File Menu

The File Menu is where all file saving, loading, importing and exporting takes place. The look of the import/export menu can differ depending on the import/export filters in the med_plugins or the ms folder. All mentioned external software packages are trademark of their owners.

New Model	Create a new model.
New Terrain	Create a new terrain with a given size and number of horizontal and vertical vertices.
Open	Open a model or terrain. Supported formats are MDL or MD2 for models, and HMP files for terrains.
Save	Save the model or terrain to the current filename in Gamestudio's native MDL5, MDL7, or HMP format. The file name must not be longer than 20 characters and must not contain spaces. Multiple skins per mesh, external skins, DDS skins, materials, effects, and bones are not supported by the MDL5 format.
Save As	Save to a new model name.
Merge	Merge another model into the current model, so that the result is a combination from both models.

Choose Palette	Load a color palette for models that have an 8-bit skin texture. Palettes can be loaded from 8-bit image formats such as BMP, PCX, PAL, LMP or RAW.
Model Properties	Displays the number of faces, vertices, skins, bones etc in the model.
Skin Editor	Opens the Skin Editor window where the skin mapping and skin texture can be edited.
Engine Preview	Get a glimpse how the model with its animation, shaders and effects will look in the game engine (this feature is not available in the MED standalone version). You can move with the mouse and cursor keys. Model flags and properties can be set by directly entering commands through [Tab]; the model is accessed through the me entity pointer. The engine window is closed by pressing [Esc].

Import ...
MED supports all usual file formats for importing and exporting 3D models. Please read External File Formats about the format you're using, and read Frequently Asked Questions about some possible problems with importing models. Make sure that the file names that you're using don't contain special characters except "_" or "+". Never use spaces in your file or path names! Most import or export filters will not find textures with spaces or exotic characters in their file name. Model orientation and size depend on the coordinate system and size in the original model editor. Use the Edit / Scale Model Global and Edit / Transform Model Global functions until the model has the desired size and faces the X axis. When importing bones animation, the import dialog lets you select whether to import the bones or convert them to vertex animation. P Vertex weights and multiple bones per vertex can be imported, but not edited afterwards.
Model from ASCII	Import a model from a text file saved in MED's own text format with Export Model to ASCII.
Bones from ASCII	Import a bones set from a text file saved with Export Bones to ASCII.
Keyframes from ASCII	Import bones animation from a text file saved with Export Keyframes to ASCII.

Append Mesh from ASC	Import a mesh in the standard ASC format that is exported by MED and many other editors, and appends it to the current mesh.
Append Mesh from 3DS	Import a mesh in the 3DS format and appends it to the current mesh.
Append Frames from ASC	Import a vertex frame in the ASC format, and appends it as vertex frame to the end of the animation. The number of vertices and triangles must not differ from the current mesh.
Append Frames from 3DS	Import a mesh in the 3DS format and appends it as vertex frame to the end of the animation. The number of vertices and triangles must not differ from the current mesh.

From FBX (2010)	Import an animated model in FBX file format, including the textures, materials, and bones (see External File Formats).
From 3DS	Import a model in 3DS file format, including the textures and materials (see External File Formats).
From Microsoft X	Import an animated model in X file format with textures, materials, and bones (see External File Formats).
From Milkshape ASCII	Import an animated model in Milkshape ASCII format, including the textures and bones.
From Wavefront OBJ	Import a model in Wavefront OBJ format.
From ASE	Import a vertex animated model in 3D Studio ASCII Scene Export format.
From WMP	Import a model in Gamestudio WMP level format.
Terrain from Image	Import a terrain heightmap from a 24-bit RGB PCX, BMP, TGA image, using the brightness as height values. When importing, you can define the horizontal and vertical grid resolution and the grid triangle size. The height formula (default: *R1+G2+B2) gives the weight of the red, gree, or blue channel of the image for calculating the height of the terrain. The skin for the terrain can be imported or C automatically generated with the Terrain Texture Creator Tool. For exporting a heightmap from Bryce2, click onto the Copy icon below the small monochrome terrain image, then paste the copied heightmap image in a paint program and save it as image. For exporting a heightmap from Terragen, save it to an image in BMP, PCX, or TGA format. For exporting a shadow mapped terrain skin texture from Terragen**, set the camera position in terrain units at 128,128,1024, the target at 128,128,0, and the zoom at 8. Now an image is rendered which can be directly saved and used as the skin for the terrain. Terragen is free available at http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen.

Import ...	C P Further import file formats are available when MED or Milkshape import filters are used. For Milkshape import/export there's a subfolder ms that contains two DLL files: cpi01.dll and msModelLib.dll. For installing a Milkshape filter, just copy the filter DLL into the ms subfolder. Once you have installed a filter, it appears automatically the Import or Export menu after the next start of MED. You can download free third party Milkshape import/export filters from the download page at http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/ms3d. Please note that the filters that come with the Milkshape demo are for trial purposes only, and require registering Milkshape after the trial period. Do not copy Milkshape's original msModelLib.dll - Gamestudio uses it's own msModelLib.dll that's already in the ms folder. Some of the filters that come with Milkshape, like msASCIIExporter.dll and msASCIIImporter.dll, only work when Milkshape is running, so you need to start up Milkshape before importing or exporting a model using the included filters. If a filter is buggy, it can cause MED to crash - remove the filter from the ms folder when you experience problems.
Export ...
Model to FBX	Export the model or terrain to the FBX file format (see above about the differences between the 2005 FBX format, and the newer FBX formats). The model or terrain skin is also exported to a BMP file.
Model to ASCII	Export the model to a text file in MED's own format.
Bones to ASCII	Export the bones set to a text file.
Keyframes to ASCII	Export the bones animation to a text file.
Model to ASC	Export the model to a standard ASC file.
Model to 3DS	Export the model to a 3DS file.
Frame to ASC	Export the current frame to a standard ASC file.
Frame to 3DS	Export the current frame to a 3DS file.
Export ...	C P Further export file formats are available when Milkshape export filters are used (see above).

Preferences ...
Color	Color Configuration Menu, for assigning colors to interface or display elements.
Keyboard	Keyboard Configuration Menu, for assigning keyboard shortcuts to menu commands.
Video Out	Determines the graphics library used for the 2D and 3D views. There are several rendering libraries for software rendering (without DirectX), for DX8, and for DX9. Normally you can use the newest library (like GXL2BASDX9A.DLL for DX9). On old 3D hardware, the DX8 libraries (like GXL2BASDX8A.DLL) can render faster than its DX9 counterparts, but don't support the full function set. The software rendering library (GXL2BAS32.DLL) does not need DirectX and provides basic rendering functions without texturing. !! Libraries ending with ..A use the same DirectX device for all views; otherwise a separate DirectX device for any view is allocated.. Note that some video drivers can't handle an ..A library when other programs, like the engine, open a DirectX device at the same time. In that case, use the other library.
Draw Origin	Display the model origin (x=0, y=0, z=0) in 2D and 3D views. The origin determines entity rotation and collision detection.
Grid Auto Size	Size the grid according to the view's zoom factor.
Grid Lo / Hi	Determines the distance between thin and fat lines in the grid.
Vertex size	The size of a vertex dot in pixels. Increase this value for better visibility of vertices when View / Vertices Ticks is activated.
Bone size	The size of a bone hinge in quants. Increase this value for better visibility of bones.

History	This section shows the last 8 files you have had open in the past.
Exit	Exit the program.

Additionally to Preferences, some global WED and MED options can be controlled by settings in the text file data\options.scr (advanced users only). The options editable by the user are commented (comments in the file are preceded by ';').

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