Posts by shawnolson

Quote from Deh0lise

You are welcome.

Just for the record, I know from experience that different users have sometimes been confused about the hull generation functions in WW. I do not generally recommend using the Auto Hull checkbox... as that function just tells the QC to use the reference mesh as the collision model. However, I do recommend using the Quick Hull function that will generate a hull from each element of each object in your main model, set the $concave flag if multiple pieces are generated, and automatically apply the correct smoothing groups. Especially for static props or animated mechanical props not using skin, this works really well as long as the model is broken into elements in a way that benefits from this. Otherwise, use the Hull Helper floater to break a copy of the model(s) up into elements that you can then generate hulls from and assign manually to your WWMT helper. The vert limit spinner sets the maximum vertex count of each hull part when generating the hulls.

Hint: When you click the Quick Hull button, the generated hulls are collapsed into a single object if the WWMT setting is currently $staticprop... otherwise they are left as separate objects in case you need to skin the hulls to bones.

If using WWMT, the fastest way for the smoothing groups is to press the Process Hulls button in the collision model rollout. It will automatically make each element of each hull node have its own unique smoothing group bit. The hulls can be separate nodes or a single editable poly node.

Incidentally, there was an update to WW today that addresses some bugs dealing with Hulls (especially if the hull nodes were deleted in the scene).

Hopefully that adds a little extra help.

CorVex 1.63 Released today along with some update function description in the docs. 1.63 adds a couple new functions and addresses a couple issues.

CorVex 1.62 released. There are several new settings and functions. The following video demonstrates some using some texture assets from Insurgency:

Since the post above, I've added many new functions and features to CorVex. Many add controls for UVs and Materials. Version 1.61 was released today. See the changelog on the CorVex docs for a full list.

Got a new little tool for working with normals in Max: Normal Tools. It gives you some new ways for manipulating the normal vectors such as typing specific values, using a tape helper's director, or pointing them at a target. Also includes some selection tools that will probably expand over time.

This tool is commercial, though probably not commercial enough to stop all the crying babies in my background.

Quote from gotcha

The link is dead

It appears that forum software parsed the link in a way that wasn't working in all browsers... not sure exactly why it wouldn't work.

Anyway... here it is: Hammered to the Max: A Hammer User's Guide to 3ds Max .

It's best to open in IE or Adobe Reader as the default view will include the document bookmarks. Chrome seems to not do that.

There was a significant revision to the book today, especially chapter 7 which discusses world geometry. I expanded the examples of valid vs invalid world geometry, as well as detailing ways to clean up invalid world geometry. There are other miscellaneous revisions/edits/additions throughout the book since the last update.

Hammered to the Max

I played this last week. After an hour and a half of my life spent in the game... I have decided that I'd rather play Minecraft. But maybe I'm just not hardcore enough to devote time to looking for pepzi. The zombies didn't scare me. And the other people are ... far.... away... and when we find each other... what? Some of my really close friends are addicts to this game. I just don't get it.

Quote from tomm

But again, it's 3ds Max and Source, Source alone is simply dated and in many ways not pleasant to work with IMO

It's all good untill you start doing something other than brushwork.

I'm pretty sure your tools are a huge improvement and a timesaver, but not everyone uses max

Well yes. You are correct. If you are not a Max user... then this means nothing. I'm only speaking for those who are Max users or those who have an interest in it. If I did not enjoy Max, I'd probably not touch Source anymore.

But if you do know Max and Source, you now have the ability to produce content far more quickly than was ever possible in the past.

I was in UE4 earlier today... and although I will agree that it is FAR nicer than the tools Valve has for us in Source... I will also say that I personally find it clunky next to level design inside Max (and Max for Source at that).

But yes, again, you are correct. This is irrelevant for those who are not Max addicts such as myself.

I've spent the last four years building tools just for making the Source pipeline faster. So, at this moment, when it comes to rapid development of assets/levels, I'm very confident that if you are proficient in 3ds Max and Source, and are capable of learning some of Wall Worm, you can discover extreme satisfaction. With NO USE OF HAMMER. You can do rapid blockout, models, textures, materials, 2d skyies, 3d skies and more without opening Hammer or text editors.

Quote from Erratic

everything is faster than source

I'm pretty confident in the fact that many things can be accomplished much faster in Source than is commonly known. Very confident.

