Modifying materials of avatars to make a body part independent:
---------------------------------------------------------------
0) Be sure to select the tool "select and move" (looks like a cross with arrow endings)

1) On the upper left corner, right-button CLick on "Perspective" + (Show) "Edged faces". This shows polygons edges.

2) On the right, CLick on tap (pestaņa) "Modify" (2nd tap, looks like 1/4 circle).

3) From the listbox choose ("Editable Mesh" +) "Polygon".

4) SCroll down until section "Materials". The pop-up tells you how many materials have been already defined (usually 2 for males (head and body) and 3 for females (head, body and hair)). 

5) Select grasping or (CTTRL + ) clicking with mouse the polygons of the body part whose material you want to edit.

6) Write in "SET ID" n+1 (usually "3" for male, and "4" for females). Now, we have defined a new ID for the selected body part.

7) Click Icon "Material editor" (looks like 4 small coloured balls).

8) "ADD" (new material). Then, drag the body material to the new one and choose the option "COPY".

9) Save and export the avatar using CAL3D as usual.

10) You have to include the new material in the CFG file.

11) If you want to make this specific body part invisible, then you need a black mask (.JPG) of the same size as the body material. Please modify the MAterial file (XRF) accordingly. In the XRF file, the third file referred is the mask file.


Exporting Avatars (mesh, skeleton, etc.) in 3DS Max:
----------------------------------------------------
1) Please follow the instructions of the html tutorial of Bernhard (see folder "exporter files")


Importing animations in 3DS Max:
--------------------------------
1) To do this, you need the .BIP files containing the animation (letīs call them "raw" files).

0) to be sure that your animation is not overlapped with another animation that could be already integrated in your .max model, select the whole avatar and delete all existing animations.
(Menu Animation/Delete selected animation).

2) Press "H" and select the Bip (or Skeleton if you have renamed it before). Then, press OK.

3) In the "pestaņas" of the right choose Motion (represented by a wheel)

4) Press "Load file" icon (represented by a folder) and load the .BIP file

5) Finally, export the animation as indicated in steps 5-8 (see below) 

Exporting animations via cal3D (I):
-----------------------------------

1) to be sure that your animation is not overlapped with another animation that could be already integrated in your .max model, select the whole avatar and delete all existing animations.
(Menu Animation/Delete selected animation).

2) Select the bone to move/rotate and put a "key" at frame 0: Menu on the right "key info" --> "set key" button

3) move to the desired frame and repeat 2) for defining the final position of animation.

4) Check the whole trajectory moving from frame 0 to last frame.

4b) IMPORTANT: When saving, it is crucial NOT to be in "figure Mode". Otherwise the exported skeleton/mesh will be incorrect!!

5) Menu File/export...  --> Cal 3D Animation file --> save .xaf file
   - Choose the corresponding skeleton.
   - Select only the bones that are involved in the animation.
   - In "step 3", click the option "OGL_Axis" if you had exported your avatar (Mesh and skeleton) in OGL      coordinates as well (Important!)
   - Create .xaf file

6) Copy the created file into your folder structure of your XVR project.

7) Update the .cfg file of the corresponding avatar.

8) Add and set Morph in XVR etc.

Exporting animations via cal3D (II):
-----------------------------------
A second way to create complex animations in 3DS Max is by using LAYERS. Scroll down in menu "Motion" to find the layers section.
1) You can save/load simple animations as you want.

2) Add a new layer to start a new movement or to load a already saved one.

3) When you are ready, then collapse animations so many times as number of layers minus 1, starting for the highest layer.

4) Proceed as indicated in part (I) (points 5-8). IMPORTANT: do not forget to choose only those bones that take part in each animation!!!