Well, it's done, there is a snapshot here.
Copy bzflag to your .blender/scripts folder, and the BZWimport.py file to .blender/scripts
The importer in and of itself is worthless for anything other than making pretty pictures of BZW maps, but once the exporter is made (under development now, first modules to be in the cvs by then end of the week), and if you are smarter than the average bear then you can use it to import, edit, and then export maps. For those of you with IQ's below 145 there will be an easy to use interface written when the exporter is done.
So back to the original point, please test and try to break the importer, the sooner bugs are found and fixed the quicker the exporter will be working properly.
If you wanna play with the exporter and test the bug fixes the cvs instrctions are
Code: Select all
cvs -d :pserver:anonymous@teppic.homelinux.net:2401/root login
[just press enter at the password prompt]
cd /home/yourname/.blender/scripts/
cvs -d :pserver:anonymous@teppic.homelinux.net:2401/root/ checkout bzflag
cp bzflag/bzwImport.py ./bzwImport.py
##see note 1
blender -windowNote 1) you have to edit the BZconfig.py file *******before******* you start blender, it has instructions included. Windows users, notepad and/or wordpad won't cut it in this case, you need a proper ANSI editor, I recommend notepad2, also when entering your file paths use \\ and not just\, as python interprets this as an escape command and ignores the next character, for example C:\Documents And Setting\andy\My Documents\My BZflag Files\
becomes
C:\\Documents And settings\\andy\\My Documents etc etc etc.
If someone finds a better way to do this then tell me, I started windows in a virtual machine 2 years ago on a monday, the clock thinks it's nearly friday!
OK, know limitations.
The importer may error out if you don't have the textures you are trying to load on your computer, solution: play the map in bzflag first, the textures will be stored in the cache and picked up from there.
Nested group instances/definitions **may** error, this is a know issue and will be worked on.
Groups *must* be defined before reference, this can be worked around but the display of group instances in the blender window would be lost, so it's a trade off.
Object parameters; these were defined by the man page for bzw 2.0.5, if this document is found wanting, then so will the importer.
LOD models are supported, but only as direct import and export, you have to edit them by hand inside blenders text editor interface, the same as an 'options' section.
Within the above parameters I am yet to find a BZW file that won't import
Erm....
layers:materials and other special objects(textureMatrix etc) are found in different layers(15-20), look here before saying they weren't imported.
Shear is, as yet, unsupported, and until I see it used an ANY map it will stay that way.
What you see in the view port is only a representaion, the textures are applied and such, but not accoring to texmats, if you want to know that it will look the same on export, define it as a mesh, add an image and uv co-ords. Non uv'd images will not show in the view port, but will in a render.
If you see strange things in the blender command window under windows, this is the colour coding for normal users (yes NORMAL).
Documentation, mainly for my own benefit, there is a .doc file that holds all the secrets, if you can/would like to translate this to your mother tongue, then please ask me for it.
Could you Please make a windows version for BZWExport?
Attached is the console text it told me to look at.
