-= Gametoast.com =-

Well I have questioned about these things for some time and have almost got the answers. Well I am trying to build models using Softimage v6.0. And after that, export with cross walk to Mshexbeta.

The issue is simple when I use the Mshexbeta, all the text goes by for a while and then ends off stating a few things about the null.

And then after that when I get some one to test it in MSH veiwer or some thing they tell me only the null exists, and no model. Now what causes this? I texture with only one projection per object, and keep the polys in Battlefront freindly levels.

And that allways happens, when ever I try to finnish a model. So how is it I allways get a null and no model. What makes the rest dissapear?

You're messing up some step in the exporting process, assuming your model is fine. Are you making sure to branch select the null root (and not just selecting it)?

Well being that I don't know what that is, I figure that may be my problem. Explain what exactly is branch selecting?

I might allready know what it is but don't know the terms, or how you catagorize it. I know that in Mshexbeta, I see in the text different names of my objects and textures pass by when its formating. And for the most part theending fil is of substantual size.

Epifire wrote:Well being that I don't know what that is, I figure that may be my problem. Explain what exactly is branch selecting?

I might allready know what it is but don't know the terms, or how you catagorize it. I know that in Mshexbeta, I see in the text different names of my objects and textures pass by when its formating. And for the most part theending fil is of substantual size.

I think he means when you select the null, you do so by clicking it with the middle wheel button.

The shortcut for branch select is middle mouse button, and what it does is select what you click on as well as "sub-select" any children of that selection.

Yeah I do that. I middle click and sort of drag over the null, so that every thing has that odd hue to it.

Epifire wrote:that odd hue to it.

You mean "highlighted", I presume?

Yes. By odd, I meant that it looked a bit different than the ordinary object highlighting. By the way what do you name the null when your doing this. A freind just said dummyroot is what you name the null.

In a good but old modeling guide by Robert L. Hoffmen, that states the null must be named MS3DSceneRoot, or other wise objects don't apear correctly. Now if I heard that right he said it wouldn't apear correctly, why do I get daja-vu after reading that.

Would that create a problem like this if not named right?

You did make "dummyroot" the parent of everything, right?

Yes for the record I did. Like so in the tree below...

>Models and settings info under null etc.<
/
>Null as "dummyroot"<
/
>Then I select the null by middle clicking.<
/
>Go to tab, and export with crosswalk.<
/
>After exporting to the designated loacation Mshexbeta. I transform the file.<
/
>I send the file to a slew of freinds that can view it<
/
>And they tell me only a null<
? ? ?

How many object make up your model?
If it is just one, select only it , don't worry about dummyroot then do the crosswalk thing
see what that gives you.
If it is more than one mesh try merging them first then do as stated above.

Well you see I allways thought that putting all you objects under a null, was the same thing as merging. Yes I have like twenty objetcs when I put them all under a null.

So do you just leave the null out if you merge them? Or do you use the same process as before? And I allways heard that when ever you merge objects that you have to mess with the clusters for some thing.

you normally shouldnt leave the null out, but you can try if that makes a difference

If you have multiple objects then parenting to a dummyroot makes it easier for selection.
There are quite a few of the assests that don't have a dummyroot.

When you merge objects as long as you move the little slider thing to 0 and press the merge UV/texture button, or what ever it is called, on the pop up then your UV mapping and textures will be preserved.
And if you just hide the objects you just merged instead of delete it helps just in case you want to go change something you can work on the smaller piece and then just remerge again.

I think I get your drift. I just know that the models I built were either hiden or non-exsitant, to people when they tried to use them.

Really I'm not to picky about formating my models, I just want to get it done. So being that this isn't the most conventional way of doing this, what is?

I mean whats the most easyest, fail proof way of exporting to MSH. Cause I really could care less which root I take, as long as it works like it should.

Epifire wrote:...whats the most easyest, fail proof way of exporting to MSH...

XSI Foundation 30 Day Trial Software

Ok, well its not like I hadn't tried the xsi exporter addon before. And yes I tried the fixed one, but every time I hit export, I get a full program crash every time. I have heard of a few other people as well, that have had the crashing issue, but I couldn't find the explaination.

I haven't heard of this "crashing issue" before except for when people try to install and use the Pandemic Tools in Mod Tool or a version of XSI that isn't compatible with it, the Pandemic Tools are not compatible with any version of the free Mod Tool or full versions 6 and up.
Read the sticky topic I linked to carefully for a list of compatible versions, there are 4 trials listed that are available that you can use with the Pandemic Tools.

Well that says it. I have modtools so, I didn't know that.

Does anyone know if foundation versions of xsi can still be bought (in full) for v6.0?

Most likely not, since Autodesk bought Softimage any earlier versions of XSI sort of went away.