BTB xpacker problem with materials/textures

[dianasaurus]

I am using 3d Studio Max 2010 - have the ISI rFactor plugins for gmotor gmat/gtex

It seems to all go ok until I import the 3ds file to XPACKER where I get the error ~ material has no texture - and it doesn't. If I change the model /names the XPACKER warning seems to refer accurately to my model and it is the multi-sub gmat that has no texture, gtex, but I see it in Max.

OK, so I tried to export Collada from Max and I get the same error from within Max.

I am using a DDS file for the texture; I did create it with the Alpha channel.

I do have 3dsimED - would that be a way around this trouble I'm hitting?

The ~good thing is that my model does show up in rFactor with no material/texture.

I'm actually working on a big track project and this is the first little piece ;-) hope to get rolling on through this ramping up to funner/harder things!