This tutorial will teach you how to make composite products. There's not really a need for you to know how, because it's been done already, and very thorougly too, but some of you may find it interesting.
We'll assume that you know where and how to download the GirlWeighting.ZIP and GuyWeighting.ZIP, have already extracted them and have them ready to go. For this tutorial we'll use 3d Studio Max v8.0 but the principles are easily transferrable. Likewise, we'll be using as an image editor and viewer, Lview Pro 1.D2/32. We'll also assume that you've worked with 3d studio a little and don't need your hands held through the really really basic stuff, like setting up the viewports and loading a file.
Part Zero - Setup Stuff
Start by creating an image of any colour of size 256*512 (w*h). Save it as comp.jpg in the folder you're going to use to organize your stuff.
You ARE going to organize your stuff.
Then save an all white version of the same picture and name it comp-o.jpg. The -o indicates 'opacity.'
It should look a little like this:
Part One - Meshing
Now we get to go play in studio.
Load the female04_anime01_weightingposemaster.max file and set up four equal viewports. All that's important here is that there be a Front viewport in the top right corner.
Select the torso and bring it into view. In the modifier list (1) click to turn yellow "Editable Poly" (2) and then turn on Element Selection (3). If your torso doesn't turn white'ish (4), click it again to select the proper (and only) element.
Here's the key thing to it all now. Scroll down until you get to the "Polygon Properties" rollout. Under the Material section(1), dial the "Set ID" down to 1.
It should look identical to this:
Now we get to finish up with the mesh bit. Click the Element Selection (1) box to turn it off. Click Editable Poly (2) to turn it off. Finally, set click the Physique modifier (3).
Part Two - Materials
With the torso still selected, open the Material Editor (1). Click the top middle box (2). Click the box that says Standard (3) and choose "Multi/Sub-Object." (4) Click Okay when it asks you to "Discard Old Material?" (5). You'll now see a list of 10 sub materials (6). Click "Set Number" (6) and dial it down to 1 (7). Then you'll see you have just one material left (8) which will be named "Material #xx [ Standard ]." Click that name (8). Click the grey rectangle (9) beside "Diffuse:" ....
And make it white by sliding the slider all the way to the bottom (1). Now would be a good time to go and name your material. Name it comp[0] by clicking the name area (2).
Click the box beside the now white Diffuse Colour box (3), choose Bitmap (4), and load the comp.jpg you made earlier. Click "Go to Parent" (5 - right) and then click "Show Map In Viewport" (5 - left). Click the Opacity Button (not the number, the button) (6), choose Bitmap (4), and load comp-o.jpg.
"Go to Parent" again.
Make sure the mesh is selected and click "Assign Material to Selection" (7).
Close the material editor.
Part Three - Exporting
A) The Mesh
With the torso selected, click File, then Export. Find the folder in which you put comps.jpg and comps-o.jpg. Type in: torso.xmf. (1) Click Save. Check to make sure that the skeleton file is Female04_Anime01_SkeletonMASTER.xsf (2). If you've gotten this far, you should know where to find it.
Click Next, Next, Next, then Finish. Do not click anything else along the way, do not try to change any of the settings or check boxes or anything.
B) The Textures
Click off the torso and make sure nothing is selected. Click File, Export (again), make sure you're exporting to the same folder as before, and type torso.xrf. A window will open with a list of materials. Find comps[0]. (1) Click it and click Next. Then click Finish.
Part Four - Previewer
Open Previewer. File, Create Derived Product, type in 167 (1) (For guys it's 185, but that's for a different mesh set entirely so ignore that for now).
Click the "Edit Geometry" (2) tab and click Browse. (3) Choose the torso.xmf file you created and hit "Apply Changes."
Click the "Edit Textures" (4) tab and click Browse. (5) This time choose torso.xrf. Click "Apply Changes."
Then you can put in comp.jpg for the color map (6) and comp-o.jpg for the opacity map (7).
Finally, and very importantly, click the "Skin Composite" (8) box and click "Apply Changes" again.
Now you can go File, Save As, and choose a name for your product.
All that's left is submission, and if you don't know how to do that part, you shouldn't be doing THIS part.
-Made by Moose. 100% Current as of Previewer 1.9.4 and Studio Max 8.0.