Hi every one...
i will share my first add-on for blender 2.60a to export 3D models and import it to Future Pinball with help of Future Pinball Model Editor!
what do you need ?
my add-on
newest version available at:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Import-Export/MilkShape3D_MS3DDownload Blender 2.60a (its free and open-source)
http://www.blender.org/Download FPM Editor 1.0.2 (its free)
http://www.pinsimdb.org/projects/fpm_editor/Download Future Pinball (its free) -
http://www.futurepinball.com/1. unzip my add-on and copy the "
io_scene_ms3d" folder to the "blender
\2.6x\scripts\addons" folder of blender.
2. open blender
3. go to "
Files" | "
User Preferences..." | "
Addons" | "
Import-Export"
4. enable the list entry "
Import-Export: MilkShape3D MS3D format (.ms3d)"
5. if you want it enabled by default, you can click "
Save As Default" on "
User Preferences" dialog, or "
Save User Settings"
Ctrl U under the "
File" menu.
now under the import and export submenu, you will find a new option to import and export "
MilkShape3D MS3D (.ms3d)".
do not change the presets on the import and export options - they will fit in most cases.
to see the very basics (how to install, make a basic textured model and import it to your table)
http://vimeo.com/31475934my add-on is very basic, not optimized and is very very slow - do not use many vertices and faces - on high poly count models, you can take a dinner during exporting...
it is also very limited in features:
it exports only vertices, faces as triangles, vertex normals, only the uv-texture-coordinates
of the first uv-texture, the first material (only the color values) of a mesh.
every mesh will exported as a group.
no material-textures
(EDIT: is implemented in new version), no smoothgroup indices
(EDIT: is implemented in new version), no bones, no joints, no keyframes, no comments, ...
(do not forget to apply modifier and constraints before exporting. the orgin of every mesh will be the world coordinate x:0.0, y:0.0, z:0.0)
the importer is even more limited:
it imports only the vertices, triangles and its uv-coordinates as a single merged mesh
(EDIT: changed in new version - now groups as separated meshes).
no normals, no materials
(EDIT: is implemented in new version), no smoothgroups
(EDIT: is implemented in new version), no bones, no joints, no keyframes, no comments, ...
but i hope the functionality will be enough to export ms3d models to use it in FPM Editor and your table (without need of MilkShape3D anymore).
how to use Blender, watch some of the many very good tutorials out there...
http://cgcookie.com/blender/http://blendtuts.com/http://blendernerd.com/http://www.blenderguru.com/... and many many more
... happy blendering
EDIT: here are well organizes and complete step-by-step "Blender Video Tutorials" courses available, to quick learn the Blender basics from scratch. 
http://www.gryllus.net/Blender/3D.htmlPS.: by the way, it is NOT my voice in that video... i grabbed the voice from the text-to-speach (TTS) web site of
http://www.ivona.com/ - its "American English, Eric" speaking. i don't have a microphone and it is better so...
