Warcraft III Viewer

To download the latest version of the Warcraft 3 Viewer, and the source code, go there :
http://www.xeberon.net/view.php?id=125

Direct link (not always working, go to the webpage preferentially): http://www.xeberon.net/download.php?...aft3viewer.zip


FAQ & How-To in the following message


Latest version : 2.3c

Changes in version 2.3c :
- In response to several requests, I added the possibility to export the current animation to an animated GIF ("Animation" menu, "Export to animated GIF..."). You can choose the area to export (crops the pictures), the size of the exported images, and the frame rate.
- Jester-of-Death made alternate icons for the toolbar. You can choose between the two series of icons in the "View" menu, "Toolbars" submenu.
- Fixed miscellaneous bugs (flipping problems and so on)

About animated GIF export :
In the Resize dialog, you can check a checkbox to let the background color of the GIF be transparent. I advise to choose the Nearest Pixel resize method when you choose the transparent option, and choose either the Bicubic or Bilinear interpolation else.
Animated GIF export uses CxImage, a free C++ image processing and conversion library (http://www.xdp.it/cximage.htm).





Changes in version 2.3b :
- Kolibri had a flipping problem when converting from 24 bits TGA to BLP : it is now fixed.
- During a batch conversion from TGAs to BLPs, when a 24 bits TGA file is found, a dialog box asking you if you want to add an alpha channel for the current file, for all files, or ignore the file has been added.

Changes in version 2.3a :
- In the previous version, I was saying that the Warcraft 3 Viewer was handling MDXs created with the Art Tools, but in fact, there were still many problems; they are now fixed, and I can now say "The Warcraft 3 Viewer can finely read the MDXs created with the Art Tools"
- Fixed the bug which prevented the Warcraft 3 Viewer from relaunching automatically when you changed your language or the z-buffer depth
- I had changed the way the lights were managed in version 2.3, and I had forgotten to change the way the shadows were computed : shadows are now working fine
- In the "Find In MPQ..." dialog, you can now enter wildcards ( ? and * ) to search the files : for example, you can enter "*arthas*.mdx"
- Now particles are billboarded (that means that when you turn the camera, they are always facing the viewer)
- Changed the way the "hidden geometry" was forced to be displayed when we select it in the menu, so that the HeroMountainKing now works. But I have checked if it was working fine only on most popular models
- Added a new set of capabilities ("Current File" -> "Remap textures...") : you can now remap the textures inside the Warcraft 3 Viewer very easily, save your remapped lists, etc. Now, that is very easy to watch the effect of a new texture on a model.
- A new help file (a How To and a FAQ) comes now with the Warcraft 3 Viewer. Thanks to J3lademaster.

If anyone wants to translate the new How To / FAQ into German and/or Portuguese, he would be welcome.


Reminders :

* If anyone wants to translate the new How To / FAQ (made by J3lademaster) into German and/or Portuguese, he would be welcome.

* If anyone wants to write a tutorial for the Warcraft 3 Viewer, or complete either J3ladermaster Help file, or KDEWolf's help file, he would be welcome.

* The Warcraft 3 Viewer has arrived to a stage where I could not add features by myself. If you want I add new features, ask me, I can't guess, and if I have some free time to add them, I will.

* If anyone wants to convert the Warcraft 3 Viewer either for Linux or Mac OS, he would be welcome.
Don't forget it : the Warcraft 3 Viewer comes with a tool, named BLPConv, which is a command line tool to convert TGA<->BLP. Source code is available on request, and this would be a very simple tool to convert for Linux or Mac OS.


Changes in version 2.3 :
- The most important thing : particle emitters are (partially) managed, so you can see a more realistic Infernal ;) I say "partially" because I have not been able to figure out each of the parameters of the particle emitters Blizzard are using.
- The Warcraft 3 Viewer can now read the MDXs created by the Art Tools.
- The Warcraft 3 Viewer comes now with the FULL SOURCE CODE, including the animations source code . I hope it will be useful.
- Some bug fixes here and there.



