| Introduction
Geoset merging is taking a piece of one model (called a geoset) and inserting it into a new model. I just figured out this particular method myself after not being able to find a tutorial, so I give no gaurentees whatsoever as to the efficiency.
In this tutorial, we will make a peasant with the head of a skeleton.
Tools
The Process
1) Extracting the models
Open Warcraft III Viewer. If war3.mpq isn't already open, go to File-Open MPQ and open war3.mpq, located by default in C:\Program Files\Warcraft III\war3.mpq. Using the small window with the list of folders, browse to find the Peasant, which is at Units\Human\Peasant\Peasant.mdx . Go to Current File->Extract MDX and save it somewhere. Do the same for the skeleton, located at Units\Undead\Skeleton\Skeleton.mdx .
2) Editting the models
Open 3ds Max. Go to the Utilities tab, the furthest right tab, and select "Run script." Choose the MDX importer/exporter, impexpmdx.mse. In the new area that appears, choose the option labeled Static * and uncheck Bone Rotation. Click import MDX and browse to select the peasant.
For convience, delete everything except the head group. Select the group that includes the his head. Go to the Modify tab and enter vertex sub-mode. Select all the head vertices and scale them down to nothing. Move them to the neck area so they don't stick out at all.
Exit vertex sub-mode and select the editted geoset. Back in the Utilities tab, choose "Export selected as MDX". Export it as peasant_chunks.mdx. I use the "chunks" suffix to distinguish between complete models and unanimated geoset information.
Hide the group. Now import the skeleton model. There are two skeletons in it, one of which is only for falling apart during the death animation. I used the one that is standing up straight and just deleted the other one. Again, enter vertex sub mode. Scale all the vertices except the head into nothing and put them into the neck area so they don't stick out.
Now, you need to position it correctly. Otherwise, it will not be on his neck. Unhide the peasant group. Again in vertex sub-mode for the skeleton, select all the vertices and move the onto the neck.
Exit vertex sub-mode, select the geoset, and export as skeleton_chunks.mdx.
3) Combining the models
Convert the following four files to MDL: Skeleton.mdx, Peasant.mdx, Skeleton_chunks.mdx, Peasant_chunks.mdx.
- Editing the peasant to be headless
Open the Peasant.mdx and Peasant_chunks.mdx. Peasant_chunks.mdx contains all the vertex information you need, but Peasant.mdx contains all the essential animations as so on. You have to copy the vertex animation from one to the other. In Peasant_chunks, search for "Geoset" (no quotes). You should find an area like this:
Code:
Geoset {
Vertices 302 {
{ 2.84348, 0.0383234, 74.9834 },
{ 2.84347, 0.0383427, 74.9835 },
{ 2.84344, 0.0383686, 74.9834 },
{ -6.64947, 7.36909, 27.8454 },
{ 1.56159, 13.7381, 35.8622 },
{ 0.86169, 12.2178, 29.2713 },
{ 8.90468, 6.93236, 27.4755 },
{ 10.265, 6.63715, 36.1995 },
{ -3.69442, 0.34387, 32.9351 },
{ -10.9366, -0.62374, 44.2371 },
......(lots more).......
{ 15.5051, 2.94313, 0.008 },
{ -9.65277, 15.4167, -0.0337 },
{ 11.5467, 17.3316, 0.20145 },
{ 1.01264, 16.2429, 8.70893 },
{ 6.97408, 9.91933, 9.11298 },
}
It continues like that. Copy starting from behind Vertices 302 to the line with the line "}".
Now, in Peasant.mdx, search for Vertices 302. Select the area from there (Vertices 302) to when it closes (the lone "{"). Paste what you copied over it. You have now replaces the vertex information. If you where to convert this file to MDX and view it, it should be a headless peasant. - Adding the skeleton head
Open skeleton_chunks.mdx. Search for geoset. Copy from there down to where there is a "}" not indented at all. You should pass Vertices, Normals, Tvertices, VertexGroup, and finally SelectionGroup. Paste it into Peasant.mdx just after the last geoset. To do that search for "Bone "gutz00" {" (no quotes again). That is the first bone, just below the last geoset. Paste the stuff you copied just before that line.
- Making the head move correctly
The head must move with the head bone. To accomplish that, scroll up just a few lines to find...
Code:
Groups 1 1 {
Matrices { 1 },
}
It is that one that must be changed. It indicates which bone it should follow, so we need to find the head bone. Search for "bone_head" (no quotes).
Code:
Bone "Bone_Head" {
ObjectId 18,
Parent 10, // "Bone_Chest"
GeosetId 0,
GeosetAnimId None,
It is the ObjectID that we are after. Change the "Matrices { 1 }," bit to "Matrices { 18 },"
Code:
Groups 1 1 {
Matrices { [b]18[/b] },
} - Getting the right texture
The skeleton head is designed to for the skeleton texture, so we need to point to it.
Open Skeleton.mdx and look in the textures section (search for "Textures" to find it). In it, you'll see this:
Code:
Bitmap {
Image "Textures\Skeleton.blp",
}
That point to the skeleton texture. Copy it and paste it into Peasant.mdx just after the last texture is listed there. Also change the 3 to 4 because that is how many texture there now are.
Code:
Textures [b]4[/b] {
Bitmap {
Image "Textures\Peasant.blp",
}
Bitmap {
Image "",
ReplaceableId 1,
}
Bitmap {
Image "Textures\gutz.blp",
}[b]
Bitmap {
Image "Textures\Skeleton.blp",
}[/b]
}
Materials point to textures and are actually applied to geosets. Copy the first texture out of Skeleton.mdl and copy it into Peasant.mdl after the last one. Change the number of materials from 3 to 4. The TextureID need to be changed as well to point to the number of the texture we just pasted in. The counting starts at 0, placing the new one at 3.
Code:
Materials [b]4[/b] {
Material {
[i]Stuff[/i]
}
Material {
[i]Stuff[/i]
}
Material {
[i]Stuff[/i]
}[b]
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID [u]3[/u],
}
}[/b]
}
Finally, we have to point to the material in the new geoset. Scroll down the the new geoset and find MaterialID, near the bottom. Change it to 3, the number of the material we just made (starting from 0 again).
Convert to MDX using Yobguls' Converter and everything should work correctly.
In the future, I'll probably clarify sections and add pictures. |
