I will be using a new weapon as an example but most if not all models can be imported this way.

Note: You can make separate files for each sequence such as "select", "Down", "Shoot" etc if you find it easier, but I personally prefer just one file with all the sequences together.

Stage 1:

Note: If you have created just one file with all the sequences you will need to remember which frames do what, for instance, frame 6 to frame 15 may be the shoot sequence, 15 to 20 maybe the down sequence, it would be wise to write these down as they will be needed for future reference. Assuming you have modelled and animated the weapon and it is to your liking, the next stage will be to use the snapshot tool.

This creates a new model for each frame... For instance; if a shoot sequence is 6 frames, 6 models will depict those frames.

To use this tool you must select all the objects first and then fill in the boxes.
Make sure Range is on. "From" should be the starting frame number and "To" should be the frame end number, my scene started at 0 and ended at 76, you can start and end at any frame number it will still work.

I had 77 frames (including the zero frame) in this scene so this is how many copies should be made, so in the "copies" box put in the amount of frames you have used (always include the zero frame).
The original animated model(s) should still be selected; they aren't needed now so simply press delete. If you go into the "select by name" dialog

Here comes the annoying part! If your weapon is made up of more than one mesh, keep reading... If your weapon is made up of only one mesh then skip stage 2 and move on to stage 3.

Stage 2:

If you look in the "select by name" dialog you will see two (or more) names. In my weapon scene, I have an Object01 to 77 and a staff01 to 77, deusex can only import one set of meshes so we now have to attach the other meshes (in my case object01 to 77) to the right meshes, so to do this;
Select the first model, for me it will be staff01. Because you have many models in the editor windows you'll have to use the "select by name" dialog.
Now, in the modifiers tab you should be able to see an "Attach List" button under "Edit Geometry" click on this and select the corresponding mesh (for me it is object01)
Repeat this process until there is only one set of names in the "select by name" dialog.

Stage 3:

Now, your model is ready for importing. Export your model as a .3ds file "File-->Export" (make sure the "preserve textures" box is checked)

Make a directory in your Deusex directory (personally I like to make a directory in my documents as the Deusex dir can get a bit cluttered). Call it the name of your weapon or the name of the package you've made this gun for, I will use Mypackage as an example.

Now move your .3ds file into the directory you've just made. To actually convert the .3ds file into a file that works with Deusex, you will need 3ds2de. You can get this at Steve Tack's webpage (http://www.planetdeusex.com/tack).
Although I will show how to use it, make sure you read the instructions Steve has given. To make life easier, I like to make a .bat file. If you are unsure how to do this, make a new txt file by right clicking on the empty space inside your directory, then choose new and Text document. A file called "New Text Document.txt" should be created, simply rename this to convert.bat or something similar. Now right click on convert.bat and choose "Edit", Notepad should load up.

Now paste these lines into notepad.

3ds2de -setproj
3ds2de WeaponStaff staff.3ds

Replace the WeaponStaff with the name you want for your class file, if you are making a weapon, it is best to put "Weapon" in front of the model name like I have. Now replace staff.3ds with the name of your .3ds file.
Double click on convert.bat a "Browse for Folder" dialog should pop up, use this to find the directory you created (for example c:\Deusex\Mypackage), then click "ok". You should now have something like this, in a Dos window.

If you have any errors, something as gone wrong, the instructions for 3ds2de outline some errors you can get, make sure you check that so you know what to fix.

In your directory, you should have two more directories "Classes" and "Models".

Stage 4:

Look in the classes folder, you should see a weapon(modelname).uc file, I like to use wotgreal (http://www.wotgreal.com") to edit these files, but you can use notepad or other text editors.
Now, if you remembered to note down your sequence frames you'll be ok, just type them in (you can use the class files from Deusex for reference) If you didn't write them down, you'll have to work it all out from your model in 3dsMax.
I won't explain any further since it's more of a coding issue and it will only help you if you have created a weapon. One thing I will say though... Sometimes the model will need repositioning; you may need to change this line.

#exec mesh ORIGIN MESH=WeaponStaff X=0 Y=0 Z=0 YAW=0 PITCH=0 ROLL=0

You'll have to work in thousands; Z is up and down, put –1000 to move it down a notch or 1000 to move it up.
(DO NOT change the scale, if the model is too big or too small use "drawscale=" in the Default properties section)

If you have anymore question or comments about this tutorial email me phasmatis81@hotmail.com