Changes in v2.2a :
- the glow color can now be changed by a menu, not only by changing the ReplaceableIds.txt file
- the cinematic MDXs can now be loaded without any error (that is to say all the *campaign3d.mdx files)
- the cameras of the MDX files are read and you can choose to show them in the scene or not, to look through them or not (very useful for the portrait animations)
- added an option to show/hide the axes
- some bugs were fixed
- and maybe other things ?


Changes in v2.2 :
- portrait animations now works perfectly
- glows are now working for all heroes, even in war3x.mpq
- now, if a file is not found in war3x.mpq, it searches for it in war3.mpq (if war3x.mpq is opened, else it is the contrary)
- team colors are now working for static models too
- mesh selection is now repercuted on animations too (we can make very funny things with that)
- all the heroes have now their glows (since for some of them, there was a problem) : if a heroes has not his glow automatically, just toogle the "Hidden geometry" option in the render menu
- a keyboard control has been added : Left/Right and Up/down arrows for rotations, Page up/page down for zoom in/out, and let the control key pushed to accelerate those movements (thanks to Olivier :ggani:)
- MDX and BLP files can be associated with W3V so that you can double-click on a BLP or a MDX file to open it with W3V; just go to the Render menu, and click on the last item
- some bugs fixed
- all that I have forgotten



The Warcraft 3 Viewer package comes with a new tool included : BLPconv. It is a standalone command-line tool that allows you to convert BLP to TGA, and TGA to BLP. See help.txt in the BLPconv.zip included in the package.

You can find in the package a file named ReplaceableIDs.txt : you can edit this file to customize the textures associated with the replaceable IDs, such as the glow color, or the textures on trees or bridges (winter for instance).

Changes in v2.1b :
- Now, replaceable textures are handled : this entails that glows are displayed and that trees, bridges, etc. are displayed correctly.
- fixed the problem of the bad blending glows; now it works fine : heroes are displayed with their glows
- the 100-quality compression bug has been fixed
- Electron made me discover that Windows 95/98/ME does not support multilingual resources, so that for the people using that OS, they could not change the language properly. Now it is fixed.
- some people did not have all their drive letters displayed in the treeview "Local drives" : fixed.
- now you can convert 24 bits BMP/JPG/TGA to BLP; the tool will ask you if you want to add an opaque alpha channel.


Changes in v2.1a :
- In agreement with Citizensnips : now you can convert 24 bits JPG to BLP; you will be asked if you want an opaque alpha channel be added.


Changes in v2.1 :
- Default quality stored in registry and use of last chosen quality each time the JPEG quality option dialog appears (in accordance with what was asked by Starcraftfreak)
- Animation speed control changed (I need feedback about that : does it meet your needs ?)
- a TGA reading bug fixed : when TGA were edited by Paintshop Pro 8 and saved, they were upside down in the Warcraft 3 Viewer



What's new in version 2.0 :
- Model animation preview support, with custom speed and player colors
- New and easy-to-use toolbar, for quick acess to the most useful functions of the program.
- Batch conversion, so you can convert all files contained in a folder (and its subdirectories) to another type, allowing quick
- Reconverts and reloads used textures, for me the most useful function ever created for this tool other than the animation, automatically converts all TGAs referent to the used textures by the model to BLP (skiping not existent ones), and after that reloads everything on the model, making that one of the best previewing tools ever created.
- Multiple languages capability, right now including English (default), French and Portuguese - If you think you would be able to translate the program to your language and contribute to the modding community, fell free to ask, and we'll surely add it to the next version.
- New rendering routines that make the Viewer faster than ever.
- Background image loading, allowing you to take nice screenshots with custom images loaded from your computer (resizeable).
- Possibility to set custom player color, with color range limited only by your video card (16+ millions colors)
- More hotkeys.
- Version format changed to make it easier to distiguish versions, making problem solution easier.
- Now the seacrh engine stays open even when you load a result, allowing you to find exactly what are you looking for.
- LOTS of bug-fixes.

