Trouble positioning and viewing children items.

[roinuj]

Kali, when you say the 3d editor are you referring to the Asset Editor? If so, do you copy over an asset folder group into the your source directory to do the edits? Just curious on the process as the matrix is pretty confusing to edit and requires a ton of trial and error reloads.

[PapaXpress]

See, my experience has been different from your. I tried to position objects in 3DC, but I always ended up close, but still having to rematrix them. Now I zero them in the modeler and work with the matrix. Its not too bad now that I have done a few dozen of them now.

And yes 3DC does pull from the group name.

[Kali]

Kali, when you say the 3d editor are you referring to the Asset Editor? If so, do you copy over an asset folder group into the your source directory to do the edits? Just curious on the process as the matrix is pretty confusing to edit and requires a ton of trial and error reloads.

No, I take a guess at the positioning in max, export to an igs & build the child with the BPE, add to the model in game, and then just move it around in Max; export from max/export from BPE/reload test scenario isn't really any slower than editing the matrix as it's the scenario reload that takes all the time up. I find it more convenient now not just because it feels a little easier, but because I've been adding multiple child objects and this way I can just bundle them up in one combined child model. I can't use the asset editor anyway, it gave up loading last year sometime and I've never worked out what broke it.

[roinuj]

No, I take a guess at the positioning in max, export to an igs & build the child with the BPE, add to the model in game, and then just move it around in Max; export from max/export from BPE/reload test scenario isn't really any slower than editing the matrix as it's the scenario reload that takes all the time up. I find it more convenient now not just because it feels a little easier, but because I've been adding multiple child objects and this way I can just bundle them up in one combined child model. I can't use the asset editor anyway, it gave up loading last year sometime and I've never worked out what broke it.

I can see how adding mutiple child items, this method would be useful. I'm personally leaning to creating reusable child items that I can reuse in different models (like these recent sized decals I created) and think having individual items works better for me though I think the matrix would be a heck of a lot easier if we could get some form of legend that tells us what numbers changes what aspect. I recall seeing something in the past but can't find the article any more. Moving x,y,z coordinates and mirror imaging is pretty easy but I have no idea what the other items change and how.

I had my asset view go funny on me too. I ended up re installing RWTools to get it to work again, though I still find it awkward and prefer the scenario reload method still. Once I got the initial problem that I commented on this thread sorted out, I found reloading the scenario wasn't too bad, especially if I didn't exit out to the main menu.

[Kali]

Here's a post I made about the RW matrices - it was aimed at people editing geo files rather than child matrices, but just assume that where I said "from left to right in that row of numbers" is "from top to bottom in the column of numbers".

I tend to just import old models into new scenes in Max & reposition them there. Horses for courses :)

[PapaXpress]

That post of your is awesome work. I've messed around with it in the past through trail and error but never to any degree of suceess.

[roinuj]

Thanks Kali, I'll have a look at it.