KOTORmax

[bead-v 251]

File Name: KOTORmax

File Submitter: bead-v

File Submitted: 09 Oct 2017

File Category: Modding Tools

 

 

 

 

 

KOTORmax is a plugin for 3ds Max and Gmax that allows importing and exporting of ascii model files for KOTOR and KOTOR2. KOTORmax is directly extended from NWmax by Joco.

 

How do I set it up?
Open the .zip archive, the instructions are in the readme file.

 

How do I use it?
Check for tutorials in the Tutorials Section. A lot of the basic functionality is exactly the same as with NWmax, so most of the tutorials should help you with using KOTORmax. As for the new functionality, it is now up to the community to create new tutorials for it.

 

KOTORmax was designed to be used with MDLedit and the new version of MDLOps by ndix UR. Using the ascii model files that it produces with an older version of MDLOps will cause data to be ignored in the best case and a crash in the worst.

 

What's different from NWmax?
– Support for all known properties of the Odyssey MDL Format. All NWN functionality that is irrelevant for the KOTOR games removed.
– Ambient texture (lightmap) import/export. Experimentally also vertex colors as well as texture0 and texture1 UV coordinate import/export.
– Support for bezier animation controllers.
– Lightsaber mesh object.
– New Anim Editor, Key Ops, Constraint Editor, Visibility Editor, Roomlink Editor and improved Anim Mapper.
– LYT and VIS file Import and Export.
– Game smoothing preview.
– Sanity check now adapated to KOTOR models.
... and much more!

 

Max crashed/froze/reported a weird error!
Describe your issue in the relevant thread and I will look into it. Please explain in detail exactly what you were doing when the error occurred. Also include any relevant files in your post.

 

Thanks
A big thank you goes out to ndix UR, without whom KOTORmax wouldn't even exist. A big thanks also to Joco for allowing me to build on NWmax and release it as KOTORmax.
I would also like to thank the testers, both for their patience when I was dealing with very persistent bugs and for all the suggestions that helped make KOTORmax what it is now:
– DarthParametric
– JCarter426
– Quanon
– VarsityPuppet

 

Lastly I'd like to thank the KOTOR modding community, which makes taking the time to make such a tool worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to download this file

Edited October 9, 2017 by bead-v

[DarthTyren 103]

Is it recommended to remove NWMax before we think about using this?

[bead-v 251]

No need to remove it completely, though you will have to move one file. KOTORmax's readme will tell you exactly what to do

[Sithspecter 909]

No need to remove it completely, though you will have to move one file. KOTORmax's readme will tell you exactly what to do

 

I got an early preview of this from VP and it's amazing! I can't thank you enough! Only issue that I've found so far is lightsabers still aren't able to be imported/exported into 3DSMax will correct results.

[LDR 234]

I am salivating. Unbelievable work.

[jc2 581]

Well done bead-v! Well done!

[Purifier 22]

Congrats Bead-v. It's been a long time coming for Max. Glad to see it's finally out now.

[Kexikus 995]

Should I ask for the new MDLOps now?

 

– LYT and VIS file Import and Export.

 

Yes, thank you

[Sithspecter 909]

Should I ask for the new MDLOps now?

 

Or perhaps try the new MDLEdit?

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/1150-mdledit/

[bead-v 251]

Should I ask for the new MDLOps now?

On its way, you will know when it's here

[Sithspecter 909]

What will be the functional difference between MDLOps and MDLEdit?

[ndix UR 218]

They are more alike than different at this point (in terms of compile/decompile capabilities, in terms of GUI, MDLEdit is way better ), and they aim to be fully cross-compatible with each other. However, they often use different algorithms on the backend to achieve the "same" results, which sometimes lead to slight differences, sometimes ones we don't even fully understand A good example is our AABB tree computations, both of us are 'wrong', but both seem to work, despite slight variations in the output trees.

 

This is a topic bead-v & I will likely address at length in a different thread once a new MDLOps is generally available.

[N-DReW25 1,336]

Would a tool like this be able to fix the data errors in the M4-78 modules that allow enemies to shoot you through the walls? (In the Environmental Zone specifically)

[bead-v 251]

Would a tool like this be able to fix the data errors in the M4-78 modules that allow enemies to shoot you through the walls? (In the Environmental Zone specifically)

 

I never tinkered with that specifically so I have no idea how it actually works, but since we can definitely control everything in a KOTOR model with the new tools the answer should be 'yes'.

[newbiemodder 37]

would this allow for direct editing of existing room mdl's within modules themselves to help create new recycled areas? Retexture rooms, removing unwanted meshes, etc

[Sithspecter 909]

would this allow for direct editing of existing room mdl's within modules themselves to help create new recycled areas? Retexture rooms, removing unwanted meshes, etc

 

Yes, it does indeed. I've already tried it.

