkshape).

I think your problem is a Milkshape export problem. IIRC, MS3D exports its coordinates 90 degrees out. Try rotating your model by that much before exporting (Sorry, I can’t remember which axis, or which way).

You might also need any tags that are in the model, but MS3D doesn’t import thos properly. Tell me which ET model it is (tell me the path), and I’ll make an MS3D file with the tags in it so you can see them.

(P4nth3r) #10

I fixed this by using 3d max and just export the model as mdc. (after trying a dozen different md3 positions/rotations)
So, now it works fine.

Thnx & Greetz Panther aka Way2Evil

(No1_sonuk) #11

My point is (and it’s something the SD guys keep saying) there’s no point using MDC.
If it didn’t work with MD3, you must have been doing something wrong.
Did you try MD3 from Max? Milkshape doesn’t handle MD3 all that well unless you really know what you’re doing.

(P4nth3r) #12

Hmmm, I disagree.
MDC does some weird thing with the rotation etc.
most of the times it doesn’t matter (like in weapons etc)
But for things like the rocket you’ll be searching the right correcting angle forever.

I would say, give it a try just for fun ^^

Greetz Panther aka Way2Evil

(No1_sonuk) #13

Well, did you?

MDC does nothing with the rotation. MDC is a compressed form of MD3.

It probably worked only because Max didn’t mess up the coordinate export like MS3D does, and Max handles the tags properly.

(P4nth3r) #14

I would say, give it a try just for fun ^^

Well, did you?

I didn’t cause I didn’t need to.
I don’t care if milkshape fucks it up or not.
I think milkshape it much easier with md3 then 3dmax

Greetz Panther aka Way2Evil

(Jaquboss) #15

oh man! 3ds max is a lot easier, no qc files , easy material control, animating and so…
GMAX does a lot too :wink:

(P4nth3r) #16

Well, then i maybe need to learn that, most of the time when I export a model in 3dmax it won’t texture at all =/
And I mostly have some trouble with moving vertexes around.

I’m no expert in any model program, I just do this for fun you know.

Greetz Panther aka Way2Evil

(No1_sonuk) #17

I don’t use MDC because there’s no point (mainly because they’re compressed MD3, they slow down the game a bit in the unpacking), and I went to the trouble of working out how to make MD3 work properly. :smiley:

most of the time when I export a model in 3dmax it won’t texture at all

Ahh, that’s easy. Make sure the top-level name of the material in Max is the name of the file or shader you want as the skin (relative to etmain or the mod main dir).
e.g. models/panther/weapons/rocket/missile.jpg
The exporter then puts this into the MD3 as the skin.

Oh, and the skins need both dimensions to be a power of 2 (though both don’t need to be the same):
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048

(P4nth3r) #18

yeah, and what if you have multiple skins in one model?

Greetz Panther aka Way2Evil

(kamikazee) #19

Several different materials, each with a seperate shader name.

To be able to use skin files, make different objects, then you can assign a shader to an object using a .skin file.

(No1_sonuk) #20

Several different materials, each with a seperate shader name.

What he said.
My M1911A1 (colt pistol) has 6 materials - 4 for various parts of the gun, 1 for the sleeves, and 1 for the hands.