This tutorial is included in the Mod creation section but is applicable to track making section as well.
Preface
In this quick tutorial I will go over the core steps to take the models you create in blender and export them correctly for use in 3ds max 8 where you can create the PAS files to compile a true 3do for NR2003. Before following this tutorial a few things to consider:
- This tutorial assumes you already know how to create a model in blender, unwrap it, and create a texture for it
- While you can use older versions of blender its recommended to use 2.8+ (preferably 3.5+)
- You have basic understanding and navigation around blender to create simple models (if not there are plenty of youtube tutorials showing the basic overview of blender and how to make a low poly model)
Step 1
In this example we have this odd looking shaped object, I unwrapped it and applied a simple texture pattern on it for the demonstration.
I will use this in the demonstration as it has hard and curved edges so you know how to prepare models for proper export so the normals are correct as a 3do for NR2003.
Step 2
In solid display mode you can see the model without the texture. You can notice the curved section still has visible hard edges. We need to prepare the model to have proper normal smoothness before we export it.
In edge mode define all the edges on your model where it should be hard while not marking edges as sharp you want to be smooth still like this:
Step 3
Now apply smooth shading while in object mode to the model, it will look like this:
While the model is now smooth ALL the edges are smooth but we only want the edges we defined as sharp in edge mode to be hard while the curved section stays smooth as it looks right now.
Step 4
With the model selected go to the object data properties option from the properties pane, the icon looks like this:
From here expand the 'Normals' section, set the degrees to 180 and check the box 'Auto Smooth':
Now you can see our model looks exactly as we expect, the edges are all hard but the curved section stays smooth:
Step 5
The last thing to do is make sure the model transforms are all zeroe'd out. Usually you do this before you unwrap a model as well but I like to confirm everything is at 0.0 for location and rotation while the scale is default 1.0. To do this click on your model in object mode and hit the shortcut ctrl + A and choose 'All Transforms':
You will notice the rotation and location are all 0's with scale being 1.0 default as well.
Step 6
Last but not least is export your model,a few things to note at this stage:
First select your object (or the first of many objects you plan to export from a scene). DO NOT select more than one at a time. Choose the export option from File > Export the Wavefront (.obj) (legacy) option:
NOTE: IF you are using blender 3.4 or older you will not have this option, you will just have Wavefront (.obj) and you can use that OBJ export option. However in Blender 3.5+ the Wavefront (.obj) is a newer version and not compatible with the export process for 3ds max, you need to choose the new LEGACY option.
If you do not see the LEGACY version in your drop down options for export then go to blender add-ons in the settings and search 'wavefront' and check the box to enable the export plugin:
Step 7
In the export settings give your model a name and file location. Before saving there are 3 things you need to adjust in the export settings always:
Limit to Selection Only (checked): This ensures when you export the only thing being exported from your scene is that SINGLE model you selected, if it is not checked it will combine everything in your scene as one file
Smooth Groups (checked): This option is what enables the smoothing we applied to the model and transfers that data to OBJ smoothing calculation that 3ds max and other 3d applications understand. If you do not check this your model will look worse and not how to smoothed it in blender.
Write materials (unchecked): You do not need your model to have an associated MTL (material) file. Its useless for 3ds max as we have to create the new material and texture associates for NR2003 in that program anyways.
Everything can be checked and left as default. Your settings should look like this every time:
Closing
Congrats! You now know how to properly export models from blender that will be 3ds max 8 ready for NR2003 PAS compiling. This is the exact process I use for all my NR2003 3do work for example my ICR and GoKart models. So I can assure you this process works very well and your models will look exactly as you expect when you finish the 3ds max PAS setup and compile it in a 3do.
