Exporting player with bones

#1 What modeler are you using?

Ari

#2 O sorry 3d studio max 7

#3 Can anyone help me?

#4 Anyone at all?

#5 Ok i've messing around with this for hours, im doing somehing wrong, i do a step by step.

0. Started 3D studio max 7.
1. imported a 3D model i have.(only a mesh)
2. converted to editable mesh.
3. attached all components on one mesh (hair, skin, nails, eyes)
4. added mod multiRes to mesh.
5. clicked generate.
6. lower the vertex count down to 998 (9.707% of orginal)
7. created a small box in the scene
8. converted it editable mesh.
9. attached it to my player mesh
10. went editable mesh->element and deleted my box
11. renamed my mesh to player2
12. added in a leg bone( made up of a tigh, shin, foot and toe)
13. all these bones are joined and are using the default name.
14. added mod "skin" to player2
15. added 4 bones to skin (didnt aline bones or skin- but they are touching in some areas).
16. created bounding box around player2
17. selected player2 and clicked Embed Shape in max2dts converter
18. unlinked player2 from start01
19 created a dummy object eye and linked it player2.
20. created a dummy object cam and linked it start01.
21. clicked export whole shape in the max2dts converter
22. Error: Bone Missing From Shape.

i get the same error in 3D studio max 5. so it must be me.

can anyone help me, i'm completly stuck

#6 Why are u doing step? "6.lower vertex to 9.7%"
shouldnt cause problems but it doesnt seem neccessary...

i would avoid doing multires for now.. just name your model "*name*3" and leave the "detail3"
this will remove some possible errors for the sake of troubleshooting
so if was making a model called mummy.. i owuld rename it mummy3 and just have 1 detail marker called detail3 ..basically it gives it only one level of detail (i think u have done this already though but i said it just incase)

as for hitting embed shape.. thats only really for non-character models .. i.e static shapes(embed shape,not character).. i would do it manually.. i believe u are trying to setup a character as an object.. they are done differently im afraid..

..other problems u may run into are that each vertex has to be assigned to a bone for characters..
..also u need a single chain hierarchy.. which basically means all bones must have one single bone as a parent.. even if that bone doesnt have any vertex attached to it.. i.e make a bone purely for the sake of linking all your bone chains to one parent ..i always make a bone called root bone at the hips for this reason

other tips are that in this situation a picture is much better for diagnosing the problem with...

#7 Ok i've done as you said in joining up all the bones.
heres a picture of what i have, top right is the mesh, all the other are the bones, far far right is my other screen with the schematic view, i did unlick player2 from start01 before exporting and i got my left and right mixed up when naming the new bones =)

#8 Dear god man.. we are not all running dual screen supercomputers with broadband... resizing the pictures wouldnt hurt..

as to your problem... u have the character setup as a shape as i suspected

base01 and start01 shouldnt exist at all... re-read the documentation and pay particular attention to the schematic picture
fosters.realmwarsgame.com/maxdts/section2.html

detail2 should be connected to head as its ur root bone

cam should be connected to unlink (another dummy) which in turn should be connected to your root bone...
eye should be connected to you head bone.. (i assume thats head)

post again if you continue to receive errors and i respectfully ask u resize or delete that picture ..for my sake if no one elses..

#9 Sorry but i cant see the schematic picture in that artical, the link for the bigger picture is broken =(

what should the mesh be linked to, head bone?

thanks for all your help.

i will delete the picture

(should anyone require to see this picture is is at this location http://www.geocities.com/stdw1 called "anim2.jpg")

#10 Tired linking it to the head bone , but its saying that the mesh should be left unlinked, but if its not linked to anything its says "no details to export" , arg make up your mind PC!

lol

#11 Skinned meshes should be completely unlinked.

#12 Okay, here's what to do; Delete base01 and start01
Link detail2, cam and eye to Head. Make sure player2 is NOT linked to anything.
That should do it.

#13 Sorry this is my set up and the error is get is "no details to export"

#14 Do i have to have a root sequence or something?

#15 Thanks for deleting..

the root sequence thing is neccessary for animation but it shouldnt stop your model exporting (..i.e its not the problem)

the hierarchy looks like it should work..
you have the meshed skinned right? ..you added the skin modifier to the model and picked the bones to add!..just incase u forgot to re-add it or something..

did u delete multires modifier?.. if not do.. for the sake of troubleshooting
do you have anything in the properties panel of player2?.. if yes delete it.. its not neccessary for manually adding LOD (..i.e not using multires modifier,snapshots and multires::player2 and whatnot)

and u didnt delete bounds did ya? .. its probably just offscreen but just thought i say so just incase..

#16 Do u have a config file in the same folder as your max file?
it tells the exporter what bones to export and what not to export.. as well as some other things..

send me the max file zipped if ya want..
might b a while til i get to it though.. (day r two)
mrludo |@t| h0tmail d0t c0m (leet spelt for spamware)

#17 Thank you all so much
if you want it can be downloaded here

http://www.geocities.com/stdw1/testplayer2.zip

it has my player with bones in a max file and cfg file with little to nothin in it.

if you get it let me know. you can contact me on msn walsh d0t stephen at gmail d0t com.

thanks for all you help, hope its doesn't give you as big a headack as it gave me

#18 Got it working...

i added another bone not used in skin modifier above head in the hierarchy.. i then just linked detail2 to it.. and hey presto..

i also deleted the ikchain parts.. but i think its the first option that did the trick..

the exporter must not like the root bone to be used in skin.. it was originally setup for biped methinks..

if that dont work lemme know .. and if it does do.. so i can delete ur max file respectfully...

#19 Im not to sure how to add a bone above aonther one without adding 2 bones, create a bone , then by connecting it to another it creates a middle bone.

what did you do?

#20 Bones dont actually physically need to be touching.. they just need to be linked in the hierarchy.
i.e be linked relationship wise.. ..they dont need to be connected physically

-make a root bone anywhere in the bounds box (and i mean anywhere)
-link the head bone to it in the hierarchy .. root bone should be above head bone now
-then just link detail2 to the root bone..

thats it? .. yup

remember you can use dummy's as bones..!!
when u make a bone chain you are merely making a series of pivot points linked together..
the visual thing you see is merely for ease of use..i.e to make it look more like a skeleton

basically make a dummy and link them to that