ok, i am a complete noob when it comes to making the bsp's for maps, to start off with i would like to use GoogleSketchUp, from what i understand it is possible if i make it in SketchUp, then move it into gmax, close the edges and link it to a frame, all i need to know is how to get gmax to close the edges.

Thanks
Max1zzz

i have been playing around with it, i would just like to use sketchup as a starting point, also nice that i can use it in osx on my macbook whereas to use gmax i have to boot into winxp, although i guess it's a small price to pay if i have to boot into winxp to compile it.

I guess your right tho, just invest some time to learn gmax, also quick question, how do i judge hight when using a 3d modeling program (ie how do i know how big something is going to be in the final map)

ok, ill take a look tomorrow, thanks :-)

Well you need the gbxmodel importer for gmax which you can find on this site.
Edited by Xoronatus on May 29, 2011 at 09:53 PM

bc_distribution2_mp - http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=4489
bc_raceway_final_mp - http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=4665
bc_carousel_mp - http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=5215
bc_matzors_temple_mp - http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=5957
bc_spooky_hollow_mp - http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=6245

The maps listed above were ALL made with Sketchup Pro 6 and exported as .3ds models then imported into 3DSMax8 where texturing and final tweaks took place (including fixing some errors). You can work on a portion of your map in sketchup and just export the new section as a .3ds model then import that into your 3DS version of your map.

Sketchup .3DS Export settings:


You don't need to 'close' edges after you have imported into 3DS. You shouldn't have any errors if you take care when modelling in sketchup (eg don't repeatedly draw the same faces and make sure that your model doesn't have too many surfaces that the exporter will have to convert to triangles)...



I would manually split the large surface up in the image shown above. This is simple a case of drawing lines on the surface to break the surface into shapes with no more than 4 edges - sketchup will do the rest.

Another cause of errors comes from the way sketchup tries to intuitively help you build your model faster - auto-completing faces for you - sometimes it makes faces on the wrong side of your model. You should always check the space outside of your map for faces that sketchup may have drawn that you didn't actually need it to draw. A prime example would be the window ledge above - sketchup would put a face in the space where the ledge sticks out of the wall - it's a 1 second fix, but only if you know what's happening.

I understand that you asked specifically about gmax but I have never used gmax. There is no need to use gmax when you can use the FREE student version of 3DS.

http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=download_center

Finally, sketchup's functionality as modelling software can be hugely extended with many free plugins - made by the sketchup community.

Check these out for starters :

http://www.smustard.com/ - Some free and some paid for plugins.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=250026 - A huge index of mostly free plugins.


Edited by Black Crypt on Apr 24, 2013 at 11:27 PM

I never knew that... (that's damn impressive! you should put this as a did you know in the Artsy Fartsy topic!)
Edited by OrangeJuice on Apr 25, 2013 at 01:34 AM