While I won't argue that Max makes it a lot easier - Max is not essential to that technique. You can use almost any modeling package to get the same results as long as it supports objects or groupings.

Using simpler software like Milkshape, create your model without care about order or what not. Once you are done save out the various parts as individual models (save out hair as one, then body as another...). Once you have each chunk of your model saved out - open the most inside model (body in most cases). Next go to the Merge option and get your next model. It will come in in the proper position as long as you haven't moved anything yet. The software will reorder the vertice order adding the verts from the merged model onto those of the base model and avoid any sorting errors. Continue as needed untill you have all your parts back into the original model. Apply your UV map and export out to MED. Double check your texture alignment in MED (should be good - but it always helps to double check) and then Save out as MDL5 or MDL7.

Once you get it into WED with a 32 bit TGA you will be able to see that the z-buffer errors are almost entirely non-existant with that model anymore. They will still occur in certain situations, but as long as you disassemble your model like an onion and than put it back together from the inside out you will not see any problems in 99% of the models (a few unique models had problems due to their design, but I was able to redesign those to avoid the sorting errors in my tests).

I don't have NOLF 2, can you post a pic? Do they have as much hairs as the ape?

Myrlyn is right. There is even a similar way in MED. After you had done your model mark the most inner part of it (or vice versa). If you marked the inner part, click 'select invers', copy it and delete it, then paste it. The vertices' numbers have changed. Then mark the next 'layer' of vertices/polygons, and same procedure, again, and again - until all polygons are sorted. Save!

Okey, found a screenshot: red beard

But that's not half the bunch of hair as that of the ape.

Couldn't you cut the parts of the model using alpha and change the skin to a normal bmap, save, and then save the alpha parts as a seperate model with TGA? If you animate it all beforehand, you shouldn't have any problems just attaching one model to the other. Or, does this still have sorting problems with the bmap model?

Julian

I think the topic should move somewhere else.

@Pappenheimer: The hair in NOLF 2 is fantastic. The beard is completly 3D. In the screenshot you can´t see it as good as in animation. But look at the snow coat of cate archer. Their the fur is completly 3D too but its made out of alpha maps layers. The same with the rabbits, they have 3D fur all over the body. On the ape I can see four layers maybe. On the cout I see over 50 (and on the beard maybe 10 (can´t see it because there are many hairs on a small volume)).

TGA modeling: My problem with tga maps where wimps(?) (Wimpern). They are just two layers. If you where looking from top you see everything alright. But if you looked from bottom up to them they were flipped. That would be four faces. two inside and two outside. First I had to do the insides and then the outsides I think... Maybe I should try it again But what if you look from left or right... That´s confusing...

EX Citer

Okey, a last reply!

On the eyelashes (Wimpern[http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/ is a great help - I always use it ]):

Your description of their shape let me see it like this: //\\ ! While the inner slashes(polygons) have their normals 'against inside', and the outer slashes(polygons) against outside.
Where they are connected or not, that doesn't matter in this case.
Numeration: 2./ 3./ 1.\ 4.\