Jed is writing a MilkShape plug-in for Max3D ( "Necessity is the mother of all invention" (http://www.wunderboy.org/index.php) )
Reciently he wrote a tutorial on a hack to export from GMax (Max's free version for Gamers) to SMDs. The reason for not having a real exporter, from what I hear, is that GMax wants Valve to write the plug-in. I am not sure about the reasons why it must be done like this, but I was thinking, what if some user (say Jed for example) wrote a plugin, sent it to valve, and then valve sent it to the GMax guys. Would this work?

Would be cool if it did. BTW, Jed knows a lot of stuff, you should check out his site, good stuff.

Errr lets look at it this way.

To develop plugins and gamepacks for Gmax you require Gmax Dev edition which currently costs a game company something around US $80,000. 3D Studio Max 6 currently retails at just US$3,495 and includes the Max 6 and Character Studio SDK which enables to write binary plugins for Max.

Economically, it makes no financial sense for Valve to go with Gmax and I'm sure Avid gave them a rather nice incentive to go with XSI for HL2.

HL2 XSI is just a branded version of XSI EXP with Valves custom tools added into it. It was probably cheaper (if not free) for Valve to swith to XSI, release a few plug-ins and off you go. This route forces (or encourages) modders to switch to XSI thus helping Avid achieve market penetration of the product and to try and lure Max users away.

Yes, I've heard several Valve dev's rave about XSI but I really cant see anything about it that cant be done in Max anyway. Truth be told, with the new SMD format even Milkshape can do everything except export vertex weights. I also read on the HL2 Faq that plug-ins for Max will be shipped with the SDK too.

In short, don't expect any Valve format Gmax plugins for the foreseeable future.

Do you know of any chance of a Maya plugin as well?

I would hazard a guess at no - from what little I've heard Valve is a Max/XSI shop only.

The SMD format isn't that complex so really its a case of having the relevant SDK for the 3D app and a knowledge of the API interface to write one.

I know Marzy has asked in the past about one for Lightwave and from what little I've read the Lightwave SDK is a bit tricky at times, but theres always the scripting option to try with LScript. I don't know if Maya has a scripting language comparable to LScript ot MAXScript though.

*edit* Seems I was wrong:

http://www.halflife2.net/index.php?page=engine

". XSI, Max and Maya .smd exporters for exporting 3D models"

But no BLOODY LIGHTWAVE !!...:(......lol, come on Valve support me.......lol.

Good to hear, HL1 had a Maya smd exporter, so I was hopefull. Maya's scripting language is called MEL, which I assume is comperable to the scripting languages of the other programs.

Well to be honest, if any 3D package has a scripting language capable of reading a file, can handle arrays, can tokenize a string and allows you to create the basic stuff needed then you *should* be able to write a plugin for it.

I see jed, things are a lot clearer now.
I figured there had to be something along these lines keeping Valve from doing it.

Originally posted by Trp. Jed
you *should* be able to write a plugin for it.

What meaning that i should be able to write a plugin for it, come on Jed, i can hardly write my home language never mind any other.....LMAO..........:D

I meant you as in the royal "we" sense. I only discovered Lightwave did in fact have a scripting language the other day and havent had a chance to investigate it further.

Basic requirements to write a plug-in would be though:

Able to read/write files (basic file i/o function).
Able tokenize or split a string into parts.
Some method of building a mesh based on triangles.
Simple material library interface and assignment be it per mesh or per face.
Simple API to the bone system - bones need to be buildable with just the basic info i.e parentage, position and rotation.

If LScript can do all of the above "your" golden.