Re: Python converter for .variant_weighted_mesh model
Sorry, tried to reply to several posts last night, but TWcenter logs you out so fast I keep
losing my posts as I try to compose them. Let me go back to Villar, quite right, I was very rude
yesterday because I posted things in a hurry at lunch time. Kudos to those who helped me and
I neglected to give them their proper thanks. just has been quite fantastic for originally posting all
of his research on all the file formats and continuing to advise on things. Stephaneke for providing
files and also volunteering to test things out all during the process. hokomoko for digging up the tpose
file which was the nugget to crack the skeleton.
Let me go back in order.
@Alex1987
(Interesting year, that's the year I finished graduate school.) Don't think there's a manual needed for
this, the converter is just a two-button GUI. But probably the question is more about modding in
general. I'd recommend Alletun's Tome of Knowledge to start. It's M2TW centered but everything
in it is gold and is applicable to ETW if you use Milkshape and Photoshop. Search for it under the
M2TW section, it has several versions, I think up to three.
@BladeRunner
No, it's deliberately named variant_weighted_meshConverter to mean only those models. I'm mainly
a M2TW tool maker so I'm not going to run through all the formats that just laid out for us.
But I have absolutely no objection to any Python programmer (or wannabe Python toolmaker) just
taking this code, modifying it any way he sees fit, and making his own converter for those other
formats. In fact, I'd be happy to help/advise if someone wanted to jump in and become a tool
maker, the game/game(s) need more tool makers. (Volunteers, anyone?)
@Aradiel
Shouldn't be any need to copy/paste comments. That bit to Stefaneke I forgot that he was an
experienced M2TW modder and already knew where I put the model comments for that game.
On exporting out from 3ds Max, the stuff in the User Defined part should automatically go back into
the model comment.
@Roslolian
Up to the bugs Stephaneke mentioned, this should be the real 2-way converter for models that are
.variant_weighted_mesh models (i.e. humans if I'm understanding that correctly, I don't have the
game so I made the converter using some models provided by Stefaneke.)
@A1_Unit and Aradiel
Sorry about the confusion over fbx. (This might actually be useful because Mete Ciragin, who wrote
Milkshape, has release his 1.8.5 beta where he's updated his .fbx exporter. But since it's still a beta,
nothing new on the importer, meaning vertex weighting is still out of the question.)
But yes, this is a 2-way converter, .variant_weighted_mesh to .ms3d (meaning Milkshape to edit the
models) and .ms3d to .variant_weighted_mesh to put them back into game format. The import/export
script for 3ds Max is just included because Stephaneke really likes Max better than Milkshape.
(Personally, I like Milkshape better because it's simpler. But of course it can't unwrap or do
IK solvers for animation so it's a matter of opinion: really sophisticated but steep learning curve, or
limited abilities but easy to use out of the box.)
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. I'll send you a model which doesn't work so you can look at it 
.
Originally Posted by stefaneke
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What am I doing wrong???
