Astrocuco - Dev Log

[Castle_G]

Hey, I've just read through your topic, for me as a new user it's very interesting to see what other people do with this engine  
I have one question, I see that you are using fragmotion for your models, can you tell me what format you choose to export?
I've used fragmotion before for different engine, and now I want to convert at least some of my models, but I see few different mdl formats, so I thought I would ask before I go through trial and error way myself  

[Josh]

2 hours ago, Castle_G said:

Hey, I've just read through your topic, for me as a new user it's very interesting to see what other people do with this engine  
I have one question, I see that you are using fragmotion for your models, can you tell me what format you choose to export?
I've used fragmotion before for different engine, and now I want to convert at least some of my models, but I see few different mdl formats, so I thought I would ask before I go through trial and error way myself  

FBX would probably be the best option there.

[Yue]

8 hours ago, Castle_G said:

Hey, I've just read through your topic, for me as a new user it's very interesting to see what other people do with this engine  
I have one question, I see that you are using fragmotion for your models, can you tell me what format you choose to export?
I've used fragmotion before for different engine, and now I want to convert at least some of my models, but I see few different mdl formats, so I thought I would ask before I go through trial and error way myself  

 

Hi Castle_G, thanks for your message 😊
I’m also using fragMOTION to prepare models for my project in Leadwerks 5, and I’ve run into similar format challenges.

The latest version of fragMOTION no longer supports FBX export, so I use an older FBX plugin that allows me to export to an older FBX format.

Then, I use Leadwerks 4 to convert that FBX into MDL, as its converter handles the old FBX format properly and generates a working MDL file.

That MDL can then be used in Leadwerks 5 without any issues.

I tried using the FBX-to-MDL converter in Leadwerks 5, but it doesn’t work well with older FBX files—the model either breaks or loses important data.

Here’s my current workflow:

1. fragMOTION (with legacy FBX plugin) → export to old FBX format

2. Leadwerks 4 → convert to MDL

3. Use the MDL in Leadwerks 5

I work with skeletal animation, and this setup has been the most stable and reliable for me so far.

If you’re interested in the plugin or want more details about the process, feel free to ask—happy to help!

[Castle_G]

Thank you! I even have Leadwerks 4 on steam, so I can have the same 3D models pipeline as you have

Although pushing the 3d asset through 2 different programs seems very inconvenient, I had to also use 2 different programs when working with TGC engines, bc they always used specific proprietary 3d formats and it's a huge time-waster. 

I think it would be a reasonable feature request for @Josh to have some type of asset converter, that would be able to transfer models back and forth between mdl and fbx/gtlf formats without destroying the animations in the process. 

When you make a 3d game your library can quickly grow to hundreds of different models, and transferring them between the engine and 3d modeling software (blender being most popular choice) is often necessary when you want to adjust or modify your model. 
I watched the Leadwerks yt videos, and I think that including the downloader in editor is a smart move, and very beginner-friendly solution, but it can't be the main way to get 3d assets into the project.
  Often when I download the asset from sketchfab I like to load it up into blender first, and make some modifications. Often when you have the 3d asset in your project, you would need to load it up to blender and do some quick edit etc. 

Anyway, sorry for a bit off topic ranting, I don't have any specific questions regarding your project, but I will surely be watching how it grows, maybe will learn a thing or two in the process