zahar0z
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I can write a detailed guide if needed, taking into account all possible pitfalls.
It would be interesting to take a look. It might help many people.
Is 2017 mandatory?
Considering that the operations don't use the Max format itself, I think any Max version with plugins for importing SMD files will work.
As for animations, that's a separate topic. As far as I understand, in the method that footman uses, just like I do, there's no way to add a new skeleton or animation; you can only work with the skeletons that already exist in the game.
The animation and skeleton format for Heroes 5 is GR2. First, you need adequate plugins for importing and exporting it, for any version and any program, and then we can talk about it. By the way, I'm currently working on a mockup using a Kinect from the Xbox 360. In my opinion, the results are quite good. Perhaps, this could be used to create good animations for Heroes 5, if only there was a well-established method for importing animations into the game.