MD2 export for games ?

[NileshXYZ]

Hello,
I am intresting in a plug-in that can export LWO (and animation) to MD2 format to be used in game. for lightwave7.5 or 7.0


http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mbristol/md2/

I have found one but it did not work for me, the plug-in works but its not saving my object right at all, noting gets saved only a MD2 shows up. WHen i try to open on a MD2 viwer it crashes. WHen i try to import using md2 import plug-in found on url above it shows nothing.

any help would be nice!

[Tommi]

I'm having the very same troubles right now. Is there some kind of solution?
Does anybody know the author and beg him to release the source code of his plugin?

Is there any other solution for cramming a Lightwave animation (with mesh deformation etc) into a MD2 file via external tools?

[NileshXYZ]

Yes its been a Year! :) i have found the problem i had when exporting.

I am using the MD3 convert found here (MD2 as well)
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mbristol/md3/MD3Construction.html

how you use it is iin your Deform Plug-in for the object you make a set of Animation you want to out put ... like "run" 1-44 would be an example.

works fine.. locks up some now and then but works ok...

if anyone have a better way to export LWO animatied files to MD3 that be grate to hear.

[adi41]

Hi. I have a problem with exporting to md2 or md3 from my lws Lightwave 8.0 :(

Whatever i do i cant export to md2 or md3 my lws scene. I have a complete scene (animated robot walk, run etc) and i wish to load it to my game using md2 or md3. I used http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mbr...struction.html these plugins but they don't work in LW 8.0. Can anybody tell me is there any other way to export to md2 or md3 from LW 8.0? Thx in advance...
PS. I'm :newhere:

[NileshXYZ]

had to use older version, 7.5, not up to date plug-in. its very old. as for exporting, i think you can only export objects now lws.:agree:

[sslusser]

For anyone that is interested, I have a training CD for sale in the classifieds forum that uses Dan Britol's MD2 export plugin for Lightwave 7.5 which also works in Lightwave 8.0. There are a few tricks to using it like keeping your polycount low, using only 3 point polys which means no skelegons or sub-d patches, and creating a UV atlas texture map to assign an image to for a skin.
It's pretty straightforward once you learn it. The CD tells you a lot more and shows you how to set up your animation cycles in Layout.

I don't know about exporting LWS files to MD2 or MD3 though. I have heard there are some plugins out there that will let you do that, but I don't recall what they are.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, let me know.

[adi41]

NileshXYZ: had to use older version, 7.5, not up to date plug-in. its very old. as for exporting, i think you can only export objects now lws

Yes, but it can export animated objects, with all its frames. The plug-in "works" in 8.0 but exported md2 or md3 is almost empty. It has only header and file size is always 72KB. As NileshXYZ said plug-in is too old to be used with LW 8.0. When i was trying to export object in modeler, LW crasches. Ironic: i've imported md2 object to modeler and tried to export it again as md2 :), effect: crash! Strange, isn't it? If anyone know how to do export with LW 8.0 please post solution in forum. Thx.

[sslusser]

Yes, but it can export animated objects, with all its frames. The plug-in "works" in 8.0 but exported md2 or md3 is almost empty. It has only header and file size is always 72KB. As NileshXYZ said plug-in is too old to be used with LW 8.0. When i was trying to export object in modeler, LW crasches. Ironic: i've imported md2 object to modeler and tried to export it again as md2 :), effect: crash! Strange, isn't it? If anyone know how to do export with LW 8.0 please post solution in forum. Thx.

The same things happened to me until I learned to properly use the plugin. Here are some steps you need to make sure you adhere to:

First make sure your model is all 3 point polys, no skelegons, or subpatches. Second, try to keep your poly count as low as possible. I have exported models with this plugin with over twenty thousand polys, but any more than that and it will crash lightwave.

The reason your animations are not showing up is because you are probably not handling the displacement part of the plug-in correctly. Once you assign the MD2 displacement under the Deform tab in object properties, double-click on "No target specified", click on edit, click on Base dir: and select a folder where you want the model to go, optionally add a subfolder to the model subdirectory field (don't use any slashes), give it a model name (without the lwo),click on the save w/All check box,

(and this is the most important part)add an animation sequence in the fields next to the "=", for example: Walk 10 0 (Walk being the name of the sequence, 10 being the total number of frames, and 0 being the starting frame), press the little '+' and it should add a line into the list box below, back in the displacement under Model List you should now have the name of your model in the field, if not then select it, under the utilities tab, under plugins->additional select the MRB::ExportControl plugin, in the dialog click under the 'save' colum next to your 'Quake MD2: box' entry, click on 'save checked models', the make preview window appears and press OK, end the preview, and press 'Continue' on the export control, and that's it.

You must define each animation sequence and add it to the list in the displacement dialog or you will have an empty MD2 file. This drove me nuts for a while too.

I am giving you this sequence almost word for word from Paul Mikulecky of Lost Pencil Studios who was kind enough to walk me through it. It is all explained in his CD I have for sell in the Lightwave Classifieds forum.