CarthOnasty

First off, here's what I'm looking at. On your right, the stock star map and on your left, what I see when I add my modded files.

Here's my process:

1. Use KotOR Tools to grab plc_starmap.mdl and plc_starmap.mdx.
2. Select plc_starmap.mdl in MDLOps 1.0.0, Extract Animations and Compute smoothgroup numbers is checked.
3. Click Read and write model. It does its thing.
4. Import plc_starmap-ascii.mdl in Blender, via KotORBlender.
5. UV map some flarksnorzen, arms, legs, etc.
6. Export edited file as plc_starmap_v2.mdl.
7. Load plc_starmap_v2.mdl into MDLOps and hit Read and write model.
8. I know have two new files: plc_starmap_v2-k1-bin.mdl and plc_starmap_v2-k1-bin.mdx.
9. I place those in my Override folder and rename them to plc_starmap.mdl and plc_starmap.mdx.
10. Open KotOR, open save just prior to entering room. Enter room, watch what happens.
11. Animations all seem to be working fine, it's just that nearly ALL of the textures are not loading.
12. Say "harrumph".
13. Ask DS for help.

Reaching out to anyone following or checking this mod out, I'm starting to put together some ideas for a second version. If there are any suggestions you would like to have seen, or would like to see, please let me know. I appreciate any and all feedback!

If you want full model editing functionality, Blender is currently unable to provide it. That may change in the future, but for now you may have to use GMax (available for free here) with KOTORMax for certain operations.

Would you recommend using GMax over Blender?

Cool, I'll double-check when I get home. Thanks!

There's the checkbox to do so, and I honestly don't remember if I checked it or not. Should I have? And then when I export to .mdl do I need to manually rename that to an ascii?

You mean other parts of the model, like the arms, etc.? What version of MDLOps are you using?

e.g. The sphere in the middle of the starmap, it rises up when it opens, yada. That no longer appears in game, same with any of the other starmap animations and textures. Anything directly related to what I worked on works just fine. On MDLOps 1.0.0.

There's nothing particularly unique about KOTOR models when it comes to UVs, so you should be able to use any Blender UV tutorial to get yourself started. I don't use Blender myself, so can't offer any specific tips, beyond the general advice that UV mapping is a black art, difficult to master (and not helped by most UV tools being terrible). The general rule of thumb is to put your UV seams where you want hard edges, or otherwise hide them as best as possible. Make sure you allow for some padding around your islands to avoid issues with bleed at lower mip levels. Seeing as you won't be using lightmaps, remember that you can use the space outside 0:1, which can be preferable rather than stacking (sometimes that can cause artefacts).

So after some trial and error, I was able to successfully remap the object, run in through mdlops and have it successfully working in-game. (Which was really cool to see.) The only issue I have now, is that some of the original (untouched) objects and their relative textures are no longer showing in-game.

i.e. Working on the starmap placeable, I was able to remap the base and have that show in game. Now nothing else shows though. Even though the base was the only map/texture I touched. Any ideas?

Here's another thing.

Doing some 2.0 work today.

I'm looking for assistance in creating a new UV Map for a project I'm working on. I've got all the tools needed, ( KotorTools, mdlops, Blender, and kotorblender) but I can't seem to get it working as intended. I think maybe I'm just not understanding the concepts behind creating new seams and cuts on the model.

What I'd essentially like to do is take a placeable in-game, strip it of it's current UV Map and associated .tga, and then create a whole new mapped out wrap and .tga. If you'd be willing to help out with this, by all means let me know. In the meantime I'll keep playing around in Blender.

Thanks for your time. -CO

I was looking for a centralized list of all of the parameters for .txis and what they do, but I wasn't able to locate anything. Here's what I've discovered so far, looking through various KOTOR files.
 

blending

• Various blending options using the alpha channels of the .tga. (Think Photoshop blending options.)
• blending additive
  • Used for translucency.
  • Equivalent to Add or Linear Dodge, the color is added to whatever is underneath.
• blending punchthrough
  • Used for transparency.
  • e.g. grass, hair, etc.

