Posts by shawnolson

I updated the book in the last few days to include some of the Max objects that automatically export as entities in Max. For example, an Omni light exports as a light entity, a Target Spot as a light_spot with an info_target, etc.

I also want to point out there was a critical bug in a version of WW posted last week. If you happen to use WW and Max crashes when you open the WW menu after last week's update, here is the fix. Don't ask me what ju-ju is the culprit... all I know is how to fix it.

Also, I've added a new commercial plugin: Carver + Make Hollow

So this book is not yet done done, but I do have a good percentage of it done. It's not polished, and there are probably several chapters I will insert and/or modify as I get time. But I wanted to share it with you now to get feedback on those specific topics that anyone would like to see added. I'd planned on finishing it already, but I've been spending too much time at the corner panhandling as well as stomping on bugs / adding features to the new versions of WW.

Expect it to grow and revise in the coming weeks/months. Please send me typos, errors and confusing sections as you find them.

Hammered to the Max: A Hammer User's Guide to 3ds Max

Quote from mr.P

awesome job with the ww-tools!

i've used it to export all models for my upcoming map!

great stuff and easy to use...good job!

Glad to hear! Looking cool

PS. There was an update to the Qc/SMD importer today to fix a problem with importing QCs with sequence names wrapped in quotes (which is always true when using Crowbar).

More updates today. This one fixes the VMF exporter bug where brush entities were being offset in the scene because of a recent update to include the "origin" parameter in all brush entities instead of just those that should have it.

Aside from a new update to Wall Worm today that fixes some more bugs in various importers/exporters/tools and also adds new features, here is a new video to go along with today's update. To follow this video with comparable results, you need to get the latest version of WW (2.056+),

I've finally updated Wall Worm to work with XRef Scenes. There were problems in the past if using LODs and the VMF Exporter in WW did not collect all assets from XRef Scenes until today's update.

Here is the complete changelog on today's update. And here are some tips regarding the XRef scene update. Xref object support is still very limited at the moment, but will be improved in the coming week.

WW was updated again. A higher-than-normal number of people have sent me bug reports for the last week and I've released several micro updates in response... some of which produced more reports. The exciting news is the volume of feedback. The sober news is that I'm just one dude. But in an attempt to be more, I've fixed several critical bugs reported in the last couple of days. Let's hope this is the end of bugs (for at least a week!). WW 2.042 is available.

Quote from LATTEH

sweet i can finally switch to 2015!

I've tested some in 2015 but haven't used it extensively yet. It's certainly the snappiest version of Max yet. The viewport is great. But I"m still going to stick with 2014 until the main plugins I use are recompiled.

I updated WW this morning to add texturegroup importing and fix some bugs (like LODs being regenerated instead of imported and missing UVs on LODs)... as well as made it easier to retain the normals.

So one of those things that people have been asking for in Wall Worm is better tools for importing assets into 3ds Max from Source. I spent a good deal of time working on these kinds of tools in the last few weeks leading up to the release of Wall Worm 2.0. (Thank You [and sorry] for all the poor souls who came to me for help in the last few weeks and got sucked into getting all of my repeated test updates that sometimes clogged toilets and induced regional sink holes...)

The list of updates is pretty long. There are a lot of under-the-hood changes in WW.

But here is a video on some of the new tools on importing model assets from Source. (At moment, this is limited to QC, QCI and SMD... no VTA or DMX yet.)

Wnjoy!

Get your daily dose of Worms Here.

And if you are especially loving, consider adding CorVex to your tool kit. It's fun, dandy, powerful, and helps fund all the fun updates like the video above.

Oh and PS... WW 2.0 is working great in 3ds Max 2015 so far. Below is a scene in Max 2015 exported to CS:GO. Woot.

[Blocked Image: http://www.wallworm.com/examples/ww2_3ds_max_2015.png]

Quote from Pampers

I think the title could use more puns

You nailed it!

Quote from FMPONE

Unwrapping stuff would be nice to learn, for sure.

I am going to cover Unwrapping at an introductory level... but Unwrapping itself if such a key aspect of 3ds Max, I doubt I can do the topic any more justice than already served in the existing documentation and tutorials on the Autodesk Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…CrJOvdxj5h2YZJB (I strongly encourage anyone new to Max to watch those videos, among others).

