Pixel Bunneh

The Blue Mars Item Editor is really just a scaled down version of the CryEngine2 Sandbox. To use items in the editor you need Collada .dae files which aren’t all that widely used outside of game development.

Design applications that support Collada include Maya, 3ds Max, Blender (free), Lightwave 3D, Poser, Cinema 4D, Softimage, Modo, Sketchup (free), Meshlab (free), CityEngine, Strata 3D, and Daz Studio (free).

Design workflow is the usual, then you export as Collada .dae. You then need to import into the Blue Mars Editor, which converts the file to a format usable in the CryEngine environment. So File > Import > Convert > Load. You should now have your .dae in the Blue Mars editor.

Importing a Collada .dae file

Converting and Loading .dae file

Most likely you have no texture on your object, I’ve not had a lot of luck getting the image files exported correctly, but it’s a small matter. Note that images need to be in either .TIFF or .DDS format. Open the material editor (packed full of great stuff) and add your material. View > Open View Pane > Material Editor.

Adding materials to .dae file

For this file, I’m just using a flat white image and changing the diffuse options to get the color I want.
If you need to tweak your added texture or UV map, scroll down to the UV Modifier in the Texture Maps drop down.

Blue Mars UV Modifier

There are a LOT of options in the Material Editor, take some time and check them all out.

Once I get the object looking the way I want it, I need to test it in the Blue Mars environment. You really need to do this, as it appears differently there than it does in the editor. With your object selected, go to Item > Create an Item from Selection. There won’t be a message or anything when it’s done, but look for the screen to move about a bit and when it stops you’re ready to go.

Object in editor, ready for testing in Blue Mars

Go to Item > Check Item in Blue Mars. You’ll need to log in with your developer information.

You should see your item there. Get a picture quick, before the sun goes down

Object in Blue Mars

That’s it in a nutshell. If you have any questions about steps I’ve left out, ask in the comments.