Need Assimilate preferences help

[Anavel Gato]

I have tried several different things but I can't figure out the preferences settings of the Assimilate program needed to convert models.

 

Can anybody telkl me what I should enter in the following fields:

- Enum file (now contains w:/bin/gamesource/anims.h)

- Quake dir (I tried my JK2 base and Q3 baseq3 directories)

 

I placed my root.xsi model in the models\players\padme folder that is in the root of my disk. The humanoid.gla file is in the models\players\_humanoid directory so that should all be good.

[SilentMobius]

What (almost) worked for me was:

 

The anims.h file is is part of the SDK and by default turns out to be:

D:\games\jkII\GameData\Base\tools\gamesource\anims.h

 

(where D:\games\jkII\ should be changed to where you installed JK2)

 

To build a model you create a named Directory in /base/models/player, _COPY_ the _humanoid.gla from the _humanoid dir and export your root.xsi from max into there.

 

Use add files in assimilate and only import the humanoid.gla in your named dir (The XSI get pulled in automatically)

 

Press the "B" button and it will ask you where you want to save the .car file, I highly recommend putting it in your named directory and naming the file "model.car", carcas will then fire up and process all the bits constructing a "model.glm" in your named directory

 

Although it _looks_ like the Q3 directory in the prefs wants to contain a full path all the way up to /base it seem as though /Gamedata/base gets added for you, so in my case I just had:

D:\games\jkII

Which is where I installed JK2.

 

My problem is that I've weighted a part or my model and I was to see if that part deforms properly (as I've modified the bones) so the rest of the model can be static, but regardless how I link the mesh objects it says it cant recurse to them from surface 0 (pelvis) even though 90% of the model/caps/tags are directly slaved to the pelvis (I know thats would make the model look awful but I only want to test the head and neck right now.

 

Additionally has anyone noticed that the XSI _IMPORT_ for Max seem to ignore the vertex weighting (unless the example XSI's that Raven gave us are unweighted)

 

Can anyone who has got a .glm out of Assimilate/Carcass tell me if the heirachy for the objects _HAS_ to be the one given in the tutorial because the error message implies that as long as carcass can recurse to all the mesh objects from surface 0 (pelvis in my case) it should be OK?

 

If I'm wrong I guess I'll have to weight the whole thing properly before I can test any of the weightings.

(Edit, Bad Grammar, More Words)

[Anavel Gato]

Thanks for your help.

I think I need to reorganise my directories a bit

I got JK2 on C in Program Files, the JK2 tools on D in a folder and my model/skins/etc in another models\players\padme folder.

 

The weighting I doubt I did right the first time around. I know there are some big gaps between the limbs that I saw with modview but that's for later. I just wanna see it in game.

[Emon]

Doesn't Assimilate make MD3s into GLMs? If so, why not just use MD3View to do that?

[Jedi Boike]

I figured out the preference settings however when I try to build my model i get an error telling me something about Qdir not setup in c:\program.car or something similar!!!

 

Anybody get this error???

 

 

thanks

 

Jedi Boike

[SilentMobius]

Originally posted by Anavel Gato

Thanks for your help.

I think I need to reorganise my directories a bit

I got JK2 on C in Program Files, the JK2 tools on D in a folder and my model/skins/etc in another models\players\padme folder.

 

The weighting I doubt I did right the first time around. I know there are some big gaps between the limbs that I saw with modview but that's for later. I just wanna see it in game.

 

Acutally I was checking what I've said I while I think what I've said _WILL_ get you a working glm I'm not sure if it'll work in game.

 

Here's why:

If you import the _humanoid.xsi from the _humanoid dir it looks in that dir for the root.xsi (not what we want)

Also I get a "Model file missing: c:/games/jk2/gamedata/base/gamedata/base/models/players/_humanois/_humanoid.gla"

This is _IF_ "Quake Dir" in the prefs reads:

c:/games/jk2/gamedata/base/

so as I previously said I shortened it to

c:/games/jk2/

Then it stops complaining

_BUT_ again it still looks in _humanoid for the root.xsi

if you do what I suggested it works, but if I look at the car files it creates:

$aseanimgrabinit
$aseanimgrab_gla models/players/BattleDroid/_humanoid.gla
$aseanimgrabfinalize
$aseanimconvertmdx_noask models/players/BattleDroid/root

Whereas the one Raven gave us for the stormtrooper reads:

$aseanimgrabinit
$aseanimgrab_gla models/players/_humanoid/_humanoid.gla
$aseanimgrabfinalize
$aseanimconvertmdx_noask models/players/stormtrooper/root -makeskin -smooth

As you can see I'm linking to a file that may well break the game.

