Exporting a custom garrisonable building model for Empire, Napolen and Shogun

[Primergy]

Exporting a custom building model to TED and Shogun2

Quick basics

As always, there are some special conventions for buildings you have to follow. One of them is the naming of the folder and files.

• Your building-folder should be placed under raw_data/art/land/.../buildings/
• Every building needs a folder on it's own. This folder can have sub-folders inside, e.g. if your building has variations.
• The name of the folder has to be the name of the 3dsMax file (eg. acw_snake_fence_1m)
• The name for the model has to be: xyz_piece01_destruct01.cs2

For example (acw_snake_fence_1m_piece01_destruct01.cs2)

• For the creation of the collision files you do need two files:
  
  • xyz_tech.cs2 (name has to be the same as the folder and as the 3ds max file with "_tech" as subfix, eg. acw_snake_fence_1m_tech)
  • xyz_tech.xml
  
  

3ds Max

It's recommend that you take a look at the example models of CA, since I will only mention the most important things.

Program needed: 3ds Max 2010, with higher versions the cs2. plugin by CA doesn't work.

1) If you take a look at my screenshot and especially the layer manager you will see few layers and models I will explain their name and what they are used for.

2) piece01_destruct01_lod01

This is the first LOD, the model with the most details.
In my example I have only one LOD but its recommend to create as much as needed to have the best performance. For each Lod you need another layer (or you will go insane when working on complex buildings).
Simply name it them "piece01_destruct01_lod02/03/04...

As you can see at the name you can also have several pieces of a building and several destruction models. This could be used for a wall, which can be destroyed and then stormed.


3) Rigid Model Scipts

To run the scripts, go to Maxscript/run script/ and choose the Attriputes script (don't forget to place the scripts from the assembly kit in the script folder of 3ds Max!)

A new window opens where you can choose a shader (for buildings "standard" is good enough), press apply (4) and then you edit some of the attributes in the menu (5).
Not really necessary, if you don't apply a shader, Bob will automaticly use the standard shader.

6) _tech

The collision model. You need a spline (piece01_destruct01_hard) which outlines the building and a 3D Model (piece01_destruct01_collision3d) for the height etc. You can use for each destruction level an own collision model. The model has to be closed at all sides (means you shouldn't delete the polygons at the bottom for example)
Special are bridges, who also need a mesh named platform (more on this later)

5) _tech.xml

Here are the EF-Lines stored. Those can't be used atm since we are lacking an exporter script (maxscript)

7) Texturing

Create a new Material in the Material Editor and give it a name. Attention. You have to use the name of the diffuse texture. E.g. wood_diffuse.
If you use several tileable textures (instead of an atlas) you have to split up the model, since each object can only have one texture.

8) Export

First select the piece01_destruct01 - model and export it, with the cs2 exporter by CA. Pay attention to the naming of the files which I outlined in the basics.
Then export the collision model with the same exporter. pay attention the naming conventions. Only yourmodelname_tech.cs2 - no piece01_destruct01!

BoB

If your names are correct you can select all files for export. Bob automaticly creates DB-tables for the "battlefield_building"-, "models_building"-, "warscape_rigid_lod"- and "warscape_rigid"-tables

PackFileManager

Copy the files to the shogun data folder, create a new pack (eg. modbuildings.pack) and place the new files inside.

If you want the building to show up in TED you have to do two things:
1) Change the pack type to "Movie". If not, TED isn't able to read the table.
2) Go to the battlefield_buildings and set the option for "visible in local TED" to "true".

If everything was correct, you now should be able to place your custom building in TED:



Edit 1:

If you want to make a wall/fence "vaultable" (=soldiers can jump over it), you have to name the spline "piece01_destruct01_vwall" instead of "piece01_destruct01_hard".
In PFM you have to use the building class "vaultable wall"

Edit 2: You are now able to create new garrisonable buildings for Empire, Napoleon and Shogun 2!

Using the EFLines Tools Maxscript

I fixed the direction issue. Soldiers now face straight ahead, depending on the EFline orientation.

-Added a button for assigning the rotation. This will add a new line indicating the direction of the spline.
-Added a button for mirroring the rotation. Sometimes the rotation might be in the wrong direction, or you made changes to the spline and now have to recalculate the direction. Press the button erase the old rotation and add a new.

Usage:

Extract the folder and copy it to 3dsMaxdirectory/scripts/
Run by clicking on Maxscript, run script --> EFtoolsbuttons - this opens the dialog.

