[Guide] TQ toolset Public Release

Many of you have messaged me about the tools available to artist and editors now at the chinese C3 wiki. These tools are official, they do work 100%, but you wont be able to do everything with them. You can do much more than you ever have for sure, but the toolset doesn't handle everything. Maybe they will release more, who knows? In the meantime you'll want to head there to grab the exporter for 3DS Max, with dll's for versions back to 7 I believe (sry current list is only to 3dsMax9). I'm using the 2012 set, it works perfectly. There are some rules C3 has to function by, and we can use this thread to really set out what those rules are. We know a few by now, as we've had these tools for a long time, so if you have some questions post a screen shot and your question and we'll see if I, or someone else now using the tools, can help you.

Official C3 3dsMax Exporters by TQ
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Official Wiki (in Chinese, translated by google)
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We've made custom (as in new) mounts, effects and NPC's using this toolset successfully. Good Luck and throw any questions re: this set here!

Edit - I use 2 revisions of 3dsmax, and tried every version of the exporter in each version of max it is available for, 32 and 64 bit. I personally could only get 2012 32 bit to work. The rest seem to be missing an ini that comes with the 2012, but is only useable on 2012. I did try using the ini on other revisions unsuccessfully. Opale did as well. It may just be my hardware configuration on my computer but if you have or can get access to 3dsmax 2012, that will be the exact version I explain from when a question is asked. Instructions for installation can be found at the c# wiki site but if you have difficulty, basically it all goes in the "plugins" folder within your 3dsMax root directory. My root max folder also contains a "plug-ins" folder, you want the "plugins" folder, just to be clear. No -.

You should unzip and find 3 files from the download:
C3_Exp.dle
C3SkinCharatcer.dle
C3SkinCharacter.ini

If you are unfamiliar with max, you will need to spend a few minutes on tutorials getting familiar with the basics of modeling, specifically on terminology because you will need to understand my answers. Verts, edges, polys, faces, normals, UVWs (UVs for short), rigging, and modifiers as terms and features should all be understood by you before attempting this. Lots of folks here like the idea of using free models, but I'll tell you many of them are rejected by engines due to errors (which you can correct with experience) and may create visual anomalies (unexpected and inconsistent results) if not repaired. Autodesks Mudbox is a great barometer for testing those free models as it will generate a report for you on import announcing errors it finds. You can then one by one address those issues in the modeling package of your choice, as long as you end up in max to utilize the export set. This is not intended to be a how to model thread, only a how to export from max to c3. The other tools have some use, but as stated by Alex Lane, many of them will not help you edit Co, tho you can find some purpose for a few of them.

If you don't know how to model but would like to know, I currently teach modeling one on one, but you have to be on the team and contributing to our project to receive that. It's like an internship, or apprenticeship. If you are interested in one on one tutoring and have good references from within the community, this may be a way for you to get it. I'm rated in the top 1% at freelancer.com for 3dsmax and would gladly, as I always have, teach in return for assistance in client asset creation for our project.

Ok, Let's get started! Ask any questions you have, I'll address them in what time I have available.

#request cleanup of thread beyond OP, its just wasted space. Oh, and could you throw (Guide) in the title for me, thanks.

#Second request cleanup and sticky. I will be supporting this thread with questions/answers as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zatoichi #request cleanup of thread beyond OP, its just wasted space. Oh, and could you throw (Guide) in the title for me, thanks.

I though you didn't wanted to support a thread. You changed your mind ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLane10 #Second request cleanup and sticky. I will be supporting this thread with questions/answers as well.

Cleanup done. I will see where is going this thread before sticking it.

Yeah I removed the sticky request any way. I already asked once and was not only rejected but the mod at that time kept morphing his own new thread title, location and such to deny me. I wont ask again. I'll answer what I can when I can (certainly better and way more informed than has been done previously by others as the other was just a 'guide' to the links lol), but other folks I've worked with and trained with are ready to help as well so it isn't just me. It's already more informative than the original "guide". I couldn't careless where it ends up. There was a time when i wanted the validation of a sticky here for all the work I've put into this section and into developing techniques that noone else in the community uses. I no longer need that peer recognition, I kick ass with or without the 'spotlight' on me as fang seems to think. I mean I've been working in the dark since Sparkie was here and we worked on the first tools together, and then as he passed it to Hyberkill, then Mr.Green, and then to Ultimation, essentially forming the core of Team Yakuza (all of us). If recognition was my goal don't you think I'd have a shitload of dumbass stickies/threads up like other folks who like to hear themselves talk? Getting congratulations from ppl for copying and pasting something that was "well written". Lol. Watch it, don't watch it - it doesn't matter to me. We all know the potential of this thread as its the first time i've come forward to teach openly. Too bad it was denied a year ago alot of time was wasted, due to someone else's ego. /rant.

#Request clean up one more time, I dont want ppl to have to drudge through this shit to find the info - thanks. Take it right up to OP.

edit - so yeah i just looked over previous "guide" again, there's no pertinent info in there. Just a bunch of ppl talking about the map tool that have no real clue about it. Pages of ppl talking about the map tool lol. "Ultis" map tool IS "sparkies" map tool. I started working with sparkie on it and then when he got too busy he brought in Hyberkill and the others, eventually Ulti as well. The tool isnt ulti's so much as it is team yakuzas (though Ulti has undoubtedly put in more time and effort on revision than any other coder involved, bar none). I've been on every working revision of the tool, as well as the other tools we've created. Who do you think the client specialist is? Who do you think reversed the rigs, and animations, and was the first person to bring in a new class to CO? My shaolin predated conquer by years and I did that without any tools. Not a replacement class, a completely new class with all new everything including ID strings, which meant not only creating assets but reversing the ID process so my IDs we're what the engine required. All my initial maps were done without tools. Nobody really needs these tools to do stuff, if they are willing to work hard, which I was. But as usual some folks love to talk about things they have no idea about, and then say it somehow ads value to thread that is completely off topic from its OP, blocking a thread that would really have helped.

But yeah, clean up to opening post please so we can get down to business. Thanks.

I'm a artist, and can give some edititng a whirl but my editing experience is low

I shall have a little question please :

-how to export a garment or even a mount and let it follows the .C3 motion files that are associated with them??

should i rigged them from the beginning ?
even if i've done so , how could i export the motion .C3 files for them?
or as i said above , let them apply the .C3 files.

Hi 2Slam! Yes, you'll need to rig them to the TQ bone structure if you want to make new garments/armors that use existing TQ animation library. These tools do not provide for that ability. TQ's rig is also not released so noone has the actual rig. You could make new NPC's though, or even new models if you were willing to do the new animations for them. NPC's are easier since they only require a few animations, but for a new character, you'd basically have a new body type, and would need to populate the animation roster with all new animations for it. Once done though, you could add a tons of new models, using those animations. It's no small amount of work, thats for sure. Rigging a model for TQ is very restrictive compared to the methods used by folks these days, and has to be done bone by bone, by hand, on the weight table. Its one of the more sucky experiences I've ever had modeling. Let me know if you have more questions.