Arms Backwards from Max7 exporter

#1 Um, I'm not sure but odd mirroring problems can occur if the model was created one side first and mirrored, without the mesh having its transforms reset, and the mesh colapsed properly.

It's usualy best to do this before exporting any objects to a game engine, in the case of characters it's best before you start rigging as often you will have to start the procedure of assigning vertices and weights all over again. (hope that there's a simpler solution)

In my experience thats usualy the case.

#2 Thanks adrian, but I used 'the box trick' on my model and collapsed the mesh several times during devlopement.

Also, it exports properly SOMETIMES, just not always.... I can't figure out what I'm changing to cause it to "break down"

I've noticed that when I use "load from buffer" on the mocap data, I get the error consistantly; even if I'm updating the motion with the same motion (no effective change) ...follow? it's obviously something tempermental in max

#3 You have to be more specific regarding the problem.. which dsqs.. what are they being loaded onto.

this sounds to me like you have a blend that is being played on top of another animation and the base poses are not synced.. when the offsets are wrong, you will get strange problems like the one described (particularly with character studio, which likes to play games with transforms)

#4 Ok, I made a page on my website with pictures of the problem.

**edit** link removed
as you can see in the last image, the arms are attaching on the wrong side of the spine/neck....wtf!!!???

someone suggested that I roll back to Max5.1 with CS3.3. supposedly, this is the only stable version of the exporter. I suppose I'll have to do that, but I'd rather solve the problem here: in Max7.

#5 Now, My programmer tells me that theres another problem!!

aparently the models are coming into torque on the wrong axis. That is: the model is moved 1/2 it's height in the Z direction, and rotated 90 deg.!!!

what the hell is going on here?

does anyone hvae any idea about either of these issues?

I apreciate ANY help!

thank you

#6 @Yorgo,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Max 7 and CS 4.3 many of us here in the community are using it without any issues. So whomever told you that this didnt work is absoltely incorrect in their statement.

As for the arm issue. Ensure that the biped is facing towards the postive Y in the world (top) view. Simply rotating the biped shape might not be enought btw, if there is a keyframe set on the bip01 node it will reset any transforms that you apply to it back to what its keyframe values are set at. I can definately see the biped model being rotated 180 degrees in the wrong direction (in both the DTS and/or DSQ) causing this.

As for offsetting when you load the model in the game engine (such as half height and rotated 90 degrees) this is caused by the Bip01 node being exported. Bip01 has an extra transform on it when its exported and causes this offset, you can correct it by adding Bip01 to your CFGs "never export" list.

#7 Thanks L Foster, I doublechecked, and Bip01 was already in my "Never Export" list

Also, the player is lined up properly: facing down the y axis. (I see his back in the front viewport)

I'm pretty sure my file is set up properly: I've followed all the instructions to the letter! Ive checked and double checked them...

here's something interesting, that might be a clue: when I take a file that exports fine, and then I load mocap data onto it using the mocap rollout, it no longer exports properly. -Clearly something is happening here that I don't get... does anyone else have an idea?

#8 **bump**

#9 Yorgo,

It is hard to say what is going on.. it looks like you have some misalignment issues from the exported DTS and the loaded DSQs.. are you loading any blends?

A better description, or the files themselves, would be needed to help debug the problem.

Tohelp me, I would need to see screenshots of the base pose(frame 0) of your model as exported as a DTS, the base pose for each DSQ at frame 0.. and the base pose position of any arm blends (the look and head animations) to see where the misalignment is occuring.

The usual cause of this is that the look blends are not lined up with the base pose. As the look blends are additive, and not absolute, when they are layered on top of the regualr action animations they tend to tweak the body position (like sticking the arms through the body as in your shots)

so.. if you could, a step by step.. what you exported, how you tested, what animations, in what order...

If you send me the files, I can take a look if I get some free time. Note that I have been pretty busy, so no promises that Iwould be able to take a look immediately (it might take a few days)

#10 Ok, I finally fixed it.

Thanks Joe for pointing me in the right direction

'I think' the problem was something in the in the DTS file that wasn't in the DSQs

I just re-exported EVERYTHING all over again and it all worked, I must have made some changes earlier that caused the mismatch.....

...glad this is behind me (fingers crossed)

thanks for all your help everyone