Issue importing to 3ds

Modding discussion.
LazybyNature
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Posts: 1
Joined: Sat 05 Jan, 2019 1:37 am

Issue importing to 3ds

Postby LazybyNature » Sat 05 Jan, 2019 1:56 am

Hello i'm a little new around here just need some help with importing DoW2 models into 3ds max using santos tools 2.

Information on the topic is pretty scarce and fragmented i was just hoping someone could help me out a little, ill try give as many details as i possibly can.

I currently have access to
Currently using windows 10
DoW2 - DoW2 Retribution - DoW2 Elite (i am using the archives from both DoW2 Retribution and the Elite mod)
Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 32/64bit versions
3ds max 2017
Santos Tools 2 v0.6.0.0 from https://www.moddb.com/games/dawn-of-war ... ls-2-v0600
Santos tools 2 0.7.0.0 found linked in these forums
SantosTools2 (ModelEditor / ModelEditorDEV)
SGA Reader 2 for unpacking the archive files
(i have 3 hard drives. C: <operating system> G: <gaming ssd> D: <storage disk> )

I had a lot of issues at first actually getting Santos tools to import to 3ds max 2010 (I am using the 32bit since that's the only one that's working at the moment) I am not 100% sure why but it seemed like that fact i had my original steam folder on my C: drive and my gaming library on my G: drive separate where DoW2 was installed and located caused issues when trying to import to 3ds i was getting 'out of module error'

Once i moved my DoW2 folder to the same drive as 3ds it started to import but only some models from either the elite mod or the base dow2 files.
When i try and import some of the other models 3ds loads for a bit it shows that there is an 'editable mesh' in the selection tree before it crashes but does not actually display the model itself.

When using the santos importer in 3ds i have a drop down of modules (not sure if this makes a difference) but I've tried different ones to no avail the list i have is:
DOW2
DOW2LastStand
DOW2LSMP
DOW2Multiplayer
Elite

This is the same list in both the ModelEditor / ModelEditorDEV programs which will load Materials/Bones/Markers so on but no Mesh and will not display the model but will display any bones and other things.

TLDR: 3ds max 2010 32bit crashes whenever i try to import only some models but not others (i do not get any error messages)
Noot
Level 0
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu 10 Jan, 2019 3:52 pm

Re: Issue importing to 3ds

Postby Noot » Fri 26 Apr, 2019 12:04 am

(Ik this is a late reply, but i guess it's worth a shot)

It's odd that 3dsmax would crash when importing specific models, i have the same max version as you (2010, only for 64bit) and also obviously the same tools and don't get random crashes ever when importing models.

Things that might be worth checking:
- That you have extracted shaders from the default dawn of war 2 files and also Elite if you are trying to load some of their own models
- extracting the badges folder too for all mods + default dawn of war
- virtually all models in the 'troops' folder do not have meshes associated with them, so that 'could' be explainable given the case.

On 3dsMax side:
- There is a 'Listener' tab in 3dsmax that you might want to consult to see if anything has loaded incorrectly. Santos' Tools give pretty mixed reports on this but it's worth a look if nothing else helps.

ModelEditor should also show *something* in the bottom bar if meshes aren't loading, so any reports there would be useful. Crashes within 3ds should have logfiles associated with them somewhere if it's during runtime.
Noot
Level 0
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu 10 Jan, 2019 3:52 pm

Re: Issue importing to 3ds

Postby Noot » Tue 17 Sep, 2019 9:27 pm

Even later reply (if anything is a necro-post, this is) but just to resolve this issue i've actually found the solution that worked for me. Hopefully anyone who lurks here later may find this useful. I recently got a new laptop and have had this exact same issue and it may have something to do with the non-C: drive.

Anyway, if you have this crash, DO NOT import smoothing groups in 3dsmax from existing DOW2 models. This is what will cause the 'random' crashing. I have no idea on the specifics as to why this happens but that's the fix that worked for me. You should still be able to add smoothing groups yourself later if desired (and you probably should if you are working from un-smoothed models)

Edit: From testing, importing normals is okay too (and has a better result than 'none'). Just don't import 'Smoothing groups'.

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