How-to & FAQ
by J3lademaster
______________________________________________________

Contents:

1 - What do I need?
2 - Viewing an image
3 - Extracting an image
4 - Converting to .blp
5 - Viewing manipulated textures in the Warcraft 3 Viewer
6 - Reloading Textures
7 - Using images in the WCIII World Editor
8 - FAQ
______________________________________________________

1 - What do I need

~Warcraft III Viewer

~Paintshop Pro, Photoshop or, Gimp(free) (advanced)
These are not necessary for simple viewing however,
one or the other will be needed if you
have interest in skinning.

~3Ds max, Milkshape or, Gmax(free) (advanced)
These are not nessesary however, one or
the other will be needed for modeling.
______________________________________________________

2 - Viewing an image

There are three ways to view an image.

(a) Use the default treeview window that
appears when you load Warcraft III Viewer.

(b) Use 'Find in MPQ' under 'View' on the pull-down menu
or, use the Ctrl-F hot key. Then, enter the name of
unit you want to view.

(c) To view an image you have already extracted
use 'Open' under 'File' on the pull-down menu
or use the Ctrl-O hot key.
______________________________________________________

3 - Extracting an image

To manipulate an image you will have to first
extract it.

~First, load an image by using (a) or (b) under
part 2 - Viewing an image.

~Then, select the extraction type that relates to the
type of file being viewed (shows type by default)
under 'Current File' on the pull-down menu.
______________________________________________________

4 - Converting to .blp

Once you have manipulated an image (See above software)
you will have to convert it back to a .blp file for use
in Warcraft III.

~To convert your edited image back to a .blp
select 'BMP,TGA,orJPG->BLP' under Convert Files
on the pull-down menu.
______________________________________________________

5 - Viewing manipulated textures in the Warcraft 3 Viewer

~Load the .mdx of the unit on which you wish to view the
manipulated texture. Go to 'Remap textures'(Ctrl-M) under
the 'Current File' menu. Select the texture that
you wish to change and click on it. Then select the 'Change'
button.

~To view the original texture again go back to 'Remap textures'
and deactivate the manipulated texture that you imported.
______________________________________________________

6 - Reloading Textures

To instantly see the results of your work when editing
skins you will want to use this feature.

~Convert the .blp of the unit on which you will be working
to a .tga (or other file types: .jpg .bmp)

~Load the .mdx of the unit on which you will be working
into the Warcraft 3 Viewer so that you can see the model.

~Go to the remap texture feature and change the path of
the current .blp to the .tga that you just created.

~Without closing the Warcraft3 Viewer open the .tga file that
you just created with Photoshop or, whatever paint
program you prefer.

~Edit the .tga "skin" and save it.

~Go back to the Warcraft 3 Viewer and select the
'Reload Textures' feature in the 'View' menu. You will
now see the changes that you made to the unit's skin.

Note: If you position the windows of your paint program
and the Warcraft 3 Viewer you can see the results of
your work as you skin. (as long as you save your work and
reload the textures)

Note: 'Convert local .tga and reload textures' does
the same thing only it recognizes the tga's in your local
files and converts them.
_____________________________________________________

7 - Using images in the WCIII World Editor

~To use an image on a map go to the World Editor
and open the 'Import Manager'(F12). Now select
'Import File'(Ctrl-I) and find the file you want to
use.

~After importing a file, double click on the
name of the file and check the box 'use custom path'

~Enter the exact path of the file you want to replace.
If you don't know the path use 'Find in MPQ'(Ctrl-F) in
the Warcraft III Viewer to find it.
______________________________________________________

8 - FAQ

~What is that 'Textures\white.blp' in the 'Remap textures' window?
It not only shows up by default but, it also shows up with
the model's textures and you can't change it.

Don't matter about that texture, it is just the texture used for the
Camera model used inside the viewer and for the axis.

~How, and why, do I change the background picture and color?

