Hi! I made some cool LEGO Models in LDraw. I converted them to .3ds, but when I tried to import them as a prop, it said "No avalable import plugin". Help?

what version of AM are you using?

AM 2005.

hum, do u have any other 3d app that can import 3ds? if so see if they can import it, could be a corupt export from your ap. I am not sure just guessing. if you want you can send me your 3ds file and I can try, I have about 3 other apps that can open it.

Is there a .3ds to .mdl converter?

Right click in a model window and click on Plug-ins/Import/3D Studio.

Plug-ins are accessed via a right click in a window. Different plugins appear depending on what mode you are in and whether you have anything, (geometry or bone), selected.

OK, but where do I find the plugin?

You do realize that when you import it, it is as a prop, meaning you can move it or have it sit somewhere, but you can't do anything with it?

I could see a prop of a lego being used as is, so you should be OK.

Converting it to a model usually ends in less than desirable results.....

What version of A:M are you using?
It should be built in.

David

I am using AM 12.

(I'm making a LEGO Movie, and I modeled the minifigs in A:M. I don't think buildings have the ability to dance, lol.)

No plugin necessary! Right click on the choreography -> import -> prop...

and you can do some basic aniamtion with props: you can move them around, resize them... you just cannot put bones in them...

That is the problem; It says I need a plugin.

Do not import into the model.

You should import 3ds file to the choreography. Just tried it, it does work! (v11.1 here, but it should work in any higher version)

I tried to do chor, still does not work.

Are you sure the file format is 3DS? You might want to download MilkShape or another file transformation program to make sure.

I tested it with models I pulled from Doom 3. The main problem with doing that is that these models are polygon models, and will have hard edges.

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You can asign them a rig like this.

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No model has to be static.

Does this mean if A:M had some kind of selective subdivision for poly objects (and you could specify the levels of subdivision at rendertime) it would be a fairly effect way to animate and use poly objects??

The polygon objects already have more "CPs" than a good A:M model does so making more by subdividing would make for a very dense model.

Also Triangular polygon meshes have no sense of spline continuity, another reason they don't make for good conversions.

I've had some success importing polygon models that were primarily 4-pointers. Those have meshes that resemble A:M meshes and can be thinned out manually to get a good result. But most 3D polygons models out there are crappy triangle things.

So here is my first noob question.
Why does Animation master not work well with polygon models?
sj

how did you do that ?!? I thought that games have some sort of proprietary format?

robcat

subdivision of the mesh would be done at rendertime to smooth out the mesh. it wouldn't affect the mesh when your animating

Trajce, I sent you a PM on how to export models from Doom 3. Let me know if you need any further instructions.