How to export hidden scene geometry from Blender [WME Resource Center]

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====== How to export hidden scene geometry from Blender ======

I will try to write simple steps how to export hidden geometry from blender to WME. Blender have own 3DS exporter, but WME can't work with this version of exporter. So you must download Jerrot's exporter from Forum. But this exporter have one small disadvantage - it exports ALL objects. So I modified this exporter and it now exports only objects used for WME.

First of all, we need:
  * [[http://www.blender.org|Blender 3D]] - version 2.40 and older (I've tested 2.42)
  * [[http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/export-3ds-0.90.py|Modified 3DS WME Exporter]] - save it to //C:\Program Files\Blender\.blender\scripts\//
    edit: the link above is dead.  Use http://wme.jerrot.de/export-3ds-0.82.zip
  * and of course WME :-)

Now, draw any complex scene in WME that you want.

For our example we have some space station room

{{http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/hangar2.png}}

This scene is too complex (too many polygons) for WME hidden geometry. And for example - our ship is no laying on floor, so actor will go through it. So we need some easier blocking regions. Use layers and draw simple meshes (boxes, planes,...) as blocking regions to empty layer. Using layers you can have hidden geometry and scene together in one file.

Our hidden geometry looks this:

{{http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/hangar2_hg.png}}

As you can see, we have some objects on scene. I will try to describe it:
  * we must have **floor**. Each object which is supposed to be floor, you must name with prefix "!!(green)floor_!!". 
  * we also need **waypoints**. These waypoints are used to find route from point A to point B. Draw them as described in WME docs. (if you have corners, draw them near to them). In our scene is marked with yellow colour. Also don't forget to name them with prefix "**wpt_**".
  * and at least we need to create blocking regions. In our scene we have these blocking regions: walls, brown boxes and wireframe box around ship. Each blocking region must have name prefixed by "!!(green)blk_!!".
  * camera :-) 
  * lights - create some lights. Even if your scene in blender is illuminated by another way (radiosity, halo materials, ambient light). Because this lights are used to light on actor in WME engine.

And now you can export this scene (no matter which layers are visible) with export plugin named "**WME/3D Studio**".

Open WME SceneEditor with new scene and setup some basic informations (scene name, game resolution, background) and switch to 3D tab. Use [...] button to load 3DS file with geometry. Setup values for example as on screenshot below (camera FOV must be assigned manually - blender export is not OK - for me is it 38 deg).

{{http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/se_setup.png}}

And if everything is OK, you can now see screen like this:

{{http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/se_hg.png}}

And as last step we need to render some front objects as masking layer. Because if actor go near to our boxes, we need to "hide" him behind this boxes. Use layers and move front objects to another layer and render them alone. Don't forget to render to PNG format and with RGBA colour scheme (press F10 and push RGBA button and select PNG format in combobox above it). 

{{http://pnws.org/wme_tools/3ds_blender/frontlayer.png}}

Use your image editor (for example GIMP) and cut from this image stand alone images as sprites. Place this sprites to your scene in SceneEdit.

So, now is everything OK and you can start write WME scripts and interaction. **And don't forget to scale your actors!** For example - I have scaled Trinity from WME toolkit to 6% of it's size to fit blender scene. Blender uses different coordinate system than 3DS MAX.

Hope this was useful for you.

Tomas Rosa
wme@mujhosting.com