Finding a common model format for Unreal3 editing

Minos

Hey guys.

I'm currently working on a Unreal3 modification and the fact that some env artists use max and others use maya is becoming a huge annoyance. I'm a max 8 user myself and whenever I import .obj files I get a lot of flipped faces, besides also losing all the UV information. I tried importing the .mtl file as well but max returned an error msg. That's very annoying.

I searched around for an .ase importer but couldn't find any. Autodesk offers an ase importer as a sdk sample in their site but it's uncompiled script stuff and I have no idea on how to compile it.

I have also tried importing .3ds files but those also give me weird issues. I'm starting to wonder if it's just max8 that's a bitch when it comes to importing other formats.

So what would be a nice error-free file format to share models between Max and Maya users?

warby

filmbox /collada is supposed to do that but i have never seen it work either best solution would be to kick out all the max or maya users or force em to use the other tool. because this kind of development you have on your hands there must end in a disaster !

EarthQuake

Obj losing UV co-ords? Most likely you have the export settings set up wrong. Unless you're talking multiple uv co-ords. In which case i've yet to see a good format that will support that. I use modo and maya here at work, and maya has some pretty good tools for transfering uvs, so here is what i do to get multiple uvs from modo to maya:

Save a copy of my mesh with the 1st uv channel
Save a copy of my mesh with the 2st uv channel
Load up the 1st, create an empty uv channel and make it active in maya
Load up the 2nd, and run transfer-attributes on it to copy uvs, DONE.

Kawe

Download latest FBX for your versions. FBX should work well... you may have to change so it uses the same coordinate space. iirc... Max up vector is z+ while Maya is y+?