Modding: What Have I Forgotten Here?

I think it's been a long time...

from Sins Forums

So I am working on a small mod at the moment and am having two primary sticking points

  • Getting my models to display adequately in game.  My old mod models show up fine (these would be pre-Rebellion graphics rework) and I used to crank them out and slap in-game textures onto them with no issue. Now I am getting either flat black models or bright emissive colored models--depending on the texture attached

I'm wondering if it's the XSI model version I am saving to and if I've just forgotten a detail there?

I've got 3d Object Converter and the Softimage XSI Mod Tool which has different versions to save to.  My old models still work but the new ones I am creating definitely aren't working.  Even taking an old mesh and simply resaving it causes the same problem.

So yeah, I'm not creating new textures (just using base ones in the game that are workable) and I'm not in detail fixing tris and quads to any great extent (which I didn't do much before either)--but even stock models I grab from in-game and then re-import with Softimage and hand edits don't turn out right.

Yet my old models still work. :annoyed:  

Any suggestions here? 

I know that there's a specific model version in XSI Tool that I used to have to use (which I have forgotten now) and I never directly exported meshes to the game from 3D Object Converter before  but the ones it creates don't seem compatible.

  • The bin file converters provided don't seem to work in Rebellion (but of course, my old ones still work for older versions of Sins and Entrenchment versions).

Is there a super-specific place to grab the proper convert files from?  this is another thing I used to have no problem with.

25,628 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

A bump and stuff for fun.

Here's a custom model I have abilities created for that I'd like to put in the mod:

Sinperium's X-boats

P.S.  If you're a Sins Modder and want to use one of my models just ask.  Mention me in the credits is all I ask.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Even taking an old mesh and simply resaving it causes the same problem

Hi. Did you set up the texture references inside SoftImage, or manually? Because if you haven't, you'll overwrite the mesh with empty references. Check the .mesh and see if the material section looks anything like this:

NumMaterials 1

Material

DiffuseTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-cl.DDS"

SelfIlluminationTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-da.DDS"

NormalTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-nm.DDS"

DisplacementTextureFileName ""

TeamColorTextureFileName ""

Diffuse ffffffff

Ambient ffffffff

Specular ffffffff

Emissive ffffffff

Glossiness 50.000000

+1 Loading…
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Thanks for the reply.  I've tried several variations from known, working models on the mesh's and edited with Notepad++.

Now the above is a default Softimage output, right?

I've tried outputting the Tech colony frigate for example and then typing in the mesh data from the original and I still get the same results so far.

I used to edit particles, meshes, etc. all the time so I am not sure what I am missing. I'll experiment some more today and post back later.

 

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Hael-sose, reply 2


Even taking an old mesh and simply resaving it causes the same problem



Hi. Did you set up the texture references inside SoftImage, or manually? Because if you haven't, you'll overwrite the mesh with empty references. Check the .mesh and see if the material section looks anything like this:

NumMaterials 1

Material

DiffuseTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-cl.DDS"

SelfIlluminationTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-da.DDS"

NormalTextureFileName "FrigateVorlonEnvoy-nm.DDS"

DisplacementTextureFileName ""

TeamColorTextureFileName ""

Diffuse ffffffff

Ambient ffffffff

Specular ffffffff

Emissive ffffffff

Glossiness 50.000000

Here's what I currently have for a sample of a model that displays in-game but improperly (I've tried it and others with a variety of textures as well):

MeshData

hasValidTangents TRUE

BoundingRadius 13111.20455

MaxBoundingExtents [ 12961.88505 8044.41225 9500.6874 ]

MinBoundingExtents [ -12961.8881 -8019.95085 -5711.4971 ]

NumMaterials 2

Material

DiffuseTextureFileName "CapitalTechCarrier-cl.dds"

SelfIlluminationTextureFileName "CapitalTechCarrier-da.dds"

NormalTextureFileName "CapitalTechCarrier-nm.dds"

DisplacementTextureFileName ""

TeamColorTextureFileName ""

Diffuse ffffffff

Ambient ffffffff

Specular ffffffff

Emissive ffffffff

Glossiness 8.000000

Material

DiffuseTextureFileName "CapitalTechBattleship-cl.dds"

SelfIlluminationTextureFileName "CapitalTechBattleship-da.dds"

NormalTextureFileName "CapitalTechBattleship-nm.dds"

DisplacementTextureFileName ""

TeamColorTextureFileName ""

Diffuse ffffffff

Ambient ffffffff

Specular ffffffff

Emissive ffffffff

Glossiness 8.000000

NumPoints 0

NumVertices 13850

etc. etc.

Here's the  look from in-game (ignore the giants size and all--just looking at the meshes for now:

Bad Textures In Mesh

d vertices, etc., of course.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

I had one material and it crashed the game.  Added a second and it lets it display.  No idea why.  I had the number of materials correct in both cases.

But if I drop it down to one material as shown here it mini dumps game. 

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Got to be something else going on, you can definitely have one material.

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

I'm still experimenting on it. The above is just one of several iterations of this.

What's annoying is I have dozens of models I made and used in the past with no problems.  

I'll try to marathon it sometime this weekend and just trial and error my way through this.

I do recall in the past that one of the versions of XSI that Softimage saves to is not as SoaSE friendly as the other.

I've tried saving to both of them and it seems irrelevant at this point.

Not having a working convert exe for the current version is a big part of this problem for me.

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

If you remove a material block, do not forget to also change NumMaterials to 1. That might explain a crash.

 

 

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

Yep—done that. 

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

Hmm. The only other option I can think of, is in XSI to remove all materials, just have the default material left. Then, export xsi, transform into mesh file, manually put the file references into material 1 (case sensitive, so copy paste hehe).

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top

Unfortunately, that's my default.  I've never imported/exported materials in XSI.