The main thing I want to demonstrate about UVW in Max is the different kinds of modifiers and tools available to solve specific tasks. Knowing when to Unwrap vs apply a simple Planar Map, etc, is a concept alien to the Hammer-only workflow--as is the concept of instancing UVW modifiers across objects to keep controls consolidated. I'll share insight on some less-known tools like PolygonMap which adds planar UVW controls with UV flow tools, etc. I'll also be discussing the CorVex plugin I've written specifically for creating world geometry in a parametric fashion and its built-in UV-flow controls. (By UV flow, I mean that the UVs tile seamlessly from one Polygon to the next.)

Well I'm probably around 60% done with the first draft in terms of the topics I personally feel are important to cover based on my own experience and from my discussions with many people over the last few years.

I am curious: What specifically are the things you would like to see covered?

Based on experience, it seems that Hammer users generally feel helpless with UVW in Max. What are some of the other obstacles you might face?

Quote from ESToomere

Could motivate me to finally pick up modelling. Good luck.

Well let's hope. I've often found that I spend a lot of time making some tool, making a video and/or docs on how to use it... and then a year later there is a surge of interest in that technique but it turns out that by then I've already advanced (and changed) how it works.... Hopefully this turns out to be be useful in a timely manner.

Thank you Michael. Both kinds of shots are ones that I'd like to add. Can you send me an email directly (my email is in the WW download readme) with these images and a note with your permission to use them. I'd love to add several of this kind of art into the book.

I'm writing an E-Book that covers the entire scope of the 3ds Max > Wall Worm > Source pipeline. It's name is Hammered to the Max .

The book is for new and expert Max users with a focus on helping Hammer users transition to 3ds Max for level design for Source. The Hammer community is pretty hard-core with love of Hammer... this book is intended to drop some seeds of lust and thoughts of 3D app infidelity.

The book covers the philosophy of Wall Worm, basic Max UI, Max and Wall Worm conventions, and the specific tools and work flows in Wall Worm to make a project flow efficiently--even with multiple artists in multiple geographic locations.

In it, you'll learn how to export various kinds of assets (models, materials, textures, levels, RES files, etc) and how to use various release tools (auto-PAKing and auto-zipping) and more.

Etc, etc.

I expect to be done with the first draft in the next week or two. I'm sharing news now to generate a little buzz, but also to ask for screen shots from WW users to include in the book. Please send any screen shots to my email (always included in the WW download readme) with a description of the asset(s) and permission to use them in the publication. Please only send me screen shots of assets you have permission to share, and only those that were aided in some fashion with WW. Shots of assets in-game with nice lighting are preferable. Feel free to send any captions or quotes to use as well.

I'm also looking for someone to do the cover art. Email me with any cover submissions. I'm not offering any pay for the cover, just credit and a link.

The book is going to be released freely to the community as an educational resource.

I've made a new series on working with your 3D skybox and 2D sky renders in 3ds Max and Wall Worm.

Introduction/Table of Contents

Getting Started With Your Sky

Making Your 3D Skybox

Your 2D Sky and Sky Writer

Also, there was a recent update that added compatibility with CS:GO in Sky Writer. For a while I couldn't get the settings right for CS:GO, but now there is an option called Sky in Sky Writer. Turn this on to export with the Sky Shader. Keep off to export with UnlitGeneric (which is needed in the case of CS:GO).

The 2D/3D sky tools in Wall Worm are possibly two of the most overlooked cool features in WW. Hopefully these new docs will help people understand how to use them.

If you feel adventurous, you could take a look at using 3ds Max as your level editor. It's what I use for CS:GO now. Here are some screen shots of a level I've been working on for way too long in 3ds Max for CS:GO (started for CSS). The images at the top are early on, those at the bottom later. I know most people use Hammer for Source and there are a lot of resources to learn it; at the same time, Max is just more exciting and unleashed.

With Max, just as one example from your questions... no need to track down all materials by decompiling a level. Just open the material editor and make your own new material. Simple as that. (Well simple as that once you master the material editor... )

Etc.

I was kind of boycotting EA after (in my opinion) they killed my favorite team game (BF2142). But a friend gifted it to me, so I had no choice.

Although I still feel nostalgic about 2142 (and want it back), I personally like this new incarnation, despite the issues. I've had a lot of fun playing it with some friends and my sons.

Someone needs to pass this onto the devs: add the squad leader ability to pick a point on the map for attack/defend instead of just look-at. Also, add the Move command instead of only attack/defend flag points. Pretty please? I know you have the code for it guys... bring it back from the 2142 playbook!

New video on using the different UV Coordinate systems in CorVex.