Maya2DTS

#1 There has been talk from a few people who believe that they could create one, but thus far there has been nothing that has come form all this talk. So your options are Max, Milkshape, Lightwave, and Truespace at this time.

Logan

#2 You can use the .fbx format to go from Maya to Max pretty seamlessly. There are a couple of posts about it here on the forums if you search for them.

#3 @Joe: but still you would need to have a max license too..

#4 Yeah, I suppose someone should start a little service. "Get you models into the Torque" and have a little price list and a list of accepted formats. It might be a good interim step until some packages other than max, Milkshape, and Lightwave are fully supported.

#5 Well that sucks. Yeah, I needed Maya cuz she doesn't have a max liscense. Thanks...

#6 Actually Joe that's not a bad idea. I have run across numerous people who have had a situation like this where they have a model that they need put into TGE.

For a nominal fee I know a few people (including myself) who would be able to take a given a model and get it into TGE and working with the default settings. But it would definately be a what you give is what you get back system.

Logan

#7 Yeah, I had to stop helping people some time ago because the number of requests I was getting could have kept me busy full-time.

There needs to be found a way to help people who do not have access to the tools to get thier assets into the TGE without eating up huge chunks of someone's time. I'd love to do it for free, but I have bills to pay (one of them being the credit card I used to buy some of the sofware I use).

I am all for whatever will enable the most people to make games without interfering with my ability to make games.

So waht does eveyone else think of this? How much would you be willing to pay for an 'exporting' service if you do not have access to the tools?

#8 Out of interest, what software package is she using that you've never heard of yet can export to Maya?

#9 She's using Maxon Cinema 7..

#10 Maya Update:

The exporter is being actively worked on. I took a little bit of time to get a copy of Maya from A|W, but they have been very helpful in this matter and now the exporter is moving along. I have not ETA at the current time, but be sure to check my plan in the next week or so for an update.

- Ernie Booth

#11 Ah, C4D is pretty well-known, especially in Europe. It has an SDK, perhaps someone could write an exporter for it? Like Maya and Lightwave, the advantage it has over max is that it's a cross-platform package.

#12 I can go between maya->max with the .fbx format. If I can help anyone in anyway email me.

#13 I'm interested in a maya exporter aswell.

#14 How is the exporter comming along Ernest?We Maya guys owe yo ua big thanks.

#15 Hey Guys hang in there. I am working on it, sorry I haven't been keeping you up todate. Ask me again how its going the week of the 15th, half my book is due then; 300 pages!!!! So I am busy writing this week and next. Until then...

#16 My modeler purchased lightwave, so the Maya exporter is no rush to me anymore. But it seems like a ton of people want it. You'll be a hero to many I'm sure Ernest.

#17 One of the reasons why the current project I was working on dropped Torque was because of the lack of Maya exporter support. I tried my best to defend Torque but I was outnumbered by the modelers 1:6. :(

#18 My question is why are you listening to your modelers? Their sole task is to make art, not to dictate the engine that you should use, especially since they are not the ones who are working with the guts of it.

I also have to wonder why they simply did not ask you (or another programmer on your team) to write an exporter for them since they technicly have the SDK as a liscensed owner of Maya.

Out of curiousity what engine did you choose to use and was the fact that it had a Maya exporter out of the box the sole reason for choosing it?

Logan

#19 You gotta kinda work with your team when you aren't paying them. If you have someone with good talent and they are willing to give you their time and skill, you gotta compromise with them. Modelers are really hard to come by. I know cuz I still dont have a good modeling team yet.

#20 Any update on the Maya exporter? Perhaps it is moot at this point, as we seem to be doing okay going the Maya -> FBX -> Max -> DTS route, but it isn't exactly an enjoyable experience each time a model is modified... :)