TUT:Complete Guide to Creating Units in 3ds Max

This is a tutorial on how to create units in 3ds Max for use in Civ4 from scratch. It deals with the following topics:

- Modeling
- Texturing
- Rigging
- Skinning
- Animating
- Set-up
- Effects
- Sounds
- Exporting

I tried to write it begginer friendly, nevertheless more experianced users might find something useful too. The first parts are not described in detail and you will need to do 3ds Max tutorials first. Instead I put more stress on things specific for Civ units. It is still not 100% complete because I simply didn't figure out some aspects myself.

I hope it will help you and encourage to make new amazing units for Civilization - one of the best games ever.
Please post your comments, improvement ideas or any mistakes that you found so that I can fix it in next release.

Download ver.0.9 here



I found a mistake. The effects should be linked to MD not Effect. I will correct it in new ver.

 

Great, it's officially up! Terrific job sharick. Many thanks.

 

wow you're my god nice gift in day of my birthday

 

great tutorial and i like this style "click this type this" and adding a lot of screenshots, it's very important in tutorial if you making something for the first time - this bug was in official tutorial - they made it in short way like for people who knows everything in civ4 anmations and modelling but needs only refreshing and ressuming (but it was also help in some other aspects - sounds and effects)... so i couldn't make animations.

finally i've learned how to make them.

and just in time cause ju-88 german fighter is ready for adding to it animations.

i wanted to sit on airplane's animations tomorrow. you saved me a lot of time and made this animations possible

and even dummies aren't tough - and now i know how they work and what for they are (didn't knew that are only boxes with changed texture to wires) and now it looks very simple

 

@asioasioasio - Happy Birthday and Sto Lat!!!

 

hehe thx

 

Thanks you! This tutorail helps me a lot in making my Yamato

 

Excelent!! This Tutorial seems to be a good one!! ... I´ll read it tonight ... Thanks a lot man

 

I'm trying to find out exactly where you put the max plugin in the 3ds max folder. I have version 7, Can anyone help?

 

From Kael's plugin thread:

I just did this for my laptop and it's accurate.

 

Brilliant, many thanks woodelf!

PS Like the Ian Anderson pic...my hero

 

How applicable is this to leaderheads? Very well written guide by the way, This will be awesome when i finally get 3ds =)

 

The animation are defined the same way with LH's.
However you will have to use other shaders and probably would run into trouble with Effects/Sounds stuff.

 

how do you edit existing meshes that are all one piece? I s there a way to break it down?
For example i am editing modern armor. I want a futuristic tank but i want it similar so as to reflect the next generation.

 

You can select parts of a mesh on different sub-oblect level - eg. faces, edges, vertices - and detach these. You can also edit them without actually separating the parts from the model.

The controlls for sublevel selection are on the right hand tool-bar, below the modifier stack.
You can see them in some of the screenshots of this tutrial. It is however a basic technique not specific to Civ and so this tutorail does not focus on it.

Since you have to ask i must assume, that you are completely unfamiliar with 3ds or modelling software in general. You should start with catching up some basics, before going into more specific tutorials like this one.
It's not hard, but you can't just jump in in the middle without even the basic knowledge of the most important concepts ant the interface.
Doing a few of the tutorial included with 3ds is a good way. Or look for some Low-Poly tutorial on the net.

 

Yes you would be correct. This is my first model creation. I did all the tutorials that came with 3ds and been hunting down other tutorials. I have the plugins and stuff and fiddling around with everything see what i can make do what. I have a lot of modding experience in nifskope using it to do do cool and interesting things but its not enough...I want to create.

 

A quick question: I cannot find, in any tutorial, how to get to the civilization IV shader?

Now, I assume it is to be simple and self explanatory. I have max 9 so some things are slightly different but not terribly so.
I cannot find that anywhere in the material editor. I have installed the 3dmax plugin to the directory.

In the material editor: i have materials like directx shader, shader lists (Texture,shadow, environment, etc)
How necessary is shaders? But I dont want to run into problems when i start damaged states and animation.

and just because i like to post a pic of what i am working on. (i gave up for the moment on the sea monster thing)

Spoiler :

 

The Civ4 shaders come from Firaxis Plugin - should be linked somewhere on top of the Forum. There are only plugins up to Max 8 however - not sure if it is going to work on 9. If it doesn't work, you can still export with the shader you get with the NifTools plugin from Sourceforge ant then try to switch the shaders in NifScope.

 

I tried fallowing this Turtorial untill I reached a point where it sais:
Weigh Tool from Weight Properties
Where is this tool located? The turtorial makes no reference about its location.
(I am using max 7)

 

You need to apply the Skin modifier to your model first. The you can switch into "edit envelope" mode within the modifier to access a variety of tools for editing vertex weights from the rollouts in the toolbar.