A:M Splines to Real Time Polys.

[RViewer]

It is a common misconception that the world of splines and the world of polys are seperated by an unbridgeable abyss. With the help of the modestly priced AMXTex Exporter Plugin you have everything needed to export .X models including proper bones and texture information.

 

Here is a look at some of my results. Compare these polycounts to simailar ones produced by other apps. I think you will find that 469 tris usualy gets you a poorly modeled bar of soap or some such thing.

 

You definitely do Not get the types of curves and shapes shown here and still maintain such a low polygon total when using other apps. And it certainly could not be any easier to produce content in A:M. It is a complete joy!

 

 

 

 

 

[KenH]

Do those models have five point patches or hooks? Did you decal them in AM?

Thanks.

[RViewer]

Hello Ken!

 

I never model with 5 point patches or hooks. Ever. So anything you see from me will not have them anywhere in the mesh. Yes the decals were applied in A:M and they are not the final textures. They are there to show as an example.

[.:shortdog:.]

Ooo...thats pretty nifty...

[KenH]

I never model with 5 point patches or hooks. Ever. So anything you see from me will not have them anywhere in the mesh.

Hmm....I haven't been keeping up with the plugin for a while, but does it have the ability to convert FPP and hooks over do you know?

[RViewer]

The answer is no Ken. And I realize that for many longtime users of A:M this is an issue. However, if you know you are creating something that is going to export out to polygons, new users can just learn to model without them. The end results come out far smoother than many of the wedge/angle headed characters I have seen used in games.

 

And yeah Madeline, I find it nifty indeed.

[Obsidian Games]

Looks great Chris, nicely done! And thanks for the plug too, it's always cool for me to see what people are able to do with the exporter. Just goes to show how great A:M is for doing this kind of modelling.

 

Good point also regarding the FPP & hooks, and trying to model without them. I really wish there were something I could do on the plugin side, but unfortunately by the time A:M hands off the list of polygons, the FPPs and hooks have already been converted to polys, and are indistinguishable from the rest of the polys.

 

Anyway, are these models just test models, are are they part of a larger project? If so, I'd love to hear details.

[RViewer]

Hello to YOU Chris Roy!

 

Yes these models are part of a MMORTS game that my team and I are developing. I plan on keeping those who are interested here at the forum up to date as things progress through future posts.

 

But in your case Chris, you are granted full access to ANYTHING you would like to know about our project. As far as I am concerned, you are already a team member for having produced such an invaluable piece of our game content pipeline. Email me anytime and you will be given top priority in my daily correspondence.

 

You have my complete respect and sincere thanks for enabling me to create the game I have always wanted to make. Truth be told, as awesome as A:M is, your plugin alone is why I bought it.

[Emilio Le Roux]

I arrived late to the party, but anyway, I want to thank and congratulate Chris for this great, great tool!

 

I am playing around with the free version, but without doubt I'll become a customer very soon! and I mean a couple of days.

 

I sent you a private message about AmXTex. If you didnt get it please email me.

 

 

Cheers!

[another]

 

Yes these models are part of a MMORTS game that my team and I are developing.

What game engine will be used? I know .х import is in 3D GameStudio, DarkBasic.. likely in Torque too

[RViewer]

It is a completely custom built DirectX game engine coded by our team.

[Emilio Le Roux]

I used to make some low poly models time ago, using 3dmax or other programs. Lately, with all this talk about low poly modeling, i downloaded several tools (i.e. gmax, gamestudio, 3dcanvas...) with which I was fairly familiar... but concluded that AM is really the best tool around these days.

 

I just modeled a humanoid in like 30 minutes work. I confess I had to betray (or temporarily forget) all good modeling concepts for A:M, but the best thing to do if you will use AMXtex is to simply feel free to close any 3 point patches you want, instead of hooks or 5 point patches. A:M models will not look so good, but triangles give you complete control on conversion time. (if you export 1 poly per patch, the 3 point patch just becomes 1 triangle).

 

These are the pics - the head is not well detailed but in compensation the man has fingers!

 

this is my ugliest A:M model ever, with all kinds of spline discontinuity for geometry reduction:

 

 

And these are exported X models from AMXtex, viewed in gamestudio model editor

 

 

The good thing is to know that I will be able to create animations using A:M and append them in the X models to use in games.

 

And the greatest thing of all: by doing so I just created 2 instances of the model for a game engine which supports LOD! (level of detail). Say, i can program the game to show the 3000 poly model (which is SMOOTH!) at a close distance, and the other model (800- polys) for a mid and far distance!

 

 

I just purchased AMXtex and highly recommend. By the way, the 3000+ model was exported using "16 polys per patch" option, which actually seem to export 4 poly per patch. The "4 polys per patch" option for some reason exports 2 poly per patch, which gives me edge discontinuity when viewing the model in gamestudio/ directx model viewer.

 

 

Sorry for the big pictures.

[Emilio Le Roux]

I am having a lot of fun...

 

Just transformed my human in another character.. here is the count:

 

 

 

I have a tip, too: when exporting models intended to be low-poly, try NOT exporting the normals from AM. This way the normals will be calculated the best possible way for smoother models once the model is imported into gamestudio or other engine.

 

Alternatively, if you exported the normals, in the DirectX SDK mesh viewer, you can 'recalculate normals'. Models happen to look smoother most of the time this way.