Help with getting a monster in LoG?

[Terroc]

Hi, my first post here!

I have a problem getting a .model-file for a monster into LoG without causing it to crash.
By following tutorials I've successfully retextured items and monsters (like the golden crowern below - just for test).
I also managed to get e unicorn (created in blender) in if i made it an item (a statue) instead of trying to load it as a monster.

I didn't find any strings or tutorials regarding monsters like skuggasveins broken pillar-video (thanks for that!) and tried this simplest just to se if it worked:
1) Loading the original crowern into GMT and export it to obj
2) Loading the obj-file inte blender and export it without any changes to a new crowern2.obj - I used the same export settings as in Skuggasveins tutorial.
3) Reload it in GMT and export it back to a new model-file (without any material-change)
4) Modifying monsters.lua to point at the new model-file (defined a new monster called "crowern2" + creating a new material with the same name in materials.lua - no other change)

When trying to use the new crowern2 the dungeon editor crashed when I tried to put a crowern2 in the dungeon (se message below).
Note: Size of the original crowern01.model is 466kB and the new file that was only imported and exported in blender had the size 504kB.

What went wrong? A lot of people here seems to succesfully create their own monsters and creating an item wasn't so hard so what am I doing wrong?

Retexturing was ok:


Errormessages:

when changing the monsters.lua to point at the new file and trying to reload a game with a saved crowern2:

[msyblade]

I haven't messed with importing animations as much as some of the people around here, but I'm guessing that during export/import, some (or all) nodes were lost on the model. So when the "Brain" tries to use it, it cannot find the correct animation nodes. I certainly could be mistaken though (stranger things have happened!)

[Leki]

Monsters have skeleton. Exporting model from GMT to obj => *.obj is only simple mesh without skeleton and skin. Importing *.obj into GMT = model has only main mesh and RootNode (compare original monster and the new one Nodes in GMT). With this method you can make only static objects like decorations (statue, weapon, armor, food...) or wallsets. To create your own monster you have to use 3dsmax (you can download trial or student version), make it there include skeleton (nodes) and animations and the use CW maxscript to export it. Maybe I will do some tutorial how to do it...

[JohnWordsworth]

It's funny, I downloaded a .x model from the internet, which included animations, and imported that into the game (see the little screenshot at the top right of http://www.johnwordsworth.com/mod-tools ... l-toolkit/, that's running in the GMT from a .x file). However, as I don't have any source files for what a 'well constructed' animated 3D model would look like, I've not managed to find any firm rules about how to make an animated file that you can import using Assimp into the GMT. However, I did have that elf lady running on the spot in the game - so it is possible with the GMT... somehow!

But yes, .obj files don't even contain tangents/bitangents (hence you have to recreate them in the GMT), and 3D file format standards are a bit of a mess, in the sense that a bunch of apps support a sub-set of each file formats features and versions, so it's a massive gamble as to what works with what and how application A exports a certain set of data. This makes it a pain in the backside! As has been said however, there is a successful 3DS Max exporter here on the forums if you want the easy route.

[Leki]

How to: Monsters http://youtu.be/US5SyWR25jQ

[Terroc]

Thanks for all answers! Especially for the youtube tutorial. It's a bit different from rigging in Blender I see.
As I suspected! It is a matter of "export-incompatibility"
I will try to get it right since I very much would like my unicorn, monster-rhino, rainbow-dragon and other blender created creatures in a dungeon I'm working on. I'll just have to install and learn whatever SW I need to get the work done.
I'll post updates along the way and publish some assets when ready.

[maneus]

I wish you success by all of your plans, Terroc.