Help needed in skinning/modeling/unit type ratio

[ezopus2]

Hello, guys, I have a big request about mixing models within a unit. Please someone take the time and explain to me (as to a retard ) where is exactly stored the info about different models ratio within a unit. Sorry, English is not my native tongue, so let me be more specific:
Every unit has 2 or more types of models (sometimes only one model) on the battlefield, and even more types of skins, all this within a single unit. This is a nice feature of medieval II tw compared to rome tw.
(I know how to model and skin a rome tw unit, but i got comlpetely lost with the medieval units).
What I'd like to find out, how exactly the game decides how many of which model to put in the same unit? When there is an armour upgrade, for example, the model combination ratio changes within the unit. Is that info stored somewhere in a txt file or within the model itself? Can I change that without editing the models with milkshape or 3dmax? (I dont have my 3dmax anymore, so please tell me that there is a way)

Another question: where can I find the blood and mud that spreads over my soldiers after a while, and how can I edit those?

I'd be very happy if someone would point me towards the proper tutorial, or explain it in detail, if he/she has the time. I tried to search the forums but either this is considered a n00b question and everyone else knows it, either I dont find the proper keywords to search for, I dunno, fact is that I coundt find any explanation that I could comprehend.

Thank you all very much.

Ezopus


PS: just realized that maybe this is not the right palce for this thread? please moderator, move it in its right place if you think it's best, just please leave a note so I can find it...

[AngryTitusPullo]

Moved from Tutorial.

[ezopus2]

Come on, 105 views and no relply? Why? Was the question so dumb? Or not clear enough? Please help me understand how this works so I can go forward, I'd be very grateful...

[builder680]

I haven't messed with models much myself, but here is some (hopefully) useful information:

For your first question, that sounds like stuff in battlemodels.modeldb. There's a tutorial for this file here. You might find Gracul's Unit Editor useful as well. Step III of this post may help shed some light on the texture variations within a unit.

For blood and mud, Crimson Tide by Magus alters them. I'm not familiar with modding these things myself, but I'm sure you could download it and look at what he did and work from there. Or just use Crimson Tide as is... it's very good.

[BM309K58SMERCH]

What I'd like to find out, how exactly the game decides how many of which model to put in the same unit? When there is an armour upgrade, for example, the model combination ratio changes within the unit. Is that info stored somewhere in a txt file or within the model itself? Can I change that without editing the models with milkshape or 3dmax? (I dont have my 3dmax anymore, so please tell me that there is a way)

The probability is random, but you can attempt to control the probability of the groups.
Every group in a model has a comment. Here are two examples of comments from two seperate groups:

Body
as_light_body_01
0

Body
as_light_body_02
0

The groups with the same first line ("Body") are in the same "pool", and they change with each other.
You can make your own probability by making two of exactly the same group (but with a different name and second comment line of course). You can attempt to increase the influence.
There are two outcomes if there are two groups, let us say, blue armor and red armor. Since the probability is possibly random, there can be more blue than red or vice versa or an equal amount. But you can attempt to "fight this" randomness by making, say, 6 groups blue (duplicated) and 1 group red. Although there is still possibility of having a red majority, it will be very small.

Another question: where can I find the blood and mud that spreads over my soldiers after a while, and how can I edit those?

data\overlaytextures
You convert the .texture files to .DDS which is then editable in Photoshop with the Nvidia DXT plugin.

I'd be very happy if someone would point me towards the proper tutorial, or explain it in detail, if he/she has the time. I tried to search the forums but either this is considered a n00b question and everyone else knows it, either I dont find the proper keywords to search for, I dunno, fact is that I coundt find any explanation that I could comprehend.

M2TW Index of Modding Tutorials, Resources & Tools
It should have everything you need.

[ezopus2]

I know it's been more than a year since this thread was opened, and since I did not get answers for more than a week back then I moved on and abandoned the problem, never came back to check. But now I see that I finally did get my answers, so thank you for that BM309K58SMERCH and builder680.
Better later then never