Create a new Spline with only two points. First set the properties (which building piece, which destruction level) and which type it has. Different types have different effects. "Low wall" makes soldiers kneel while firing and so on.
Then use the add direction button, afterwards you are good for exporting. Choose a directory and a name which fits with the building name (like acw_eftest_tech.xml")

Use Bob and have fun with your garrisonable building.

Attachment 307336

Example:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

~~ Download ~~

EF Line Tools.rar

[Primergy]

Edit 1: Added information about how to make a wall not an impassable object but rather allow soldiers to jump over it.

[Weierstrass]

ok, now you got my atention .. so it could be possible to take a s2 wall and make it vaultable? .. for example .. the zen wall?

[Primergy]

In theory yes - but I'm not sure if it's enough to change it in the db tables to a vaultable wall, or if you also have to do a bit of hex editing with the .cs2.parsed file of the zen wall.

[Primergy]

Added a Maxscript for exporting EFLines - needed for making an building garrisonable, like forts, fort walls and so on.

[izzi]

Can you add cannons on a fort like in ETW/NTW? For example the way you add cannons on ships.

[Primergy]

There are two ways - you can add cannons similar to how it's done for "bow towers" and the "star forts". In 3ds max place a helper object (those green cubes) there where you want the arrows/shells/etc. coming out, naming it "arrow01" (or so), and then exporting it together with the other building objects. You can find out the real naming by examining the bow tower with a hex editor. Problem is, it shoots 360 degrees. Maybe you can stop this 360° firing by using the terrain to block shots.

The second way (= coastal gun batteries) is more complicated. Taw made a converter for the model_building_db file. This enabled me to extract the EF Lines code for the coastal batteries, but I didn't managed it to create a working custom battery.

[You_Guess_Who]

Maybe this would help, from Attila workshop:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ldings-in-game

[izzi]

@Primergy
Do you have an example file (3ds max) of the efline fence?
I have been trying to add one, but can't make them work.

[LawAbidingGypsy]

Yeah, if anyone has any working examples and would be willing to share, that would be really appreciated

[LawAbidingGypsy]

I've been having a lot of trouble with step 8, would love a bit of guidance

[Primergy]

Hmm. It looks like that your models were converted correctly but it fails with adding it to a pack file. Could you show us your BoB-Settings? Btw, the orange errors are normaly not critical, was there another error in red?

[Oxfelion]

Actually there is a red error. I tried to do the same and found the same problem. The user LawAbidingGypsy had a red error (same as I), which is the selected one.
In fact, the step in BoB that shows a red error is when gettint the DB models_building_tables


However, I don't know where I can see BoB settings, so that I can send it to you.

Thanks in advance.

[Primergy]

With settings i mean a simple screenshot of the stuff you selected in bob and maybe a full screen of the error message:

[izzi]

There are two ways - you can add cannons similar to how it's done for "bow towers" and the "star forts". In 3ds max place a helper object (those green cubes) there where you want the arrows/shells/etc. coming out, naming it "arrow01" (or so), and then exporting it together with the other building objects. You can find out the real naming by examining the bow tower with a hex editor. Problem is, it shoots 360 degrees. Maybe you can stop this 360° firing by using the terrain to block shots.

The second way (= coastal gun batteries) is more complicated. Taw made a converter for the model_building_db file. This enabled me to extract the EF Lines code for the coastal batteries, but I didn't managed it to create a working custom battery.

The emitter doesn't work. Isn't there any special thing i need to do to make it work?

[Primergy]

The emitter doesn't work. Isn't there any special thing i need to do to make it work?

If i remember it correctly, i also had to add a projectile in some building-related DB table.

Besides that the usual stuff applies - correct naming, selecting it when exporting

[izzi]

If i remember it correctly, i also had to add a projectile in some building-related DB table.

Besides that the usual stuff applies - correct naming, selecting it when exporting

Yeah sorry, i already figured things out. Sadly the gun placement system like etw/ntw doesn't work anymore in shogun 2 (fots). This is due that the EFLine system in Shogun 2 is different than in previous games. I could still add a gun trough the cannon placement (meta) data. But units do not use it. But i figured out how to use emitters using different projectiles. Btw, emitters can fire only 180 degrees firing line. Except the vanilla projectile that was specially made for towers (or walls). I guess it has to do with the battle entity. Building forts like etw/ntw for Fots currently.

[LawAbidingGypsy]

Hi all, sorry for the late reply, I do believe it was due to a problem with the file path. I'm sure it's been brought up before, but if you have your mod tools in the regular steamapps/common/shogun2 filepath, the directory is too long and it messes with the functionality of the mod tools, especially BOB and subsequently MMS.

By changing my mod tools location to :c/Mod tools (creating a new file in local disk) the problem was solved instantly