How to export a 3DSmax object to Men of War tutorial - Men of War: Assault Squad Game

This tuto will help you to export a static object from 3DSmax to GEM2 (game engine of Men of War): First, you need to have one of the 32-bit versions of 3DS Max (8, 9, 2008 and 2009 because the DMS plugin exist only for this versions). You must have the DMS Exporter plugin fom 3DSmax to GEM2 (install it in the plugin folder of 3DSmax). You can find it here: Digitalmindsoft.eu

1/your 3d model must be define in low poly (10 000 polys is a maximum polycount for GEM2), to avoid any lag in game) and should be well cleaned (no double faces, isolated vertices, bad coordinates etc..) to avoid errors in game.

The skin of your 3d object must be well defined (the difficulty is to do the UVunwrap that is a nightmare on Max). At final, the skin must be a single dss, jpeg or bmp file (if you define colors directly from 3DSmax for you object, there is chances to have bad results in game)
You have to define separatly :
- 1 bump file with a name: Model_bp.dds or model_bump.dds (this file give relief illusion on some parts without needing to define theses thin relief in 3d, to reduce weight of the 3d model)
- 1 specular file with the name model_sp.dds
- 2 damage skins files: model_x.dss et model_xx.dds

The 3d model must be well scaled (measures in Meters in 3DSmax) and it must be oriented on the world axis. (X in front, Y in the left), Z to the up).

When everything is ok:
2/ you have to name your model ("Body" for example), edit it's "object properties" in Max:
Poly
ID=Body (for example)

(If you have more than one part in your model, each must have a unique name and it's own collision volume)

3/ You have to create a dummy, name it "basis", and edit it's "object properties" in Max :
Type=Game_entity
Model= (name of your model)
IKmin=0
IKmax=0

4/create a colision volume (a simple form such box, sphere, cylinder bigger than your model), name it "body_vol", and edit it's "object properties" in Max :
Volume
Thickness=10 (example)

Now "Link" the body_vol to the body and the body to the basis

Now you can export your model (export/MDL option)  from 3DSMax 2009 to Gem with the MDL plug.
By defaut, it will be writed in C:\theGame\ (your model name folder) and If everything ok, you should find mtl, mdl, poly, vol and bmp/jpg.dds files in this folder..
(if not, there is errors on exportation and you have to check everything, and redo it)

Now you can copy this folder to your mod folder

For more infos, follow this very good tuto from cromtec (for modelling vehicules and tanks):
Vertexforge.de

Hope it will helpfull.
Cheers,
Bass

Ps: For animation, i can't help you because i'm trying to learn it for my own planes, without a lot of succes.. (I've problems to understand 3dsMax local axes, so if someone know well the animation with 3DSmax, please mp me)