Body mesh editing, removing, Patching + Adding

[svösh]

*** 4 Advanced 3d users 4 [G]Max***

 

Pre setup :-

 

first Create a new folder on your desktop call it [body edit]

and one sub folder inside it called [export]

 

Extract :-

 

**You must manually extract the .MDL and .MDX of the chosen model you are altering.

Do NOT double click the .mdl in KotorTool to extract it won’t work,

hit [write file] button for each of the binary model files.

 

Decompile :-

 

Once extracted open the .mdl in mdlops uncheck animations , and uncheck convert to trimesh if

it’s checked on . Hit the [read and write ] button to create your ascii.mdl

 

Mdlops will add k2 if the model is for TSL, and k1 if the model is for kotor

 

 

Import :-

 

Now import your new ascii.mdl in to [g]max under the mdl loading area on the Nwmax rollout

uncheck with animations and hit the [ import ] button

 

Mesh Edit :-

 

1: - Click the editable mesh, when prompted in the warning window hit hold YES

 

2:- go to polys sub object mode select and delete the polys you want to remove.

 

Some things like the flaps on Bastila’ s outfit CANNOT be removed because they have

there own bones + weights for those sections and if a bone has nothing to weight

the model will deform very badly . To put it lightly

 

3:- Now you go to faces sub object mode and hit the [ Create ] button just below the modifier stack

 

4 :- *Very important you always build NEW faces or polys in a counter clockwise direction in [g]max*

 

to start to fill you hole in you click the left most vert then shaping a triangle you click on each vert

in a CCW direction and close the shape by clicking back on the starting point, now you start the next

one from the last vert , repeat as necessary to join all existing verts to your new patch.

 

5 :- It’s a game of connect the dots , you can also build new polys if the hole is a square but make

sure all existing verts have a match to properly fill any of the holes.

 

6 :- Now you edit the uvmap to adjust for the changes made , if any Uv editing is necessary

{ Make sure to place the unwrap UVW below SKIN that is on the top of the

stack or you won’t export anything , you can drag and drop it between SKIN and the editable

mesh in the modifier stack. } Now Match the smoothing groups to the surrounding

polys before you segment if need be or you will have a patch job that will stick out

like a sore thumb .

 

7:- Click the Skin Modifier at the top of the stack if your patch job was a simple thing then the new

faces will often adopt weights from the surrounding verts.

 

Look at the envelops for that section of the body, if any verts show as grey then they Must be weighted.

 

After weighing if any was necessary

 

Export :-

 

8:- Now you click the Aurora base , and click the modifier tab [blue bent tube icon ]

 

On the right side below the modifier stack click location you can browse to the location of the new

subfolder you created called export on your desktop

 

C:\Documents and Settings\[your log in name ]\Desktop\body edit\export

 

*unchcek animations And hit the [ export ] button

 

Pre compile :-

 

9:- Now inside \ body edit folder you have the original binary .mdl and mdx and the ascii.mdl you

created, imported and modified.

 

And inside \export you have your new edited model who’s .mdl’s name is same as the one in the \ body

edit folder . So we are going to rename it , I like to use simple name additions and tend to use -z

so for example PFBNM.mdl becomes PFBNM-z.mdl

 

Now you copy you new edited and renamed mdl in to the body edit folder

 

Compile :-

 

10:-Open mdlops and browse to your new edited model ex : PFBNM-z.mdl

 

* this will only work if both binary original game .mdl and .mdx are in the same folder as your new

edited model. Now hit the [ read and write ] button and bring the dos window on top if you wish

to see the compiling progress.

 

Once the Compile is finished you will have 2 new .mdl and .mdx files in the \ body edit folder

 

Named ex : PFBNM-z-k2-bin.mdl and PFBNM-z-k2-bin.mdx

 

Now copy these to your override dir \ and inside rename them both to the original file names

ex : PFBNM.mdl and PFBNM.mdx

 

Testing time

 

Launch the game , cheat , load a saved game, whatever you need to do to see your new model edit

in game. Make sure to run around and get in to a battle watch all the different animations from

all angles to see the weighing is right watch for oddities, if you see none great

and congratulations you have successfully edited and patched or added to body mesh.

 

 

* Advanced additions * :-

 

More advanced users may wish it make additions or completely remove sections and

build new in it’s place, just make sure that you weight your new mesh to the proper envelopes

and that all sections are properly attached so nothing is floating in mid air, and of course mapped .

 

Building new mesh additions using the [ attach ] button can quickly give your model new shape, as

well as adopting some of the weights from the section it was attached too however if you go down

this route be sure to remove any unseen polys where the mesh meets . theres no point in the poly

overhead. Often manual weight tweaking is necessary with the Addition method.

 

I strongly advise to just leave the bones alone and make sure all have weights

 

For more help on how to weight, Use the max or Gmax help files, or search for tutorials online

 

This example for jedi outcast and JKA weighing is identical to what must be done for kotor models

as well. Without the model caps, since there is no dismemberment in kotor.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/psykopat/tutorials/skin_modifier.htm

 

Good luck with your body model edits

 

svösh

[TheOssusKeeper]

Thanx svösh, this should help a great deal, kudos...

[ChAiNz.2da]

Very nice tutorial Master svösh!

 

Of course now, you know I'm going to have to try this out

[Jeff]

Thanks! I'm sure this will help a lot of people, and hopefully me once I learn to model...

[General Kenobi]

Nice TUT there Svösh

 

It's already saved offline for the day I get brave enough to try to learn how to do it.

 

General Kenobi

[Fuu]

Thank you! I'm looking foreward to the point where I can try this out, I still have a little ways to go yet, but I must say that just reading it gave me a better understanding of G-Max/ modeling. This will come in handy when I go back to working on Visas' arms

 

Thanks again! Without you many would have no clue.