Sketchup CAN work, just get version 5!

[soccermiles]

I discovered recently that sketchup 5, though it costs a little money, can convert .skp's to .obj's, but when I tried to use it to make a map...well apparently it creates models that are stuck at 90 degree angles where in the actuall sketchup program they would be in the plain you designed them for. Basically what I did was make a flat surface, and in the game it appeared off-map, and facing off to the side at a 90 degree angle, so when I rotated it 90 degrees, it ended up being a cieling instead of a floor. It works but I need a program that I can edit obj's with. Can anyone help?

[Jefenry]

Try rotating your model -90 or 270 degrees. That should get your model right side up. For a .obj editor, try Blender or Wings3d. You might also want their .bzw plugins: Blender and Wings3d.

The general consensus is that Wings is easier to learn than Blender, but Blender can do quite a bit more.

[Spazzy McGee]

That rotation probably occurs because the BZFlag coordinate system uses Z axis as the vertical dimension, whereas many 3D modeling packages use the Y axis by default.

You may be able to change this in sketchup (I don't know, I've never used it). Try looking for an option like "Swap Y and Z axis".

If you load your OBJ into wings, the BZW wings exporter has an option to swap them.

[macsforme]

You can use modeltool to rotate the your objects when converting from obj to bzw.

[Evanejk]

I've tried it after you convert it it makes that map really weird though, like some walls are invisible for no reason.

[yarro]

Two ideas:
1). Work you model to completion in the free version and then get the pro trial. It lets you export for free for a goodly number of hours in several standard formats.
2). There is a file format in sketchup that can be converted through a number of steps. There are a few tuts for this, here is a link to one.
http://forums.devshed.com/game-developm ... 19710.html