.Max to .obj Conversion Issue

[AweSaum]

Hello everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to 3D modeling, and I've been trying to convert a .max file I downloaded to something TG2 can work with (.obj I figure is the best bet).

I downloaded a demo of 3D Studio Max so I could export the file to another format, and my initial attempt to export as an .obj directly in 3DS did not come out great (granted, I don't really know how to use that program).

I searched the forum and saw the suggestion to use PoseRay, so then I tried exporting to .3DS (I figure that since this is by the same company exporting to that format will work better), but I got an error stating that there were too many faces in 3D Studio Max. I figured that meant that I should try and split up the file into multiple pieces, export to 3DS, convert in PoseRay, and then import in TG2, but that seems like it would be pretty complicated.

How do you propose that I convert my .max file to .obj? I would appreciate any help you can give me. I've been a lurker in these forums for a bit, and I just wanted to say that I'm impressed by how knowledgeable and friendly you all are! The community here seems to be quite strong.

[airflamesred]

Whats the poly count ?

[AweSaum]

I believe it's 722,264 polygons and 732,824 vertices?

[airflamesred]

Well that is big! What on earth is it? I feel you may have to split it, if a heavyweight like max is struggling........

[AweSaum]

It's actually just a tree. 

Any suggestions on how I might go about splitting it up? Also, how exactly would I piece them back together? Would I just import a bunch of different objects in TG2 and try to transform them to the right position?

[airflamesred]

Well thats gonna be rather difficult to split and piece back together. I don't really have a good solution other than take a look at xfrog or TGO trees here.
Or try and reduce the poly count in max - sounds like a lot of detail

[MGebhart]

AweSaum,

If you want to email me the MAX file I'll take a look at it and see if I can do something to it. I have been using 3D Studio since the DOS days so, I know a few tricks.