======================================
== Alamo Object Importer 1.1        ==
==                                  ==
== by Mike Lankamp (a.k.a. Mike.nl) == 
======================================

 Introduction
==============
This importer works under 3d Studio Max 6, 8 and 9. Note that imported models 
that have dazzles cannot be exported from 3dsmax6 and 8, because Petroglyph's
exporter for those version does not support dazzles.

 Respect!
==========
With this importer comes great responsibility. Do NOT rip off other people's
work and try to pass it off as your own. Let's all work towards a friendly
community!

 Installation 
==============
* Make sure any Service Packs for your 3d Studio Max are installed.
* Make sure Petroglyph's exporter (max2alamo.dle) is placed in the "Plugins"
  folder.
* Copy alamo2max.ms into the "Scripts" folder of 3d Studio max.
* Copy alamo2max.dlu for your 3dsmax version into the "Plugins" folder of
  3d Studio max.
* If using 3D Studio Max 8 on Vista, move dds.bmi and dxDDS.bmi from
  stdplugs\dxplugins\ to stdplugs\ as described in:
  http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=509350
* After starting 3d Studio Max, open Customize > Preferences and go to the
  MAXScript tab. Set the initial heap allocation to a more comfortable amount,
  say, 150 MBytes. Close the preferences window.

 Usage 
=======

 Step 1: Setup
---------------
To import a model, go to the Utilities Panel (with the hamer icon), open the
MAXScript sub-panel, and click "Run Script". Select "alamo2max.ms" from the
Scripts folder. Now select "Alamo Object Importer 1.0" from the Utilities list
(you may need to explicitly click it again). If all went well, the Importer
panel should now be open.

Use the + and - buttons to add/remove texture and shader paths before
importing. The importer will look in these folders for the tga/dds files when
loading textures and fx files when creating DirectX9 materials.

* Empire at War / Forces of Corruption:
  For EaW and FoC it is recommended to extract both Textures.meg into different
  folders and then add those folders to the list (FoC first, since that
  overrides EaW textures). Add a single shader folder, identifying the shader
  sources in Mods\Source\Data\Art\Shaders in the FoC installation folder.

* Universe at War:
  For UaW you should do similarly: extract Textures.meg, add the folder and add
  the shader sources folder.

If the paths are set incorrectly, the importer will complain during import
when it cannot find textures or shaders.

Note: these paths are remembered when 3dsmax is shut down.

With the paths set, you can now import models.

 Step 2: Importing
-------------------
Click the "Import Alamo Object" button and select an ALO file to import. The
importer will also look for all .ALA files that share the same base name in the
same folder and load those as animations.

If there are already objects in the scene, the importer will ask where to
connect the imported model to. Use this to import hardpoints at their correct
spot.

The importer will read the model and animation files, create the various bones,
meshes, lights, proxies and dazzles, set their Alamo properties, connect
everything together, create materials, find textures, skin the meshes, animate
the bones and add the animations to the Alamo Utility.

If all went well, no error will be displayed. Otherwise, common errors include
having an animation which is invalid for the model file, or you did not attempt
to load a model.

The model is imported completely ready for export.

-----------------

Happy importing!


