siegfried_h
Guys I need some help. I'm making a saber on Blender 3.3, and the Jedi Academy plugin I have has an .md3 importer/exporter, but it doesn't show or work. How can I get it to work on Blender 3.3?
Blender 3.3 Saber Exporting: MD3 vs GLM Workflow
A discussion on modernizing the lightsaber modeling workflow in Blender 3.3. Users discuss moving away from the legacy MD3-to-GLM conversion path in favor of direct GLM export or updated addons that handle tags and materials differently.
Comms log
[2023-08-18 09:31] <siegfried_h> Guys I need some help [2023-08-18 09:33] <siegfried_h> I'm making a saber on blender 3.3, and the Jedi Academy plugin I have has .md3 importer/exporter, but it doesn't show or work [2023-08-18 09:33] <siegfried_h> How can I get it to work on Blender 3.3? [2023-08-18 09:46] <mrwonko> have you enabled it in the add-on settings? [2023-08-18 09:47] <mrwonko> why do you need md3? sabers are glm, are they not? [2023-08-18 09:47] <mrwonko> if you plan to go the MD3View->Export as GLM route, make sure to get a version of MD3View that fixed the bug where tags are slightly offset or your blade will not be in quite the right location [2023-08-18 10:38] <siegfried_h> Yes I have [2023-08-18 10:39] <siegfried_h> Well, I learned to create my own sabers through your videos, and you showed that it needs to be exported as .md3 and then transformed in .glm file through Md3View (edited) [2023-08-18 10:39] <siegfried_h> That's why I need the .md3 extension to work, to export my sabers [2023-08-18 10:41] <siegfried_h> So, instead of exporting it as .md3 can I just export it as .glm then? [2023-08-18 10:52] <.somaz> @mrwonko did you ever fix the md3 export though? Cagelight disabled it in favor of my blender addon [2023-08-18 10:53] <.somaz> @Bruno if you want to go the md3 route: / https://jkhub.org/tutorials/modeling/md3-importexport-using-blender-33-r185/ [2023-08-18 10:54] <siegfried_h> Is there other route? I only learned exporting sabers I made through .md3 [2023-08-18 10:54] <.somaz> You can just import another saber and copy the tags to your model. Might be easier this way [2023-08-18 10:55] <siegfried_h> okay, so i have a question then [2023-08-18 10:55] <.somaz> No idea. Just thought there might be? [2023-08-18 10:57] <siegfried_h> Imported a saber I made a while ago and here's the meshes it has / [attachment: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1103343134160728144/1142049652728934480/image.png?ex=6a025edf&is=6a010d5f&hm=d1271bbdba6a43cdff78c7d9abdc2d0e1fca1972ec45e05c2dbc7f57abe9ee3d&] [2023-08-18 10:57] <siegfried_h> Should I delete EVERYTHING, besides the saber tags? [2023-08-18 10:58] <siegfried_h> even the scene_root, model_root? [2023-08-18 10:58] <.somaz> That's a glm you imported. I meant a md3 saber file. [2023-08-18 10:59] <.somaz> My addon uses Empties for tags, wonkos addon uses triangles [2023-08-18 10:59] <siegfried_h> ok [2023-08-18 10:59] <siegfried_h> so just add object, which is empty, and rename it [2023-08-18 11:00] <.somaz> If you don't export directly to glm with wonkos addon, then yea. [2023-08-18 11:01] <.somaz> It's easy to use the arrows empty. Just give it the tag name then. [2023-08-18 11:02] <.somaz> The arrows empty makes it easy to see the tag orientation [2023-08-18 11:02] <siegfried_h> Ok [2023-08-18 11:02] <siegfried_h> So all I have to do, with your addon, is to click on export and rename the file as .md3 [2023-08-18 11:03] <.somaz> Make sure you read the tutorial though. Material names are handled differently than in wonkos addon [2023-08-18 11:03] <.somaz> Why rename it? Just export it as md3 and you are good to go [2023-08-18 11:03] <siegfried_h> ok [2023-08-18 11:04] <siegfried_h> Yeah, I saw that [2023-08-18 11:04] <siegfried_h> About the custom properties tho [2023-08-18 11:04] <siegfried_h> It's different from the 2.79 version I used a few years ago [2023-08-18 11:04] <siegfried_h> it has more options [2023-08-18 11:04] <.somaz> Like? [2023-08-18 11:04] <siegfried_h> Like this [2023-08-18 11:05] <siegfried_h> [attachment: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1103343134160728144/1142051525489852436/image.png?ex=6a02609d&is=6a010f1d&hm=b4e95e6d1231c8609aa904b0115cb738ad26ef256adc3ba28d2e464969d5d651&] [2023-08-18 11:05] <siegfried_h> Which one should I pick? [2023-08-18 11:07] <.somaz> You don't need the custom properties in the addon. That's what I meant. The blender material names are used instead [2023-08-18 11:07] <siegfried_h> What if I make the texture from other software, like Substance Painter? [2023-08-18 11:11] <siegfried_h> I find it harder to make textures from materials on Blender, I'm still learning how to use all those nodes [2023-08-18 11:11] <siegfried_h> But either way, I'll try it [2023-08-18 11:13] <mrwonko> no, I just also removed the md3 support from my version [2023-08-18 11:15] <mrwonko> if you're not going to export directly to glm, importing a glm is not a good place to start, because most md3 exporters will use different tagging than glm uses [2023-08-18 11:15] <mrwonko> if you're going to export as glm, I highly recommend reading the glm plugin's manual [2023-08-18 11:17] <.somaz> If you create your material via blender nodes, you need to bake a texture so the game can use it. [2023-08-18 11:17] <.somaz> Material system between blender and jka differs too much [2023-08-18 11:18] <mrwonko> if you import an existing saber glm, you should be able to re-export it as an equivalent glm without changing anything. That should give you a good place to start. Couple that with reading the manual and most things should become clear [2023-08-18 11:20] <siegfried_h> So just having a texture and setting it to the model through UV Map is enough? [2023-08-18 11:20] <mrwonko> all model formats only carry a single texture name