Ensuring correct cage without test baking

Rang3r1

Hey guys,

I am working on one of my first full mechanical current gen projects, and I am asking to see if there is a way to ensure that I have my cage setup correctly without having to make tons of test bakes. While I have a fairly decent laptop, bakes still take way to long to use for a testing purpose. Is there a faster and easier way to check?

I use 3ds max 9-2010.

divi

lower the resolution and only do a normal map bake? that's what i do for test bakes at least.

EarthQuake

As you do more work, you'll sort of... Learn how to model so that you're not getting a lot of ray issues, really that is the best way to speed up, its just down to experience.

Rang3r1

Ok, thanks guys, one more question, a little tougher one. I am using Racer445's awesome current gen VTM, and he exports his cage to a mesh and works that way. I followed his actions exactly, but when I look at the cage that I exported, the low poly doesn't seem to recognize it as being it's cage parameters.... What did I do wrong, and how do I fix it? I spent a couple hours getting it almost perfect, but all that was in vain now....

Nevermind with that, I figured it out, for some reason max wouldn't let me import the cage mesh, then it suddenly did....

Now how do I get it to properly export weird texture sizes, such as 2048x1024.......