Preface
In this quick tutorial I will go over the core steps to take the models you create in blender and export them correctly for use in 3ds max 8 where you can create the PAS files to compile a true 3do for NR2003. Before following this tutorial a few things to consider:
- This tutorial assumes you already know how to create a model in blender, unwrap it, and create a texture for it
- While you can use older versions of blender its recommended to use 2.8+ (preferably 3.5+)
- You have basic understanding and navigation around blender to create simple models (if not there are plenty of youtube tutorials showing the basic overview of blender and how to make a low poly model)
Step 1
In this example we have this odd looking shaped object, I unwrapped it and applied a simple texture pattern on it for the demonstration.
I will use this in the demonstration as it has hard and curved edges so you know how to prepare models for proper export so the normals are correct as a 3do for NR2003.
Step 2
In solid display mode you can see the model without the texture. You can notice the curved section still has visible hard edges. We need to prepare the model to have proper normal smoothness before we export it.
In edge mode define all the edges on your model where it should be hard while not marking edges as sharp you want to be smooth still like this:
Step 3
Now apply smooth shading while in object mode to the model, it will look like this:
While the model is now smooth ALL the edges are smooth but we only want the edges we defined as sharp in edge mode to be hard while the curved section stays smooth as it looks right now.
Step 4
With the model selected go to the object data properties option from the properties pane, the icon looks like this:
From here expand the 'Normals' section, set the degrees to 180 and check the box 'Auto Smooth':
Now you can see our model looks exactly as we expect, the edges are all hard but the curved section stays smooth:
Step 5
The last thing to do is make sure the model transforms are all zeroe'd out. Usually you do this before you unwrap a model as well but I like to confirm everything is at 0.0 for location and rotation while the scale is default 1.0. To do this click on your model in object mode and hit the shortcut ctrl + A and choose 'All Transforms':
You will notice the rotation and location are all 0's with scale being 1.0 default as well.
Step 6
Last but not least is export your model,a few things to note at this stage:
- You do not actually need to apply any textures to your model for export. However assuming this is a new model you usually would have unwrapped and textured it already to make sure it looks like you want it. In 3ds max when we do the PAS export is where we apply materials to our model.
- Since you are exporting your model it is assumed to be 100% completed, if you need to make a change that indeed means you have to go through the process again and re-export it
- Each model is exported separate, while you can combine or separate pieces in 3ds max its easier to just have the models prepared already in advance. A good rule of thumb is no individual model is over 1000 verts. So for example if you made a car mod or a complex trackside object that is several thousand verts split the pieces up in the best way that makes sense. In the compiling stage we would tell the game all the individual pieces are a single 3do
First select your object (or the first of many objects you plan to export from a scene). DO NOT select more than one at a time. Choose the export option from File > Export the Wavefront (.obj) (legacy) option:
NOTE: IF you are using blender 3.4 or older you will not have this option, you will just have Wavefront (.obj) and you can use that OBJ export option. However in Blender 3.5+ the Wavefront (.obj) is a newer version and not compatible with the export process for 3ds max, you need to choose the new LEGACY option.
If you do not see the LEGACY version in your drop down options for export then go to blender add-ons in the settings and search 'wavefront' and check the box to enable the export plugin:
Step 7
In the export settings give your model a name and file location. Before saving there are 3 things you need to adjust in the export settings always:
Limit to Selection Only (checked): This ensures when you export the only thing being exported from your scene is that SINGLE model you selected, if it is not checked it will combine everything in your scene as one file
Smooth Groups (checked): This option is what enables the smoothing we applied to the model and transfers that data to OBJ smoothing calculation that 3ds max and other 3d applications understand. If you do not check this your model will look worse and not how to smoothed it in blender.
Write materials (unchecked): You do not need your model to have an associated MTL (material) file. Its useless for 3ds max as we have to create the new material and texture associates for NR2003 in that program anyways.
Everything can be checked and left as default. Your settings should look like this every time:
Closing
Congrats! You now know how to properly export models from blender that will be 3ds max 8 ready for NR2003 PAS compiling. This is the exact process I use for all my NR2003 3do work for example my ICR and GoKart models. So I can assure you this process works very well and your models will look exactly as you expect when you finish the 3ds max PAS setup and compile it in a 3do.
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