Modelling Software for Level Creation

    Now, I've known that Modelling software such as 3DSMax has been used to create levels/maps for games for a while now, but as I have only ever mapped for the Half-Life series I was wondering how this would work.

    I don't plan to work on a game soon I'm just wondering to fufill my knowledge.

    Anyway, my basic questions are, have do you create all the things that a level needs in a Modelling program not designed for the specific elements the game needs. How do you set triggers and higher game entities such as a timer (logic_timer from HL2) or a trigger. How do you script the game. Also how is collision detection calculated because I can imagine alot of models being higher poly but many of the details wouldn't need collection detection, does this mean its done by hand?

    How do you add spawn points and edit it all.

    I've really no idea, and would be very appreciative if you could fill me in. The above questions are just sample questions to demonstrate my lack of knowledge of the procedure within a modelling program such as 3DS Max.

    Hehe.

    Thanks alot.

    You will use Hammer for all level related stuff, 3Ds max is okay for modeling/animating whatever you want. You simply need to use a plug-in to export smd's.

    Collision models also need to be made, but it depends, in XSI (which has native plugin from Valve) most of the times it will create automatically a valid collision model. If you need a concave one or simply want something optimized, do it yourself.

    For detailed answers about how doing things I suggest reading Valve's Wiki, it has all there, good luck mate.

    You misunderstand me, I'm saying, in other engines, where a specific program isn't used for level design, such as the Hammer editor for Half-Life 2, how is a modelling program used to create the levels. Not the props, the levels. The questions are the kind of problems I can foresee with a modelling program and I am wondering how they are over-come.

    I've been mapping using Hammer for three years now.

    The only time I ever used Max to make a level was for the original Ghost Recon series and it wasn't overly complicated. However, really all you were doing was defining the terrain and placing simple houses, trees, props etc and the player and NPCs just moved around it.

    All the triggers, events, etc, were just zones linked together via the igor editor and you decided if a zone was square, round and you had a limited number of actions that zone triggered.

    Obviously current engines are more complex but I think again it's still a case of laying out the static map geometry in Max and the cames compilers handle autogenerating LOD, collisions, etc. Usually you the place the interactive elements into the compiled map "base" via another editor or engine based creation tool.

    Quote from Psycho

    All games that use a 3D modelling app have some sort of external application to add entities as far as I'm aware.

    Lots of companies use modeling packages strictly for all level creation related stuff I think. I'm sure a few of the IOI guys around here will have a bit more info on that if I recall correctly.

    I tried my hand at mapping for Halo on the PC, and it used 3dsmax for all the terrain and such, and then once you had that made you opened up its editing program (I cant quite remember the name) and within it you placed all the game related props/ spawns/ etc.

    So my view of it the modeling programs are only really used for the terrain/environments (in terms of the level design of coarse) the rest of it is all placed in interfaces that to a point kind of work like Hammer.

    The PS3 title I am currently working on is being created entirely in Maya and Java.

    The environments are built as a world mesh that defines the space you play in and all the significant geometric structures in it. All detail in the form of props are instanced into this mesh to build up the detail in the world. The collision is created as a low poly version of the world itself and havok is used for the collision and physics system.

    Locators (points, regions, volumes) are positioned in maya where we want events triggered. In terms of the entities you talk about (logic timer etc) these are written from scratch in Java using an editor package called Eclipse, by the designers as they require them. All enemies the run under a bespoke AI created specifically for our game.

    A comparison to HL2 would be Maya replaces Hammer in terms of the building aspect of things, Java replaces the entities and game logic systems.

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