Bat4Max 2K edition V 4.5

[SimFox 804]

Well the problem it will not look like it look, or to be precise if you do such render will not look the way you final export will. Even now. But once you start learning about advanced features and material ther will not be way back to Scanline. And the is no point using Max you don't wanna use those advanced materials, for instance.

[AsianEvolusioner 18]

i see...

i realize there is alot of things i should learn while using 3dsMax. Interesting and challenging i think... guess i will spend more time to find out how to use this Max better in the future....

thanks alot SimFox....

btw, i just noticed that ur profile pic is actually a group teapots (on the past couple years i thought it was just random circles.... lol)

[SimFox 804]

Well it is like a secret handshake thing... only those intimate with 3d will see it :-)

[Hanson784 165]

Is there a way to convert Gmax files into 3DS or Max format?

The reason I'm asking is I'm finally able to use BAT4Max because of Autodesk's special trial offer but I want to transfer all of my files from the old BAT into BAT4Max. Does anyone know of a way to do this?

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Hanson784- Have you try this. I have some problems with the way my building ook or something. Click

[thingfishs 417]

after a reinstall of MAX (2010), gmax & Bat4Max, I am getting the following error in Max "couldn't find camera "camera Z5" " when I try to use LTBL or when I try and change rotation in the preview bit. It still exports the LODs but when I try to export them in gmax I get "failed to set cameras" and then "code = 0"

I found mention that it may have something to do with making sure you're in the S rotation, but as I've mentioned, I get the error message when I try and do that. I also read about checking the XREF scene settings and in both Max & gmax the right entry is already in place (although they are in red text, prior to being selected).

I have double checked the installation and everything is in the right folders. I have reinstalled Max & Bat4Max without success. Any ideas?

[SimFox 804]

It looks like your cameraRig files are missing. That's why the paths are in red. make sure that the files are there where they are supposed to be.

export of LODs has nothing to do with the "export" of model. It doesn't need any camera or lights, so it proceeds fine.

Oddest thing here is that you have the same problem with GMAX. I mean in Bat4max you have to manually move files around, but in GMAXbat it all handled by installer.

[thingfishs 417]

thanks SF,

I have the TB2_CameraLightRig in my C:/3DSMAX2010/gamepacks/BAT/scenes/startup & C:/3DSMAX2010/gamepacks/BAT/scenes/CamLightRigs. My C/3DSMAX2010/gamepacks/BAT/scripts folder has CPCamerRig & SFCameraRig_HD.

My gmax/gamepacks/BAT/scenes/CamLightRigs has 4 TB2 files and my gmax/gamepacks/BAT/scenes/startup folder has TB2_CamerLightRig. The gmax/gamepacks/BAT/scripts folder has CameraRig & SFCameraRigHD.

Are these the right files in the right places ?(I'm pretty sure this same setup was working for me previously, but I could be wrong) Is there something else I'm missing?

[SimFox 804]

yep. those sound legit!

However, these are default locations that are dependent on the current installation of both Max and GMAX. these should work fine with new clean scenes, the once you create in these installations. If, on the other hand you have old files that were created in previous installations they would have links to XRefs pointing to the location of the files that was default in those previous installation. At least this is the case with BAT4MAX, not entirely sure how GMAX does it. Also GMAX by default installs itself to the same very place, the only difference may be if you yourself had at some point selected some custom path.

At any rate this is all i can think of at the moment and without actually see your computer...

BTW those red paths do suggest the same...

[thingfishs 417]

OK, thanks, I'll have a play around. At least I know everything is in the right spot.

[thingfishs 417]

Well it's sort of working.

However I am having to reset it in max and gmax, every time. In max it is looking for ._TB2... but the file is called .TB2... ?

Also when I view the rendered model in the LE, it only looks OK from one angle. (I've just had a flashback to needing to set S as the orientation, is this the likely problem?)

[couchpotato 8]

Is there a location where we can see the correct layout for your BAT4Max files under max 2010?

[thingfishs 417]

Hi again couchpotato, it's been a while,

Do you mean where the Bat4Max files are installed? If so I outlined it in one of my previous posts.

I have since tried with the same model switching from S to E to S without any change.

Also I might as well ask this now. As a student I have jumped on the Autodesk bandwagon and now have Max 2011 to play with (not that I know what 2010 can do yet;-))

Before I install it though, I want to get my head around this stuff. I probably should have asked before I downloaded it (but it's free, who cares), but will Bat4Max work with Max 2011?

