====== BML Realizer - Modeling for PandaBMLR with Maya ======

==== About Maya ====
[[http://www.autodesk.com/maya|Maya]] is a high end 3D computer graphics and 3D modeling software package.

=== Maya resources ===

  * [[http://panda3d.org/wiki/index.php/Converting_from_Maya|Panda3D manual page on exporting to Maya]]




==== Modeling ====

=== Base skeleton ===
You can download a Maya file that contains the [[bml:bmlr:pandabmlr:modeling|doctor skeleton]] at [[http://cadia.ru.is/projects/bmlr]]. We strongly recommend starting with this skeleton as a base to your models. 

=== Model creation === 

See Maya resources above. 


==== Exporting ====

To export character models from Maya to Panda3D you need to have Panda3D installed. The easiest way I have found is to export through command line.

Simply save your Maya file and open up a command line where the .ma or .mb file is located and use the maya2egg85 binary that is included with Panda3D. Note that there are several versions of this program, maya2egg6, maya2egg7, maya2egg2008, etc. They all have the same parameters but you need to use the one that matches your installed Maya version. 

This is how we have exported our models:
<code>
 maya2egg85 -a both -cn George George.mb -o George2.egg
</code>

"-a both" means that it includes all animations (and therefore joints).

"-cn George" gives the model a name. Not very important but could come in handy.

"George.mb" is the input Maya file

"-o George2.egg" is the output Panda3D file



==== Using ====

Now that you have a Panda3D .egg file, you need to create a character class to make use of it. See [[bml:bmlr:pandabmlr#character_classes|PandaBMLR's character classes]] for more details.