 

So Suggestion #2 is that you copy the .car file from the SDK that should have ended up in: /base/models/players/stormtrooper/model.car

Into your named dir. Change the "root" line to match your named dir, leave _humanoid.gla where it was in _humanoid and load the .car file rather that trying to create it from scratch in Assimilate

 

Oh and the quake dir seems to need to be in the form:

c:/games/jk2/gamedata/base/

for this to work.....

Sorry for the bad info first time round.

[Anavel Gato]

I put the _humanoid.gla file in my models\players\padme folder and then I could build the car file after I had added the gla file.

This because it looks for the root.xsi that is in the same folder as the _humanoid.gla file.

[SilentMobius]

I know, Thats why I suggested putting it there... it gets carcass to compile _BUT_ I think that when you end up trying to run the model in the game the whole thing will go wrong as the _humanoid.gla can _ONLY_ be in /base/humanoid.

If you manually edit the .car file (Its only a 4 line text file) It'll still work and I think you'll have a better chance of getting it in game.

[Anavel Gato]

Good 1 SilentMobius. So that's why I couldn't select my model in MP after I had completly packaged it to a proper pk3.

Thank god that's one thing that's easy to do

 

I'm gonna try your method when I get home from work.

/me wishes it was 5 already

[Sniper Wolf]

Originally posted by Jedi Boike

I figured out the preference settings however when I try to build my model i get an error telling me something about Qdir not setup in c:\program.car or something similar!!!

 

Anybody get this error???

 

 

thanks

 

Jedi Boike

 

This is exactly what I got. Does anyone know how to fix it?

- Wolf

[SilentMobius]

Originally posted by Sniper Wolf

This is exactly what I got. Does anyone know how to fix it?

- Wolf

 

Ok, I've got my model through Assimilate/Carcass So I'm a little happier now.

Wolf/Boike:

What do you have in your Assimilate Prefs?

Where did you install JKII?

Where did you install the SDK?

Where is the root.xsi you want to process?

What files did you add to the Assimilate project?

Where did you save the .car file?

 

And I do the best I can to help.

[Sniper Wolf]

My preferences are pointing to the anim.h in the tool/gamesource/ folder, the location of my JK2 directory is c:/program files/lucas arts/jedi knight ii/game data, the sdk is installed in the same directory, the root.xsi is in the base/models/player/rendak folder and I added the _humanoid.gla from the model/player/_humanoid/ folder. I saved the model.car into the rendak folder. Thanks for your help in advance.

- Wolf

[Sniper Wolf]

*bump*

Sorry, I really need this question answered. Thanks

- Wolf

[Madjai]

Originally posted by SilentMobius

If you manually edit the .car file (Its only a 4 line text file) It'll still work and I think you'll have a better chance of getting it in game.

 

but when you compile your model it saves a .car file, what good is editing it after its been saved, the .car file is useless afterwards. unless you can edit it before, can you?

[SilentMobius]

Originally posted by Madjai

 

but when you compile your model it saves a .car file, what good is editing it after its been saved, the .car file is useless afterwards. unless you can edit it before, can you?

Well if you look an my post above about car files:

When you add to the project Assimilate creates a .car file (for carcass)

However when you use file->load in assimilate you are loading an already existing .car file to be executed with no changes.

 

Now most of the Assimilate errors (I got) are because Assimilate is producing bad .car files, soooo

 

If you copy the stormtrooper .car file to your model dir and modify the one line (as above) and _only_ _load_ that .car file (then press the "b" button) it does work.

 

This is now corfirmed as I can get carcass to run without errors every time now.

 

Originally posted by Sniper Wolf

My preferences are pointing to the anim.h in the tool/gamesource/ folder, the location of my JK2 directory is c:/program files/lucas arts/jedi knight ii/game data, the sdk is installed in the same directory, the root.xsi is in the base/models/player/rendak folder and I added the _humanoid.gla from the model/player/_humanoid/ folder. I saved the model.car into the rendak folder. Thanks for your help in advance.

- Wolf

 

You've done just what the tutorial told you... and I couldn't get it to work either, stick with the same setup and try what I've suggested for Madjai.

[SilentMobius]

Sorry to drag this thread out of the grave but I thought it would be a good idea to mention here that assimilate does not like spaces in any path its working on.

I installed JKII and the tools in C:\games\jkii

things like C:\program files\lucas arts\jediknightII jedi outcast\

will cause trouble.