The 3ds Max Pipeline for the Source Engine

Version 5.0.64 released on 3-5-2021

   * ProPalBoard: Added an Offset parameter to move the meshes up or down in the Z axis to help create padding between rendered elements.
   
   * ProPalBoard: Updated default Render Elements to removed the Alpha element.
   
   * ProPalBoard: Added a button to Set Cage (pushes Cage to 2 times current radius).
   
   * ProPalBoard: Updated the Render function to automatically put the diffuse texture into the opacity slot of the material, as well as set the bitmaptexture to use the Alpha as Mono Out.
   
   * ProPalBoard: Updated the bump map texture to not use PreMultiplied Alpha.
   
   * Detailer: Added new parameter to tesselate the detail props.
   
   * QC Importer: Fixed importer not working with some QC files formatted in certain ways.
   
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Version 5.0.63 released on 3-3-2021

   * QC Importer: Fixed bug importing QC files.
   
   * QC Importer: Fixed bug importing QCs from entities listed in a VMF file.

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Version 5.0.62 released on 2-27-2021

   * Entities: Fixed some entities causing a MAXScript error on being loaded (like the chicken entity in CS:GO).
   
   * VMF Exporter: Added new option to delete the NAV file before compiling a level so that it can get regenerated.
   
   * CorVex: Fixed error when using CorVexSpline objects that have closed splines.
   
   * WallWormMDL: Fixed MAXScript error loading model data from a WWMT Node using older WW formats (created in old scenes).
   
   * RES/PAK: Updated the RES/PAK function to collect from more locations when assets do not exist in the Game Info Directory. Will now add entries for files located in the (Game EXE)/game path if it does not match the Game Info Directory. Will also look for assets in the Extra Paths.
   
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Version 5.0.61 released on 1-21-2021

   * ShellVex: Fixed a bug running the macros to create ShellVex from selection.
   
   * Point Entities: Updated the point entity floater to automatically place env_cubemap entities 64 units above picked point which is generally the expected location for the cubemap entity.
   
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Version 5.0.59 released on 1-15-2021

   * Plugins: Added support for 3ds Max 2022.
   
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Version 5.0.58 released on 1-12-2021

   * CorVex: Fixed bug in CorVex when using splines with modifiers.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed bug in PropLine when using splines with modifiers.

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Version 5.0.57 released on 1-11-2021

   * Displacements: Added a couple new functions in the Displacement Floater to generate a terrain (Brushes, Displacements and Sculpt Mesh) all from selected template geometry.
   
   * CorVex Spline: Fixed bad data in CorVex spline that was causing duplicate knots in some sub-splines.
   
   * CorVex: Updated CorVex to read latest CorVex Spline data.
   
   * VMF Importer: Fixed bug importing some scenes.
   
   * CorVex: Fixed MAXScript error with some splines.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed MAXScript error with some splines.
   
   * CorVex: Added new settings for setting segment ranges of splines to skip start/end segments of splines.
   
   * VMT Importer: Fixed MAXScript error importing some VMTs.

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Version 5.0.48 released on 1-5-2021

   * Propline: Fixed a bug in PropLine in 3ds Max 2020 and older.
   
   * ShellVex: Updated the Create Terrain from Selection macro to add nodraw materials onto back sides of brushes if the source geometry only has one material.

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Version 5.0.47 released on 1-5-2021

   * Displacements: Added new options in Displacement Floater to create displacements from only faces using Blend materials or to exclude faces using Tool materials, etc.

   * MDL: Updated the WallWormMDL UI to include some cleanup such as updated tooltips, minor UI tweaks and updated documentation URLs.
   
   * Entities: Updated UI with minor fixes to updated documentation URLs.
   
   * CorVex: Fixed MAXScript errors related to using shapes other than Editable Spline shapes in a CorVex object caused by a regression in 3ds Max 2021.
   
   * CorVex: Fixed bad interpolation settings for some kinds of shape objects being used in a CorVex node.
   
   * CorVex: Updated CorVex to not use invalid shapes that would cause bad geometry when in Block Mode. Now these shapes are excluded from calculation in Block Mode: Star, Text, Channel, Angle and WideFlange. Arcs with the Pie parameter turned on will also be skipped in Block Mode.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed MAXScript errors related to using shapes other than Editable Spline shapes in a PropLine object caused by a regression in 3ds Max 2021.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed duplicate instances being added to closed shapes.
   
   * PropLine: Fixed some spacing problems when using the Division value.

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Version 5.0.45 released on 12-19-2020

   * WWMT: Added a new function to report the results of a cluster to show how many objects were condensed in a cluster as well as how many triangles were reduced. Only available in the Cluster Info rollout for WWMT Helpers that were created with the Convert Scene to Model tool.

   * CorVex: Fixed a bug in CorVex when using a Spline set to Adaptive Interpolation that caused a MAXScript error. Now when Adaptive is turned on, CorVex will fall back to using Non-Interpolation unless an explicit value is set in the CorVex spline base settings with the Force Steps turned on.

   * Toolbars: Removed the Hull Helper button in the Wall Worm Model Tool toolbar because the same button is in the Wall Worm Hull Tools toolbar.

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Version 5.0.43 released on 11-30-2020

   * CorVex: Fixed a MAXScript error in 3ds Max 2020 and earlier when a CorVex object was converted into a Boolean object.

