This is a detailed and specific tutorial on creating objects using 3D Studio Max for use in the Unreal Editor. This tutorial applies to Raven Shield specifically but can also be used for Unreal Tournament 2003/2004 and any other game which uses the Unreal engine.

This tutorial assumes you know the steps required to import textures into UEd (Unreal Editor), though those will be covered briefly here as well. This tutorial also assumes you know how to use 3DSMax (3D Studio Max). For tutorials on how to use 3D Studio Max go to www.3dcafe.com .

What we’ll be covering

Part 1: Setting up 3DSMax

This section includes unit and grid adjustments to create a workspace similar in size-comparison to the one in UEd.

Part 2: Creating/Converting the Mesh

This section covers the steps needed (once the object has been created) to prepare the object for texturing and export.

Part 3: Texturing and Aligning

This section contains the process of importing textures into 3DSMax, setting up the surfaces for texturing, applying the textures, and aligning the textures.

Part 4: Exporting and Importing

Herein lies info needed to properly export a model from 3DSMax, then import that model directly into UEd.

Part 5: Other Info

I’ve included a few links, tidbits of info, extra stuff, and a few tips that might help artists.

Part 1: Setting up 3DSMax

Anyway, let’s get started. The first thing you’ll want to do is open 3DSMax and set up your grid and units.

Above you can see the menu items under customize. I’ve highlighted the 2 items you’ll need to adjust- Units Setup and Grid and Snap Settings.

Grid and Snap Settings can be set up as seen in the pictures above, although others recommend using higher Grid Spacing, such as 32. Using something divisible by 8 is important for best results.

Units Setup and System Unit Setup, shown above, should be set to centimeters to best fit in the UEd grid.

At this point you can begin making your object for use in your Raven Shield map. Your object should have all of its parts connected. In the even you have an object that will contain multiple parts with “empty spacing” between them, you should consider creating separate objects. This not only allows you to align such an object in your map to the pre-existing brushes, but it also gives you the ability to recycle/re-use these objects in multiple places in your map and in future maps. An example of this would be a car and its tires, which can be removed and/or directional, giving you some diversity.

Part 2: Creating/Converting the Mesh

Once you have your objects created, you’ll need to convert them into something UEd can use. Click-drag across all of your objects to select them all. Alternately you can use the object list to select everything. Before doing this you may wish to save your project, so if you make a mistake or miss something you can re-open the project at this point and start over if needed. I recommend saving at least once every 2-3 steps, until you’re comfortable and you’ve had a successful import.

Now, right-click on a selected object and select Convert to> Convert to Editable Mesh.

Now select one object, go to the modify tab, and click Attach List. Click all, then click the Attach button. What this does is it makes your objects into mesh objects (remember that UEd uses static meshes as objects, and such objects take up less memory than brushes). By attaching the objects you ensure that they will remain stuck together once exported, giving them a single central pivot point.

Collapse the project using the Tools section, found by clicking on the tab that looks like a hammer, seen above. Make sure Mesh and Single Object are selected in the Collapse sub-menu, as shown above. Remember these settings, you’ll be using them often. After each step you should save your project, then collapse and go on to the next step.

Now click the modifier list and select optimize. Make sure you check the box in the Preserve section beside Material Boundaries, as shown above. Also note, when you change the numbers in the Optimize section (Face Thresh, Edge Thresh, Bias, Max Edge Len), your vertices and faces may change. If they don’t, then 3DSMax has already drawn the best possible geometry. I would suggest using the Face Thresh section to try to reduce your vertices and faces. The higher the Face Thresh value, the lower your vertices and faces will become. Collapse your object once again after you’ve optimized.

Part 3: Texturing and Aligning

Texturing objects in 3DSMax is slightly more complex than texturing in UEd, but not by much, and you have a lot more control. One thing you should do to prepare for this step, in advance, is to have your textures ready, as stated in the beginning of this tutorial. If you don’t have any textures ready, assuming you have Photoshop or some other 2D image editor and a decent computer, you can open your image editor now and create or edit an image for use in texturing. You’ll need .gif or .jpg images to use for your textures, although you can use .bmp’s also. VERY IMPORTANT: Your texture image file MUST be .DDS-capable- IE it MUST be sized accordingly (64×64, 128×128, 256×256, 512×512, etc…). You can use .tga’s, but I always had trouble importing .tga’s into UEd, so I have a tendency to save my texture images as .jpg and .dds files with the same name (Ex: cloth.jpg and cloth.dds). This actually works out really well because the first name is what UEd looks at when applying textures, so if you use the .jpg image in 3DSMax then import the .ase file into UEd, it knows to use the appropriate .dds file you imported to texture your object.

So what you’ll want to do is open your Material Editor as shown above. Select your first material (1) by clicking on it. Click on the button that says Standard (2) and select Multi/Sub-object from the list. When a window pops up that asks if you wish to keep or discard the old material, simply discard.

Your Material Editor should change to the picture above. Click on the Set Number button, circled, and in the window that pops up type in the number of textures you’ll be using for your object, then click OK. Now select your first material (in the picture above it’d be the button that says “Material #27 {Standard}”).

