I'm a volunteer modeler for the upcoming Half-Life 2 mod "Black Mesa: Dormitories", and I finished my model of a roof skylight, and converted it to Source using Wall Worm. These are the kinds of files it got converted to:
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Files included in the ZIP that I made from the RES:
materials\black_mesa\01_-_Default.vmt
materials\black_mesa\08_-_Default.vmt
materials\black_mesa\Material__27.vmt
materials\black_mesa\Material__28.vmt
materials\black_mesa\Material__29.vmt
materials\black_mesa\Material__30.vmt
materials\black_mesa\Window.vmt
models\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.dx80.vtx
models\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.dx90.vtx
models\black_mesa\black_mesa_dormitories_skylight.mdl
models\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.sw.vtx
models\black_mesa\black_mesa_dormitories_skylight.vvd
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Miscellaneous files (not in the ZIP file):
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\hl2\maps\Black Mesa Dormitories Skylight.manifest
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\hl2\maps\Black Mesa Dormitories Skylight.res
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\hl2\maps\Black Mesa Dormitories Skylight.zip
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\hl2\maps\Black Mesa Dormitories Skylight_zip.bat
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\sourcesdk_content\hl2\modelsrc\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.bat
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\sourcesdk_content\hl2\modelsrc\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.qc
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\sourcesdk_content\hl2\modelsrc\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight.smd
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\sourcesdk_content\hl2\modelsrc\black_mesa\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight_2012.bat
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\hl2\maps\Black_Mesa_Dormitories_Skylight_wwmt_custom.qci
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Well, I put them all into a Zip file, and uploaded it to Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/cfhk7zj3icg50e6/Black%20Mesa%20Dormitories%20Skylight.zip?dl=0
So I sent this file to the people that are making the Half-Life 2 mod "Black Mesa: Dormitories", but I got this reply:
3:52 AM - inFus3d: Modelfiles are always in .mdl and .vtx formats.It does show up in the Hammer model viewer filter, but the model itself seems to be invisible.
So why are they invisible? I exported the textures and then the QC model. What am I missing? Anything else to make them compatible to be a visible prop for mapping with "Source SDK Base 2003 Singleplayer"? I've been looking all over Google and YouTube for this solution, and can't figure it out.
Well, here's a picture of my model. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4689774458953&l=6783cb2cc1
It may be that the normals are inverted or for some reason there might be something wrong with its position. Make sure to apply "Reset Xform" (under utilities of 3DS Max) and re-export.
The first thing I would try is to open the VMT (the material file). I noticed it isn't listed in your file list. Make sure that the shader used is VertexLitGeneric and not another, invalid shader. If it is another shader, you may need to recreate the VMT.
How do I open the VMT in Wall Worm?
WW uses the 3ds Max Materials inside Max, not VMTs. It does have functions to import a VMT into a 3ds Max material, and functions to export back into VMTs. There is no direct open VMT, necessarily.
In WWMT, you can open the VMT directory with a button in the top rollout labeled VMT Dir. Just open the file with Notepad.
Did you ever export the textures with WW? I say this because your list of files did not have VMT or VTF. If you did export them, you must also remember that the vtfs and vmts do not export into the same folders as the mdls, etc.
The easiest way to package the necessary files in WW is to use the Zipping function. First export the MDL and materials/textures. Then create a RES file with WW > WW Level Design > Res File. Use that to generate a RES file (that has all the assets in scene that export) . Then use the Zip from Res button to package the required files.
Hopefully this helps.
If not, then report back.
Yep, all shaders are correct, according to every VMT created for this model. And I followed all your instructions, so yeah, I made a RES file and then put them into a ZIP file. I didn't see any VTFs when creating VMTs. Any idea where VTFs go to depending on what folders I selected for files to export, or is there any kind of button that opens the VTF directory? Plus, I edited my first post in this thread, with all the files I created in the list, so be sure to let me know what else might be missing, and what files in the list of miscellaneous files aren't needed, so my friend that I share my files with can see and use my model in Hammer.
The VTFs export to a path that is defined by the bitmap node's name (not the file name). The VTF export dialog shows the path and allows you to edit it.
At this point, I think the best solution is for you to Archive the scene (File > Save As > Archive ) and send the ZIP file it creates to me. My email is inside the WW Readme file. I'll see what is wrong with the setup of the model.
Sent.
After I opened the scene, I think I have discovered the root of your problem. However, I am not sure why your model was always invisible in Hammer, as the OP suggested. My best guess is that it was placed in the skybox and when exported to game it was invisible, as it appears in Model Viewer or in Hammer for me the moment I exported the model.
