How to import a unit model into 3Ds Max 4.0+ or gmax:

[IrishArmenian]

Where can we find vercingetorix's tool for free? Call me cheap, but three American Dollarss is pretty steep for me.

[Bwian]

Go to the 'tools and guides' thread stickied at the top of this section of hte forum. Look for the CAS exporter.

This tool is a set of scripts for Max/Gmax and have ALWAYS been free. Unlike 3DS Max.... which isn't free.

IrishArmenian....A lot of your threads seem to hinge around the 'how much' and 'can I do it for free' angle. Let me cover this all in one hit for you:

Skin painting. You need a program that will handle alpha textures AND has the ability to export files in .dds format. Apparantly, GIMP does all this. Alternatively, look for a program that will allow you to convert files into this format. Irfanview is both good and free and should sort you out. You can't paint in it...but pick a free program and it will convert it to a dds file.

Modelling. You MUST have 3DS Max to export a file into the game. GMax will import and run the importer script OK, but I do not believe you can export from it. Gmax was free...but has been discontinued. You may well still be able to find it out on download sites somewhere. You can download a demo of Max, but you are restricted in time. If you are a novice with no modelling experience, do not expect to get very far in 30 days....it takes months to get familiar with the interface and controls, and a lot longer to get skilled at modelling. There is no way to 'trick' the time limit...but you can uninstall it when you are not using it to stretch it a bit further. The only other options involve spending money.....or breaking copyright laws... which will NOT be discussed here.

All the rest of the game can be modded with Notepad. And thats free.

I think that just about covers the stuff you will need. ALL the tools created by the community are free, and all can be found in the 'tools' section of this very forum.