Would you recomend getting GMax or Milkshape? I'd like to make player models. I understand that I need 3Dsm to get it playable, but a friend can do that for me. GMax is free, but I'm sure it can't do nearly as much as Milkshape can.

You got it backwards. Gmax does A LOT more than Milkshape, infact it's just like 3DSM only free. Milkshape is much easier though.

is GMax good for making prefabs?
where can I get it?

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I'm just tired of trying to make sense of this sorry world previous generations are so smugly handing over to us like so much skid-marked underwear.

Thanks Emon I guess I'll get GMax, and Milkshape if it doesn't work out.
I forget the address of Gmax...I'll get back to you if someone else doesn't first. As for Prefabs, you can make them in Radiant. anything else would be a model...though I've heard them refered to as prefabs. (You can make models if that's your question.) An example would be the x-wing model (.md3). If you put in in a map, you'll see it but it won't be solid. Raven made a prefab of the x-wing with physics clip in Radiant. You put the model in the map, and the phisics prefab over it to make it solid...
I think that's right, even though I doubt that's what you were asking

So the model is the textured object but the prefab is the unseen clip that makes it solid?

for example, if I made a very detailed sterio with all the buttons and stuff and make that a model, I would put it in game and put a square clip over it? I know this would lower the brush count, but would it help the file size, FPS, etc.?

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I'm just tired of trying to make sense of this sorry world previous generations are so smugly handing over to us like so much skid-marked underwear.

Yes. You could also make a prefab of a staircase or a couch in radiant...that would be solid already. .md3's need to have Physics clip around it.
oh and the GMax site is: http://www.discreet.com/products/gmax/gmaxconsumer/index.html
as for the fps, I don't know, Obviously the more detailed the model the more it will take the engine to make it.
In radiant, Physics clip makes it solid and makes it stop laser/etc. fire. Regular clip just makes it solid, that's good for your irregularly shaped objects.

[This message has been edited by Bounty Hunter 4 hire (edited August 21, 2002).]

I've got Gmax now but the tutorials won't download, could someone please e-mail them to me?