Wall Worm Forums

Version 5.6.1 released on 1-8-2023

   * Entities: Added new Entity Override workflow that allows you to override entity properties when an entity inside a Forest or PropLine meets the conditions of the override. Current conditions are altitude-based or volume-based.
   
   * CSGO Tools: Added rollout to create the map TXT file for CSGO.
   
   * ProPal: Fixed MAXScript error when manually creating a ProPal node in some versions of 3ds Max.

   * VMF Exporter: Updated the VMF Exporter to only place the -deletecubemaps command in the PAK batch file. When used, the user is required to rebuild cubemaps.

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Version 5.5.4 released on 12-28-2022

   * PropLine: Fixed a MAXScript error that could happen when deleting nodes that are used as sources in a PropLine.

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Version 5.5.3 released on 12-28-2022

   * PropLine: Fixed the Skip Materials PropLine only working with WallWormMDL nodes.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed some transform issues with non Wall Worm MDL nodes when using the Skip Materials functions.

Version 5.5.2 released on 12-28-2022

   * PropLine: Added button to acquire include/exclude settings from another PropLine in the scene.
   
   * PropLine: Updated PropLine to properly utilize the WallWormMDL node's face count for display limit purposes such as Hull and LODs.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed incorrect size calculations on WallWormMDL nodes in some cases.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed problem in PropLine where prop instances could have incorrect transforms when the Skip Materials option was on.
   
   * Materials: Fixed missing material parsing in some cases. Only for Max 2022+.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Updated VMF Exporter to always write the batch files to compile and PAK the assets even if the exporter is not actually compiling.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Added new option to delete cubemaps in compiler. When enabled, the command is added to the beginning of the PAK batch file.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Updated the PAK report to skip files that are missing but are found inside the PAK file (for 3ds Max 2022+).
   
   * VMF Exporter: Updated the PAK report to not mention missing .sw.vtx and .dx80.vtx files as modern compilers aren't making these anymore.
   
   * Entities: Fixed defect causing an infinite loop in some occassions when looking for entity classes.
   
   * Soundscape Manager: Fixed defect that caused Max to freeze indefinitely when loading the Soundscape Manager.
   
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Version 5.4.1 released on 11-12-2022

   * PropLine: Added new option called Skip Materials. When on, materials are not generated for the PropLine. Helps improve performance.
   
   * PropLine: Added new options to display meshes with high face count as Boxes.
   
   * Displacements: Added new spinner in the Displacement Floater to control the depth of terrain brushes when using the Terrain and Corridor functions.
   
   * Displacements: Updated some of the button groups in the Displacement Floater.
   
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Version 5.2.9 released on 10-24-2022

   * CorVex Spline: Fixed incorrect additional spline segments being created in a CorVex Spline using the new Side Mid Divisiors setting.
   
   * CorVex Spline: Fixed regression where CorVex Splines from wall-mode corvexes that were not closed would create an unexpected extra segment.

After over three years of the Admin Approval-only admittance, I finally chose to get a commercial solution to the spam problem. Now new members can now join and post immediately.

Hopefully this revives some activity here. New members dropped to almost zero after that change above as it was too exhausting to sift through the pages and pages of spambot accounts joining to try and find legitimate users.

With the update also comes an update to the forum itself with a nicer WYSIWYG form for posts.

Version 5.2.8 released on 10-22-2022

   * Material Utilities: Added an option to rename (non-bitmap) textures based on their usage in a material.
   
   * WWMT: Added new Hull Material ID setting that will force the exporter to convert faces using that Material ID into a collision hull. Useful for complex models made in ForestPack or RailClone. Available only in the modify tab of a WWMT Helper.
   
   * CorVex Spline: Added name list that will allow the corvex spline to derive itself from any corvex nodes with names matching the patterns. Useful to make a CorVex Spline from a CorVex in a XRef Scene. BETA Feature not full tested!!
   
   * CorVex Spline: Fixed CorVexSpline missing a segment on CorVex nodes in block mode.
   
   * CorVex Spline: Added new settings to make a vertical spline on the middle line of each side of a CorVex.
   
   * CorVex: Fixed MAXScript error that could happen in fringe cases related to invalid material ID values.
   
   * PropLine: Added new option to randomly flip objects 180 degrees in the Z Axis.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed the max values of Translation and Rotation values not being enabled when randomization is turned on.

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Version 5.2.1 released on 9-26-2022
   
   * Batch Tools: Added a new Batch Tool to mass convert files into MDLs.
   
   * FBX to MDL: Updated the tool to include a UI for the new Batch MDL converter.
   
   * Sky Writer: Updated the Max Render Time spinner from Integer to Float.
   
   * Sky Writer: Changed the label of the Render Time to Render Frame.

   * Entities: Added new buttons in the Modify tab of entities with a vscript parameter to open/create/edit script files and associate them to the entity. When no script file exists at the location chosen, an empty script is created and opened. (3ds Max 2022+ only.)
   
   * VMF Exporter: Fixed the compile batch script to work with map names that were previously not working because of incorrectly escaped characters.
   
   * VMDL Exporter: Added first prototype version of the VMDL exporter for Source 2. Not yet production ready.

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Version 5.1.45 released on 9-8-2022
   
   * Displacement Proxy: Fixed Mesh face index out of range MAXScript error in some scenes with a Displacement Proxy.
   
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Version 5.1.44 released on 9-5-2022
   
   * Macros: Added new Macroscript to delete the faces of objects using tool textures. Can be called via macros.run "wallworm.com" "WallWormDeleteToolTextures". You can also add to the UI using the "Delete Faces using Tool Textures" from the wallworm.com category in the Customize User Interface menus.
   