[newbiemodder 37]

Yes, it does indeed. I've already tried it.

Nice work, bead-v! That makes module creation SO much easier. Could have used it years ago.

[trevuar25 14]

I'm looking forward to checking this out!

[LiliArch 115]

A good example is our AABB tree computations, both of us are 'wrong', but both seem to work, despite slight variations in the output trees.

I made my own tool for that one a while ago. Would love to compare the code.

[bead-v 251]

I made my own tool for that one a while ago. Would love to compare the code.

 

If you haven't found your way to it already, here's MDLedit's, in BuildAabb().

 

The function is a complete mess, because I left in all my attempts to come close to a vanilla result, in case one of them was on the right-ish track. A lot of it is still not commented out when it should be. At this point I'm not even using the negative axis settings in the Significant Plane / Second Child Property. Logically they aren't required, and even though I think there must have been some reason why they included them, we still don't know what the principle is for when they're used.

 

If anyone tinkers with this and gets better (ie. vanilla-matching) results, let us know. But as ndix UR mentioned, both our solutions work well, so this is low priority. Something I could do though is clean up that messy code...

[Kexikus 995]

In the MDL Loading section of KotOR Max, there is the "Use Layout Position" option which I assume to place the model in the scene according to the .lyt file. Could someone tell me how to use that option? I tried having the .lyt in the same folder as the imported model, but that didn't work and I don't see an option to choose the .lyt file.

[DarthParametric 3,785]

If you export a model via KOTORMax with the layout position option enabled, it will add that data to the header of the ASCII. I believe this is the only way you can load a model directly with a layout position. Models decompiled from vanilla won't have this data.

 

You load a LYT via the area tools. You can load models in the same folder at the same time if you enable that option (and use -mdledit in the suffix filter, or other wildcard for extraneous filename data as applicable). If you don't choose to have it loading models automatically, then loading a model manually should position it correctly due to the pre-existing AuroraBase of the same name in the scene. Although note doing this will cause double-ups for things like door hooks.

[Kexikus 995]

Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. I just didn't expect it to be in the Area Tools section. Guess I need to do a more thorough search the next time I can't find something.

[enVy 4]

Ok that's odd i've written quite a bit but after i posted it it was all gone. :/

 

Well, here we go again... 

 

Hey all i'm the new one and like all the newcomers i have a few questions in my pocket.

 

The first one is what is the latest version of 3DS that i can use Kotormax with? I've used the toolset with the 2013 version but i got to admit it lacks quite a few quality of life features especially in the UV area. But a friend of me told me that newer versions of Max are more in line with Maya. Yes, i'm one of those poor Maya souls so excuse my ignorance on Max.

 

My next question is more about doability rather than how to do something and before i throw myself head first into a wall i figured i'll ask those who know about the cavities of Kotor modding.

 

I was thinking about reworking the UVs for the main characters & companions so that we can have full face textures in the future. Now i don't think that new UVs will cause any problems down the line but i was wondering about multiple textures or UVSets, for instance face and hair separated. Would this be possible? From my digging here in the forums i get the feeling that specular/normalmaps are pretty much useless if not impossible, am i interpreting that wrong? 

 

As next how far can i go with general geo edits on meshes? I was thinking about adding hair cards to certain hairstyles just to make them a bit more interesting and maybe rework some of the faces, shape refinement primarily. I know this will mess up skinning but i know how to fix that i'm just not sure how far this is supported by the toolset.

 

 

That's about it for now thanks in advance for any intel you can throw at me.

And thanks to bead-v for the Kotormax toolset even tho i wished you would've done it for Maya.

 

All the best.

Edited March 22, 2018 by enVy

[DarthParametric 3,785]

I believe it was reported working on Max 2015 at least, so presumably newer versions are probably alright. You'll have to try it see I guess.

 

As to your other questions, multiple head textures are out if you want to preserve dark side transitions, because of the way texture overrides work. You could, however, do a 2x1 texture layout (e.g. 2048x1024) if you needed more pixel density/UV space without going too crazy.

 

Tangent space normal maps are possible, thanks to the new model compilers, although the engine's implementation of them is fairly poor. Don't expect results on the level of modern engines.

 

Odyssey doesn't use spec maps in the traditional sense. The closest it comes is an alpha mask for an environment map (i.e. cube map), which is mostly for faking specular highlights and reflections on metals. You won't get much use out of it for characters, aside from maybe some shiny hair and eyeballs.

 

Hair planes are fine, but alpha transparency will rule out the use of envmaps, not that you'd usually want them for characters anyway, as I said.

 

You'd be better off asking non-KOTORMax specific questions in the general modding forum.