Overview
—>>Download guide in PDF format[aom.heavengames.com]<<–The purpose of this guide is to instruct users in the art of modeling for use in Age of Mythology Extended Edition. While this guide makes use of only beginner level 3D modeling skills, you will find that these are sufficient to address most AoMEE modding projects. Modeling necessarily requires a discussion of texturing which will be covered in some detail although specific 2D art skills will not be covered. This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to 3ds Max – we will only be using a tiny portion of the program’s functionality. However, frequent references are made to more advanced topics and guides where appropriate. This guide assumes basic familiarity with EE’s mod manager[aom.heavengames.com] as well as basic elements of anim modding.Table of ContentsRequired ApplicationsIntroduction to Modeling: Basics1 Static Models1.1 Importing1.2 Viewport Controls1.3 Editing Attachpoints1.4 Applying Textures & Materials1.5 Object & Sub-Object Editing1.6 Creating New Sub-Object Geometry1.7 Creating New Object Geometry2 Texturing2.1 Using Existing Textures & Materials2.2 Creating Simple Texture Maps2.3 Creating Unwrapped Maps2.4 Player Color2.5 Texture Baking2.6 Binary Transparency Textures2.7 Specular, Gloss, & Normal Effects2.8 Ghost Textures2.9 Icons3 Animations3.1 Vertex Animation3.2 Biped Animation3.3 Rigging & Skinning3.4 Combining Animations3.5 Animated UV Maps4 Exporting to EE & Common Errors5 Porting Models from Other Sources5.1 Typical File Formats & Useful Applications5.2 Example 1: Age of Empires III – Working w/ Granny Animations5.3 Example 2: Halo 3 – Assigning Material IDs5.4 Example 3: World of Warcraft – Working w/ FBX Animations5.5 Optimizing High-Poly Models5.6 Ethical Use6 Alternative Model Files6.1 GRN Files: Granny 3D6.2 LNG Files: Lightning & Beam Effects6.3 PRT Files: Particles6.4 DCL Files: Selection Circles, Footsteps, & Dynamic Lighting7 Special Topics7.1 MTRL Files: Materials7.2 BTI Files7.3 BTX Files7.4 Sprites7.5 LGT Files7.6 Skyboxes