level design in 3ds MAx ?

Having recently learnt 3ds Max, I want to try and create a FPS type level with it.

1. What modeling approach do you recommend that I use, ie staring with a plane or splines etc in other words what technique do you recommend ?

2. Would the level be one large model exported (as an fbx file)to WED ?

3. Are lights best added in WED ?

Thanks

Hi, Im no expert yet if you approached with simple poly in mind, Max will work wondes for you.

No splines eetc as that generates more polys than faces.
Remeber that all faces are triangulated when exported to Med.
Use edge extrude to build.
Ensure measurement is set to Med (something 1 : 0.001 or similar, dont remeber)

Bake all generated textures then export as bmap for skins.

Wooooops.....Set all lights in Wed untill you work out Max and Med export.

Save as both FBX and mdl7.

If FBX fails, import model into MED for convex conversion.

Use simple textures mostly.

Thats all I remeber, hope it helps

Hi KiwiBoy

I have sucessfully created a room in Max, I took a plane, used the cut tool to define the walls and then extruded them. It all worked fine. Exported it to fbx in to WED etc. Worked in the game engine.

My task mow is to extend the idea into a full level (like the 'Facility') with corridors etc.

This is my findamental question: do I continue as per the room ?

thanks

we are working on a 3d platformer ball game and we have suspended levels which arecompletely modelled in 3ds max 2009.I have been handling most of the importing pipeline from max to game studio and as far as what i have seen this is what i conclude.

1.You can import and model from max in 3ds format with textures(including huge levels).Import into med set the right scale and the export as mdl andimport into wed.It will run properly.

2.We had some problems in including models with animations in fbx format.The mesh with animations would import into med and wed but without any textures.So for animated models we decided to texture in wed.If anyone has a tip on how to import animated models with texturesplz do let us know as im tired of trying it and it wouldnt work.