Saving muliple static meshes into one folder in Unrealed3

[Darfyddi]

Hi, I am a complete newbie at this so please bare with me...

I have Maya 8.5PLE and am now learning that to find a plug for transporting to UT is not going to happen, I might just have to try and get an earlier V of Maya PLE and hope it can still be registered.

In the mean time I can make simple static meshes in Ued itself, I can even save them too for later use, yeay :D
Unfortunately I can only seem to save the static mesh package at the exit of Ued and only 1 item at a time.

At the moment, I create a bsp to the shape I want, right click it, select 'convert' - 'to static mesh' then I get a box pop up....

.................................................. ............
.....options...................................... ..........
............................................¦...OK ....¦.....
.....Package..>__________..........................
.....Group......>__________........¦Cancel.¦.....
.....Name......>__________..........................
.................................................. ...........


I have read that the package name should end in ' _sm ' and the names shouldn't be the same as the map's name. >this seams to work ok.

The problems:
1.) Although when I click 'OK', it seems to work, hours later when I exit Ued it then asks me to save changes to that package (not sure if this is ok or not)
2.) If I want to add to that package I can't, when it comes to the save after exiting, if I use the same package name, it issues an 'existing file overwrite warning'.

I wonder if I should set up a package group at the start, and if yes, how ~ also will it apply to all map, textures, statics etc.? The most important thing for me is how to 'add' anything to existing packages.

One other minor problem I have is 'saving brushes' > I could save them and then open the brush when I needed it until I restarted Ued. But now I can't even open a saved brush ~ even after just they have just been saved, I click 'open brush', selet my brush but nothing nowhere, not even at the origin point default for the CSB. Is this aother problem of how to save packages?

I know these are probably just errors I have made by forgetting something in the tutorials but there are only so many times I can watch them and only so many google searches before I start loosing what little hair I have left:confused:

EDIT->>> I have just been back into Ued and noticed it is saving some packages and also the brushes to the 'maps' folder in the UT2004 folder. The brushes are .u3d files and I can not find any others in a search of the UT2004 folder so can't tell if they are in the right place or not.

[[s§s]Bison_Boy]

Save yourself tons of headaches - do not save packages! Instead put them in myLevel package (which is saved with every map you make). That's all there is to it. Now if you want to use that static mesh again in another map, copy and paste it into the new map and then duplicate it and save it in the myLevel package for that new map and then erase the copy from the first map.

[Darfyddi]

Ok, I think I understand, sorry to be so daft, but I don't want to screw up my work when I start again... Are your syaing that when I 'Convert To Static Mesh' I should put the package as 'MyLevel', or just save it as that when I exit and it asks me to save that package again or both?
Also does this apply to when it asks 'package0 has changed, do you want to save it' or do I leave it as 'package0'.
Once again, sorry for stupid questions but when seeing the VTM's, I mistakenly thought the very little shown on saving was using generic names such as 'MyPackage' as a variable, such as we would quite often use 'X' or 'αβγδ' as variables in mathematics.

Anyway, I am off to watch the VTM's again and try to take closer notes of all the save commands undertaken by the mad men at 3dBuzz.

Many thanks for your help Bison

EDIT>>>

Ok, I have just watched the VTM's and done loads more google and forum searches, I have tested and tested saving static meshes created in Ued, saved the package name as 'mylevel' gave the 'group' my own name and the 'name' also I named appropriately. I also saved 3 different types of brushes. I then saved the map, exited and reloaded Ued. I could not find where the static mesh was in the static mesh browser, nor do I know where to look for it know. I could find the brushes under the 'open brush menu' so selected one and clicked 'open' ~ nothing happened.

At least when I converted to static mesh before and put my own desired name for 'package' I was able to reload it from the static mesh browser, even if I could only have one mesh in per package.

I am now wondering if I have screwed up the Ued program and need to install it again? This really wouldn't surprise me and it wouldn't be to much of a worry either as I have already deleted the maps I was working on and know my ingame settings of by heart so setting that back up would be ok too.

[/color]
EDIT>>>

I have now re-installed the entire UT2004 disc set and started experimenting. I have found out the problem with the personal brushes saved~ Everytime you want to load a presaved brush, save your map first! lol, I don't know why it is like this but it is the only way I could load another brush shape.

[Darfyddi]

Ok,
I am now able to use the 'mylevel' as a package name too, looks like re-installing it worked. thank you for your help Bison.

Feel free to delete this thread admin as it looks like the main problem I had was just from me screwing up Ued somehow and this is now dead I would have thought.