GMAX, VELTools and Walkmeshes
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Toro
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 4:00 am

GMAX, VELTools and Walkmeshes

Post by Toro »

I need an idiots guide to use these. I've posted on the custom content forum and havent got a response yet,I was hoping someone here can help me as I cannot advance in my own lil project till I learn this. I've also looked at the ccg and bioware's tileset creation guide but that used 3dsmax, which i dont have, so i cant follow along in that seeing the models.
What i need is to create a walkmesh for a few tiles i've put together of 10m cliffs with bridges.
I need a guide on how to modify or create the walkmesh, i'm only assuming that veltools would be useful because there's a tab in there under nwntools(?) that has all the wok materials.
http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nwn0001yz3.jpg

worst comes to worst, i'll use a walkmesh from a similar tileset but that teaches me nothing.

how do i even spot which node or plane or mesh is the walkmesh when i open a model in gmax??

OldMansBeard
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:11 pm

Post by OldMansBeard »

If you open an existing tile in GMax and want to find the walkmesh, the first thing to try is to look at the picklist of all the objects and see if there is one with a name like 'wok' or 'walkmesh' or some such. Sensible tilemakers try to give their objects sensible names, so it's worth hoping.

Failing that, look for a sort of multicoloured object that covers the whole tile like a rubber sheet and might well have some purple triangles in it. Not necessarily, but if you see one, that's a likely candidate.

If you think you have found it, select it and open the "modify" tab. If scripts spring into action and you see signs of a walkmesh being rebuilt, you've found it.

Of course, there is a quick way - open the ascii .mdl file in notepad and do a find on "aabb". In the line that says node aabb , that is the object name to look for in the GMax picklist.

Okay so so far?

Toro
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 4:00 am

Post by Toro »

ok, so no prob identifying the walkmesh now. How do i modify it? using which tool in veltools or nwmax? or more specifically , i know i have to move vertices around to accomodate my bridge, how then do i add a walkmesh(or specify that the bridge area is different material than the rest of the tile), i dont know the process for doing this.

Guest

Post by Guest »

Toro wrote:ok, so no prob identifying the walkmesh now. How do i modify it? using which tool in veltools or nwmax? or more specifically , i know i have to move vertices around to accomodate my bridge, how then do i add a walkmesh(or specify that the bridge area is different material than the rest of the tile), i dont know the process for doing this.
My way of doing it would be to modify the vertices of the walkmesh to match the bridge, then open the walkmesh in this or similar to change it's properties.

There's probably a more 'correct' way in GMax, although admittedly most of my walkmeshes that need major work I hand over to MDA or someone anyway so I've not really gone into it that much.

OldMansBeard
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:11 pm

Post by OldMansBeard »

The walkmesh should be a single sheet covering the tile, subdivided into faces and with the vertices raised and lowered in such a way that it roughly represents the shape of the ground and any obstructions that have to walked around. It doesn't need a lot of fine detail. Then, each triangular face should be assigned the appropriate material number to encode what type of surface that particular face has. So if you have a patch of grass, say, you assign the grass material to the faces that lie within it. If there is a tree sprouting out of the ground, you paint the patch of ground it covers unwalkable. And so on.

Does that help? Am I answering the right question?

Toro
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 4:00 am

Post by Toro »

thxs guys for the help,
OMB, you're aways helpful, thxs. My question was more on exactly how to do it in gmax and with which tools on the menu. In other words do in gmax what that lil wok reader program does.
Six, you da man !! Between gmax and that lil gem of a program, i was able to make it all come together. here's a pic standing on the bridge !!
http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nw00da0.jpg

made the walkmesh from scratch, have another question on this tho. Right now my walkmesh is a flat plane,(well not exactly flat, it rises a lil for the bridge itself and the log) but i didnt make it descend down into the ravine since that will never be walkable. Is it bad to leave it like this or should I actually cover at exact heights even the parts that are not walkable ? Am i making sense??

OldMansBeard
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:11 pm

Post by OldMansBeard »

Toro wrote:Right now my walkmesh is a flat plane,(well not exactly flat, it rises a lil for the bridge itself and the log) but i didnt make it descend down into the ravine since that will never be walkable. Is it bad to leave it like this or should I actually cover at exact heights even the parts that are not walkable ? Am i making sense??
I'd say it's okay to leave it like that. If an area is non-walkable, it doesn't really matter at what height it's not walkable, it's not walkable at any height.

The main reason for making the non-walkable parts of the walkmesh three-dimensional is to block seeing through cliffs or shooting arrows through buildings, that kind of thing. With holes in the ground this isn't so important.

OMB

Toro
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 4:00 am

Post by Toro »

OMB, I was worried my question wasnt understandable but you got it. So as long as i keep anything above the main walking height of the walkmesh 3 dimensional I should be good. I mean its just good and proper way of doing things. Although i might go back later and try to make the ravivne 3D also,, i just keep getting the image of some bad guys on the log or bridge raing down rocks or arrows on a player, ;)
Unrelated quick question since i have your attention on itp files, i know how to make submenu and have one in the features section, i tried the same thing in the terrain section to put all my crossers under a submenu but it didnt work, anyone know of any tileset that has submenu in the terrain section ?

Guest

Post by Guest »

Toro wrote:Unrelated quick question since i have your attention on itp files, i know how to make submenu and have one in the features section, i tried the same thing in the terrain section to put all my crossers under a submenu but it didnt work, anyone know of any tileset that has submenu in the terrain section ?
No, if I recall right.

Toro
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 4:00 am

Post by Toro »

All is good so far,, So last question (for now) Any quick and easy way of texturing? any nifty programs? I mean i can easily switch out textures in notepad but what i need is an easy way to apply it to an object.
for example,, i have a large tower and the brick texture i applied to it is very distorted.
this is an explorer shot of my tile
http://img81.imageshack.us/my.php?image ... usehg1.jpg

this tile is part of the 10ft cliff thing I'm workin on,, there's going to be a bridge on it too leading to 10ft cliff(duh). At this point I'm not even entirely sold on it being brick,, i definitly want to have that boulder in back of it sort of work into it,, like if i did go with brick, have a pieces in the back, near the boulder, where the brick is missing . Get it??
Anyway for now, need help with the question above, asctetics(sp?) will have to wait..

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