Stormie97

I don’t think they have an account on Deadlystream, so you’ll have to try on Nexusmods.

However, as Leilukin explained, if all you want is to have these textures in TSL, you should just be able to get that by copying the .tga texture files from these mods and paste them in TSL’s Override folder. Maybe you’ll have to rename the files, I don’t remember if Carth and Bastila’s texture names structure have remained the same in TSL.

It’s just that without Fenharel’s express permission, nobody (including yourself) can release a mod porting their textures to TSL. If you’re just messing around on your own, that’s fine.

You'll probably have better luck by formulating your request using an actual sentence. 😉

26 minutes ago, DarthParametric said:

I wonder if you should swap the clothing for the last two. The current arrangement doesn't seem to have enough contrast with the skin colour.

Yeah the orange jumpsuit one lacked contrast with the skin. I've adjusted that version now.

After some in-game testing, I'm happy to report that the mouth area works just as expected. Here's a preview I've posted yesterday.

With all 5 texture variations (see below) ready, I'm now moving closer to release. Only need to tweak a few skin weights and set up the TSL Patcher!

53 minutes ago, DarthParametric said:

I assume you are going to swap to the standard human rig? Doesn't seem to have the giant-sized hands of the KOTOR model.

Yeah I want to give a shot, the big question mark though is how the mouth area will look like in talking animations. If it doesn't turn out right, I'll resize everything to use the vanilla Rodian rig.

This update is long-overdue, but here goes. I'm aware there are some issues and areas of improvement for Vandar which I intend to address soon. Meanwhile, I have been busy with the next entry in this mod series. Here's a preview for the Rodian:

Finding quality references for this one was difficult, so I mainly based the design on the Battlefront 2 Greedo model by Dice.

This is still WIP of course, though fairly advanced. Pants will be tweaked before moving onto skinning. Feedback is, as always, very much welcome.

On 12/13/2022 at 6:01 PM, Jonlion said:

Thank you. I believe it was selected, but I'm going to try one more time. Also I'm going to try 3Dmax approach if this doesn't work.

Do you know any good guides/tutorials/methods concerning turning models into a more smooth high poly version? What approach and program would be recommended and somewhat easy to use?

Best wishes

If you're talking about models exported from KoTOR, you can't. To turn low-poly models to high-poly, you generally use subdivision levels. In Blender, it's a modifier called 'Subdivision surface', in Max they call it 'Turbosmooth'. Anyway, this simply splits each quad (i.e., a face with 4 vertices) in smaller bits. An algorithm calculates the average distances between existing vertices when placing the new ones, making the model look smoother. You can easily divide a quad because each side will be split in 2, so from one quad you end with 4 quads. And so on. However, triangles can't be split evenly so subdividing those can generate inadequate results. See below:

The cube on the left consists of only quads, while the one on the right is made of triangles. The cubes below are the result obtained from subdividing the cubes above.

Now, I'm going over this stuff because models in KoTOR are made up of triangles. Partly because the 3d assets are really old, but also because video game engines prefer triangles in general. Here's what the Rodian model looks like when freshly imported in Blender. Triangles galore! I've added a subdivided version of the same model on his right.

Now, depending on what you want to achieve this might be perfectly fine for you. However if you want to rework the models or use them as a base for sculpting, you won't get far with this. Instead, you want to turn those triangles into quads. For a good chunk of them, you can do so with a neat shortcut in Blender: Go into 'Edit mode', press A to select all, then hit Alt+J.

Now that's much better already. Some stuff is falling apart because I didn't merge the model's vertices as several of them are split. You'll notice that a lot of triangles remain on the hand and the head. For these, your options are limited to manually fix them into quads. If you're new to 3d, this is going to be challenging, because you need to understand how topology works to get a good result in the end.

Again, it depends on what you want to achieve. If you're looking to get a base to do some sculpting on, I would simply create primitive objects (cubes, spheres, cylinders, etc.), resize and place them to match the model. Here's what it would look like:

Then apply the subdivision, import in your preferred sculpting software, remesh/dynamesh and get going.

As for tools, there's a wide variety you can choose from. Blender has the advantage of being free and having a lot of online resources, especially on Youtube, available. However it lacks some useful features that you might one day care about and many find its UI very confusing. Most other software suites, if not all, are destined to a professional audience and are therefore quite intimidating to beginners. Generally, there is no one single program that can do everything perfectly. They're just tools and they more or less excel at the given tasks they were designed for. If you're only getting started in 3D, I'd recommend using Blender until you understand all the basics of 3d, then get the trial versions of similar general 3D software (Maya, Modo, 3DSMax, etc.) and see what you prefer.

23 hours ago, DarthParametric said:

It's fine as long as the bone count isn't 18 or above. The MDL format supports up to 17 bones per mesh (Vandar being one of two vanilla K1 models that max out the limit). Early versions of MDLEdit erroneously declared the limit at 16, but I believe this was changed in later versions.

Exactly, the head mesh uses 17 bones so the error message should go away with a more recent version of MDLEdit.

