How to Export Models From "Maya" to "UT3"
"Unreal Tournament 3" is a competitive first-person shooter developed by Epic Games for multiple consoles. In addition to offering fast, frantic gameplay, the PC version allows digital artists to import custom content and share their creations with the world. Before a model can be imported into "UT3," it must first be exported from a professional modeling program, such as Maya. In order to get their custom models into the game, gamers must first download and install a specific plug-in. Once the model is exported, it must then be loaded properly into the game's editor program "UnrealEd" and formatted for game compatibility.
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Instructions
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Exporting Meshes from Maya
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Obtain the "ActorX" plug-in. Download the latest version on the "Mesh Export Tools" page of the "Unreal Developer Network" website. Scroll down to the "ActorX Mesh Exporter Downloads" section and click on the link for the latest version compatible with Maya.
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Use your preferred file compression utility to unzip the downloaded file. Place "ActorXTool.mll" into your Maya plug-ins directory (e.g. "Documents\maya\20xx\plug-ins").
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Open Maya and select "Plug-in Manager" from the "Window" menu and "Settings/Preferences" sub-menu. Scroll through the plug-ins until you find "ActorXTool.mll" and click the box next to "loaded" to activate the plug-in.
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Load a scene containing a custom model to be exported. Select "Open" under the File menu and browse to the path containing a scene file with an MB or MA extension. Once the model appears in the browser window, click on it.
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Click the "Command Line" field at the bottom of the screen. Type "axmesh" and a menu will pop up. Click the box next to "Selected items only" and press the "Export Mesh" button at the bottom to create an ASE file.
Preparing Models in UnrealEd
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Launch UnrealEd and open the Generic Browser by clicking the small, grid-like icon at the top of the screen. Choose "Import" from the File menu and browse to the path containing the TGA files used as textures for your model. Hold the "Ctrl" key, click on all of the TGA images, then select "Open."
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Input appropriate, unique names in the "Package," "Group" and "Name" fields and click "OK." Repeat this process for each TGA image loaded. Be sure to specify names that differ from the actual TGA file names --- this will greatly streamline the process of loading your model into UnrealEd.
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Right-click any point in the browser and select "New Material." Unlike textures, when naming a material in UnrealEd, the information placed in the Name field should match the corresponding TGA texture file name.
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Click "OK" and right-click on the material that is created. Right-click any point in the "wxMaterial Editor" and select "New TextureSample."
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Click the material in the general browser, hold the "T" key, then click in the black space surrounding the material (in the "wxMaterial Editor") to assign the texture to the material. Repeat this process for all materials linked to your mesh.
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Choose "Import" from the File menu and load the ASE file. Materials and textures will automatically be assigned to the mesh due to the naming conventions discussed earlier. You've now imported a complete model.
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Save character models in the "\My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomChars" directory. A model must be weighted to a skeleton and outfitted with sockets before being imported into "Unreal Tournament 3," where it can then be loaded from the "Create Custom Character" menu. This process is detailed in the "Creating Custom Characters" page of the "Unreal Developer Network" website.
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Save objects and scenes in the "\My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3\UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\CustomMaps" folder. Once you've added collision to the models (view the Collision Reference page on the Unreal Developer Network to learn more), it can then be loaded as a proper map in "Unreal Tournament 3," appearing alongside the default maps within the game.
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