In the picture above you’ll see I’ve circled the little gray button by Diffuse. Click that button and select Bitmap in the Material/Map Browser. In the window that opens, navigate to your texture file (the .jpg/.gif/.tga file). For each material you add to your multi/sub-object, turn on Show Map in Viewport (the little blue and white checkered square in the material editor, shown above) so that when you assign the materials, they should show up on the appropriate objects. Repeat this procedure for each of the materials. To navigate back to the top of the stack, simply select the drop-menu circled above (Material #27) and select the top object in the list, which is the parent material. You’re now ready to texture your object(s).

Once you have your textures set up, you’ll need to assign each surface of your object(s) a material ID #. So, minimize your material editor temporarily (if you close it it’ll keep your material intact, and you can reopen it with the material editor button on the toolbar- but minimizing it is just as easy). Then click on your modify tab and select Editable Mesh (highlighted in yellow, which is the default color when selected). Click on the element, polygon, or face selection method (the last 3 selection types) to assign material ID numbers to (see image above right, #1). Then select the elements, polygons, or faces that you wish to cover with your first material (the top material listed when you created your multi/sub material). Don’t worry, if you’ve been saving in regular intervals, this is one step you should save at since if you assign the wrong material you can then go back and fix it. You should assign your materials in order, starting with ID 1 and continuing until you have all faces assigned. Note also that if you wish to assign a specific material to the front of an object but not to the back, you can use all of the windows and your cntrl button to control your selection.

Once your entire project has all faces assigned a material ID number, make sure you deselect the faces but have the object itself selected (as shown above, the object should appear as white lines, with none red), then reopen your material editor and click the assign material to selected button, shown above in the right image. Once your object has the materials assigned to it, you’ll need to align and change the way the textures appear so the object looks correct. Make sure you click the Show Map in Viewport button, in the material editor (looks like a blue and white checkered square, shown above in the image on the right), if your materials don’t automatically show up after the next step.

You’ll need to go back to the modify tab, select editable mesh, select a sublevel in the last 3 choices (face, poly, element), and scroll down until you see Select by ID. Click that button and select ID #1. Now, click the modifier drop-down list and select UVW Map, shown above.

You can align the texture to the material faces by using the mapping section in UVW Mapping. This will prevent the material from looking stretched or distorted on the object. You can select all of the radio buttons one at a time to get a basic look. Then pick the one that looks best. Once you have the surface looking decent all around, you can use the gizmo device to tweak the alignment, shown in the second image above. Simply select an alignment axis, or rotation axis, and click-drag. Once your alignment looks right, collapse the entire project then move on to the next material ID #. Continue with these steps until all materials assigned to the project have been aligned and are showing up in your perspective view.

When done, you should have an object in your perspective view that looks similar to the one shown above in that all surfaces will be textured. Now, click file, export, and export your project as an .ASE file.

Part 4: Exporting and Importing

Once you have your project ready export it as an .ASE file. Now take your .JPG or .TGA files and open them with Photoshop. If you’ve installed the .DDS plugin, you should have no trouble saving your image files as .DDS, just make sure you select DXT3 for best compression and image quality. Now close Photoshop and open the RvS Editor. Go to textures, and import the .DDS files as textures named exactly as they were as image files (for example, in my project I had a cloth.jpg and bark.jpg- when importing them I named them cloth and bark respectively). You should name the package after your map, to maintain an easy method of finding the files. For instance, if your map is going to be called Airport_Revised.rsm then you’ll want to name your texture package airport_revised_T, then pick a group name such as torch_textures, and of course your texture names, cloth and bark. Next you’ll want to save your texture package.

Now you’re ready to import your newly made static mesh. Go to the static mesh tab and click file, import, and select your .ASE file. Your static mesh package should also have a name similar to your map name (airport_revised_SM), pick a group name (custom_imported), and a static mesh object name (torch). Again, save your package immediately to keep your static mesh available. Now you can place your static mesh anywhere in your map, adjust the size as needed, and save your map.

Part 5: Other Info

If you run into a problem exporting or importing, or you’ve followed the tutorial perfectly and are still having problems, please feel free to e-mail me directly by using the following: lazerblade@hotmail.com

I’ve written this tutorial based on a similar tutorial which I had trouble following, which is why I felt the need to rewrite the tutorial in more basic terms. I’m sure there will still be questions, or something won’t be explained crystal-clear, but as I stated above, I’ll gladly answer any questions you might have.

When doing skinning, you may wish to use Photoshop or some other image-editing program at the same time so you can make adjustments to the image on the fly, In the case of skinning, you can create an image (skin01.jpg) to use initially. If the texture doesn’t align properly, you can change the size or alignment using your image editing program, then resave the image as skin02.jpg. You can then change the bitmap used in your material editor from the initial skin01.jpg to skin02.jpg (since you can’t save an image already in use, this will free up the skin01.jpg image filename, which can then be recycled). You can then bounce between these 2 image filenames until your object looks right, then resave the skin as some other name for importing into UEd if you wish. Just remember which image filename you used so you can import it as a .DDS file into UEd.

For tutorials on creating objects in or working with 3D Studio Max, please go to www.3dcafe.com. Also, you can download gmax at www.discreet.com which is a slimmed down version of 3D Studio Max. I haven’t tested gmax yet, but if it will export .ASE files then it should work fine for static mesh creation.

Similar Tutorials on using 3D Studio Max (or gmax) to create static meshes:

RvSMaps.com (mirror)

Importing Textures: A More In-depth Tutorial on Textures and Unreal Editor

Written by LazerBlade (lazerblade @ hotmail.com)