It is in the 512x512 dimension

If you're trying to export the textures from 3DS Max to Hammer, make sure that the .vtf's are having at least DXT3 or DXT5 as compression method for the alpha (aka Eight-bit-alpha). You can change this in the bitmap parameters in the Wall Worm Texture Properties rollout (see image). If you don't see this rollout, generate these settings by going to Wall Worm (menu) -> Wall Worm Material -> Give Obj Mats+Tex WW Materials.

You should now see those options and be able to change the compression (DXT3 for 'sharper' alpha's, DXT5 for all other purposes), and then re-export the bitmap and .vmt to overwrite the old settings. For the vmt this means it will now include either $translucent or $alphatest to enable transparancy in Hammer and in-game.

What are the dimensions of your TGA file? The texture compiler requires bitmaps to be standard dimensions (multiples of 2) like 1024x1024, 1024x512, 512x512, etc.

Version 5.0.42 released on 11-29-2020

   * Entities: Updated the Entity function in Max 2019+ to force any entity with a parameter named "radius" to be stored as an integer and to include a new function to display that radius with a radius helper in the scene. Note that this change breaks compatibility with entities that have the type of a radius set to a string value.
   
   * Startup: Removed the notice about having recently updated Wall Worm.
   
   * Startup: Added information in MAXScript listener when starting Max to show startup impact time of Wall Worm.
   
   * WWMT: Updated the function for exporting MDL with the FBX option to use the Material name instead of the Bitmap filename.
   
   * WWMT: Updated the FBX export to honor Use Local Origin as World Origin if exporting a WWMT that meets these conditions: Has $staticprop turned on and only has one mesh assigned to model.
   
   * UI: Added backward-compatible support for newer versions of Max to properly resize rollouts when the command panel is resized.
   
   * CSGO: Fixed VMF Exporter not being able to launch game in CSGO with compiled map. Added these launch parameters that are now required to launch CSGO from outside of Steam:  -insecure -hijack
   
   * MACROS: Added a new macroscript that will try to get missing TGA files in scene from VPK; this is helpful when opening a scene from another user that has loaded VTFs into TGA files from the VPK but those TGA files are not on your current system. Only looks for missing TGA files that happen to be in a path that includes "sceneassets\images". Command to use: macros.run "wallworm.com" "FetchMissingTGAfromVTFinVPK"
   
   * Get Brush By ID: Fixed Get Brush By ID from causing a MAXScript error if a brush element of a concave brush is missing from the ID values embedded in it.

I am about to release an update to Wall Worm with this change. Below is a MAXScript that you can run before updating to store the current values that will be affected:

/*
struct WallWormEntityDataTypeHelper (
--values stored as strings that will be converted to floats in a custom attribute update and we need to store it because
stringsThatWillBeFloats = #("radius"), --make array in case we add more in future
/*
This script will embed entity parameters that are strings but will be converted to floats in a custom attribute update.
This is necessary because when a custom attribute parameter type is changed, it's current value is not kept (converted) but reverts to parameter default value.
*/
function storeCurrentValues = (
local updatedEnts = #()
for ent in ::WallWormHelperOps.entities WHERE isvalidnode ent do (
local ca = ::WallWormEntityOps.getEntCA ent
if ca != undefined then (
for p in stringsThatWillBeFloats do (
if isProperty ca p then (
local v = (getProperty ca p)
if classof v != float then (
setUserProp ent (("wallworm_entity_store_"+p) as name) (v as string)
append updatedEnts ent
)
)
)
)
)
if updatedEnts.count > 0 then (
selectionSets["Entities that Stored old values"] = updatedEnts
)
),
function retrieveOldValues = (
if ::WallWormHelperOps.entities.count > 0 then (
local paramsToCheck = #()
for p in stringsThatWillBeFloats do (
append paramsToCheck (datapair p (("wallworm_entity_store_"+p) as name))
)
for ent in ::WallWormHelperOps.entities WHERE isvalidnode ent do (
local ca = ::WallWormEntityOps.getEntCA ent
if ca != undefined then (
for p in paramsToCheck do (
local storedVal = getUserProp ent p.v2
if storedVal != undefined AND storeVal != "" then (
if isProperty ca p.v1 then (
--do a try because we cannot guarantee the string value can be converted to the data type
try (
setProperty ca p.v1 (storedVal as (classof (getProperty ca p.v1)))
) catch (
format "ERROR: Could not set % to % in %\n" p.v1 storedVal ent
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

::WallWormEntityDataTypeHelper = WallWormEntityDataTypeHelper()

To use this

• click Scripting > New Script
• Paste that code into your MAXScript File
• Click Tools > Evaluate All (CTRL+E)
• In the MAXScript Listener (F11) paste this code and then hit ENTER: ::WallWormEntityDataTypeHelper.storeCurrentValues()

Now the script will store the current values.

To retrieve the values after you update Wall Worm, you can then run this command in the MAXScript listener:
::WallWormEntityDataTypeHelper.retrieveOldValues()

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must run this code before updating to Wall Worm 5.0.41+ on each scene that you want to preserve the radius values of entities. If you do not have entities that use the radius parameter (or the radius was already defined as a float in the FGD you are using), you do not need to concern with this script.