   * Entity Manager: Fixed MAXScript error when text was typed into the Filter field.
   
   * Sky Writer: Added option to choose camera type (Free Camera, Physical Camera or Vray Camera).
   
   * Sky Writer: Updated Sky Writer to keep its camera in the scene after rendering. This allows customizing some of the camera parameters.
   
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Version 5.1.42 released on 8-21-2022
   
   * Macros: Added new Macroscript to place selected object pivots to the average position of their bottom-most vertices. Can be called via macros.run "wallworm.com" "PivotToBottomAverage" .

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Version 5.1.40 released on 7-5-2022

   * Brush Proxy: Added new (experimental) Brush Proxy Primitive to create geometry from brushes in the scene. Useful for reference in an XRef Scene. Material generation still buggy.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Fixed issues exporting levels with specific names.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Fixed exporter not launching game if also PAKing assets.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Fixed defect exporting scenes with VRay and Arnold cameras.
   
   * VMF Exporter: Added new option to export hidden cordons as active. This setting is not available in the exporter UI, but can be accessed via MAXScript with rootnode.exportHiddenCordons. It is a boolean. Existing scenes will be set to false to keep past conventions. New scenes will default to true.
   
   * VMT Importer: Updated VMT Importer to add a Missing Texture (missing.tga) to texture slots that point to textures that cannot be found. This fixes crashes when using Autodesk Vault that was having issues with bitmaps pointing to missing file paths.
   
   * Delete Faces Modifier: Fixed button not working in the Delete Faces custom attribute to remove rollout from UI.

Thanks for helping out Joris :)

For Standard Material you need Scanline as Joris said.

Do share what project you are doing to come back to Source and WW! :)

Ahh, I see! Thank you for the explanation!

I will definitely check it out if I decide to work more with Source again. Thank you for all your help!

Quote from: Pipann on September 08, 2022, 09:43:37 AM
Hi Joris, thank you for the comprehensive post, but I think you missed my point. Perhaps I wasn't really clear enough.

Since Max 2021, the material editor traded Standard Material with Physical Material and Arnold, (as stated here in their documentation https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Standard-Legacy-Materials-don-t-appear-in-3ds-Max-2021.html ) and it no longer has the the old material options available (in 2023, the version I use now, standard material seems to be completely removed, as I'm unable to find it when trying Autodesk's solution). Using the 'Give Obj/Tex WW Materials' option did not seem to change anything for me in the material editor either.

However, your answer still provides a solution. I'll start using the normal map's alpha and add the phong parameters manually in the vmt's afterwards. Thank you! ;D

I somehow missed the point of Arnold as a renderer, however I'm pretty sure they haven't removed the Standard material. What they did do is make Arnold the default renderer for Max as opposed to the Scanline renderer. If you aren't seeing the 'old' materials and maps inside your material editor, go to the render settings and change the renderer from Arnold to Scanline. Now they should re-appear, but ever since Max 2023 they're now put under a different rollout just below Arnold (I think) and it's now called 'Standard (Legacy)'.

There's no way they would ever remove Scanline and the standard material node, but they are trying to push people to use Arnold for everything now to get them to learn it. It's a great renderer (and required for AO-baking), but for most Source-uses you just want to use the legacy standard node.

Also note that the article you linked to states that Arnold itself is not compatible with the old legacy materials, but that doesn't mean they were removed. Now you just use Scanline with the legacy stuff, and Arnold exclusively with Arnold.

Hi Joris, thank you for the comprehensive post, but I think you missed my point. Perhaps I wasn't really clear enough.

Since Max 2021, the material editor traded Standard Material with Physical Material and Arnold, (as stated here in their documentation https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Standard-Legacy-Materials-don-t-appear-in-3ds-Max-2021.html ) and it no longer has the the old material options available (in 2023, the version I use now, standard material seems to be completely removed, as I'm unable to find it when trying Autodesk's solution). Using the 'Give Obj/Tex WW Materials' option did not seem to change anything for me in the material editor either.

However, your answer still provides a solution. I'll start using the normal map's alpha and add the phong parameters manually in the vmt's afterwards. Thank you! ;D

$phong is determined by settings inside the Standard Material node that contains all the information (both the default settings from 3DS Max as normal, as well as all the WW-Source specific stuff from Wall Worm once you've added material and texture parameters, which you can do by going to Wall Worm -> Wall Worm Materials -> Give Obj+Tex WW Materials). Please note that Wall Worm will automatically do this if you hit the Export VTF's button from the Wall Worm Model Tools floatable menu).

To simply add $phong to your .vmt parameters, you can switch the Shader Basic Parameters at the top of the material node from Blinn to Phong and you're set:


If you need more specific $phong settings, you have a dialogue box just for that a bit below, among many other settings:


Please note that for $phong to work, you need to have a roughness/specular mask baked into the alpha channel of the bumpmap. If not, it needs to be added to the diffuse's alpha channel, for which you have the options as seen in the image above :) (Wall Worm may or may not automatically detect this and already adjust the options for you, but I don't know for sure. I always use the normal alpha channel). For $phong settings on brush materials or for using $phongexponenttexture I don't know the specific details. Best is that you ask Shawn, the author of the plugin, for more information.

Good luck, and let us know if you need more help or information!

Hello! It's been ages since I was here. Shockingly, I have a very similar question now from when I did way back. Also been a long time since I last used WW, and I'm probably rusty, but at the behest of a commissioner and good friend, I decided to dive back into it.

I have 3ds Max 2023 now and it uses the Arnold renderer. The material editor has been changed up a lot as a result. I'd like to know where I should place the phong map in order to get $phong to work.

Here is the new editor -- I prefer compact, so sue me :D