3ds max 8 > .X > 3DGS 6.40 - Smoothing goups?

Since I was facing some problems with the export of models form 3ds max 8 to 3DGS 6.40 via the max2mdl-script I recently was trying to use the .X-format.

3ds max 8 export .X > MED import .X > MED export .MDL7 > WED import .MDL7

After overcomming the first problem (alpha value of material is set to 0 in MED after imorpt > model is invisible in engine) I now have the problem that all models polys appear faceted. Means no smoothing is transfered form 3ds max, neither between polys of the same smoothing group, nor between polys of the same element.

Has anybody got an idea how smoothing can be transferred using the above mentioned workflow?

first make sure ur viewing the model in smooth mode in med (under view options or something), and if u are already doing that try using "merge" in med to smoothen the model. depending on what ur model is like, it may cause unwanted melding of vertices.

hope this helps!

julz

There are no smoothing groups in Direct 3D. Basically you need to weld all the vertices that you want smoothed.

This is a little off topic, but just as a heads up keep in mind if you do not have a solid mesh thats closed you will experience some weird problems with stencil shadows. I had to search high and low to find a glitch that was happening in space cat, and it could have been avoided if i would have closed all the mesh in my models during development (rather then going back and welding a bunch of crap) lol.

Thank you for your tips!

After having tested a while I found following (partial) solution:

> at least when using the Pandasoft Direct X Exporter the option "Optimize mesh" has to be set to "Normal" or "Optimize", otherwise the faces of the mesh will appear faceted (no smoothing at all). No doing that was my original fault.

> adjoined faces appear faceted if their congruent faces are NOT welded in 3ds max
> adjoined faces appear smoothed if their congruent faces are welded in 3ds max
> parts of a mesh which have different textures have to be seperate models in 3ds max

Still there is one problem:
The specular color shows harsh transitions exactly where the seams of the UV-coordinates are located. The only workaround is to use just flat projections for the textures, which is very limiting.
The above mentioned problem doesn't appear when using the old max2mdl exporter with the same model.

Does anybody have an idea how to overcome this problem?

BTW: in parallel to 3DGS I use Quest 3D. When importing (the same) X-files to this applikation no such problem appears at all. Even there is no necessity to prepeare the 3ds max models in any of the above mentioned ways at all. Smoothing groups from 3ds max stay as smoothing groups in Q3D, several textures can be used in one mesh and will be transfered ...

So apparently the problems are caused by the X-iport filter of 3DGS, not by limitations of the x-file format.