Starwars blender files to .x for Evochron Mercenary

Sartsow · Post by **Sartsow** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 6:42 pm

Hi 3D model gurus,

im trying to convert >these blender files< i found of the millennium falcon to the .x file that the Evochron Mercenary can recognize. im using the blender export function to convert the files to .x but i cant seem to get them to work. can anyone help me or perhaps make the .x files available.

Sparrowjuice · Post by **Sparrowjuice** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:26 am

I exported it from MAX using the export settings I used for my viper mods however this ship is made up of multiple parts and I was unable to get my military frame working until I merged it into a single object, If you do that with this you would need to rede the uv map.

Also this has over 62000 verts!!

http://www.mediafire.com/download/300lf ... yu1/FALC.X
I got the 3ds version from here: http://www.scifi3d.com/details.asp?intG ... D=10&key=4 I think it's the same model.

[Edited on 21-6-13 by Sparrowjuice]

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:51 pm

I work in .obj format then use LithUnwrap to convert final product to .x

and as Sparrowjuice said, join all parts into one then map your textures.

Viper · Post by **Viper** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:41 pm

Yeah you need to merge it into one single object, but like Sparrow says you will then also need to redo your maps. Depending on your experience with modeling, this can be a bit of a painstaking process (especially with so many verts).
Also, there are a couple of settings for exporting into DirectX that you need to get right or the game won't read the files:
(From the [Community Project] Custom ships and textures topic)

Export as ASCII/text (not binary).
Include UV mapping data (can also be referred to as 'export textures' or similar).
Include normals. If you don't include normals you will probably not see a texture in game.
Make sure you export the model as a single mesh. If you get an error while loading the game that says something like 'you need to connect limbs', or words of similar meaning, you know that this has probably gone wrong.

Also, 62000 verts per mesh probably is too high for EM to handle. I believe last time I checked the limit was around 32000 per mesh. And the higher the polycount (ie more verts) each mesh has, the more resources it will take to render the ships on screen. If you're in a space battle fighting 15 enemy ships with each 62000 verts, you're going to need quite a powerful machine to render all that without losing fps. Depending on your pc specs, maintaining a limit of 10-20,000 verts per mesh would be a safer option.

~ Viper.

Sartsow · Post by **Sartsow** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:03 pm

Thanks for all your help guys, i've tried and tried to get it to work. i think i should realize when i have absolutely no skill in this area. i have no idea how to 3d map.

i was hoping i could just download the millennium falcon in another format, convert it and hey presto it works. cause i have no idea how to use these program. Im trying but they are a bit over my head.

Sartsow · Post by **Sartsow** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:58 pm

Has any seen a millennium falcon mod around for evochron mercenary? I mean hans solo is the embodiment of sci-fi mercenary.

Post by **DaveK** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:27 pm

From post: 163034, Topic: tid=10878, author=Sartsow wrote:Has any seen a millennium falcon mod around for evochron mercenary? I mean hans solo is the embodiment of sci-fi mercenary.

Nope . . . and I think that it would be so cool (I'd invest my bankroll to have one!) that it would be known to all!

Hope someone is tempted to try it!

Like you, I got tempted to try modding and like you I found the whole 3D modelling thing a total mystery, even after starting to see how the initial model was created the multi-step conversions threw me! I'm retired and I suspect will be composting before I could get to the stage of creating anything worthwhile!

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:45 pm

those models are fully detailed inside and out.
if you remove all the internal structures and just leave the shell you will reduce
the poly count and file size greatly.

Sartsow · Post by **Sartsow** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 4:16 am

Ok thanks for the advice guys, i think im learning so it's not entirely hopeless.

Does anyone know an easier way to reduce the vectors.

What i've done so far is delete the interior using blender, gone into edit mode and used limit desolve to set the maximum angle. Then i've saved it as 3ds and taken it into lithunwrap and saved it as .x which works. i can now play with the mesh but it looks horrible.

Capt_Caveman · Post by **Capt_Caveman** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:50 pm

From post: 163105, Topic: tid=10878, author=Sartsow wrote: i can now play with the mesh but it looks horrible.

does the mesh look distorted or is it texture problem ?

Sartsow · Post by **Sartsow** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:46 pm

havent even started looking at texture:-)

it's meshing

Viper · Post by **Viper** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:36 am

From post: 163105, Topic: tid=10878, author=Sartsow wrote:Ok thanks for the advice guys, i think im learning so it's not entirely hopeless.

Does anyone know an easier way to reduce the vectors.

What i've done so far is delete the interior using blender, gone into edit mode and used limit desolve to set the maximum angle. Then i've saved it as 3ds and taken it into lithunwrap and saved it as .x which works. i can now play with the mesh but it looks horrible.

That's probably because your mesh doesn't fit the coordinates for the UVW map anymore and so the maps get projected incorrectly onto the mesh.

Post a couple of screenshots and maybe we can give you some advise. Although redoing the UVW map is not easy.