append vertices in 3ds max

dejawolf

hello,
just wondering if theres some way to append vertices in 3ds max without messing up the current order of vertices?
e.g all the vertices should have their current IDs, so if i select vertex 1, it should be the one at the front, and not all of a sudden the one at the back.

Rob Galanakis

This is usually the case when attaching geometry in Max. But I wouldn't rely on it and relying on vertex render order to do anything is a bad idea- find another way to distinguish sub-objects.

dejawolf

Rob Galanakis wrote: »

This is usually the case when attaching geometry in Max. But I wouldn't rely on it and relying on vertex render order to do anything is a bad idea- find another way to distinguish sub-objects.

no, thats not an option in this case. i absolutely need to have the same vertex order.
i have an external program which relies on vertex order to paint "damages".
and changing the vertex order means repainting it again.

dejawolf

oh wait, did you say attaching objects maintains vertex order?
well, i tested, and it doesn't.

PolyHertz

that's odd, attaching objects in max should maintain the original objects vert order, its the object that's being attached that'll have them re-arranged (can't have multiples of the same number vert after all).

Eric Chadwick

Precise vertex order, as in left-to-right first-to-last, is going to be difficult. If you want that, create all the verts by hand and then create the faces for them. Or you could try exporting to OBJ and editing that in a text editor, yuck.

There are some scripts for showing the vertex numbers in the viewport. Max 2008 has an option for this in Editable Poly, same section as the sub-object buttons. Might help.

dejawolf

ok thanks. well, attaching didn't completely mess all the vertices around, but pretty much still.
i'll try creating the vertices, and connecting faces between them.

dejawolf

tried the vertex creation, same issue..

Rob Galanakis

If you must maintain vertex order, the only way to do this properly is via a script that will re-create the entire mesh with proper vertex order. It would be very slow and a big pain, but would do the job.

Eric Chadwick

Are you using Editable Mesh alone? If you're using Editable Poly, or converting between the two, or using modifiers, these can all change the vertex order inadvertently. Sticking with Editable Mesh is the best course if vertex order is important to you.

Also, Verty might help. Not sure if it still works in the latest Max versions, but it did have some useful vertex tools.

dejawolf

verty doesn't work on max 8, can't install it.
some sort of issue with "mixinterfance"