If it ends up on Source, I would be willing to share some time with participants on helping set up Source projects inside 3ds Max and answer various workflow questions, etc. As I'm interested/focused on getting people to start using Max instead of Hammer, this invitation is only for those willing to tackle the project in Max.

Yeah, I rarely used either tool over the years in Hammer. And I know the stigma. But at the same time, enough people asked me for it for so long that I made it. (It is actually one of the three commercial plugins I've made that isn't directly part of WW. And it sells better than all my others... even though I think CorVex is the most invaluable of the three...)

I can't say that the Carve function is necessarily any better than the logic in Hammer's. In fact, I'm pretty sure it must use some of the exact same logic. What I can say is that this tool is more functional because it gives you several option on what to keep, what should be combined or not, etc. For all of my tests that go into Source, the results have been perfectly fine for VBSP. But then again, I'm mainly testing on simple scenarios like carving Box primitives into other box primitives, etc.

Certainly, there are reasons to not use carve functions. But I think that if you understand why they can be bad, you can also be insightful enough to know when it is fine. Among those reasons could be time and efficiency in design itself. In this case, I added the ability to carve with animations. That means you could animate a carve tool in a specific pattern and have it cut at specific intervals. Depending on the complexity, you can accomplish something far more complex in far less time if you understand how to use it.

In my opinion, it's just another tool. When it's the right tool, use it. Just don't try to use it when you should be using something else

Quote from NoahHasAnIDE

Quote from will2k

Every time I read one of your posts, I get tempted more and more to start learning 3DS max to be able to use WWMT

Wish I had more free time

Thanks for all your efforts to bring an alternative to Hammer.

NoahHasAnIDE Yes, you can... but in my opinion, that in itself would be more of a hassle than just doing it the old fashioned way. Not because getting it all into Max is necessarily bad/hard, but installing, setting up, importing your materials into a Max-ready format, etc... would take far more time than just making one the traditional way. I have a million reasons why I think you should use Max instead of Hammer... but I'm hard pressed to justify using Max/Wall Worm just to get an overview/radar texture. It would kind of be like setting up NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab to help you fix a flat tire on a bike

will2k Reading that makes me happy. I have dealt with so many strongly opinionated criticisms about my sanity on turning my back on Hammer. By the time I really understood Source, I had already been dreaming of using Max. My luxury is that I always wanted it, already know Max, and have the benefit of knowing how WW works. I'm pretty sure if I could just transfer what is in my brain to the community, 99% of everyone would also abandon Hammer.

I've updated Carver today with a new function and updated the documentation while at it.

Just for info: If you are building your level in 3ds Max with Wall Worm, there is a native function to render your level overview and make the text file all at once. It is under Wall Worm > Wall Worm Materials > Export Overview Texture. It creates overviews and radars, as well as TGA files (and a function to compile the TGA to VTF if not using DDS).

More info here: Overview Exporter.

This is for people like me who have always felt like the steps for making an overview have always been overly complicated.

Un-annotated Anaconda is the new thing. And it's better for the everglades.

The rumors about the demise of Max are far from true. Yes, Autodesk has been pushing Maya for the last couple of years, but that isn't the writing on the wall for Max. Right now, AD is trying to condition you and me into thinking of Max and Maya as apps for two distinct markets. It's BS, and everyone who's been watching for years sees it for what it is. They are trying to condition people to thinking that Maya is for animation, Max is for visualization, etc.

I would not be betting on any scenario where AD phased out Max (or Maya). What is being phased out is the marketing idea that Max and Maya do the same thing. But that is just marketing. Eventually, consumers will decide where development goes--not marketing executives.

What this means for CS:GO modeling is this: use whatever application that you feel most comfortable using and accomplishes your goals to your satisfaction as fast as possible. Because I'm a Max guy, that is what I promote. If I were not so invested in Max, I'd probably promote Blender. And of course, a lot kids coming out of school are all hyped on Maya. Whatever you choose will continue to be viable for years (and possibly decades) to come.

Now I know that there is a raging hate of the Carve and Make Hollow functions in Hammer, but there is an equal amount of love for it. It's been a frequent request. So I created these tools with various added benefits in the new Carver and Make Hollow tools.

Enjoy.