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How To Make New Multiplayer Skins (without replacing current ones - UPDATED)


ChangKhan

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Here's what you do (this is a bit longwinded, but it's not really that complicated, I'm just being very thorough)...

 

1) First thing you may want to do is extract the original model and skins from our assets0.pk3 file. You will find this file in the "base" directory (look where you installed the game - there should be a "base" dir in the GameData directory). Open that file with WinZip (WinZip can open it) and go down the list until you find all the files in the directory for the model you want to modify. All models are in models/players (sort by "path"). So, for example, Lando is in models/players/lando. Select all the files in that directory and extract them into your "base" directory. When you extract make sure that you have the "use folder names" option checked. You should now have a "models" directory inside the "base" dir, a "players" dir in the the "models" dir, and inside "players" you should see the dir of the model you extracted (in this example, "lando").

 

2) In that folder, you will find a text file called model_default.skin. This is the file that tells the game what image files to apply to each part (surface - collection of polys) of the model. Copy this and rename it to use your new skin name (using the example "solo", for instance: model_default_solo.skin). Note that the "default" MUST be in the skin file's name or the game will not recognize it as a selectable skin.

 

3) Now open up the .jpg and .tga files in that directory and modify whichever ones you want to, then save them out *under a different name*. When you do, find the name of the image file you modified in the new .skin file you copied and replace the name of the original image file with the name of the new one you just saved. (When we release the model viewer, you'll be able to preview your work).

 

4) Now you have a .skin file that points to the new image files. All you have to do now is make your "icon" image. This is the small, square picture that shows up in the menu when you're browsing what skin to use (also shows up in-game on the HUD in certain circumstances). You will need to make a new one for your new skin. Open up the original for reference, make your new one and save it back out with a new name, following the name renaming guidelines as the .skin file... so the original icon is called icon_default.jpg, save your new one as icon_default_solo.jpg (again, using "solo" as the example).

 

5) Now you're done! It will work in the game on your computer (try it out), now you just need to put it together for other people to see. You need to zip it up into a .pk3 file like the others in the "base" dir. Now, since you want to make sure the .zip file remembers the path to each file (remember how when you extracted files into the "base" dir, it created all the right subdirectories?), you have to add the files to the .zip file from a dir higher then "models" and you must add using "wildcards" (don't worry, I'm about to explain and walk you through it). The best way I've found to do this is to make a new directory in "GameData" called "mods" (or whatever you want to call it). This acts as a substitute "base" dir for our current purpose of zipping up your work. Copy the "models" folder into this new folder (if you have more than one skin you've done, be sure the copied "players" dir only has the model you just modified). Now, go back up to your "mods"(or whatever you named it) dir and create a new .zip file. Open it up and hit the "Add" button to add files. Browse to the "mods" directory you just made and make sure that "include subfolders" is checked. Then click on "Add With Wildcards". This will add all the files you just made and include the folder/directory path to them (you should be able to verify this when you're done adding and look at the file list in the .zip file). Make sure the .zip file only contains the new files you made (not, for example, the original image files), this way you keep your filesize down and don't accidently overwrite other people's files. Now save and exit WinZip, and rename the file to whatever you want and change the extension from "zip" to "pk3".

 

You're done! Upload the file somewhere and share the goodness!

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Chang, I've been itching to make skins since I got the game, but so far haven't because of lack of a model viewer. I downlaoded the SoF2 viewer today to see if it would work with JK2, but so far I haven't had any luck. Is it possible to get it to work with JKII, and if so, how?

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ah well, thats good to know :)

dont suppose you could provide any information on the modelling/animation of skins? I'm assuming the _humanoid.gla is the animation file for humanoid models. Will there be a glm importer/exporter? And how complex would it be to attach the default animations to a custom model (I have skinning/modelling experience but no animation)?

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Originally posted by Prophet

ah well, thats good to know :)

dont suppose you could provide any information on the modelling/animation of skins? I'm assuming the _humanoid.gla is the animation file for humanoid models. Will there be a glm importer/exporter? And how complex would it be to attach the default animations to a custom model (I have skinning/modelling experience but no animation)?

 

If you have MAX, we will be releasing a plug-in/exporter for MAX and our ghoul2 compiler that should allow you to make custom .glm meshes (or modify ours) and apply them to our animation skeleton (the _humanoid.gla file)

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Originally posted by Prophet

Chang, I've been itching to make skins since I got the game, but so far haven't because of lack of a model viewer. I downlaoded the SoF2 viewer today to see if it would work with JK2, but so far I haven't had any luck. Is it possible to get it to work with JKII, and if so, how?

 

NOTE: for clarity, deleted some previous posts asking about this

 

You can get it to work, here's how (NOTE: when our tools come out sometime in the next week, use those instead):

 

Extract the _humanoid.gla and animation.cfg following the same instructions as above (extract into the GameData/base folder and the files should appear in the directory: GameData/base/models/players/_humanoid).

 

Extract the models.shader file using the above instructions (extract into GameData/base. the file should appear in the dir: GameData/base/shaders).

 

Extract any models/players directories you want to view/modify (see above instructions).

 

Open ModView. Go to open a file and browse to the .glm file in the GameData/base/models/players directory of the model you want to view.

 

Voila!

 

PS: for those of you looking for the SoF Skinning Contest download (that includes ModView), get it here

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thats what i really enjoy about raven :p

u guys are social with the players :)

not even Verant has a nice bond with its players like u guys (let alone (does any other company) give out hints and tips for free)

anywho

 

will there be a GMax plug in for those of us using that?

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i am so very happy that Raven:

 

1.) max tools for JK2 (i know that they do a lot of work in Softimage)

2.)going to release said tools :)

3.)also, for making the brilliant game.

 

 

haven't finished playing it by a long sight, but the light saber stuff has the highest 'wow' factor of any game i've played since max payne. and i loooved max payne. so, thanks for the heads up, back to working on some meshes now...

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Originally posted by Phaedrus

I searched the folder and there is no PK0.pk3 file. I have assests1 and assests0 and that's it.

 

I searched m comp for a PK0.pk3 file and the only place it turned up was in my Q3A demo.

 

Help... please.

 

That's me being stupid, it's not pak0.pk3, it's assets0.pk3. Thanks for the correction, I've fixed my original post...

 

:/

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Any chance you could give us an exact date on the tools delivery? Even if it is just the .def file or just the compiler.

 

I have 1 CTF map already to go for JKII and another FFA on the final stages. I am with the Wired Lamp Studios group and we will have a bunch of stuff ready to go as soon as that compiler and .def file are out.

 

Yes, I know I am impatient, but I have been waiting since this game was announced ;) With only 4 CTF maps in the game, the clans need more, and we aim to give it to them.

 

- Vorax

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Hey Mr. Raven guy...I have a question...there are some skins/models that are in SP and not in MP...would it be okay for someone to make them availiable for MP use and credit all of the skins/models to Raven or is this just a no-no in general?

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My winzip program just unpacks the .pk3 file into a bunch of files but doesn't include the sub folders and such, just a big list of all the files and no folders, can anyone tell me how to change this? i looked in all the options and I can't find anything. can someone tell me how to get the sub folders to show up?

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Really, I thought it was fairly straightforward - "sometime in the next week" is really quite specific, especially since in the past we've been told "sometime after the game's release". Seven days is quite exact when compared to "whenever". It's probably hard to know the *exact* day of release anyways, since it depends on problems that pop up, etc... therefore a week is about as close as you can get. If ChangKhan knew the specific day he would tell us.

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