.obj -> .sur converter
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Firstly, i said i wouldn’t be back but here i am. The reason for this post is a simple one, to show you what i’ve done with Schmackbolzen’s utility.
Now i wouldn’t even bother posting this if it wasn’t for one person and one person only, that is Ben_Kai. I got so annoyed at some people in this thread for their know it all attitude and their collective assumption that we should all know how to use this utility. Utter nonsense. Very few people can use this utility properly without some instruction and the information posted so far is …. lacking, at least to someone who hasn’t got a clue about sur files.
The real hero as mentioned is Ben_Kai. He sent me a tutorial on how to use this utility that even my cats can understand, and imho this should be included with the converter because then EVERYONE can use it and get results.
Enough ranting, onto what i’ve accomplished. A new asteroid base with flyable interior. Now when i first put this model into my universe, it had the annoying habit of vanishing after about a 60 degree turn. I thought it was the sur file causing this, so i made one with LS’s utility, same problem. The model was saved as a single group model.
Next up i thought i’d save the model again, this time as a multi group model, five parts to be exact. Now it works fine. Interestingly the sur file is the one i made for the single group model but works perfectly well.
Points of interest, it’s detecting every undulation on the surface of the asteroid, also the fly through entrance as well with all the various internal parts properly covered by the sur which the utility accurately finds. There is no cheating going on here with the use of the phantom physics command. I’ve tested this base in a full battle environment and all parts receive hits, external and internal.
It’s a top utility, that with the brilliant tutorial i have and a copy of Lithunwrap, makes perfect surs.
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You ran the original model through FL Model Resizer? It sounds like it was being culled by the game because it didn’t have a radius.
Great news that you’re able to use this incredible tool.
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@ Sushi
I don’t remember doing so, but least i know the multipart version worked.
Here’s the tutorial made by Ben_Kai
MODEL PREPARATION
1. Import CMP into MS3D. “auto load”, is the only box I check. “Import hardpoints” is optional
2. Use DirectX Mesh tools to remove some triangles. Move the slider, for most models it will only reduce by 5 - 10%. Click the save button that has the - sign.
(Note on above: If the model is low poly to start with, you can ignore 2 and move onto 3)
3 . Export as .OBJ. You can try to import back into MS3D and use Dx tools again, but I usually just reduce more triangles with LithUnwrap. I’ve noticed that using DX tools numerous times begins to degrade the model to the point where your SUR will not be very from fitting. For small fighters this is fine. But for larger ships and stations I think It kind of defeats the
purpose. I guess you could delete some triangles manually inside the mesh but I’m not a modeler so I dont attempt it.Close MS3D.
LITHUNWRAP
4. Open .OBJ with LithUnwrap. Go to File - Model - Open. Go to Tools - Optimize model. Check all 3 boxes, click OK.
5. Save mesh as .OBJ. Go to File - Model - Save. Make sure format is .OBJ.
6. Import .OBJ back into MS3D.
7. Go to Edit - Select All. Go to Vertex - Weld Together. Make sure you dont skip this step or your SUR could have huge holes….
8. Export as .OBJ
OBJ CONVERTER
9. Select your .OBJ. I leave 1st option at default. Check 2nd and 3rd boxes then input your hardpoints. I will add that on bases i haven’t had to add in hardpoints
10. Job done
Thanks to Ben_Kai for the tutorial, if i can use it then anybody can.
Programs used, Milkshape, Lithunwrap
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Gibbon, glad you did come back. Hope you keep coming and keep contributing.
Would you mind posting your sur file and cmp file please, I am curious to see how the interrior surs are constructed, as they are working well for you?
Thanks in advance.
schmackbolzen: Good luck with your exams, best wishes.
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ST - you made a spelling mistake!
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Yes, so I did!
It’s hard using that hand in my mouth to hit the keys, it’s still fresh and not rigor-mortis’d yet!
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Okay, for the Discovery mod I’ve used this tool to rehitbox 205 custom ships (and counting). So far, no problems, although hitbox testing is still ongoing. Some thoughts:
Someone mentioned shield bubbles. Those are seperate SURs assigned through the shiparch and the corresponding shield entry in select_equip. Would be outside of the scope of this, although I see no reason why this tool should not be able to create a hitbox of a very simple egg shape. Point being it’s a seperate model entirely, and not part of the ship itself.
Being able to assign named components so destructable models and hitboxes moving along with animations can exist, would definately be a plus. That’d make bases with animated bay doors possible.
I’ve fed the tool clusters of convex shapes (basically, when supplied a model, I manually break it up into pieces, use Milkshapes convex tool to wrap a convex untextured shape around them, and delete the original shape). Noticed if I don’t check the box to use convex hull instead of splicing, the SUR tends to get a lot larger. Not sure why.
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Someone mentioned shield bubbles. Those are seperate SURs assigned through the shiparch and the corresponding shield entry in select_equip. Would be outside of the scope of this, although I see no reason why this tool should not be able to create a hitbox of a very simple egg shape. Point being it’s a seperate model entirely, and not part of the ship itself.
So no need shield bubble cause they’re paired in the shiparch.ini with the selected shield equipement ?
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So, i made the surfor the station which i have uploaded the CMP earlier, the sur was made using the Ben_Kai Tuto.
Hit detection on station is Very good and operational
Collision detection work, but when i hurt the station, FL began to LAG hardly, and if i go forward slowly, i can pass through the station.So, i think i really have a problem, with the CMP or the SUR. Don’t know which of them
If anyone can take the CMP previously uploaded and make/test the sur using schmack tool and ben kai tuto and see if you can se where the problem can be, it will be very cool.
Thanks
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Gibbon i think you should write the tutorial in the tutorial section no ?
and at the end you have to add :
"- open flmodeltools, open the cmp, without any modification save it"
if not, the cmp doesn’t have a radius (i think Sushi has already said this) and so your cmp is only visible when you look right to him
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The tutorial i posted isn’t mine. I made no mention of FLModelTool anywhere either. Sushi suggested that i might have used it somewhere while i was converting the rock base. I might have used it but don’t remember doing so, as i just had a look at the original OBJ file i used for conversion and it went straight to harpointing after i made the cmp. Not really sure what caused it tbh.
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and ? it’s not your tutorial but you can post it for every one and give the credits no ?
for the flmodeltools, trust me it’s necessary, i’m on the TOW’s bases and if you don’t save the cmp at the end, it doesn’t have a radius so you cannot see him if you’re not just in front of him
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Gibbon, I believe Sushi said the opposite: that you might have forgotten to do it and that that would explain your base disappearing. FLModelTool recalculates the radius and bounding box of the models, which are used by FL for many things including visibility calculations. Basically, if the bounding box is off-screen, it won’t even bother trying to calculate whether the actual model is off-screen and will just assume it is. If your bounding box is zero, as it often is, then you’d need to see the center of the mesh for it to show up.
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Well put it this way, on the multipart version of the base, the one in the video, i definitely did not use FLModelTool and it works fine. So i’m not so sure it has to be used at all. I don’t doubt if there’s a problem then maybe run it through that and it will fix it, but i wouldn’t say it’s a requirement as since then i’ve made a few more without issues.
