To all new designers who feel like giving up

[Guest moomox]

All I have to say is just keep pushing yourself! When I first started learning Gmax, I could barely modify the mesh of a cube let along build detailed buildings. But now there don't seem to be any limits... so never give up!http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/21023.jpghttp://forums.avsim.com/user_files/21024.jpg

[jkanold 0]

Looking good!!Even after years of scenery design, it seems like one learns something almost every day.Keep up the good work http://members.rogers.com/jkanold/jimlogo.gif

[Donmo 6]

I remember how frustrated I became at first. I was ready to quit and throw the machine against the wall, but I stuck with it. My friend and mentor was Ken Nelson, and he wouldn't let me quit!!! Every single scenery I have made since (100+) has been a learning experience. I always try something new on each one. I am finishing up one right now and have learned much more about macros, even though I have been making them for almost three years. You'll pull out some hair, and probably have a few beers to calm down, but you have to stick with it. It will reward you in the end.Don

[siggy 154]

Hi all,Maybe someone of you who went through the same trouble can help me so I that I can start enjoying designing scenery objects too.I tried to model a building I once worked in. The plain 3D model was easy to achieve (see attached screen shot). But I have extreme trouble putting any texture onto it. Maybe it comes from not 'collapsing the stack' ? I had to do a large number of logical operations to achieve the shape of the building and never collapsed the stack.Now, when I apply the texture to a face it simply looks totally wrong in the 3D view in GMAX and often it is not even clear which corner I am moving around in that dialog where you define the part of the bitmap to be projected onto the face.Hope someone can help me to achieve a breakthrough here :-).Cheers,Siggy

[bob.bernstein 0]

Hey Siggy, cool looking building!collapsing the stack worried me when I was starting out on gmax. I read and read looking for ideas on when you should do this, and what the difference is.My conclusion is that there is never a good reason to collapse the stack. Once the part is compiled, it's no different. Others may argue this, but I'd discard concern over this. texturing is one of the things that most different in gmax from methods previously used by sim designers, so it takes a bit to catch on. The tutorials take you in a couple different directions also, which is good to see what is possible, but bad for a person to REALLY focus on a Main method and chase those old habits away.My Main method:For a single "standard" material model...(all textures are included in a single file):1. add a uvmap modifier to the stack2. add a uvunwrap modifier3. expand the uvunwrap to show "select face"4. click on select face5. go to your model and select a polygon6. click on planar map on the uvunwrap rollout7. click on edit on the uvunwrap rollout8. click on the triangle button at the bottom of the texture selection window that comes up...this shows only the selected face in the edit points area9. drag the points where you want them. 10. close the edit window.11. select a new poly.. etc.I assume here you know how to make a Material and apply it...perhaps not...you go to the material editor...click new...go to map diffuse...browse to your texture...and voila! To apply click apply...you won't see the results unless you click on a blue icon below apply...apply the material before trying to uvunwrap it.You can include multiple polys in step 4 by pressing cntrl when clicking on additional polys.For a Multimaterial model...needs more than one texture:Make a multimaterial, you'll see the option when you start a new material...and now you'll have 2 materials to create a map for...on your model:1. put an edit mesh modifier on the stack2. expand it to show polygon mode, click on polygon mode3. select all the polygons for your first texture4. put a material modifier on the stack, with material id set at 15. (good idea is to change the name of material to soemthing specific to that texture for future reference)6. put a uv map modifier on the stack7. put a uvunwrap modifier on the stack8. put a new edit mesh modifier on the stack9. expand to poly mode10. select the polys for texture 211. put a material modifier ont he stack, material id set at 212. uvmap13. uvunwrap14. use the select face suboption from uvunwrap just as before...you have two materials, two uvunwraps....good luck!Bob Bernstein

[ShezA 176]

Bob,The only thing I do which I find easier (now) is I go to the material browser and after selecting the texture file, drag and drop the material on to the face. Then edit...Shez

[siggy 154]

Hi Bob,Thank you so much ! I got a lot further now. Had forgotten how some things worked in gmax as I sort of gave up a few months ago, but now I am really happy about being able to texture parts.Somehow I think my latest version of the model seems to have problems. I tried your recipe on an earlier stage that I saved and there it worked w/o any problem. Just need to exactly follow the recipe :-). Probably I have to redo the building from scratch or continue from that intermediate stage and then apply the textures.Best regards,Siggy

[bob.bernstein 0]

yep...a nice shortcut...good addition!

[Guest bones]

Bob,Could I ask you to qualify the first item on the list please..When you say Edit Mesh modifier does it matter if you use the Edit Mesh in the Modifier List or right click on the object and select Convert to Editable Mesh?These end up on the Modifier Stack as "Edit Mesh" and "Editable Mesh" but I can't see any other difference..boneshttp://fsaviation.net

[Guest]

I believe there is a difference, and I'm totally without evidence or confidence in that belief. However....if you want to use the method that works time and time again for me, then use edit mesh modifier on the stack.B

[arno 1]

The convert the editable mesh in the right click menu is not a modifier, it will collapse you entire stack, so it is something different.

[Guest bones]

That may explain why I can't get some things to work.. I've been using the right click method from the start and had the "Editable Mesh" on the stack. It has worked fine for most of the objects I've made (I built the Tiger Moth using it) but I assume it's much more selective than using the stack modifier..The learning curve never goes horizontal does it. :)boneshttp://fsaviation.net

[Guest]

and it reminded me of a (bug?) of some sort...or perhaps simply an oddity about gmax. While the steps I wrote out above definitely work, sometimes the textures don't always display properly in gmax itself. In the case of this lighthouse, it was the second texture that wouldn't display in gmax. When I found this, I made a sample box as a quick test and confirmed that the display is good in the sim. So I compiled the lighthouse, and..its fine. This could easily waste a ton of time of someone who assumes what he sees in gmax will equal what he sees in the sim. all sides showing texture in the gmax pic are using material ID #1, and all not showing are material ID#2 (except at the windows of the tower, that looks funny cuz its a line_ special material name).btw, this is the New Dungeness Lighthouse outside of Sequim, Washington.Bob Bernstein

[RobdeVries 28]

He Bob,Great you're working on the New Dungeness Lighthouse. I had some faint ideas of making that same lighthouse ;) Are you building it as a standalone object or as part of a bigger project ..hehehe hoping that you also adjust the shoreline and put some driftwood, wreckage washed ashore...It can be really rough outthere http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Bigsmile.gifRob "Holland&Holland" de Vries http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Flying.gif

[Guest]

Hi Rob, I'm working on the area, basically to detail Sequim Valley airport. The lighthouse is so cool looking, I had to add it. For now, its being constructed on the airport grounds, just cuz I'm also working on the airport models, and gmax can't seem to remember the compile location of more than one file at a time. Eventually we'll truck it out to the spit itself.Best,Bob Bernstein