How do I use the Collada plugin for Maya?

[Dispatch88]

I'm trying to make my first module. Nothing special, I'm just taking a pre-existing decoupler and making it bigger so it fits over the 4x liquid engines.

I import the decoupler.dae into maya, I scale it up, and then I export to a .dae. When I select the decoupler in the build mode, its HUGE. I tried all sorts of scale factors in the export options but they have no effect at all.

I did this before installing the collada plugin so the dae exporter must be autodesks own version. So I downloaded and installed the plugin. But I dont see anything new in maya. No entry in the plugin manager, no new item in the export options....so what did I install?

I really want to get the hang of creating new parts, I have so many ideas!

Thanks

[Darrknox]

You need to set Maya unit to 'Meteres' and set your Collada export for 'Meters.'

Like this:

[Dispatch88]

Hmm, I just tried that but it still ends up being huge.

[Darrknox]

If you set Maya's units to Meters, restart the program and make a box that's like 1mx1m and export it with a 0.01 scale factor you should be having no problems. What units are the item you're making?

[Dispatch88]

I tried starting fresh, restarting maya, seting the scene scale to meters, then importing the object the immediately exporting with collada set to meters. Still huge.

I then did the same thing but with a cube. Only this time the cube was invisible. That or it was bigger than the hanger, either way it wrong.

Here is the scale with the scene set to meters

[Darrknox]

1. Do you have a node_collison mesh

2. Can you upload your scene as a .dae file on mediafire?

[Dispatch88]

I made a zip of the original decoupler (decoupler2.dae) as well as the one after I scale it up and export it (largedecoupler.dae).

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12773495/Largedecoupler.zip

[Dispatch88]

Woah, I tried importing the new decoupler and it comes in at Scale: .003

So it gets huge in KSP, but tiny in Maya. Now I'm very confused.

[Darrknox]

That's extremely odd, and leads me to believe something up with Maya's exporting options. I was able to take your model (decoupler2) and import it. It was a good size. And when I exported it from 3dsmax , it came out fine.

(ignore the texture)

http://www./?7yxroknzxh9y14o Check if this works in your game, and if it does try rexporting it from maya.

That should say a lot about the problem.

[spacep00se2]

what kerbal space programm you got runnig there darrknox ..partlab ? i dont have that !? where can i get it ?

[Darrknox]

It's the sdk called Partlab available in the download section of the main page

[spacep00se2]

thank you !

[Dispatch88]

Well, it isnt huge in ksp but it wont attach to anything. Also it crashes maya when I import it.

I think I'm going to try using 3ds max to see if the export options are different. I'm a Maya user born and bred, so I'm reluctant to switch. But if it's for the greater good...

[Darrknox]

It won't attach to anything because that's a whole other beast. You need to make top and bottom attach nodes and try to correct them in the cfg to work in the program.

[Dispatch88]

Yes, I'll leave getting attachment points and other coding for another day. Right now I'll just focus on getting it to look good.

Thank you so much for helping

[Darrknox]

Anytime, just bump the thread again when you have another question!