What advantage do you get in using .ase over the other formats?
What is the advantage of .ASE?
cloudscapes
(cloudscapes)
#2
-Export directly from 3DS Max without needing 3rd party plugin for OBJ or MD3.
-ASCII format can be compressed nicely in PK3
-Again, it’s ASCII so hand-editing in notepad is possible.
I’ve used it a dozen times for map objects so far, and I’m never going back to MD3. 
Emon
(Emon)
#3
Just a note; if the model is a static model, it’s converted to map triangles, you do not need it in the PK3. However, many people like to include it for other editors.
Browser_ICE
(Browser [ICE])
#4
You can export your BSP map into an ASE format so you can import it into 3d MAX to do renderings or even fly by views !
cloudscapes
(cloudscapes)
#5
Browser: that would be a lot of work, the shaders wouldn’t work so you’d have to make Max materials that replace the shaders.