I want to start using FragMOTION as an alternative to MilkShape, because of it's native 4-bone assignment support and better UV editing tools, but I've noticed immediately after adjusting vertices the normals screw up. So the end result is mesh with very sharp shading/rough edges. Just like importing into MilkShape with Auto Smoothing on, but I don't see a similar option for this program. Is there anyway to get around this? Or are there any normal editting plugins available for this program or an easy additional program to use?

I tried importing the modified .smd file into the Geometric Data Container in SimPE and try exporting the who gmdc, but the UniMesh plugins returns an Unrecognized Chunk ID error. I was hoping to use the Align Normals plugin to fix it. Also because MilkShape doesn't natively support 4-bone assignments, exporting .ms3d and opening in MilkShape converts it to 1-bone.

I'm specifically using FragMOTION on a mesh in which I'm combining 2 mesh halves together, but I needed use the UV editor to correct the mirrored UV mapping used for part of one of the meshes.

1) Make sure you are showing the mesh as smooth shaded.
2) You can assign all of the mesh to the same smoothing group and that will fix many normals problem, but it can cause others. For whole body, I will normally select the whole body, and assign it to a smoothing group. Then select other logical areas, inside of cuffs, underneath of skirts etc, and assign those to a separate smoothing group (to prevent the dark shading at those edges).
3) I've not found anything that will allow you to edit the normals in the program, I would really like one also. I ended up having to hand edit the smd file to fix some normals.

Does Fragmotion have a 'weld' command? Because that's what we used to use in the OLD milkshape and also what I use in XSI on the seams to get the desired effect, but you have to pick which vertices you're welding.

You can weld in Fragmotion but if the parts are assigned to different smoothing groups you will still have a seam.

If you do weld all then all seams will be gone even the Maxis ones.

This is something I don't quite understand but the seams will export just not the smoothing groups.I think the .smd format will only save one group even though it does keep the seams between the groups so save your work to another format also so you can go back to where you were if need be.

The GMDC format has no data elements defined for storing a smoothing group.

While smoothing groups are useful for mesh creation and manipulation, they are not needed for mesh rendering purposes. Since the GMDC format was created to store a renderable mesh, and not necessarily one that can be edited (the originals meshes are MAXIS intellectual properties), the inclusion of the smoothing groups in the game files would be unnecessary for proper game operation.

<* Wes *>