I should add that I’ve only tested him with his normal K1 animations (essentially just standing around and taking). I did try replacing the PC with him to see the combat animations for fun so that wasn’t a rigourous test. I haven’t played ROR so depending on what those Yoda-likes do in the mod I might have to recheck the skin weights, especially on the lower body.

I do hear that you’d need a TSL port so I’ll look into that shortly.

I'm delighted to finally be able to open this thread. Here, I'll be posting updates on my latest project. I've been posting pictures on the KOTOR Discord and in status updates here on DS for a while. Now I'm finally stopping the teasing and will instead post new stuff here.

After my Juhani mod, I was inspired by Koru's work on creatng high poly head models for K1. I felt that the aliens in the Kotor games were in dire need for a makeover, and after much much trying and failing, I have learned modern techniques used in 3D character creation. I was able to apply it for no other than Master Vandar, the first entry in this modding series.

My objective with this project was to create a character from scratch that would fit the vanilla rigs to facilitate the process when it comes to porting the 3D model to Kotor. I started off from a bunch of very simple objects.

From there I slowly formed the main shapes, and refined the details until I had a high poly sculpture I was happy with.

I then retopoligized the model. In plain English, this means I created a low-poly version of the character on top of the sculpted one. In the process  I would ensure that the geometry was suitable model for the game engine. The final model has about 12k triangles, including 3k for the hair cards.

For the texturing part, I used Substance Painter. I baked the details from the high poly sculpt onto the low poly retopologised geometry into a set of textures called mesh bakes. Within Substance Painter, these are used to drive the procedural creation of layers of color information (but not only), mostly using masks. Very similar to the way Photoshop works.

This looks really flat though. Remember that Odyssey doesn't use much more than the diffuse texture (i.e. the base color information). To create a sense of depth, I've used the mesh bakes like the ambient occlusion and curvature maps to add shadows and highlight to the texture. Other bakes were used as well to add even more fake lighting. Final highlights and shadows were then painted by hand.

The eyes were fully painted by hand in 3DCoat. Also,  I stole a neat trick from this 80LV post to add some depth to the eyes. The iris has been sunk in, while the geometry for the cornea was cut separate from the rest of the eyes and features a painted reflection.

That's it! After some preparing, I then brought the model over to 3DS Max to deal with the skin weights. As I had planned ahead for the model to fit pretty much perfectly to the vanilla rig, I had no real issues in the weighting process.

Pictures and gifs are nice, but discovering the model in 3D is much better. Check it out on Sketchfab here: https://skfb.ly/ow9Mn  Make sure to zoom in to evaluate all the details in the texture !

I hope you find this post was insightful! I'll include details on the next pieces of the project in the next messages of this thead at a later stage!

This is controlled via .txi parameters. Without looking at the file, I'd guess the mod uses the parameter "envmaptexture CM_Baremetal" to make certain parts of the texture map shiny. It's essentially the same parameter that gives the sith troopers their fake reflections.

The parts of the texture affected by these paremeters is determined via the image's alpha channel. Basically, you would use an image editing software (e.g. Photoshop or Gimp) to paint out the areas of the image you want to be affected by the parameter.

You can learn pretty much all there is to know about .txi parameters here:

Pretty sure that’s a lack of animations, I had the same issue the first time I made a custom hilt.

Make sure to click on "Export model + anims" in 3DSMax/Gmax when exporting your model.

17 hours ago, Azeria said:

Oh that makes sense. Then otherwise how would I go about textures?

For that, you'll need to edit her head texture (PFHAHS.tga) using an image editor such as Gimp (not recommended) or Photoshop (better). The best option would be something like 3DCoat Textura because it allows you to paint directly on the 3d model.

13 hours ago, Azeria said:

this is brilliant, I've always wanted a playable togruta head! I'm pretty new to modding, is there any way I could make the lekku longer and customize the face markings?

The length of the lekkus are a deliberate decision. Having them any larger induces a significant risk of clipping on many body models. Even as it is now, there's some unavoidable clipping going on, so I wouldn't advise on making them longer.

3 hours ago, BabylonAS said:

While I’m not keen on replacing canon KotOR characters with those from other eras, I nonetheless wonder how is the progress on Ahsoka’s model going?

Halted for now. Most of my remaining modding time is dedicated to a new project for which I'll open a new thread soon. The Ahsoka head model is pretty much done though, you can download it here. Beware that there's some inevitable clipping with the hood of the jedi robes because of the lekkus.

On 9/28/2021 at 3:32 AM, Darth Atticus said:

I'm sorry its phenomenal work but it simply isn't enough for me, the model simply looks too smooth compared to the rest of the models giving it a kind of uncanny valley look, also her hair is the wrong colour 

That characteristic flatness is due to the different texture systems used by K1 and TOR. I'm not familiar with TOR's engine but I suppose it uses some form of PBR rendering or, at minima, a somewhat classic combination of diffuse, specular and normal maps.

In layman terms, this means that TOR uses various texture maps to render things like depth and variation in roughness, while the diffuse (or basecolor map) simply handles color information. Good ol' Odyssey on the hand doesn't have such fancy features. Everything you want a model to display must be contained within the diffuse map: depth, shadows, etc. What you see in your diffuse texture is what you get in game. Since TOR's diffuse maps are likely little more than just color information, you don't get much detail in them.

