looking for a simple GUI

KdjaCL

Wondering if anyone could make a small GUI for a plugin for 3ds max.

Its DOS run plugin these are all the commands for it.

max2skl animname [-force] [-scale num] [-dest name]
[-ignore filename] [-origin originname] [-reverse]
[-verbose] [-nolod] [-noclampz] [-zeroz] [-noorigin]
[-clearz] [-clearxy] [-baseframe] [-maxbones num]
[-weightthreshold num]
[-offset x y z] [-clearx] [-cleary] [-loop]
[-zerox] [-zeroy] [-destdir dirname]
[-dest filename] [-ignoreflags] [-fps num]
[-newbaseframe]
[-morphbase filename] [-morphanim filename]
[-nologfile]
[-attachedModel]
[-doRotation]
[-animtype <fullbody|movement|action|hands|morphonly>]
[-speedscale scale]
[-mohaa]


http://homepage.eircom.net/~abyrne/sdk/Tools.ace

This is the actual plugin.
It simply takes a model exported with 3ds max and codes it into a filetype that MOHAA recognises.

Assume someone with C++ could make a simple GUI for it as most of the kids on my website cant use DOS.

thx

kdjac

marauder

I just installed C# in my machine last Sunday and decided this would be a good project to get me going.

I haven't used 3dsmax or its plugins so I dont know what all the paramters are. I put together the user interface just by following the parameter list you supplied but as you can see its messy. :eek: Is there any way I could better group the fields.... maybe with panels etc. to cluster related options .. let me know..

Hobbes

Your OK button is just a tad large.

You might want to get a list of all the valid options you can have for each command and put some kind of field validation in (eg. Drop down list instead of type anything).

Also if KdjaC is good enough to explain the fields maybe group them off into the same areas

KdjaCL

Nice work ,will explain what this does and can do may help you out.

You create a model in 3ds say a static model like a teapot for the game to see and register ,it must be exported into a format it recognises.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~abyrne/sdk/tutorials/Exporting%20Animated%20Models.html

This is a basic tutorial to export a static model but to export say a gun and a reload animation you would nbeed to add in some of the parameters listed above as it will create a differnet filetype or model type to be precise.

Its a very simple plugin with little or no frills you export your file in 3ds then "run it throught" the plugin so to speak.

Thx for trying it.

kdjac

marauder

KdjaC,
the tutorial is not really what I was looking for. I want to know what options are used together etc so that I could lay it out better. After all the point is to make it easy to use...
I did a google for max2skl and found the reference guide . It looks like an older version of the one you are running. Anyhow I re-did the layout to group the associated items as best as I could figure out ... There were a few I wasn't sure about.
Take a look and let me know if anything needs to be moved. I will tidy up the spacings etc when the grouping is finalised....

Hobbes
the go! button is smaller - see what you think

KdjaCL

Looks excellent ,the reference guide you foiund is perfect FAKK2 uses the same q3 engine and 3d models in a proprietary file type (SK.)


good job

kdjac

marauder

KdjaC,
here is rev 1. It should work in that passes the arguments to the dos command line. I tried it with some other programs and it worked. I can't test it thoroughly as I don't have max2skl, or any models. I scanned it for viruses but you should check too.

Anyway its simple to use.
Enter in the info in the fields and click GO. It then pops up a dialog with the full command line thats its going to run.
Click OK if its good and Cancel if it needs changes.
It then runs max2skl with the requested options.
The output of max2skl is trapped and passed to another dialog box that pops up when the program is finished.
This might be a problem as I don't know how much output max2skl generates, especially when verbose is selected....

KdjaCL

Thank you very much the modelling guys have this now and are very impressed with it.

Excellent job.

if you need something else to try we have another CMD line program similiar but does weirder things.


Thanks again.




kdjac

bonkey

Originally posted by marauder
Take a look and let me know if anything needs to be moved.

Just on a picky note....

Windows UI standards say that any button which causes a dialog box to pop up should have an elipsis at the end of the text to indicate this.

Thus the text on all of your browse buttons should ideally be : "Browse..."

Also, fix your widths and positioning. Your labels and controls should be vertically "in line" wherever possible. Similarly, the frames should be the same width as each other when vertically arranged, rather than the slightly in-out layout at the moment, which is based around the required space.

They're trivial things, but you'd be amazed how something like that can make any layout look "somehow wrong".

Oh - and I didnt check the image closely - do you have shortcut keys for each control, or at least for each frame? Dont want this to be mouse-only

jc

marauder

Bonkey, I fixed the alignment stuff on the final version - I didn't post an image of that, but you are right it does make a huge difference . I did not add the elipsis, but I will. Didn't bother with shortcut keys either...

KdjaC, let me know what else you need....