Anyone well versed in 3ds Max?

[hawkeye]

If so I could use help, specifically on how to find/change the applied textures used on the bodygroup SMDs

 

[The real freeman]

I may be able to assist.

 

[Snood]

Yep. You can actually open up the SMD in a text editor and find/replace texture names in there, same with the MDL file (though in that case they need to use the exact number of characters when you replace a texture name). Alternatively some model decompilers list the names of the textures in the QC for you to view.

Changing a model's texture in 3ds max is as simple as selecting the whole mesh or specific polys and dragging and dropping the TGA or whatever on top of it in the viewport.

 

[hawkeye]

You mean these? Can I just change those to something like male_arm_white?

 

[Snood]

Yeppers, don't forget to do it on the LODs as well as this can cause problems.

 

[hawkeye]

I'm sorry, what are LODs? I'm kind of new to this

 

[The real freeman]

Told you Snood was the boy to go too haha.

 

[hawkeye]

Thank you so much man

 

[Wilson]

LODs are the lower-quality detail settings. It's how most video games handle textures and 3D models both... from really far away, they're minimal quality because you won't notice.

As for changing textures, it's better to do it outside of 3DS than within, as to my understanding. Through the text editor, yes. Dave uses a Hex editor if I'm not mistaken, coupled with the HL2 model viewer.

 

[Snood]

You've got more control visually if you do it in 3ds Max, you're also less likely to fuck things up cause if you start editing a compiled MDL file and backspacing stuff you can break the model permanently. Though decompiling models tends to fuck up things like normal smoothing and animations quite a lot of the time.

Also if I recall our TnB player models don't use LODs.