Discreet, who make 3D Studio Max are offering a cut down version free of charge called GMax. It's available at www.discreet.com/products/gmax for download. It's 20MB so it does take a while to download. Once you've downloaded it you have to register it before it will work. I haven't investigated it fully yet but but it looks very good at first sight. The only disadvantage I've found so far is the limited file formats it supports at present. As well as its own gmax format it will import 3DS and DXF formats, but it won't export them! This makes it somewhat limited for Poser users. Maybe Habware will do OBJ import and export plugins just as they do for 3D Studio Max. Maybe the Max plugins will work with GMax.

Gmax is a version of Max designed to allow gamers to make mods -- new models, maps, etc., for games. The way it works is that the end user, the gamer, can download it for free. Software companies can pay for a developer's version, which lets them essentially develop a plugin (called a gamepack) that will allow you to export from Gmax in that game's model format. For example, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Pro comes with the gamepack for Gmax, allowing end users to design and build their own aircraft in Gmax, and then export them for use in the game. I don't think Discreet will allow any plugins that export to obj or dxf or 3ds or anything like that, because then users essentially will have Max for free :-)

Thanks hankim. All is becoming clearer. I guess there's nothing to stop a canny programmer developing a plugin for his own use though, provided he can work out how it all works. I suspect that may take a bit more than a fortnight though.

Attached Link: http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/

There is a way around it, but you will need another program, Milkshape3D. Model in Gmax, export as .md3 file. Import into Milkshape 3D, and export whatever format file you want that Milkshape will export to, which is quite a few :) Hope that helps some. Milkshape at the link.

Attached Link: http://www.openfx.org

gmax has been out for awhile. The only caution I would give is that it requires you to have a working web cookie before it launches. It is literally spyware... you remove that cookie, and the program will cease to work, requiring you to re-register online to get a new cookie. Another max-like proggie that does save in .3ds format is OpenFX. See link above.

Great find, thanks /P! Seems like everyday there are new 3D apps that show a lot of promise. Not only can you model in the app, but you can apparently pose models too, as well as animate. Definitely worth a look into.

Attached Link: http://www.annsartgallery.com/freeprop.html

I've been using openfx for a couple of years now, its a lot of fun and I see there's a newer version out. Thanks. As for gmax, got that when it was first released. Only saves in native format and I have cleaned my cookied often since so maybe that cookie thing is on the later releases. Didn't know that Milkshape converted, thanks, will have to try that out. Another good modeler is Metasequoia and I have a tut up with a link to the metasequoia page, as well as some other modelers like the free Truspace 1.0.

Yeah, I know what you mean... gmax' spyware thingy turned me right off... last thing I need is more spam and advert, or to have someone sell demographic info based on what I do with a modelling proggie. I originally found OpenFX because it was release GNU GPL, but after discovering it was Windows only, I sort of drifted away from it... I may as well continue using the educational license of Rhino for all the modelling I do :) OTOH, for those wanting a nice UNIX-compatible modeller, hit up Equinox (forgot the URL... google should cough it up fast enough, though. Otherwise let me go look...) /P

Thanks for all the input folks. Raven, I tried to export in md3 format but export is greyed out so it's gmax format or nothing. I tried milkshape a year or so back but couldn't get on with it. I'll give it another try though. I'll give OpenFX a try now.

I use gmax as my main modeling program. I import .3ds files and use a max script to generate a text file (that is in .obj format) - then cut and paste into WordPad - Save as .txt file - then rename as .obj file. I get a lot of exercise (Cutting and Pasting) with my left hand but for the money, gmax is the best IMHO.

Brilliant! I don't know how to use a Max script to generate a text file. Will it be obvious when I try? I'll have a go tonight.

