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Some Concepts on how to Compile Heads


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Well, here it is. I would just like you guys to know that I gave about 80% effort when making this... at least for the first half, then it dropped to 20% for the last half.

 

Up until recently, animated models have been really hard to work with in general. My other meshing tutorial demonstrated a certainly brute force method of meshing models. Taina's replacer has helped with editing models, though let's admit: it is pretty limited in the sense that you're only moving vertices, and you can't actually add geometry.

 

Then came along settoken (or is it miro42?) Either way, one of those guys discovered that hex editing certain values after adding geometry will put the head in the proper place and have it properly animated. Unfortunately, the process seemed to be greatly limited and the outcome varied from head to head.

 

But this changes now.

 

Few things you're going to need:

 

 

MdlOps

3DsMax (with NWmax plug-in)

A Hex Editing program. Google is your friend.

 

Okay, if all else fails, try Hex Editor Neo

 

 

For the sake of my sanity, I'm going to assume you have a moderate competence in modeling. If not, you really shouldn't be attempting this tutorial quite yet. Also for the sake of sanity, I'm going to refrain from using screenshots because I'm above all things, lazy.

 

 

I'm just going to assume that you have everything prepared and ready to go. All you need is the correct way to export and compile stuff.

 

First off export your model. Yay, that's easy.

 

 

Now, before you compile this in mdlops, I want to introduce to you a new concept, which I like to call...

 

 

The SuperModel Compile!

 

Basically, all you have to do is open your ascii file, and look to see which supermodel it uses.

 

It should say something like:

 

setsupermodel N_BastNewH S_Female03

 

 

S_female03 is what we're looking for. You need to extract s_female03.mdl and s_female03.mdx from Kotor Tool.

 

SAnd since mdlops usually requires you to provide the original model to recompile new models... well, guess what? All you have to do is rename the s_female03 files to match the aurorabase of your ascii file.

 

For instance, in this case I would have: N_BastnewH.mdl and N_BastnewH.mdx (formerly s_female03) and then the ascii which I'm

 

going to recompile (n_BastnewH-ascii)

 

Then, recompile it with mdlope. This is the SuperModel Compile.

 

For merging body models, this generally works all the time. Head models require an extra step which I like to call...

 

The Hex Edit!

 

As stated above, you will need to acquire a Hex Editing program. Remember that Google is your friend. Hex Editor Neo is the one I'll show you how to use.

 

 

You're going to want to open your compiled mdl in said hex editing program. If you got a good program, it should have a Go To function (the window is oftentimes brought up by Ctrl + G) and a Find function (Ctrl + F). Use the Find Function to search for 16 00 16 00 (If there is an option to search for Hex Values, use that.) It should bring you to the first occurrence of those values and that's exactly what we want.

 

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If we look at the address of the data, it should say 0x000008e1 - and that data will be displayed somewhere on the main screen, or maybe on a side toolbar... who knows? Anyways, you're going to need to make a pointer to that address in order for this to work.

 

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To do that, just flip the values in pairs of two. If your address ends in 08e1, then it's pointer will be e108. Remember this value, write it down somewhere.

 

Next, use the Go To Function and type in 0b4. There should be two byes there surrounded by lots of 00s and whatnot. Replace those

 

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two bytes with your pointer from the last step. For instance, I would be replacing 99 02 with e1 08. Save your file. All you have to do is try it in-game.

 

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PDaTa.jpg

 

So yeah, there is my half-hearted tutorial on how to correctly compile heads.

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  • 2 weeks later...

W O W !

Just friggin' awesome, thanks VP! It works perfectly, just got a fully working, animated, collar-matching Weequay head as well as a Twi'lek head with displayable head-gear done. This is indeed a major breakthrough and gives my alien-heads work a big push! I don't even know how to thank you :)!

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Damn, that's impressive work VarsityPupper. You just earned a Nobel Price in breakthrough hard to mod games :D

 

Really impressive, awesome you just kept on going on this modelling problem.

Man, pretty spiffy and neat tutorial.

 

Give yourself some rest now... Man, just awesome!

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  • 2 months later...

Hey awesome work VarsityPuppet! That's a lot less messy than the way I do it. Although when I messed with Visas's head it attached (which I could never get it to even show up before) but the animations were nill. However, I hadn't touched that file in a year or so, so it's probably something on my end.

And just for proper...umm, props, settoken started it, Quanon clarified, and I "finished" it, as it were.

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Hey awesome work VarsityPuppet! That's a lot less messy than the way I do it. Although when I messed with Visas's head it attached (which I could never get it to even show up before) but the animations were nill. However, I hadn't touched that file in a year or so, so it's probably something on my end.

And just for proper...umm, props, settoken started it, Quanon clarified, and I "finished" it, as it were.

 

settoken started it, Quanon clarified, miro42 narrowed it down, and then with all of this information, I was able to crack it.

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Boo yah! Lucasforums Team powers activate!
:lol:

 

Thing about the wonder twins.... how come one of them always became a "bucket" of water.... and the bucket was never made of ice, it was a danged metal pail. Stupid wonder twins.....

 

Back on topic: Glad to see you added this to the tut's section VP! Nice to see you back around, miro42!

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