Required Programs, Plugins, etc.
- 3D Studio Max(I have v6)
- The N64 emulator, "1964"
http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/n64/1964.html
Note, you may have a favorite emulator already. DON'T USE IT. I've tried the following plugin on just about every emulator out there, and the only one I've had any success with is 1964. - Lemmy's Nemu64 GFX plugin
http://www.emutalk.net/showpost.php?p=2 ... ostcount=7 - The ROM of the game you want to get stuff from
Due to the questionable legality of downloading ROMs, I am no longer providing the link to the site, you will have to find them yourself.
If you do choose to download ROMs, I advise that you download only games that you already own a physical, n64 cartridge copy of. All examples seen below are done with Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye 007, both of which I own physical copies of.
Install 1964, and then unRAR the plugin and place it in C:\Program Files\1964\099\plugin\, assuming you used the default installation path, and that your primary hard drive is assigned the letter C. Then, on your C drive, create a folder named "VRML". This is where everthing you export will end up.
WARNING: If you do not have a writable drive assigned to the letter C, you will encounter problems. Regardless of your setup, the plugin always exports to "C:\vrml\". If you are one of the few people that does not have a drive assigned to C, your best bet is to plug in a USB thumb drive, and use computer management to assign it the letter C.
Step Two - Opening the ROM and exporting
NOTE: The following steps export both the geometry and the textures to the C:\VRML directory simultaneously.
Open 1964, and under the plugins menu, choose change plugins.
Set the video plugin to "Nemu64 Graphics (Combine Debug)", and click OK
Choose File-Open ROM. Navigate to wherever you saved the ROM you wanted, and choose it, and click open. There is no need to Unzip the rom, as 1964 is capable of opening them while they are still zipped.
Before you do anything else, under the plugins menu find input settings. Screw with the input settings till they are however you want them. Make sure you check the box that tells the emulator to tell the game that controller one is plugged in. You can use your keyboard as a controller, or a gamepad.
Get to the area in the game with the geometry you want to export, and do a hard pause. A simple Start button pause will not cut it.
Under the plugins menu, choose video settings
Tick the box labled Export VRML, and click OK
Unpause the game, let it run for a few frames, then pause it again. This pause-unpause-pause method is not optional. If you stop(by closing, or hittin the stop button) the exporting without hard pausing the game first, it will cut it off mid export, therefore corrupting your VRML.
At this point you can close 1964, or export a different frame. If you want to go to a different area and export it, uncheck the export VRML box before going to that area, and then recheck it once ready to export. Each frame exported overwrites the previous one! So if you export another, the geometry from the first one will be lost.
Step Three - Getting it into 3DS MAX
In 3DS Max-
Go to file-import.
Navigate to your C:\VRML\ directory. Set file type to VRML, and open output.wrl.
Once it's done importing, press H and select everything that doesn't begin with "Nemu_", and delete it.
At this point, I'd venture to say you're done. However, some important notes!
After you you've imported everything, all the faces will be flipped
Also, in these exports, there are numerous open edges.
The textures display only in renders.
Every game has its own problems. Many places in Super Mario 64 tend to be tilted around 20-30 degrees.
There are only a few places where an entire level loads at once. Examples are Bob-omb battlefield and outside the castle. Many games only load what you see. For example, Goldeneye only loads the room you are in, and a bit more. It took me nearly 40 exports to get everything I needed, and then I had to re-assemble everything. NOTE: Do not try to export more areas at once by using split-screen 2-4 player games. The geometry for each player exports all in one place, making it near impossible to separate.
Here are some renders of some exports
^gotta love those box handed bipeds
