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[Pocket]

I'm in the process of trying to make a Minecraft-themed map for TF2 (specifically, a recreation of someone else's recreation of Mann Manor), and I'm converting some things into models. So far I've made a torch, a bed, and a chest that opens and closes, but fire is giving me trouble. Here's what it looks like in 3ds Max:



And here it is in Hammer:



No idea what's happened here; it looks like the texture alignment got corrupted somehow. The texture in question has Clamp S and Clamp T enabled and I had some trouble getting it to align ideally when I made the model in Hammer (which I then saved as a map and imported, because I can't be bothered to learn UV unwrapping just for this), but if it looked right in Max then it should have exported without issue, right?

[Joris Ceoen]

Maybe try to disable Clamping options as I think they only work on vertical and horizontal surfaces. A model texture does not require these settings whatsoever. The reason I'm thinking this is because that is essentially what's going wrong with one and the same texture on a single model. Otherwise something is going wrong during the export. Makes sure you don't have any unwelded vertices that are on the same spot (Co-ordinated vertices), however I think it's unlikely that is the source of the problem.

If all else fails, please send the model to me so I can investigate into what's going wrong, but it's a good idea to try the suggestion above first.

[Pocket]

Do model textures auto-clamp, then? Because when I was working on it in Hammer, there were some bits of the bottom poking out of the top even with perfect fit alignment. I'll gladly redo the texture if it won't just cause that issue to come back (it's animated, so I don't really feel like re-exporting every frame with extra padding except as an absolute last resort).

Also FYI there's something seriously wrong with your forum server; I accidentally triple-posted this whole thread because it was just sitting there on the "Connecting to wallworm.net" message for like five minutes and I thought it wasn't working and I was aborting the process by clicking Back.

EDIT: oh and of course posting replies has no delay, story of my life

[CarbonCopyCat]

Do model textures auto-clamp, then? Because when I was working on it in Hammer, there were some bits of the bottom poking out of the top even with perfect fit alignment.

For a similar thing to clamping in models, add a UVW Map modifier to the model and use face mapping. It aligns the texture to each face, which is probably what you're looking for. The model seems like it already has proper UVs though, so doing so is probably unnecessary. As Joris Ceoen said, disabling clamping will most likely fix the problem.
If you're planning on creating the models entirely in Hammer, you should take a look at Propper instead, though I'd think aligning the textures would be easier to do in Max.

[Joris Ceoen]

Do model textures auto-clamp, then? Because when I was working on it in Hammer, there were some bits of the bottom poking out of the top even with perfect fit alignment.

Model textures don't auto-clamp, instead they have much more precise control on how they display the texture. You should always remember that brushes in Hammer are extremely rigid. This is not simply limited to their geometry as the texturing on them can only be planar, and Hammer does not store precise decimals. In other words, you'll often find your texture moved slightly back and forth even when closing and reopening your level.

This, first of all, does not happen when designing your level in 3DS Max with Wall Worm, but it doesn't happen at all on a model, which can store up to X decimals in precise placement of the textures. You won't have any problems in a model which accepts any form of texturing or geometry. That's why Propper is a great tool that unfortunatly can only go so far. Propper is not a modeling tool, it simply converts brushwork into a prop. The problem with that is that it is limited to the same problems as a brush all the way up to the moment the prop is output (to which you can only modify it in 3DS Max).

Finally, clamping is only used on Skybox textures to make sure that there are no seams visible in the skybox, which it usually does if you don't select the options. I'm sure they're ment for horizontal and skybox textures only purposes, because in all my time in Source so far, I have never ever seen the clamping options being used elsewhere.

For a similar thing to clamping in models, add a UVW Map modifier to the model and use face box mapping. It aligns the texture to each face, which is probably what you're looking for. If you're planning on creating the models entirely in Hammer, you should take a look at Propper instead, though I'd think aligning the textures would be easier to do in Max.

This is entirely correct. The simplest for you to do is to add an UVW Modifier from the modifier list, and select the box option. No other options should be changed as the box will automatically wrap itself around your object's boundaries, and since it's a box, it'll do it perfectly.

About propper, that is true, but as I said above, it's still not a real modeling tool. For future purposes, the value of being able to model will be of crucial importance, especially since:

• All new engines are now going to use 100% models. No more brushes. Source 2, CryEngine and the Unreal Engine 4 already go up that road.
• The possibilities are endless. Props can have much more details when made through Max and the texturing will be 99.9% easier when you learn Unwrapping properly.

That's about all I can give you. Please reply back to us if you sorted out the issue by disabling the clamping options :)

[Pocket]

I was able to fix the issue, but as I had expected, antialiasing causes the tiniest amount of looping on the top edge. (It looks right in Hammer, but not in game.) I presume this is something that rebuilding the model in Max isn't going to fix, and I'll have to remake the texture with extra empty space around it.

As for learning 3ds Max properly... where do you recommend going for free tutorials? I've got another, more complicated model that I thought I could build using my regular Hammer → VMF import → Wall Worm pipeline, but it keeps coming out with no texture for some reason. I figure I'm better off just starting over and doing it in Max rather than waste any more time figuring out why it's not working. Be easier to get the UV on the edges correct anyway.

Do model textures auto-clamp, then? Because when I was working on it in Hammer, there were some bits of the bottom poking out of the top even with perfect fit alignment.

Model textures don't auto-clamp, instead they have much more precise control on how they display the texture. You should always remember that brushes in Hammer are extremely rigid. This is not simply limited to their geometry as the texturing on them can only be planar, and Hammer does not store precise decimals. In other words, you'll often find your texture moved slightly back and forth even when closing and reopening your level.

This, first of all, does not happen when designing your level in 3DS Max with Wall Worm, but it doesn't happen at all on a model, which can store up to X decimals in precise placement of the textures. You won't have any problems in a model which accepts any form of texturing or geometry. That's why Propper is a great tool that unfortunatly can only go so far. Propper is not a modeling tool, it simply converts brushwork into a prop. The problem with that is that it is limited to the same problems as a brush all the way up to the moment the prop is output (to which you can only modify it in 3DS Max).

Finally, clamping is only used on Skybox textures to make sure that there are no seams visible in the skybox, which it usually does if you don't select the options. I'm sure they're ment for horizontal and skybox textures only purposes, because in all my time in Source so far, I have never ever seen the clamping options being used elsewhere.

• All new engines are now going to use 100% models. No more brushes. Source 2, CryEngine and the Unreal Engine 4 already go up that road.

Yeah, but they still have mapping tools that let you build things, don't they? Surely you don't literally build the whole level in a 3D modeling tool as a single mesh and then export it.