Copy and paste the text below into WordPad, save the file as a text file, rename the file wo.ms, put the file in your scripts folder.

global baseVertex = 0
global baseTVertex = 0
global baseNVertex = 0

function toDec f = (
local i = f as integer
return i
)

function outputHeader =(
format "n"
format "Copy and paste the following lines into an"
format "text editor, and save them as a .obj file.n"
format "n"
format "# -----------------n"
format "# Start of obj filen"
flushStringStream
)

function outputFooter =(
format "# end of obj filen"
format "# ---------------n"
format "n"
flushStringStream
)

function outputNode node = (
format "g %n" node.name

local m = snapshotAsMesh node
for v = 1 to m.numVerts do (
local vert = m.verts[v]
format "v % % %n" vert.pos.x vert.pos.y vert.pos.z
flushStringStream
)
format "n"

if m.numtverts > 0 do (
-- Texture coordinates

for vt = 1 to m.numtverts do (
local tvert = getTVert m vt
format "vt % % %n" tvert.x tvert.y tvert.z
)
format "n"

-- Also print out the normals, because some importers
-- can't handle faces with textures but not normals

for f =1 to m.numFaces do (
local vn = getFaceNormal m f
format "vn % % %n" vn.x vn.y vn.z
flushStringStream
)
format "n"
)

local mv = m.verts
for f =1 to m.numFaces do (
local vface =getface m f
local x = baseVertex + toDec(vface.x)
local y = baseVertex + toDec(vface.y)
local z = baseVertex + toDec(vface.z)

if m.numtverts > 0 then
(
local tvface = gettvface m f
local tx = baseTVertex + toDec(tvface.x)
local ty = baseTVertex + toDec(tvface.y)
local tz = baseTVertex + toDec(tvface.z)
local n = baseNVertex + f
format "f %/%/% %/%/% %/%/%n" x tx n y ty n z tz n
flushStringStream
)
else (
format "f % % %n" x y z
)
)
format "n"
baseVertex = baseVertex + m.numVerts
baseTVertex = baseTVertex + m.numtverts
baseNVertex = baseNVertex + m.numFaces
)

function PrintObj = (
outputHeader()
for c in rootNode.children do outputNode c
outputFooter()
)

PrintObj()

First

Second

Third

Like I said before, Brilliant! I copied your script and followed the instructions and it works wonderfully. How on earth did you discover that? It's not the sort of thing you stumble upon by accident. And if it works for output, can you do the reverse for input?

I've investigated a bit further and seem to have discovered a couple of limitations. Firstly the script runs fairly slowly. I enlarged Posette by a factor of 100 using Scaler and then converted her into 3DS format using 3D Exploration, and then imported that file into GMax. I then ran your script. This took about 15 minutes, and I've got a fast machine. I can't be precise about the time as I went away to watch the TV while I was waiting. This delay is a nuisance but tolerable because you'd only go through this process when the figure/object is just about finished. It's ok to use the gmax format for intermediate stages. The second, and more significant problem, is that GMax wouldn't let me select the whole of the file for copying/pasting. This is a bit of a show stopper if you want to work with large files. I don't know what the maximum size is but I'd guess it's much less than 10% of Posette. JoatMon2, have you discovered this limitation, or is it some characteristic of my machine's setup? Maz

First off, I didn't think of it. When gmax first was released, I did a little asking and a good fellow named Chris Cookson showed me this trick (and a link to the script). I have since lost the link but still have the script (which I modified a little). My machine is fast but I'm not making my own full blast figures (like Mike and Vicki or Posette) - I just make stuff; clothing and props. I just export a piece at a time.

As far as the cutting and pasting, I pay for it here. I do a Ctrl-A Ctrl-X in the listener - then a Ctrl-V in WordPad (over and over again....)
I bet that I do it while I'm sound asleep too! That is the biggest draw back - but it works and it is free.

I've just searched for 'gmax script' on the web and a whole lot of stuff pops up, including several by Chris Cookson. One of them (www.tdp.nu/cgi-bin/ plugread_r4.pl?Type=Import&sort_a=Author - 79k - 6 Oct 2002) is for an obj importer which would eliminate the 3ds step. Unfortunately the link to it is broken. I'll keep searching.

Found it at http://mojo.gmaxsupport.com/

Attached Link: http://www.hyper-3d.com/archives/000736.ascx#000736

Hey all :) We put up a link to these scripts and some other GMAX resources. You might want to check it out.

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