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Other Art Path Improvements
[3.5]

3ds max 5 Edit Normals Support

The Edit Normals modifier in 3ds max 5 gives artists fine control over the normals used for mesh objects. Any tweaks that are set-up using this modifier are now honored in the RenderWare geometry exported.

More Per Object Controls

The export tools now provide per-object control of many exporter settings such as export of vertex normals, vertex prelight and toon rendering. This extra control allows artists to fine tune small sections of the scene without splitting the export process into multiple parts.

Plugin Manager Control

The new plugin manager dialog allows artists to quickly diagnose problems by listing the location and version of all exporter components. Any custom OpenExport plugins are also listed making it easy to tell what customizations are being used.

3ds max Batch Exports

Recursive batch exports make it easy for artists to quickly re-export multiple 3ds max scenes. The assets for an entire game can now be exported with a single click.

Export Wizard

The RenderWare Export Wizard now guides the user through the first export performed on a scene. The common export options are set-up easily without the need to work through advanced options.

Managed Assets

By default the exporter now transparently handles the decision of how a scene should be split into RenderWare export assets. As the scene is modified this information is automatically updated so there is no need to manually update export options. Of course the user may take manual control at any time to tune options to their particular requirements.

Platform Specific Exports

Exports may now be targeted explicitly at a particular platform. A RenderWare stream relevant to that platform will be generated and the default export options will be fine-tuned to the selected platform. Multiple platforms may also be targeted by a single export operation.

Better Error Detection

The exporter error checking code has been expanded to detect and give warnings about areas of the scene that may require attention. The checks performed are tuned to the platform being targeted. The list of new checks includes:

Invalid texture sizes
Invalid bone counts
Unweighted skin vertices
Unsupported modifiers
Unsupported animation

Open Export Improvements

Better API documentation

API documentation for the OpenExport architecture is now provided in CHM format. The RwComm, RwExp, RwMax and RwMaya layers are all documented making it easier to develop OpenExport plugins. Class hierarchy diagrams visualize the architecture aiding learning.

New Examples

More OpenExport examples have been provided giving new users more help in learning to use the OpenExport SDK. New examples include:

Extending the exporter animation support to include scale animation
A cut down exporter plugin showing the whole architecture from builder to exporter
Customizing the export manager to alter how RenderWare streams are created

Improved Return Values

RwCommError has been extended to provide more detailed error codes from SDK functions.

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Other Art Path Improvements [3.5]