User:Gideon/ModelEdit
Adventures in ModelEdit: Introduction[edit]
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)[edit]
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)[edit]
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)[edit]
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)[edit]
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)[edit]
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)[edit]
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