for each surface, anything beyond that is done using shader files [2023-08-18 11:21] <.somaz> Using substance is another can of worms. The materials can't be used directly in jka unless you do rend2 stuff and this also requires shader definitions [2023-08-18 11:21] <mrwonko> so in the end all that matters in Blender is material name, though depending on which file format/exporter you use, they'll take the texture name from different places [2023-08-18 11:22] <mrwonko> I think back when I first built the glm importer, Blender material names had a stricter length limit than JA's 64 characters, so I couldn't directly use material names and used a custom object property instead [2023-08-18 11:23] <.somaz> @ashuradx made a substance to convert substance materials to jka materials btw [2023-08-18 11:27] <siegfried_h> will take a look at it thanks [2023-08-18 11:29] <.somaz> You need to ask him for access. And I'm not sure it's working with later substance painter versions than version 2 [2023-08-18 11:39] <siegfried_h> Okay, I did it with SomaZ's add-on [2023-08-18 11:39] <siegfried_h> It worked [2023-08-18 11:39] <siegfried_h> Thank you so much for your patience [2023-08-18 11:40] <siegfried_h> Also, I'm already used with JKA's shaders, so it won't be a problem [2023-08-18 13:32] <siegfried_h> k thx [2023-08-18 23:24] <zizekslorg> I keep about 17 versions of Blender because various porting tools to old games work only on <insert some old as hell version number> [2023-08-18 23:24] <zizekslorg> at this point i don't care, ngl 😂
Transmission Thread
mrwonko
Have you enabled it in the add-on settings? Also, why do you need md3? Sabers are glm, are they not? If you plan to go the MD3View -> Export as GLM route, make sure to get a version of MD3View that fixed the bug where tags are slightly offset, or your blade will not be in quite the right location.
siegfried_h
Yes, I have enabled it. Well, I learned to create my own sabers through your videos, and you showed that it needs to be exported as .md3 and then transformed into a .glm file through Md3View. That's why I need the .md3 extension to work. So, instead of exporting it as .md3, can I just export it as .glm then?
.somaz
@mrwonko did you ever fix the md3 export though? Cagelight disabled it in favor of my blender addon.
@siegfried_h if you want to go the md3 route, check this out: https://jkhub.org/tutorials/modeling/md3-importexport-using-blender-33-r185/
You can also just import another saber and copy the tags to your model. Might be easier this way.
siegfried_h
Is there another route? I only learned exporting sabers I made through .md3. I imported a saber I made a while ago and here are the meshes it has: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1103343134160728144/1142049652728934480/image.png?ex=6a025edf&is=6a010d5f&hm=d1271bbdba6a43cdff78c7d9abdc2d0e1fca1972ec45e05c2dbc7f57abe9ee3d&
Should I delete EVERYTHING besides the saber tags? Even the scene_root and model_root?
.somaz
That's a glm you imported. I meant an md3 saber file. My addon uses Empties for tags, while wonko's addon uses triangles. If you don't export directly to glm with wonko's addon, then you just add an object (an empty) and rename it. It's easy to use the 'arrows' empty; just give it the tag name. The arrows empty makes it easy to see the tag orientation.
Make sure you read the tutorial though. Material names are handled differently than in wonko's addon. Why rename it? Just export it as md3 and you are good to go.
siegfried_h
I see. About the custom properties though—it's different from the 2.79 version I used a few years ago. It has more options: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1103343134160728144/1142051525489852436/image.png?ex=6a02609d&is=6a010f1d&hm=b4e95e6d1231c8609aa904b0115cb738ad26ef256adc3ba28d2e464969d5d651&
Which one should I pick? Also, what if I make the texture from other software, like Substance Painter? I find it harder to make textures from materials on Blender, I'm still learning how to use all those nodes.
mrwonko
I also removed the md3 support from my version. If you're not going to export directly to glm, importing a glm is not a good place to start, because most md3 exporters will use different tagging than glm uses. If you're going to export as glm, I highly recommend reading the glm plugin's manual.
If you import an existing saber glm, you should be able to re-export it as an equivalent glm without changing anything. That should give you a good place to start. All model formats only carry a single texture name for each surface; anything beyond that is done using shader files. In the end, all that matters in Blender is the material name. I think back when I first built the glm importer, Blender material names had a stricter length limit than JA's 64 characters, so I couldn't directly use material names and used a custom object property instead.
.somaz
You don't need the custom properties in my addon; the blender material names are used instead. If you create your material via blender nodes, you need to bake a texture so the game can use it. The material system between blender and JKA differs too much.
Using Substance is another can of worms. The materials can't be used directly in JKA unless you do rend2 stuff, and this also requires shader definitions. @ashuradx made a tool to convert Substance materials to JKA materials, but you need to ask him for access and I'm not sure it works with versions later than Substance Painter 2.
siegfried_h
Okay, I did it with SomaZ's add-on and it worked! Thank you so much for your patience. I'm already used to JKA's shaders, so that won't be a problem.
zizekslorg
I keep about 17 versions of Blender because various porting tools to old games work only on specific old versions. At this point I don't even care, ngl.