Exporting a character from Max to Cal3D format
Load a rigged character into Max
Make sure in the Material Editor that all the diffuse texture
maps of the Avatar are in JPEG format. If not convert the relevant
textures to JPEG format and change the diffuse texture map
appropriately.
Press H key and select the biped root
Open the "edit named selection" dialog
Create a named selection called something like "skeleton" by pressing
the arrow in the curly brackets.
Select the mesh by using the "H" key again, then press OK
Press the arrow with the curly brackets again and add a named
selection called something like "Mesh"
In your directories search for the "export_cal3D.ms" file and drag it
into the Max window.
A window as follows will appear in Max
choose the named selection that refers to your mesh "Mesh" under the
Objects tag.
You can also have multiple meshes in the same named selection if your
character
has spearate meshes for different body parts.
Under "Skel. root(s)" choose the named selection for the root
of the "Skeleton" of the biped.
Check the "Create cal3D.cfg" file to create a .cfg file for your
character. Later you can rename it
to match the name of your character.
Choosing "Binary" export will allow you to load the models faster and
the files of it will require less
space. However, sometimes it is useful to have the files in a readable
format to check for errors etc.
Use the "Transform into OpenGL coord system" in order to create a
character that is in the coordinate system of
OpenGL with the Y axis up and not the 3D Max one in which the Z axis is
up. Basically this rotates the character
90 degrees around the X axis.
Under "Export dir" choose the directory where you want to export all
the files to. You will have to copy the
texture files that are associated in your material files as .jpg into
the same directory.
Finally press Export.