Your Max is probably set up to not turn on Backface Cull by default. This means that your model geometry will be visible on both sides of each face, regardless of the direction of the Normals. But notice if you render the model in Max with the Render button (Shift+Q) it will be practically invisible from below but mainly fine when rendered from above.
To see in the viewport which sides actually have normal applied, select the model, right click, choose Object Properties and turn on Backface Cull. (There is a global preference in Max to do this automatically with new objects). Now you'll see that the geometry is invisible from below.
You have two options:
1) You can go into each material and turn on the 2-Sided Option and re-export all the materials. You would choose this option if the model can be seen from all sides/angles.
2) If the back side is irrelevant (and this is a skybox model where the players are only below, I presume) then I would instead change the normal direction. You can do this with the Flip Normal of an Editable Poly modify panel option... or simply apply a Normal Modifier with the Flip Normal option. This is the option I choose for your model.
A couple other things.
The model itself had many XForm modifiers applied. You only need one. If the Model is just an Editable Poly + XForm, you should consider collapsing it back down to an Editable Poly (Right-click model and choose Convert To ... Convert To Editable Poly.
When I opened the file, the WWMT helper kept causing an Unknown System Exception every time I tried to open it in the modify panel. I am not sure how that happened. I'm assuming something in the data was corrupted. My solution for this was to delete that WWMT Helper and make a new one, as it's settings were easy to recreate.
How do I delete that and re-install the WWMT helper? And where do I find that Normal Modifier with the Flip Normal option at?
Just select the WWMT Helper (The text in the scene starting with WWMT: ) and hit Delete. Then recreate the WWMT helper as you first made it.
To apply that Normal Modifier, select your mesh and click the Modify Tab in the Command Panel and look for the Normal modifier in the list.
Alright, so I deleted the WWMT helper. So how do I make another one again? I completely forgot how I made one in the first place, since it's been about a month already. I'm still a 3ds Max noob.
Just go to the Wall Worm Model Tools menu and open up the tools, then click "pick model" and click your model.
Alright, I edited it with a new WWMT helper, Shawn Olson (big fan of yours), and sent it to u. If you're still having a hard time getting it to be looked at, maybe I can stream how I do it and use a mic, and post it onto YouTube, and put a setting to keep it unlisted on YouTube, and then I'll link it on here, and only people that read this thread can see it, and I'll disable sharing on the video just to keep the video for personal things like help. Then u can watch it and let me know what I did wrong in the stream on my methods. That could help I think.
Alright, the model is starting to appear for the modder, but he has another problem. Here's a Steam message to me:
6:43 AM - inFusΞd: Seems to work now.The way it's designed is pretty neat, but I'd definetly work a bit on the textures;e.g. the windows & frames are pitch grey & brown.
This response is due to the fact that the material has no textures. I suggest that you take some time to learn how materials and textures relate to one another. In this case, you'll need to look into creating bitmaps for the diffuse map of your material. You will need to dig into adding Alpha channels to your bitmaps (for the glass).
There are many ways to create the bitmaps. The only requirement is that the bitmap is eventually converted to a TGA (or a PSD but that option requires the PSD support in the global settings).
The following video may be of some help to you for understanding how the Max materials/textures relate to those in Source. But you'll have to spend some time scouring other videos on creating the bitmaps, as that isn't covered in the video.
Alright, so I'm using VTFEdit right now. I found the Black Mesa model and materials and textures from the Source Filmmaker folder (in the Black Mesa DLC), and I'm trying to export "skylight_windows.vtf" into a bitmap, and I just wanna be sure I do it right for this Source textures purpose. So I see there's flags that can be checked or unchecked. So far, the "Anisotropic" and "Eight Bit Alpha" flags are checked by default. Any recommendations on what to check or uncheck, and other settings to set before I export this VTF to a bitmap? Please reply soon, cuz I can't keep VTFEdit open forever. Need suggestions on flags and other settings to check before extracting the VTF. Thanks in advance.
As I mentioned via Skype already but sharing here for others, I never create VTFs with VTF Edit. I generally just export my TGAs from Max to Source. Others could probably give more input who actually use VTF Edit for this purpose.
I'm not sure what exactly you're trying to do, but I'm assuming you have a vtf that you're trying to convert into a bitmap in order to use in Max. From what I've encountered, the flags don't affect the bitmap you export out of VTFEdit (though I may be wrong). I don't think it matters what the bitmap ends up looking like anyway as long as the model is still using the original "skylight_windows.vtf", not a modified version or a re-exported version via Wall Worm.
To put it concisely, the flags don't really matter.