White untextured model and no flexi colour issue (3dsmax)

[Haristess]

Hi there...

Ive just started in the last few days creating assets for planet coaster, however, once ingame, the model's just apear white, and untextured.
my models also have 2 flexi colour maps, yet the option doesnt appear ingame.

Ive searched through the forums but havent been able to find a solution as most here are using blender. Im using 3dsmax 2017, and wondering whether theres something im missing?
Whether its a bad FBX version, texture map issue or something. afaik ive done everything correctly, and labelled accordingly.

Anyone having the same issue?
thanks xx

 

[ArtiX]

First off, there's a typo in your normal map name (c)

Other than that the folder looks ok, if your items still appear white, first go and check whether the material name within max is the same as the texture names, your material within max should be named LAlienClaw.

If that doesn't fix it, then there could still be different possibilities for it to occur, but without more details i can't pinpoint further.

cheers,
ArtificialArtist

 

[Haristess]

First off, there's a typo in your normal map name (c)

Other than that the folder looks ok, if your items still appear white, first go and check whether the material name within max is the same as the texture names, your material within max should be named LAlienClaw.

If that doesn't fix it, then there could still be different possibilities for it to occur, but without more details i can't pinpoint further.

cheers,
ArtificialArtist

Ahaa. thank you. 1 problem solved now a new issue.
Now my models appears to be Black!
I have flexi colour options, but because the object is black im having no success.
Ive tried attaching different combinations of textures per upload to find out what is causing the blackness. but everytime the object is black!
Ive even only included a version with just the FBX / icon and the BC (difuse texture) and that is now black too.

Just to confirm, within 3dsmax. do you need to attach all the texture maps to a material linked to the model? I have a material attached but theres no textures attached to the material. its just kept as a default grey material.
I did try to add all the textures too the material, but the fbx file became too big and exceeded the zip requirements of 30mb.

 

[Haristess]

 

[Haristess]

this is how ive made the material. the textures arnt attached, as its just the default grey material. ive read in other posts from blender users that they dont attach the textures either as the toolkit applies it automatically from the zip file.
Also if i do attach any textures to the material, the FBX becomes far too big, exceeding the zip file maximum size of 30mb.

 

[ArtiX]

Ok, the ingame picture shows the error in your file. I'll point you to it in a sec, but firstly, yeah, you do not need to apply the materials in max, it's fine the way you have it in the folder structure, that's how it needs to be.

Now, back to your upload problem, the solution is simple, just take out the CA map and see what happens. (It's too dark, therefore the ingame shader renders it as black.
You need to be careful with the cavity maps, they can completely black-out a model if they are too dark,
i use the CA mostly to control the highlights or to obscure unwanted reflectivity and plasticity on top of it's usual purpose.

 

[Haristess]

Ok, the ingame picture shows the error in your file. I'll point you to it in a sec, but firstly, yeah, you do not need to apply the materials in max, it's fine the way you have it in the folder structure, that's how it needs to be.

Now, back to your upload problem, the solution is simple, just take out the CA map and see what happens. (It's too dark, therefore the ingame shader renders it as black.
You need to be careful with the cavity maps, they can completely black-out a model if they are too dark,
i use the CA mostly to control the highlights or to obscure unwanted reflectivity and plasticity on top of it's usual purpose.

Very strange. I have already tried excluding the CA (cavity) map, aswell as other combinations too, but they all turn out the same.
Come to think about it, i need the cavity map to not be black but a very light grey background, as i presume thats why everything is black? in game i do see part of the model which is textured but very dark, and that seems to match the lghter shades of the cavity map.

Im currently making a new upload keeping all but the CA (cavity) map, to confirm my result. ill let you know in a minute. xx

 

[Haristess]

Ok fantastic It works. the flexi maps are working great too.
the surface of the model has a very plasticy sheen around it that i wish to fix somehow.
Ill have a play around with that cavity map to see if i can sort it.
But finally. i have a model ingame. now i can get cracking on making a complete Alien set, and maybe get this claw animated aswell.. i just wanted to get this in as a test. before i start pumping out content.

Im also hard at work making alot of componants for a complete Water slide complex, which ill start to release shortly.




Thank you for the help ArtiX. Most appreciated. seems as though we might be theo nly 3dsmax users here hehe.
xxx

 

[ArtiX]

no problem. Well, that was more of a general compliance issue than a specific 3ds max issue

As with every engine, it's best if you test the shading behaviour systematically.
I did that with some alienish rocks a while back but i never uploaded any of them, they look ok but not the look i was trying to go for.