bumpmapscaling

• Increases the intensity of the bump map, i.e. increases the height of the bump map.
• bumpmapscaling 1

bumpmaptexture

• Defines the bump map for the texture.
• bumpmaptexture C_Hutt01b

bumpyshinytexture

• Used with a bump map on a texture that uses an environment map.
• e.g. If you're using cm_baremetal on a metal texture, you'll want to use bumpshinytexture instead of envmap.
• bumpyshinytexture C_Hutt01b

cube

• Defines that the associated texture is a cubemap.
• cube 1

decal

• Renders the texture on top of anything it's flush with. Black areas of texture will be translucent.
• decal 1

defaultheight

• The height of 1 frame for an animation.
• defaultheight 128

defaultwidth

• The width of 1 frame for an animation.
• defaultwidth 128

envmaptexture

• Defines the environment map for the texture.
• envmaptexture CM_Bright

fps

• The speed at which frames will cycle when animated.
• fps 24

isbumpmap

• Defines the texture is a bump map.
• isbumpmap 1

mipmap

• Multiple copies of the same texture in different sizes to be rendered based on distance from PC. With this command, you can force the game to always show the highest mip.
• mipmap 1

numx

• The number of horizontal frames for an animation.
• numx 4

numy

• The number of vertical frames for an animation.
• numy 4

proceduretype

• Followed by cycle, initiates the cycling of frames for animations.
• proceduretype cycle

Here's a more specific example for how an animation would work:

• proceduretype cycle
• defaultwidth 256
• defaultheight 256
• numx 3
• numy 2
• fps 12

By all means let me know if anything is inaccurate or if you can provide any more information. Thanks!

Just so everyone knows, my newborn daughter is currently in the NICU, and probably will be for a month or so, so it will be a little while before I get v1.1 out. So I haven't dropped off the map, just real life is more important right now

Sending good vibes your way, all the best.

Hey there, went through the install via TSL earlier and received the following error:

Installation started 5/6/2018 12:09:21 PM...
Installing unmodified files...
Copying file P_Helena.tga to the override folder...
Copying file p_helenah.mdl to the override folder...
Copying file p_helenah.mdx to the override folder...
Error: Critical error: Unable to locate file to patch, "heads.2da" file not found! (GEN-9)

Anything I need to change or fix? I didn't previously have a heads.2da in my override.

I like to look at the silver lining and I think this is a great start to a Yip Yip mod.

This is in regards to Biths in Taris cantina. Yah know, these dudes:

Say I wanted this same model, playing music just like he is, but located on like the Star Forge or something.

So far I've located the texture, mdl, and utc, but I'm not even sure where to go from there honestly. Any advice you could throw my way would be very appreciated!

Cool! I'll be interested to see how much of it you can change. I've done some pazaak card designs over the years but I never thought about putting them in the game - I made them to have them printed out. It might be nifty to see them in the actual game.

It seems like damn near everything can be changed. The only thing iffy it looks like is the size of the numbers, but from what I can tell, that's tied into the font being used. If one wanted a larger font, it'd have to be created.

If you want me to take a stab at throwing your design ideas in or if you'd like me to send you what assets/data I've figured out, just holler.

Yeah, that works, no catch to it.

Awesome, thanks.

And then if you're interested, I found the info I was looking for. There are 3 .gui files that handle the pazaak layout. In there, x and y coordinates are set (though as top and left) and I can see that it uses the dialog font as well. It'll take some time to dig through the structure (literally everything has an entry), but it's all in here it looks like. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

As for changing the position of the text on the card... that's an interesting idea, and I have no idea if it's possible. There are .gui files for pazaak but it's anyone's guess how much of that can be changed. The GUI is a bit hit or miss in that regard.

When editing .gui files, are those also just drop in override and they work? Or does anything else to be done?

Here's an image for reference:

Does anyone have an idea where the x/y information is located for the numbers? i.e. Can the position on the card change?

And then are the numbers themselves able to change color?

On a side note, I imagine to just change the font on these would be to change the font globally, but if not, that'd be cool too.

"A fine addition to my collection..." - Congrats on getting the mod finished!

Glad you're a fan, thanks for checking it out.

Downloading. I noticed that 1.0 and 1.1 are both available for download. I take it that only 1.1 is needed and not both.

Just 1.1, correct. Thanks for downloading!

Why not use one of these fonts: http://www.erikstormtrooper.com/fonts.htm

It currently uses Peter Schuster Jun's NewAurabesh.

