Importing FBX Level into WED Help Needed

It has been a long, long time since I have used GameStudio and when I did use it, I was creating all my levels within WED itself or within 3D Studio MAX using an old script that would export out to WMP for WED. GameStudio has apparently advanced a lot and now allows for actual polygonal geometry to be used for levels by importing an FBX file. Great! However, my tests thus far have all been utter failures.

Here's the simple question (followed by more details of what I am looking for):

How does one successfully import an FBX file into WED for use as a level?

Ultimately, here is what I want to be able to do:

- Create the entire level in another 3D modeling application
- Create two UV maps for each part: One for the texture and one for the light map
- Texture the level (UV map 1) and render a light map (UV map 2)
- Export the entire level as a single FBX file
- Bring it into WED for use as a level

I did a simple test by creating a simple cube, UV mapping it and applying one texture (no second UV map and no light map). I then exported it as an FBX file (2006 version of FBX). Then I imported it into WED using WED's Import Level from FBX (2006). The geometry imports, but the texture is not brought in! What do I have to do to get the texture in with the geometry? I tried to bring the texture in separately and applying it to the cube in WED, but then it appears that the UV information is lost.

As a test, I imported the same cube into MED. The geometry is there but, once again, no texture. When I access the Skin Editor I can see that the UV map is preserved, but there is no texture and the option to import a texture is grayed out.

If someone can give me a set of step-by-step instructions for getting an FBX file successfully into WED for use as a level (textures and all), then I would be most appreciative.

Thank you.

I have just done this sucessfully using 3ds Max 8. I used a 256 x 256 bmp created in MS Paint 24 bit dropped on to a cube.
The fbx exporter in Max 8 is nice and simple, in Max 2009, its not a simple (in my estimation)

It would be very useful if someone could list out the steps and state which version of Max & the fbx exporter they are using.

What I can't get is shadows ?

You would have to bake them into a light map.



I am using modo.

I just did another test and was successful. It appears I was doing something wrong when exporting the file from modo as an FBX.

Even so, I would still like to hear the steps that others are using to bring in complete levels from a 3D app into WED successfully (including light maps).

Can you please post why you were successful this time. It doesn't do anybody any good if you just post that you were successful. If you tell why you weren't successful before, and why it works now then some people with the same problem may be helped.

Good point. Sorry about that.

I am using modo for modeling. I had dropped a texture on my cube in modo and it displayed fine there. Then I saved it as an FBX file. However, this method did not save the texture information with the geometry. In modo I had to first create a material and then apply the texture to that material. The material effectively attached the texture to the geometry. When I saved it as an FBX file, the texture was referenced with it. As a result, when I imported the geometry into WED it came in with the texture applied properly according to the UV map I had made.

I even went further to create two objects, each in their own layer, each with their own UV map and each with their own material and texture. This also imported into WED perfectly.

I have not tried this with an object having two UV maps, one of which would function as a light map. So that will be my next test.

I have not tried any tests from MAX, so I cannot help there (yet).

ahh I see thanks. I have modo recently so hopefully you can understand my curiosity. I have not used the .fbx exporter to WED.

Ok. So theoretically it is possible to do an entire scene.

That would be good to see the results. thanks.

modo's FBX exporter works just fine. I have not yet tried it with lights, cameras, etc and seeing these come into WED or not, though.



Definitely. In fact, the following link may be useful to you:

http://www.geartechgames.com/GearTech_Games/Beginning_a_Project/Beginning_a_Project.html

He uses modo to make complete levels for Unity. I am sure the same would work from modo to GameStudio.