Custom Character Spaceship - no animations

[Reclusiarch]

I want to try and get a character in the game - but its not a person but a controllable spaceship, I've been modeling in 3ds Max for years, and I know how to import nice textured static meshes into ut3/udk real easy. However I've never done a character before. I have no idea how to use bones or rigging, but since I am dealing with a spaceship (it has no animations) I figured it would be easy.

Here is what I have done so far. Created a Spaceship Mesh, fully centered in the scene, pivot point 0, 0, 0. Created a Bone - named it Bip, it at the center of the ship. I got the activeX plugin, I exported it as

shiptest_hull.PSK

now what?? I created a Bone - but is it connected to the mesh? What happens next?

[fritzmonkey]

You probably need to connect the bone to the mesh via either the skin or physique modifier in Max. Once you have exported it you need to import the psk in to the editor and set up a package for it. You then need to change the code to tell it to use your mesh.

[Reclusiarch]

thanks fritzmonkey, I have many of the steps completed (and or - I know many of the steps.)

I have imported stuff before into UDK, and I know how to use the code, and how to properly assign assets - the only problem I am having here is the -- "connect the bone to the mesh via either the skin or physique modifier in Max" -- I have absolutely no idea how that works.

I have searched for tuts on it - but I keep getting video tutorials that require you to pay for them, or I get a tutorial that is wayy too big and is for characters - my mesh is just a ship - no moving parts or joints, but I heard you need at least one bone in there to make it useable as a character mesh.

[chrustec]

You should probably post this in the Characters and Animation forum - might get more responses there :)

[WOBBLER]

Hello Reclusiarch, I'm a maya user and not that familiar with max (thats my excuse if i'm wrong:)) Follow Raven67854's tutorial for cloth , but use just one bone and paint all the verts to 1. heres a link to the link http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=707437