Because 3ds Max can export their models to FBX, which papatran (comes with PA) then converts to papa files. That's how Uber's work flow is as well. See zx0's tutorial thread.
Great help! I have loaded a terrain-brush into blender, converted it to .fbx, imported into 3dmax, export to .fbx and converted back to .papa with papatran. It is loaded into PA without crashing but it seems it lost his textures, it is all transparent. Does anyone of you know what could have gone wrong in the process?
Blenders fbx export is bad. You may have lost the uv map when going from blender to 3ds Max. With papatran did you use --texture-mode reference?
I tried with a root bone and I tried with the original texture bones, both didn't work. I exported without animation
I used papatran.exe --texture-mode reference -o {filename.papa} {filename.fbx} from the post of raevn
This is getting out of the dump Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601] Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. C:\Users\Martijn>cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Planetary Anni hilation\bin_x64\tools C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Planetary Annihilation\bin_x64\too ls>papadump.exe water_pit_09.papa 0 textures. 1 vertex buffer: 0: format: Position3Normal3Color4TexCoord4 number vertices: 3132 1 index buffer: 0: format: IF_UInt16 number indices: 3180 1 material: 0: shader: "solid" 1 vector parameter: 0: name: "DiffuseColor" value: Vec4<float>(1,1,1,1) 0 texture parameters. 0 matrix parameters. 1 mesh: 0: vertex buffer index: 0 index buffer index: 0 1 material group: 0: name: "" material index: 0 first index: 0 num primitives: 1060 primitive type: PRIM_Triangles 0 skeletons. 1 model: 0: name: "Mesh" model2scene: -1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 -0.000000 -1.000000 -0.000000 0.000000 -0.000000 -0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 skeleton_data: -1 1 mesh binding: 0: name: "Mesh" mesh index: 0 mesh2model: 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 -0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0 bone mappings. 0 animations. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Planetary Annihilation\bin_x64\too ls>
If it's a terrain brush you don't need to have any bones. Papatran will add all the bones you need. Looks like there's no uv map.
It seems i'm missing more than just textures. I have compared the .papa with the original and I am missing all textures and materials. ....crap....
nice! I have added them to my links. what I meant though is that the origenal .papa (brush) points to the .papa (png) files. The .papa from the .bfx is not. so I figured. no pointer, no loading of the texture. But I am just feeling in darkness. I will add a picture of the dump.
Import is working fine for me and I can export the files i import too, but every time I try to export one of my own models I get this. Am I missing something or am I just retarded? And does the exporter also work for animations? As I understand it, every animation is saved in a seperate .papa file, is that possible to do with this exporter?
It means you haven't set up the vertex groups properly. Each vertex can only be in group (and must be in one), and each bone other than the following needs a corresponding vertex group named the same as the bone: "<unit name>_mesh" "Solid" "DiffuseColor" Vertex groups are what tells the model which vertexes are linked with a particular bone, so when the bone moves the vertexes move along with it. /offtopic: @DeathByDenim : loving the sig!