Ive been everywhere trying to sort this problem.
I try to export a wepaon mesh using ActorX
but when I select the skeleton and set it up according to this video

http://www.ut40k.planetunreal.gamespy.com/

go to tutorials/videotutorials then get the file

I set it up like that then I export it. But I get an error.

This is what happens when I save/refpose my mesh.

Unsmooth groups processing [0] vertices added
Warning:No valid skin triangles digested {is the all textured geometry box checked} - this may be due to invalid mesh linkups or texture mapping


I used normal texture supports and set it up like in the video using nulls instead of dummies. I tried it with implicits instead but that didnt work either.

Am i using a wrong version of ActorX as im using XSI 6 Modtool, but im using the actorX for XSI 5.1 I think.


Please Can Anyone help me

I downloaded the video but it doesnt work. >_<

However, i think i know what’s causing your problem.

*On the ActorX window, go to the next tab and make sure that “All skins is selected”

*That you have a shadow rig (a deformer group, and a rig group) In the end you just want to exoport the deformers, not your rig controllers.

*Strip off the mesh of any materials. Forget about what the tutorial says..lol.

*Make a new lambert, and make sure that it points to an external file. In other words, make texture node and connect it to the diffuse channel.

You dont neccessary have to have your materials all set up. It wont really make a differece, cuz u still need to recconect everything back in the editor.

*When you export you dont have to have anything selected!  Make sure that your character and your deformers are the only thing on the scene.  ActorX will try to export ALL GEOMETRY in the scene, wether it has a deformer or not.  Dont use geometry to drive anything...cuz i havent tested anything like that yet, so im not sure if that’s going to work. Only nulls and curves at this point, and bone chains of course.

I need to write a tutorial on this....i feel like the xsi community is really weak on unreal stuff. If all that fails, let me know. Take screenshots of your stuff and post them up so i can get an idea of what you are trying to do. When i get home i will try to look at the tutorial again.....i think is cuz is a max video, lol.

OKay so what are

Lamberts

Shadow Rigs

(Im very new to all this.)

NOOOB!! he he, jk.  Is ok man, we have all been there. Also, the terminology between programs is different...but at the end is all the same stuff.

Basicly a shadow rig in xsi. Is an animation rig, that is not deforming your geo.  Instead it drives and controls all of the deformers that influence your geo. For example, let say you have an arm.  Most people would problably have a 2D Joint Chain going down to serve as the upper and lower arm. And so you have to select the last joint, in xsi the last joint is not what we want to select, but the end effector. So you select the end effector and it drives the whole arm. Bone chains in xsi already come with ik (inverse kinematic) It would be dangerous to set a “neutral pose” on this end effector. So instead you make a null and you pose constrain that end effector the null. So now to move the entire arm you just select the null.

So how does this apply to unreal?  When you export your character. ActorX will export ALL GEO on your scene. And is smart enough to see what’s in the scene and what is doing what. So when is pulling out and going through geometry it checks if its been influenced by a joint, null, whatever..So if it is, it then starts going down hierchiers until it finds the root.  So the shadow rig and extra junk, wont get exported just the deformers.

If you are new to all this, i problably just blew your head off into oblivision...im really sorry bout that. I would suggest that when you get stuck hit F1 on your keyboard, and look at the help menues. Help menues in xsi are amazing. Documentation is clear and simple. It lacks in areas, but i think is very well written compared to other softwares.  Other places to look for help would be xsi base. Do a search before you ask.  And THE number ONE source of xsi knowldege has got to be DIGITAL TUTORS!  These guys have saved my butt a number of times.. I honestly didnt like digital tutors before i got into xsi, oddly enough they are the only ones that have tons of training for it. And is all incredibly good! I learned xsi in a matter of days...of course before this i already knew maya..so it was like jumping from one girlfriend to the other...u start learning what to do and what not to dol. lol.

One very good source recomended to me by my boss and mentor. is VAST
http://www.vast.ws/resources/xsi/tutorials/tutorials.html

Is for xsi 4, but is bascily concepts and terminology. So look at that first, they atucally have a section on shadow rigs and materials.

A lambert, is one of 3d’s standar material. it doesnt do anything...is just a lambert.  in maya a lambert is a default material it gets applied to anything that you create, and xsi is the same way.

Can you be more basic than that. What should I not do with end effoctors. Im only animating as in shifting a piece of geomtry (polygons) around in my scene. Ive animated the start of the chain (null).

Shadow rig is what you use to animate. A deformer rig, is what you use to influence and move geometry with.

Unreal will not export the shadow rig. So when you export with actorX, there is no need to select anything. 

For a weapon, u dont necessay need a shadow rig. create a null. And apply as a deformer to your weapon. and expor that out. Make sure you also do a FREEZE M, to freeze your modeling stack.  not a FREEZE a freeze will delete all your stacks, includign the envelope operator. FREEZE is a very dangerous for beggining xsi users, i learned that the hard way. Other than that, That should work just fine.

Again, make sure that u have a lambert applied to your geo and that it points to a texture node, and that texture node you have it pointing to a texture somewhere, otherwise xsi will poop on you!

If you want, make a quick test, where is just a cube suing a null as a deformer.  Export that out and see if it works.  Dont forget the textures tho.

So, by assign as deformer do you mean parent it?

Not exactly.

It means that you assign a envelope operator using that object.

What you need to do is select your object. Go to Animate/Evelope/Set Enveloop.
Is going to start a picking session. Select the null.

now if you move the null, the object should move with it.

I tried enveloping it before but all it does is stretch my geometry.

Lets try this, take a screenshot of what you are trying to put into the game. Just a screenshot of your screen. Dont render anything. Make it wireframe so ican see the objects in the screen as well.

Ok here you go.
The null at the front is the flashbone the on at the back is the main weapon bone and is the one ive animated.

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