PS: i noticed you added F3 and F4 to your folder also, but they are all-black. Ususally you can leave them out completely, because you only want to give control over two color slots.

 

[Haristess]

no problem. Well, that was more of a general compliance issue than a specific 3ds max issue

As with every engine, it's best if you test the shading behaviour systematically.
I did that with some alienish rocks a while back but i never uploaded any of them, they look ok but not the look i was trying to go for.

PS: i noticed you added F3 and F4 to your folder also, but they are all-black. Ususally you can leave them out completely, because you only want to give control over two color slots.

Ya, i did F3 and F4 all black because i read within the forums that theres a problem where sometimes if you only include 2 flexi colour maps that sometimes it wont work or something. so i included a third and forth just incase. i was trying to find a solution covering all bases with this issue.

Haha ya. i know that now... hehe. Being in a blender dominated forum its hard to find a solution that may involve 3dsmax, so i wasnt too sure. i had my hunch it was a texture issue as the model was imported just fine, but ive had odd cases before involving dodgy FBX versions with ASCII and Binary.

Ya alien stuff can easily go one way or another. its usually the hardest kind of content making because its all from your imagination and often when its finished you can end up feeling unsatisfied by it. you dont have a reference per say either. But im hoping to make alot more Alien type assets, structures etc. But i want to go realistic, with things like scaffolding that holds up structures hidden behind them, etc too, so im wrapping my head around it atm.

Im working on the waterslide stuff too, and ive just made a Measurement tool, which will help with sizing. ive made measurements to guests, walls, sloping paths to path sizes etc within this measurement tool, so it will help when modelling.

Ive been discovering other such restrictions too like the 8 x 8 x 8 limit isnt actually true. you cant make a model that is 8 meters in length, as the TMT doesnt like it, so unfortunately ive been having to resize my other water slide models. Im not entirely sure what is going to happen with my larger models once i start animating though. whether you can animate outside that range or not, i have no idea. at some point i want to animate that claw as though its alive, but also to strike too. im not 100% sure how the animation sequencing works for planet coaster. especially if theres multiple animation loops.
So its still a learning curve on what i can or cannot do with TMT.

I saw you have been working on leon strip lighting, which is cool. anything your working on atm?

 

[ArtiX]

The problem with the Flexi maps only occurs when you use multiple material sets. It's not really a bug even, it just isn't explained in the guide.
If you add a _F map to one of the materials, the other material needs the same F map (just in black of course) so the converter doesn't get confused.

the 8x8x8 is an actual 8x8x8. You need to take into account the hitbox, if you didn't make one the converter will do that and since it approaches the surface of your asset it might be bigger than 8m in one or more axis.


If you're interested in what i'm currently up to, i recommend you go check out my Patreon, i published a post there (public) with a detailed summary of this crazy week.

Sadly, I don't have much time for making assets currently, and the neon signs will take another 90 (work)hours minimum until all letters and LOD models are done.
So i try not to make plans on new content, i have a large backlog with unreleased finished and unfinished items as is, it just keeps stacking up.
But in general i'm reorienting myself after a couple rough years, so to speak.



Animation.. yeah, that's a rough one, there was a bug concerning 3ds max animation, somewhere in the chain the angles and keyframes go weird.
I don't know if that has been fixed as i couldn't be bothered with spending another week on testing different setups regarding the bug.
The bone animation rig itself is quite straightforward, though i would have liked to see vertex and modifier animation capabilities.

 

[Haristess]

Interesting. I wasnt sure if you could use multiple materials.

Maybe your right, come to think about it. i havent yet played around with hitboxes but ive just started work on alien style walls, so i need to figure out how to get that working.

thats also a Measurement tool ive made, to help with getting scale setup correctly.

ill do my best keeping to the alien / water slide content, even though im also developing my own viking game, so ill be flipping back and forth. there is so much stuff i want to make though. soooo much its endless hehe.

Ya. when i read the guide and watch the stream a huge depressing face loomed all over me when vertex and modifier animation isnt compatible. that said, alot of modifiers arnt compatible with FBX anyway, but modifers like noise, and morphs etc are so important. ive actually made a few different sets of trees for my game im doing, and would have loved to have imported them in, but given you need them animated and not statically sat there, i havent bothered simply because ive not only used bones but noise modifiered and morphing for animation, especially the flutter of leaves.

TMT is heavily restrictive i must be honest. theres very little room for flexibility and that will only reflect upon the quality of content imported into the game. something is better than nothing though. maybe, hopefully things will change later on, unless the game engine of planet coaster and devs, simply stop us from going anywhere further. I do feel they need to atleast up the 8x8x8 limit though. it just means making everythign modular inorder to get things in.