3dsMax > GMax > Makemdl... scale prob

[PteroKat]

I created an aircraft model in 3dsMax, then realized it was HUGE (about 30x too big) when I converted it through GMax to a .mdl file.  So, I went back and scaled it down to a proper size, checking it with the Tape tool (and also making sure it was the proper metric units)... but now the Makemdl exporter seems to choke on a lot of the vertices, and gives these lines in the log file:  

(Part Fuselage) Found colocated vertices within triangle
   (-0.000390, 0.001196, 0.010703)
   (-0.000205, 0.001137, 0.011634)
   ( 0.000139, 0.000920, 0.010716).
(Part Fuselage) Found colocated vertices within triangle
   ( 0.000139, 0.000920, 0.010716)
   ( 0.000207, 0.000876, 0.011552)
   ( 0.000424, 0.000000, 0.010915).
(Part Fuselage) Found colocated vertices within triangle
   ( 0.000207, 0.000876, 0.011552)
   (-0.000205, 0.001137, 0.011634)
   ( 0.000158, 0.001186, 0.012134).

...etc. etc. many times (to make a log file of 400k!)

A friend of mine who is a programmer thinks it may be some kind of floating point interpolation prob with the large scaling difference, which has "confused" the exporter...

I tried using the Optimize modifier on the whole model, and also Weld Selected on vertex sub-objects, but this distorts the model and still has the colocated vertex errors (albeit fewer ones).

Is there any way to solve this prob w/out having to go back to Square One?  (Sheesh... it was a lotta work!).

TIA, -Johno

[Felix/FFDS]

Typically you should just need to weld vertices on just that part - fuselage, in this case -

Could it be that you have too large a weld threshold?  

[Mathias]

PteroKat, check your international settings in the control panel.
Don

[PteroKat]

Well... I've messed around with various cranky exporters... Shockwave 3D, Plasma, Flash etc... this one beats 'em all...

Here's what I've accomplished so far in GMax/Makemdl, using my too-big 3dsMax model (after about a dozen different tries):

I'm starting to think it's not a vertex weld issue, but wholly due to scaling errors...

In 3dsMax I did a Group on all the aircraft parts (fuselage, wings, tail what-have-you, which all appear in the error log) and applied a Xform modifier... scaled it all down to 10%... then collapsed the Xform... then unGrouped and exported it to GMax.  It was about 1/5th too small in there, so I scaled it UP to the right size... and hey, presto!  ...an error log file ("colocated vertices") of only 5K!  Ahh, maybe I can work with this... (I think??).

I won't go into all the see-saw scalings and error logs before that... it makes me dizzy just thinking about it... don't know what happened exactly, but somehow I got it pared down.

Lesson #1:  Scale It Right The First Time, Bubs!   (but hey, that WAS my first time... I didn't mean it, honest...)

etc. etc.

In the decimal/comma issue, Mathias... I assume you meant the Windows control panel?  I understand that the US notatation is to use points for the decimals... but there are some other countries that use commas...  the default in my box is points, near as I can tell.

Anyway, tanx for the responses, guys...

(think maybe I'm getting close, though).
- Johno