From NWN1 Custom Content Guide

Contents 1 Overview 2 To Do 2.1 AuroraBase 2.1.1 Creatures 2.1.2 Placeables 2.1.3 Effects 2.1.4 Tiles 2.1.5 Inventory 2.1.6 Body Parts 2.2 UI 2.3 Tools 2.4 Sanity Checks 2.5 Current Bugs

[edit] Overview

Streamline some of the NWN creation tools, processes, etc. in NWMax to be more user friendly. Such as add in extra tools for pivot fixing (resolve the "exploding model" issue), merge in Velmar's TileSetCreator (TSC) and my TileSet Generator (TSG) into one comprehensive package.

[edit] To Do

• Integrate for NWN1 and NWN2? Lots of things can apply to both since the structure is similar?

• TSC: minimap creation. Has following issue: 1) generates mi_xxx as minimap name where xxx = tilename. This works, but it does not adjust .set file to reflect NEW minimap name. Needs to have check for name length, as some tiles use 15 (or more_ characters for tilename, and when adding mi_ you end up with 18... two more than what will work.

• TSC: If possible, save settings for door color for minimap generation. Currently, you must manually adjust this and keep the settings in a seperate .txt file for reference.

• TSC: Better handling on generation of door entries. Currently, once created, you can't edit them at all. System forces you to generate a cube regardless of selection option chosen (doorbox or cube).

• TSC: Tilebase create assistant, should read from existing, loaded .set file and use that as default entries. Currently defaults to rural which has to be changed for 99% of tiles generated. This should apply to ALL 'bases' getting created. Where possible, grab name from loaded tile as well as from loaded .set.

[edit] AuroraBase

• Better model object type definitions in the AuroraBase (Remove 'Other' and make settings for Placeables, Inventory, Weapons, etc.)
• Allow for a simulation emitter helper to be made as part of the AuroraEmitter object type.
• Fix "exploding model" pivot problem
• Allow for Desparkle Mesh to also affect selected meshes, not require to select the AuroraBase only.
• Add a function that welds all tverts in the selected meshes and removes all unused (the latter can be done by the "Edit Poly" modifier but I reckon there are no tools to mass weld tverts in max).
• Allow for mass/multiple placeables importing. Currently all nodes get mis-linked to nodes already existing in the scene and that use the same name as the nodes' parents in the model being processed. A workaround might be to add a temporary prefix to the nodes being processed, which can be automatically removed after the objects are created in the max scene?

[edit] Creatures

[edit] Placeables

[edit] Effects

[edit] Tiles

[edit] Inventory

[edit] Body Parts

[edit] UI

• Redesign layout and make it less cluttered, move common buttons into one panel.
• Better preferences saving
• Incorporate the AuroraBase model to switch properties based on the type of model (Tile, see TSC panel, etc.)

[edit] Tools

• Better Shadow checking
• Emulate Shadow system - is that even possible?
• Incorporate Velmar's TileSet Creator
• Incorporate ThriKreen's TileSet Generator
• Fix

[edit] Sanity Checks

• Better Export tools for reporting errors
• Highlight offending vertices
• Mass export, list models that failed the sanity check to a window
• Toggle to export anyway if a model fails a sanity check during a mass export
• Check names for 16+ character names, as well as objects for lights, animation nodes, dummy nodes, walkmesh (i.e. autoname it to WOK_A00_00)

[edit] Current Bugs

Some might need double checking

• On model importing, the "Multiplier" field in the MDL Light Parameters is set to 1.0 (by ASCII editing, it can be increased and the game seems to accept the higher multipliers)
• On model importing/exporting, the "spawnType" field of some emitters is set to -1, which requires manual ASCII editing before binary compilation, as nwnmdlcomp aborts with an error if the entry isn't set to either 0 or 1
• On placeable model importing, the "[xxx]_pwk_use01" is always repositioned at 0,0,0 and needs manual re-adjusting before exporting
• On tile model exporting, all multimaterial data are added to the aabb node, and the bitmap field is set to one of the walkmesh materials instead of to a NULL value

From OldMansBeard RPGmodding.com

• The algorithm in NMax for snapping vertices to 1cm is buggy and sometimes causes "off by 1cm" errors, sometimes cumulatively.
• It would be nice if it could re-import animmesh (especially for wavy water).

The snapping bug arises because it doesn't snap vertices to a 1cm grid in world space, it snaps pivots relative to their parents and separately snaps the radial distances of vertices from their pivots so rounding errors can add up rather than cancelling.