Looks really good. The only problem I have with it is that Aurek-Besh lettering and a Rakatan terminal doesn't quite fit together but more importantly: It's only gibberish. I know that most people probably don't care about that but I personally really like those details if they make sense.

 

Apart from that: Outstanding work!

Thanks! I knew going into the project that I wanted some sort of rune-work or old lettering. Some Aurebesh characters were already in the model in a couple places and I've read it was based off of the old Rakatan script, so I decided to go all-in with it. In regards to it being gibberish... kind of. There are such messages as "Revan was here", "8675309", and "Rakatan Infinite Empire". So gibberish yes, but just some easter eggs as well. Thanks for the feedback and checking it out!

File Name: Star Map Revamp

File Submitter: CarthOnasty

File Submitted: 25 Apr 2018

File Category: Skins

///// 01. Background /////

Being such a main part of the K1 story, I was surprised to see these had yet to be revamped. I was looking to get into modding/reskinning, so I thought this would be a great project.

///// 02. Enhancements /////

• First steps were to update the overall model. I wanted some visual upgrades while still maintaining a very-aged and neglected structure. I love the runes scattered throughout the game and I really wanted to incorporate those as well. It seemed fitting to light them. (And you're going to them all over the place.)
• Next section was so focus on the HUD (for lack of a better term). It was very pixelated and really needed a crisp, new look. I tried to simplify it a bit and ended up removing a couple of parts as well. The biggest change I made was creating a new piece for the planet locators. I simply didn't like the originals and wanted to make the location an actual planet.
• This was a really fun part--recreating the central galaxy this all revolved around. I used some shots of actual galaxies, nebulas, and starfields. It's hard to beat the real thing. I adjusted the colors slightly for better clarity as well.
• The mother of a bastard that caused me the most grief, was the dodecahedron in the center of the star map. The texture had such a bizarre repeat pattern and never really wrapped that well. I'm happy to the point I got it to, but would like to make that an actual sphere in v2.
  

///// 03. Future Plans /////

• In thinking about a version 2, I'd like to actually edit the model files. I think some edges could be softened, but mostly I'd like to adjust the mapping to avoid so many repeated areas of the texture.
• The final opening of the star map, where the PC finds out the location of the forge could use some work. Most (if not all) is model work and I wasn't ready for that.
• I'd also like to adjust the lighting in a couple of places. Would I go as far as to customize it for every zone you find a map? I dunno, that's a big endeavor and there are a limited number of placeables.
  

///// 04. Moving Forward /////

This has been a fun project for sure, and I'm happy to see it come to fruition. Please download and let me know your thoughts. I open to constructive criticism and whatever I can do to the better the project, I'm happy to do so.

///// 05. Install /////

Drag 'em to your override folder. These shouldn't conflict with anything.

///// 06. Uninstall /////

Remove the files.

///// 07. Disclaimer /////

Distribute, have fun, edit, whatever. I only ask that you don't claim this as your own.

///// 08. Thanks /////

So many! Shout outs for tutorials, advice, suggestions, testing, encouragement, and more. A Future Pilot, Darth_Sapiens, DarthParametric, DarthVarkor, djh269, InSidious, JCarter426, Kexikus, ndix UR, Rece, Sith Holocron, Sithspecter, Sniggles, tjsase, VarsityPuppet, Zhaboka

Click here to download this file

Alrighty folks, I think I'm done with v1.0. I'm double checking a couple of things here and there, cleaning up a few seams, but within a day, two at most it will be ready to go. Let me know if you'd like to "beta-test" for me before an official release. Thanks for staying tuned in.

I believe the mipmap semantic forces the game to always render the stated mip level. So you can force the game to always show the highest mip, even when it is far away, for example.

 

A couple of other options for bump/normal maps:

isdiffusebumpmap 1

isspecularbumpmap 1

Which notionally should allow for something like the opposite of bumpyshiytexture, but I haven't experimented much with it.

 

A more specific example for proceduretype cycle:

proceduretype cycle
defaultwidth 256
defaultheight 256
numx 3
numy 2
fps 12

You have to specify the dimensions of the image, how many frames that image comprises, and at what framerate you want them to play.

 

Ah, that makes sense.

 

Also, I made a typo before. bumpshinytexture replaces envmap, not bumpmaptexture.

All noted, thank you.