[couchpotato 8]

Originally posted by: thingfishs

Hi again couchpotato, it's been a while,

Do you mean where the Bat4Max files are installed? If so I outlined it in one of my previous posts.

I have since tried with the same model switching from S to E to S without any change.

Also I might as well ask this now. As a student I have jumped on the Autodesk bandwagon and now have Max 2011 to play with (not that I know what 2010 can do yet;-))

Before I install it though, I want to get my head around this stuff. I probably should have asked before I downloaded it (but it's free, who cares), but will Bat4Max work with Max 2011?

quote>

Thanks thingfishs, but I was hoping for a picture showing gamepack\BAT\etc.........

and then C:\Scripts... and Startup with all their needed files.   Pictures really help. 

Edit:  The reason I'd like an official picture of the correct layout is how many different versions of layout appear in this thread and all seem to be correct.   Some put the BATforMAX ini through System bmp under C:....\gamepacks\BAT and some put it in the Temp folder and both are told it's correct.   It's confusing.

Never mind... problem fixed... thanks thingfishs

About your problem, do you have the Maxis original ModelNames.ms in both your Max & Gmax script directories?    Do so if you don't.  

[thingfishs 417]

OK, I will do that when I get a chance tomorrow.

Are you wanting the photos to assist me with my issue, or to figure something else of your own out?

Another model I have since rendered has turned out OK, but the same from all 4 angles. I should have said that these are not my creations, but are free model from the web, that I guess may have conflicting settings somewhere.

What's the best way to deal with various models of various sources?

[thianz 63]

please help.

I'm using 3ds Max 2009 and this was rendered in SD and with BAT4MAX2K1 v4.5 (I upgrade to v4.5 yesterday)

but the problem the same.

the building :460meters height

wireframe is complete. (0~460m)

texture is only half.  (about 0~250m)

i use i made Cameralightrig,the lightingrig mainlignt is 10000 meters height.

How can i export  a tall building like this.

i know this is Maxis original problem, but plz help.

sorry my poor engligh

[SimFox 804]

khe... khe....

You were given the answer already... And this answer is V-Ray! That is the cause of your problem. In it cameras are always forced to clip out anything that can not be in their filed of view.

While you were using Bat4Max 2.6 this (the use of V-Ray) couldn't technically be considered mistake since the choice of the renderer was open. Although it was suggested to use Mental Ray. This was done in part because MR is a part of every Max package, and in part exactly because I've run into problem just like this couple of years ago.

In Bat4Max 4.5 LetThereBeLight is a part of workflow. And it is so not for vanity, but because it is a solution that is guarantied to work and to deliver results compatible with SC4 look. And as a part of setting environmental lighting for the scene it selects Mental Ray as a renderer. So, as you see V-Ray (as well as any other renderer) is completely out. At the moment there isn't really any alternative to MR. V-Ray (apart of costing another 1000+ US $) has a problem what you have demonstrated, unbiased renderers like Fry or Arion are incompatible with export process cause they are essentially open ended - user decides when picture rendering is done by simply looking at it - fine when you have individual image and good trained eye - madness when you have to have 40 images and well...

So, for now, it is Mental Ray. I suggest you to click on "Day" button in your LetThereBeLight roll-out. It will do all the settings for you. Naturally, you would need to replace/convert your material and lights to those compatible with Mental Ray, cause if you don't all V-Ray mats will be rendered black and V-ray Lights will be ignored. I would recommend making EVERYTHING our of Arch&Design materials. This combo MR and Arch6Design mats is easy to use and extremely versatile. I really believe it does give V-Ray run for its money!

PS.

besides the chopped off top you also have that nasty whitish outline around the contour of the building. In LtbL workflow set Mr Physical Sky as your background map. This would deal away with this nastiness plus five your up facing reflectives more natural look.

[thianz 63]

Thanks you very much.

[nofunk 1,935]

Not sure whether to post this in here, or in the 3ds max thread. In any event, I just installed max 2010 and I think I'm having some render issues.

Here are two renders. The first is from max 8; the second from max 2010. Textures are the same in both.

         

I set BAT4max up per the instructions here, and JasonCW has also taken a look at the settings, etc., and we're both thinking gamma? Not sure though.

SimFox -- I seem to remember from our work on the Logan Arms that the same textures rendered in max 2010 look different from max 8, but the above results were surprising to me. Jason was also concerned about how dark the shadows are on the east wall.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

The differences in how the materials look isn't surprising to me, you did jump 3 versions (I have had rather drastic changes moving from 2009 to 2010). I would try to bring the hue and value of the materials close to where you had them in max 8, that will at least give you an idea of how the shadow looks in a more apples to apples comparison.

