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Well, I just opened up the Source SDK and clicked on Softimage|XSI Mod Tool. I thought the link would be part of teh source modding wiki with how to get custom models into Hammer Editor. But instead, it actually took me to teh Softimage website. It had the new Mod Tool Software:
Autodesk Softimage XSI Mod Tool 7.5
So it should be coming out later this month, which I presume may work out very well for all of us here.

Just another thing to be happy about this month, along with the return of GT-hosted files and FF not going down. Just thought you might like to know about it.

nice find there fluffy. I haven't been to that site in a long time, didn't think they'd make any more versions. Gonna have to check it out when they release it

Odd, it isn't XSI anymore, it's Softimage Mod Tool
The full version is Softimage. odd
Anyway it is out now I think
Edit
It isn't out yet

computergeek wrote:Odd, it isn't XSI anymore, it's Softimage Mod Tool
The full version is Softimage. odd
Anyway it is out now I think
Edit
It isn't out yet

Woah...
If it's a full version, (even an outdated one) we may be able to use the pandemic tool in it. I seem to remember minilogoguy18 saying he got the Pandemic tools working in version 6+ somehow.

I doubt it will work with this. I remember Ace saying that 7 doesn't work with the Pandemic Tool because of what they did to make ICE work, and to me it seems like you can use ICE with this, as it's Mod Tool 7.5 and the link on the Softimage website takes you to the paid version of XSI 7.5.

..Whatever happened to the XSI in the name, anyways..?

Fluffy_the_ic wrote:I doubt it will work with this. I remember Ace saying that 7 doesn't work with the Pandemic Tool because of what they did to make ICE work, and to me it seems like you can use ICE with this, as it's Mod Tool 7.5 and the link on the Softimage website takes you to the paid version of XSI 7.5.

Softimage broke/removed some code that allows the Pandemic Tools to work in the full version starting at version 6.0, I tried to get the export script in the Pandemic Tools working in that version(and 6.01, 6.02, 6.5, 7.0, 7.01) but no dice, migrating the preferences does not/will not work either and nor should it.
The bottom line is that the PandemicBF2.xsiaddon needs to be re-compiled with a newer version of the XSI SDK and Mike Zaimont is the only one who can do it since he has the source code.

Fluffy_the_ic wrote:..Whatever happened to the XSI in the name, anyways..?

XSI is no more, Autodesk retired that part of the software name and replaced it with Softimage then added their Autodesk branding, personally I would've rather they named it Autodesk XSI instead of Autodesk Softimage.


Here's what one of the devs posted about the new Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool 7.5:

Chinny wrote:The Mod Tool can render using mental ray, but with a watermark. Here are the restrictions.

Exported geometry is limited to 64,000 triangles per object.
Cannot write .scn files.
Uses .exp file format which cannot be opened in a commercial version of Autodesk Softimage.
Watermark on render output.
Watermark on viewports.
Watermark on FXTree.
Ultimapper/Rendermap image size limitation of 2048x2048 (no watermark).
ICE compound export using XML only.
No geometry shaders.
Point cache – No PC2 or ICECache support.
Cannot generate .mi files.
No support for third 3rd party rendering engines.
No software developer kit (SDK) support. Scripting within Softimage software only.
No Batch capabilities.
Cannot reference models.

Source:
http://community.softimage.com/showthre ... #post21028


Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool 7.5 is based on Autodesk Softimage 7.5(formerly known as XSI Essentials), the only difference between the 2 is the limitations posted above and the Mod Tool cannot be used for commercial purposes.

I don't know what most of that stuff means, but I don't know who'd make a model for a game that's over 64000 tris anyways. But a lot of that stuff sounds bad. So does this mean that we should stick with Mod Tool 6 then? And it also looks like we can't play with ICE in it?

Caleb1117 wrote:

computergeek wrote:Odd, it isn't XSI anymore, it's Softimage Mod Tool
The full version is Softimage. odd
Anyway it is out now I think
Edit
It isn't out yet

Woah...
If it's a full version, (even an outdated one) we may be able to use the pandemic tool in it. I seem to remember minilogoguy18 saying he got the Pandemic tools working in version 6+ somehow.

I meant that is what it is called

I hope this new mod tool will be supported for Windows Vista. The current version won't run on any of my computers (one of them has XP but low memory).

AQT wrote:I hope this new mod tool will be supported for Windows Vista. The current version won't run on any of my computers (one of them has XP but low memory).

Vista runs the XSI Mod Tool 6; I am not sure what you mean by "supported" but if you were under the impression that it does not work on Vista at all, it may be worth making a specific thread to see if your problem can be rectified.

A specific thread like this one? http://www.gametoast.com/forums/viewtop ... 36&t=16849
I'm having a problem exactly like the one in that thread. I've even tried the possible solutions presented at the link that Frisbeetarian posted and the same problems occurred every time.

XSI was officially supported on Vista starting at version 7 so you should be good to go, if you want to check and see if the new releases work on your machine then give the Autodesk Softimage 7.5 30 day trial a go.

All of those features that aren't there aren't in the mod tools you guys currently have now, this one actually has a few things you don't so it is an upgrade. I just don't wanna upgrade further than after autodesk bought the program, autodesk is awesome at raping programs, they f'ed up mudbox and maya. I had the exporter working in 6.01 advanced and I believe it was through migrating preferences but only upon install of 6.01. Avid never supported any game platform other than the valve source engine because valve worked with softimage so the pandemic exporter definitely will not work with this new version.

It's out, get it here:
Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool 7.5

Sweet! Although, I'm having trouble figring out the interface... I really liked the interface that came with Mod Tool 6... Would it be possible to switch that interface to 7.5?
EDIT: Ugh... Turns out that you can't snap to point with 7.5, at least in Mod Tool, and that was the one thing I used almost every time I modeled...

Really no snap to point? What if you right click the button that says Snap should pop up a set of options and you should be able to set it there, now I have D/L but haven't installed it yet so that is just a suggestion.

WEll, I rarely ever snap something to a point, but I snap it to the same x-, y-, or z-coordinate. The snap thing doesn't come up when I hit ctrl, though, and that's what I meant. Instead, it just moves as if you were holding shift in 6.

Fluffy_the_ic wrote:Sweet! Although, I'm having trouble figring out the interface... I really liked the interface that came with Mod Tool 6... Would it be possible to switch that interface to 7.5?

It's not possible to switch to the "Mod Tool" layout in 7.5 because the devs didn't include it, but why would you want to? The default layout gives you access to more tools anyway.
The "Mod Tool" layout that was displayed by default in previous versions of Mod Tool was buggy and caused confusion among many new users of XSI because the majority of XSI tutorials you find use the XSI Default (Pro Mode) layout. Quite a few people thought that Mod Tool was a completely different software from the other full versions of XSI when really the only differences were the limitations, the layout that displayed by default and of course the name.

Fluffy_the_ic wrote:...Turns out that you can't snap to point with 7.5, at least in Mod Tool...

It works fine in my copy, look under Snap on the MCP then activate the "points" option.



EDIT
It appears they have removed obj export from this new version, the new UV unfold property was also not included.

Well, it's just that I grew so used to the other one... lol... And I'm still a little confused with prefs and such. For instance, I had it set so that a rectangle select didn't hafta completely surround a poly to select it, and I got used to it that way, but now it does all of a sudden. Besides, I've only gotten a chance to open it once because it took to long to open, so I haven't been able to figure out how to do much anything with it. I can't explain what I mean any better... so I probably sound kinda dumb right now, lol.