User:Gideon/ModelEdit

Adventures in ModelEdit: Introduction

A project to allow the easy real-time capture of models and their animations from ModelEdit into sprites from Blood II: The Chosen, and by association Shogo: MAD.

Attempt One: Blood 2's ModelEdit (LithTech 1.0)

Fanatic in ModelEdit 1.0

The version of ModelEdit included in the Blood II: The Chosen and Shogo: Mobile Armour Division tools from LithTech 1.0.

• What Works: Models load, animations play.
• What Fails: No textures supported, annoying lines.

Attempt Two: NOLF's ModelEdit (LithTech 2.2)

The version included in The Operative: No One Lives Forever tools.

• What Works: Loads NOLF models with texture and the whole shebang.
• What Fails: Refuses to load older models or textures.

Attempt Three: KISS's ModelEdit (LithTech 1.5)

Fat Lady in ModelEdit 1.5

The version of model edit in the tools release for KISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child.

• What Works: Models, animations, KISS textures, lines removable, background colour tweakable.
• What Fails: Refuses to load DTX textures from any other LithTech game.

Attempt Four: DTX Viewing (DTX View/Game File Explorer)

Caleb texture in Game File Explorer

Using BlackAngel Software's DTX View as well as Game File Explorer to try and view and compare the .dtx textures.

• What Works: All kinds of DTX textures in Game File Explorer. Most in DTX View.
• What Fails: DTX View refuses to load KISS textures (interesting).

Attempt Five: Hex Editing (QHexEditor2)

Ishmael with hex edited DTX

Attempt to tweak the files using QHexEditor2 from the Fedora software repository.

• What Works: Allows certain Blood 2 textures to load in KISS's ModelEdit.
• What Fails: Reduces colour information and flips positions.

Set the first two lines to: 00000000fdffffff0001000104000000 08000000000000000000000000000000

Key points being "fd" from "fe" and "08" from "0a".

Once hex edited, DTX View no longer loads the textures.

Attempt Six: NOLF 2's dtxutil (LithTech Jupiter)

Seeking a tool called dtxutil contained in the tools for No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way that supposedly allows for the conversion of .tga files into .dtx.

• What Works: The tools themselves, presumably.
• What Fails: Refuses to install without a copy of NOLF 2 installed.

Operating theory being that the KISS textures are in a different colour mode or something that can be converted to if I can produce my own DTX files.

This was followed up on separately in the Circus of Blood project: http://forums.transfusion-game.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2789