I don't know, it might just be max '10. When I tried exporting some things a while back the shadow side seemed unusually dark for whatever reason. Perhaps Simfox can illuminate us.

[SimFox 804]

the reason is that Gamma settings for some reason do not kick in when set by scripts. All you need to do now is to open Gamma and LUT tab in Customize -> Preferences, don't change anything there and just click on OK. After that everything will be set right.

I'm not sure fro such abnormal behavior. And I didn't noticed it right from the start since my Max had been always set for such gamma correction. And this is problem ONLY in first start by scripts. After that if you manually disable gamma and then restart Max scripts will be able to set everything by themselves just fine... Only very first time has this problem...

[Girafe 1,729]

I post there to ask some help about night view.

I have 3dsmax 2010 and need to have different night and day views. Of course there is no modification of LODs between the day and night renders but I have some bugs cf. picture

Indeed in the night view I deleted flag and skiers but some stay why ??

it seems that the bugs are items close to LODs ...

[Jasoncw 12,030]

I think that at night, the night .FSHs (the rendered images) don't replace the day ones, but are layered on top of the day ones. I think it goes something like day+blue tint+night. So, the silhouette of the night render and day render need to be the same (or, perhaps the night render could have a larger silhouette, idk).

[SimFox 804]

^^

precisely

[Girafe 1,729]

ty for this information

so no solution in order to have 1 day view and 1 nightview totally different ?

edit: I have though again on the items which was wrong and it's better

[nofunk 1,935]

Originally posted by: SimFox

the reason is that Gamma settings for some reason do not kick in when set by scripts. All you need to do now is to open Gamma and LUT tab in Customize -> Preferences, don't change anything there and just click on OK. After that everything will be set right.

I'm not sure fro such abnormal behavior. And I didn't noticed it right from the start since my Max had been always set for such gamma correction. And this is problem ONLY in first start by scripts. After that if you manually disable gamma and then restart Max scripts will be able to set everything by themselves just fine... Only very first time has this problem...quote>

Sorry it took me so long to check this, but it worked! Thanks, SimFox!!

[PBGV103 729]

Hey SimFox, would you recommend that I upgrade from 4 to 8GB of memory for 3ds max 64bit? I haven't run into any memory issues yet, but I haven't done any major exports either. I think the max usage so far was about 2.8GB.

Thanks,

Paul

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

I know that a few of us Max 2010 users have hit memory problems in large scenes (usually for no good reason other than its size, although none of us are near the capacity of the program), however it has not been an issue that turning on the 3GB switch hasn't fixed. I don't know the specifics of a 64bit system, how it allocates memory or if 2011 has had this issue dealt with (for all I know, max already gets more than enough memory), but more never hurts.

[PBGV103 729]

Yeah Crucial just dropped their price some so I think I'll go ahead and buy the upgrade. The minimum memory allowed by Autodesk for the 64bit version is 4GB, and I believe the maximum usable memory by Win 7 64bit is 192GB, which short of a super-computer would be impossible to use. That said, I don't know the maximum memory usable by 3ds max, but I do know that people often hook up a network of computers with 3ds max for major renders, which leads me to believe the memory limit is very high. I really don't know a lot about computers though, so I could be totally off base.

Edit:  I'm afraid I might run into other problems as well.  I'm using a macbook pro with 64 bit snow leopard and running win 7 64 bit on bootcamp.  This version of bootcamp is still in beta and snow leopard boots in 32 bit mode because not all of the extensions are 64 bit yet.  Thus, I may hit a 32 bit wall in win 7 at some point (because bootcamp is basically an emulator) and only be able to use 4 GB of memory at a time!  I think it would be pretty bad if I buy a ram upgrade and end up not being able to use it.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Memory can only get cheaper, waiting is never a loss in that respect. As long as you don't go off modeling a night scene of 90% of hong kong with realistic lights, glass, and interior modeling, you should be ok (most of the things we do are small and trivial in light of 3dsmax's power). Even if you do, there are workarounds, like xrefs and things, to bring down the demands of the scene.

Oh, and rendering is done exclusively by the CPU (although the system may also need a great deal of memory at this time as well, it does not effect the rate of rendering as far as I know), that is what render farms do, network a number of CPUs (I think back burner handles 8?) to make things go quicker.