I want to make a texture for a 3d studio max file how would i get an obj from it or make a texture map for it?

Well, you can fire up max and use HABware's obj exporter to export the max file as an object, or 2.) if the file in question is *.3ds, you can import that file into poser, and then re-export it out as a wavefront object. After you gett he object file, you can use a program that will allow you to build a texture map. I recommend steve cox's UVMapper program. Or if you have painter 3D, you can paint directly onto the object itself.

My understanding is that there are no stand-alone file converters available to extract the models from a MAX scene file, you have to actually run it through 3DMax to get them out as Console Cowboy suggests. I'm sure some kind soul will assist if you ask.

Go to http://www.xdsoft.com/explorer/ and have a look at 3D Explorer. You get a 30-days-free trial period, and when I tried it, it converted Truespace COB's to OBJ's, making the necessary OBJ tex maps from the COB without any problems. I'm not a modeller, so I haven't really used it, but I'm sure it will convert 3DS files as well. Good luck.

While 3d Explorer makes a valiant attempt at converting Max files, it usually doesn't work, and even if it does the results are like dxf, with no texture mapping. Kinetix deliberately made Max format so it COULDN'T be converted to any other format without actually having 3DStudio Max. It is the Betamax of file formats. The person at Kinetix who thought up this evil idea should be taken out and strung up by his tongue!

It's far from evil. The reason Max can't readily be converted is because a scene file is the sum of all plugins and modifiers used in the scene.The intent was not to make it hard for people without Max to use the files but to give the users a huge amount of flexability.The Modifier Stack makes it possible to go back to any point in the creation process and make changes without having to start anything over. It's a good thing.

Try 3d Explorer

...pardon me, but Max is the ONLY program that works that way. Programs like Lightwave and Truespace have tons of great plugins, but they still manage to include all their geometry, all their mapping and all their basic material settings within their file formats instead of just having pointers to particular plugins. If I follow you correctly, then even a person who HAS Max wouldn't be able to load a Max file if he didn't have the plugin that created it! Now, I know that you can export files from Max in 3DS format. Given that fact, it seems to me that someone who posts files for downloading, but ONLY in Max format is saying, "Up yours" to everyone who doesn't own Max. From everything I've heard, Max is a great program, espcially if you have the best plugins. It just seems that Kinetix wants to make sure it's your ONLY program. Given that a fullblown Max system with all the best plugins could cost you close to $10,000, I think you should be able to understand my bitterness towards Kinetix. The least they could do is what every other program on the planet does: let me convert their files into something I CAN use!

Depending on the plugins you are using to create geometry, you can most always smash the modifer stack down into a simple geometry which can be exported as a obj file using the Habware plugin. Or, if you simply want to export a flat uvmap of the object, and you do have max, then you need to get the object texture unwrapper plugin from Peter Watje (it's on all the standard free max plugin sites). It will unwrap your UV coordinate into a usable bitmap. Drop me a line if you want more help with max.

The reason for Max's strange behavior is that it preserves the entire construction tree every time it saves, for every object. Since Max was never intended as a file exchange format, it makes an incredible amount of sense, since every time time I get back to a project, I don't loose the construction trees. This makes it incredibly usefull and frustrating at the same time. In my opinion, the tradeoff is more then worth it.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Albertasaurus. Max's modifier history lets you go back however many steps in any given object in the scene at any time until you collapse the stack or convert to editable mesh. This kind of "history" makes Photoshop's history feature look weak in comparison. It is one of the best features of the program. co(V)(V)union

If you turn on non-linear history in photoshop, you pretty much get the same effect. Construction trees are not uncommon in high-end design packages. The thing with Max is that because of the awesomely powerfull plugin API, quite often two Max users might as well be using two different programs.

I've noticed a slight problem and come up with a workaround for those who wish to export .obj files from Max. I designed a computer chair a couple of days ago, which for some reason when exported via the HabWare plugin, ended up as a single object in Poser. To get around this, I exported the separate parts of the model, loaded them one by one into poser, textured them. Linked them all together, and now I have a great Poser prop. Yes I know the Max format can be a pain, but only for users of other programs. Also there are some .3DS files out there which Poser 4 refuses to load, it doen't crash, you just don't get anything. Can't figure out why, if anyone has noticed this befor could they explain what is happening.

What you are saying could also be said about Poser. Pz3 files give the finger to non-Poser users. What other program opens Bryce files?

Couldn't agree more. The only program I've come across that opens Bryce files is another version of Bryce. Prove me wrong PLEASE.

Poser and Bryce don't come with a $3,500 retail price, and require a bunch of plug ins. Hey, they aren't even true modeling programs, so it's not a fair comparison! If every Max user who posted free models and every company that had Max model collections would export to a generic format like 3DS or OBJ as well as Max, there wouldn't be a problem. Personally, I would buy the Espona Model Bank or Fierce Studios' Digital Back-lot in a heartbeat, but they only come in Max format, so I can't use them. Why companies would cut out 2/3's of their potential customers is beyond me.

Just to put this all into perspective, who cares how much it costs, or what it's truly capable of, let's just turn a simple request into another bitch about who cares and who doesn't. If the Lady Cherry would like to send me the model in .Max format, I'll convert it over to .Obj format, and that's all that was needed. Come on you lot, stay with the subject matter.