Life Forms and 3DS Max Q. "When I import my model into LifeForms the objects are all over the place and the wrong size. What's up with that?" A. This usually happens because the objects' xforms are not reset before exporting. It is important that you reset the xforms on your objects BEFORE you link your model up. If you do not the orientation and scale of your objects you're model will look messed up in LifeForms. Q. "My textures don't look right when they come into LifeForms. What in the world should I do?" A. Unless you are exporting VRML from LifeForms you shouldn't have to worry about this. If you are going to render in 3dmax then your animation in LifeForms will be merged to your original textured scene. It may even be a good idea to make a proxy model (a copy of your original without the texture and optimized) to animate in LifeForms for faster performance.Q. "Can LifeForms animate a single mesh made in 3dmax?" A. You can animate the skeleton in LifeForms and merge the animation back to your original "rig". In max you would build a hierarchy out of geometry to act as bones underneath your mesh. (Remember to reset the xforms of your geometry before you link it together.) Once the mesh has been "skinned" to the skeleton (using the skin modifier, bones pro or physique) you would then export the skeleton as a 3ds model to animate in LifeForms.Q. "Can LifeForms animate 3dmax's bones?" A. LifeForms uses the 3ds format, which does not support bones. You must build your skeleton out of geometry to work in LifeForms. Q. When importing sets like stairs for animating around. They are not in the right spot and also they look bad on the stage window like they don't look 3d just a very bad outline. A. Make sure that your set has its xform reset and collapse stack in the Utilities menu, normal flipped that needs to be, then grouped and exported. After importing you can select it and lock it using the locks for the x y z in the figure editor and change its view by selecting the stage window then going under the Figure menu select drawing style and surfaces. This will give the most detailed wireframe view available. |