Importing maps

This is a general guide for importing maps. Previously I had written a guide on how to import maps from other illusion games that are supported by SB3U, and it was relatively simple because everything has already been set up for you. However, that's not the case if you're building a map from scratch.

The first thing you'll realize when you want to build your map is that...you have basically nothing except textures and meshes outside of SB3U in a folder where you place your things.

You will have to import all of these into an xx and set up the materials in the xx.

Preparing your 3D file


I will use mqo because that is what I am familiar with for now.
You technically don't need to have software that can read mqo files because it's plain text, but it's easier if you do. Open the mqo file and write down the following:

-all of the objects in the mqo
-all of the materials in the mqo

Keep this list somewhere for reference cause you'll constantly be referring to it.

Preparing an XX file

Open an XX file in SB3U that you will be importing the map to. For simplicity, do the following:

1. Remove all textures
2. Remove all but one material (so you can copy it)
3. Remove all but the "All_Root" frame

Your object tree should look like this now:

I would create a "SCENE_ROOT" child frame under "All_Root" to indicate that it's a map xx.

1. Open a new workspace and drag All_Root into it.
2. Set "Replace method" to "Add", then expand the hierarchy. click on the child (it should say "All_Root") and change it to "SCENE_ROOT"
3. Click add/replace.

Your final object tree should look like this



Back-up this xx somewhere so you don't have to do this again in the future.

Adding Textures

1. Drag all the images into SB3U. They should appear in the Img tab.
2. Go to the texture tab and start adding each image

Adding Materials

1. Go to the materials tab
2. Select one of the materials and click Copy->new
   
3. Select the newly created material, rename it, and assign the desired texture to it
   
4. Click Apply to save your changes
5. Repeat for all materials

Adding Frames

1. Go to the Object Tree tab and expand All_Root. I generally place my frames under another frame called "SCENE_ROOT", so you can create one if you want.
2. Open a new workspace
3. Drag one of the frames into the workspace
4. In the workspace, expand the hierarchy and delete any meshes and extra frames until you only have one left
5. Click on the hierarchy and specify the "Name of Target Frame" to be SCENE_ROOT and "Replace Method" to "add". This will add your new frame as a child to the frame SCENE_ROOT
6. Click on the first child frame and rename it
7. Click Add/Replace. You can now expand the object tree and you should see your new frame as a child of SCENE_ROOT
8. Repeat this process until all the frames you need are added

Importing the 3D model

Drag your mqo file into SB3U and it will appear under the 3D tab. Click on it and a new workspace will open.

At this point, if your frames and materials have all been set up correctly, you should be able just click Add/Replace and everything will be assigned appropriately.

Any errors will appear in the status log at the end of the operation. Common errors are

• Mesh x has an invalid material at index n - if you didn't create a material with the name that is expected
• Couldn't find frame abc, skipping mesh - if you didn't create a frame with the same name as the mesh

When all is complete, you will have finished importing your map ready to use.

Alternatively, you may use Quick XX to build your XX file. It automates many of these steps, so you should familiarize yourself with this before getting scripts to do it for you.

There is a big note: after importing the meshes, none of the proper hex values have been set. In particular, transparency will become an issue. Read this for more information and how to deal with it.