To fulfill the quality level you seek would require a comprehensive retexturing job. Luckily, skilled texturers are still active on this site. Best you can do is ask DP's permission and post a mod request in the appropriate section, or tackle the challenge yourself.

In all honesty, I haven’t replayed any of the 2 games ever since releasing my very first mod. Just been busy making new stuff, most of which I haven’t shown anything publicly and that I won’t ever release ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

14 hours ago, iFoRias said:

Just logged in to say this mod was a great idea and i and many others would be grateful if someone could finish it.

I'd tell you that bumping threads is poorly looked upon but lately the site has been, let's say, a bit too quiet so whatever.

As for the mod, I haven't really followed the development closely. After a a quick read-through, I guess could pick up the last files that were shared in the thread and finish the mod myself. However, @defreili hasn't been around since April and I would hate to cut the ground from under his feet should he come back at somepoint to finish it.

I'll add a few notes to DP's already fairly comprehensive answer.

6 hours ago, LoneWanderer said:

What files should be present in archive with, for example, sword model?

Apart from the 3d model itself, you're going to need a texture, but just one. Modern game assets use a variety of texture images, all serving a different purpose: diffuse, ambient occlusion, normal maps, roughness map, metalness map, etc. For good ol' KoTOR, you'll only be interested in the diffuse map (also often called "albedo" or "base color"). KoTOR does support normal maps/bump maps, but honestly I've never been able to see the difference in-game, so don't bother with those.

6 hours ago, LoneWanderer said:

Perhaps fan-models from certain games (JKA, Battlefront 2 (2005), etc.) are more preferable than random models from the Internet?

While there's a lot of cool stuff that has been done in their respective modding communities, remember to ask for permission to the mods' original authors before starting to port stuff. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to post your port mod here, nor to ask for assistance in the process should you need it. In my experience, provided the authors haven't gone AWOL, they'll generally agree to it as long you as you give them proper credit for the assets.

6 hours ago, LoneWanderer said:

2. What tools do I need to open the 3d model and port it into TSL?

Just want to add that, once you've done all the prep work in your 3D software, you'll want to use MDLEdit to convert the .ascii files (created by KOTORMax/KOTORBlender) into KoTOR's preferred file format (.mdl/.mdx).

6 hours ago, LoneWanderer said:

3. The process of porting weapon model. Do you know any instructions or tutorials? What needs to be adjusted after converting a weapon model?

Yep! I remembered a couple of old tutorials on Youtube showing how to import new weapons in Kotor. They both use NWMax and MDLOps, so remember to use KOTORMax/KOTORBlender and MDLEdit instead.

Custom Models in Star Wars: KOTOR 1 & 2

KotOR1 Modding Tut Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

These should help you kickstart your project.

This is where the fun begins!

2 hours ago, Crazy34 said:

I my weights look a little  different, but the problem is not the transition from necklwr_g to neck_g but more the next transition from neck_g to head_g. I will play around with the weights for a little longer. @Stormie97 If this fails, could I maybe ask you to take a look at the weights?

Thx and stay safe!

It's definitely finicky. I'd gladly take a look at it if needed, you can send me the file by PM.

3 hours ago, Crazy34 said:

I was trying to fix especially the neck_g weighting

The lowest loop of vertices that connect the head to the body need a weighting of 1 with respect to the necklwr_g bone. The second row of vertices from the bottom will then blend the weight of necklwr_g with neck_g (I just do 0.5/0.5) and then the third loop can finish the blending by applying a weight of around 0.1 - 0.2 for necklwr_g. So it seems you need to play around with the blending a bit. Adding an additional loop at that area can help as well.

While less fancy, I'd just assign the head to a companion, either via KSE, editing appearance.2da or creating a disguise item, and go through conversation options with them. Generally when something is wrong with your weights it's quickly noticeable. Granted, you won't really get any extreme animations to test your skinning, but player heads rarely move much anyway.

3 hours ago, JediKing94 said:

my mod would look like a baby trying to draw for the first time

Eh, I remember that one of the first posts on this site was to request someone to port a model of ROTJ Luke Skywalker that was posted on jkhub.org. That request wasn’t answered so I decided to go ahead and give it a try with zero knowledge of 3D.

After multiple failed attempts, I eventually succeeded and proudly released my first mod ever. In doing so I discovered a passion for 3D and made it one of my favourite hobbies. I made a huge amount of progress in those last two years or so. Granted I release something only whenever a unicorn gets sacrified, but that’s because I keep improving my workflow and technique and so previous projects become outdated. Anyhow I’ll always encourage people to have a go at it and I’d gladly point whoever asks towards some useful free resources that helped me learn 3D art from scratch.

As for your request, I didn’t answer yet because I want to commit to finishing my current Duros overhaul mod (not forgetting all my RL responsibilities). Even then, I don’t want to make any promises or commitments, but if the mood strikes me, I’m leaving the door open to it.