MRB_QuakeMD_FileLoader	v0.2	Jan 31, 2000

Quake MD3 File Rebuilding utility for Lightwave

Please get in touch with me before redistributing this or posting it somewhere.

I'm going to assume that the MD3 format is copyright id software.

Latest versions of this application can be found at:
	http://users.tp.net/mbristol/LW_Md3Load.zip

== Description == 

Intel - 2 Plugins:
- ObjectLoader Plug-in for Lightwave 3D
- MeshDataEdit Plug-in for Lightwave 3D - "MRB_QuakeMD_Import"

This has been tested with v5.6 but it might work on older versions too, I have not tried it 

== Instructions ==

There are now 2 plug-ins in the included file.  People that already registered the v0.1 with
LightWave need to do it again to pick up the new one.

1:  An ObjectLoader plug-in that allows you to load .md3 files into LightWave just like
    you would a .lwo file.
	- File->Load Object
	- Change "Files of Type" to "All Types" and find the file

2:  A MeshDataEdit plug-in that can be run interactively
	- Select a polygon (one and only one polygon!) to anchor the new piece to - if you choose
	  one of the tag_ surfaces that this plug-in created, the alignment will be OK - if you 
	  choose to select another random poly, there are issues (see below)
	- Tools->Custom->MRB_QuakeMD_Import
	- Find the file to import (Path should be maintained from earlier .md3 Object loads)

The selector that pops up is identical for both plug-ins.
  "Frame" represents the frame you want to reconstruct
  "Anchor With" allows you to choose the sub-mesh which will define the orientation of
    the imported model.  When using the MeshDataEdit plug-in portion, this will be locked
    to the polygon that's selected in layout.  "None" just loads the sub-mesh in raw.
  Press OK to accept, Cancel to ... well, cancel.

This loads the .md3 into modeller and labels each internal mesh and tag with
an appropriate surface name.

Once the model is loaded, you can use the Polygon Statistics window ('w') to
select portions of the model by mesh or tag name (i.e. by surface name).

== Caveat User ==

Models w/o tags structures may still be a problem - I'm not sure, but I'm just not
sure how far I trust it.  

This program is still pretty much proof-of-concept!  I hacked out a quick 
routine to parse the .md3 file and load it into modeller so I could check 
id's weapon models against my Player Model prior to compiling it into a .md3
That part works - and I thought others might find a use for it too.  

Thanks to those studs at Mental Vortex [http://q3arena.net/mentalvortex/md3view/] 
for posting a .md3 file format.  If anyone knows anything that is wrong with theirs
and would kindly like to fwd me a correct one, that would be great.  I've had no 
problems with it yet though.

In the spirit of their OpenSource initiative I'll probably release the source to this
once I clean it up.  It is still really embarrassing right now.

I'm still not sure why the file is so big.  Seems to me it's bloated somehow ...

Layout doesn't handle ObjectImport plug-ins, so it can't load .md3 files directly.  Bummer!

TO ANCHOR OBJECTS TO RANDOM POLYS
Selecting a random polygon and loading in the sub-mesh will work fine, but the orientation
might not be what you expect.  Orientation of loaded portions is done based on the order
of the points in the polygon that is selected.  I'm not sure how to tell the point order of
a polygon already in Modeler, but what you can do is just re-create that poly so you
    are sure of the order, and then import the sub-mesh over it.  To get things oriented 
1     properly, you need to choose the points in the order shown at the left, with '3' being
|\     the last point chosen and also point the sub-mesh will attach to.  '1' is forward and
| \    '2' is right.  Pick them in the order 1-2-3 and press 'p' to make a new poly.  Make sure
3--2   it is selected, and then Import the new sub-mesh.

== Fixes in v0.2 ==

 + Tags are seeded with a Yellow surface, other polys with a Gray one if one doesn't already
   exist so Messiah should no longer crash upon loading the objects.
 + Custom player models now load - id and Npherno seem to be using a differnt order for the 
   sub-lumps in the .MD3 file !
 + File with a .MD3 extension now loads along with .md3  (oops)
 + Added a MeshDataEdit plug-in as intended

== Planned changes for the future ==

 + Nothing, that I can think of - I'm not sure what else it needs to do.
   I have been tinkering with a Layout shader plug-in though ...

Hope you find this useful!

Ansai
mbristol@tp.net