You can change the background picture(Render->Background picture)
to make it appear that your model is in the Warcraft III game This
is done so that you can get an idea of how your coloration will
appear against the terrain colors. You make great snapshots with
this too. Dont forget: Any picture will work. You can add an
avitar, an album cover or whatever you want.

To make a warcraft scene as your background picture go to the
World editor and position your view the way you want it.
Then, hit the print screen key on your keyboard. You will find
Your picture in the warcraft directory in the newly created
'Screenshots' folder.

To resize the background picture use the number pad
the controls are the following
Width----------------4 or 6
Height---------------2 or 8
Width and Height ----1 or 9

You can change the background color (Render->Change background color)
to get a better view of the coloration on your model.
(ex: If you had a very dark character
you would not want a black background)

~What is the Warcraft III Directory

That's just another name for the series of folders
in which your warcraft files are stored.
______________________________________________________
For more support go to: www.wc3campaigns.com

Thanks go out to TheProphet for
making such a great tool. Without which
we would be caveman modders. __
____
00 ______
0000 ________
00000 __________
00000000000000000000 Warcraft 3 Viewer created by: TheProphet
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0000
00


'How-to & faq' written J3y: J3lademaster -)--------



Here finally it comes: Warcraft III Viewer!
This is a new modding tool for all people over the community, and we hope it helps you in whatever you need at graphics convertion and previewing.
This was the result of TheProphet's (an awesome C++ programmer that had the initial idea) and KDEWolf's (graphic designer and skinner) work, and we put a lot of our time on it.

"Hey, I already do have Image Extractor II and World Edit. Why would I need this program?"
Actually you don't. But after you use it a few times and see how complex and useful its functions are, you WON'T get back to Wc3 Image Extractor II anymore, or even World Editor. This program is all the way faster, has both skinned models and skins preview, a LOT of useful features, a search engine, that works not only to BLPs as in Img Extractor, but to models as well. Yeah, it replaces WinMPQ in the hard work of searching for the model you want to extract in that huge list. Now just type what are you looking for in the edit box, see the results, double click the desired ones, and voilà ! The W3V has an OpenGL rendering system, wich allows a smoother and high-quality texturing. One of the most impressive features in this program (You will surely LOVE this) is that it can extract/convert ALL the textures from the model you are viewing, and even better, it automatically saves them into the right path inside Warcraft 3 folder. The loading system works the same as on WE. When you load a model in the MPQ, it'll look for custom textures on the relative path to Warcraft III dir, and if it doesn't find, it loads directly from MPQ. And one of the BEST things for skinners: When you are editing a skin and modify it, you don't need to reload W3V (or the big and slow WE), just select other model and select back the one you were previewing. Plain, simple. It uploads automatically (but remember you still have to convert the TGA into BLP in order this to work). It also has a HD browsing engine, that makes you able to look for models and kins in your hd, and convert/preview them quickly and simple. Well, i can summarize all this in just one sentence: "It does all things others do, and a lot more!". Remember this is a tool created mainly for skinners, but works for people just wanting to extract models, convert files, preview units, etc. I assure you that you'll have a great time using this program ;)

To see a complete list of features read the help file, included in the package.

http://www.xeberon.net/download.php?...t3vieweren.zip

It'll have periodical updates (we hope), so be sure to check it often!

Would it be possible to make it retain the path of the last opened mpq ?

Because telling the program where my war3.mpq is everytime is a bit annoying.

Also, in a future update, could you make the displayed models origin being movable, some models being far from their origin are a bit difficult to see properly.


This said, the models options, with or WITHOUT (unlike bitrun) the hidden graphics is just GREAT.
Eventually, would it be feasable to have an option to add a white blank skin to some models that seem invisible ?

Keep up the great work

Regards

Well here's it. Ask all questions here, suggestions and report bugs as well. But please note that reading the help is a must before posting (please!).

Here's a brief description of it:
http://www.wc3campaigns.com/forums/s...threadid=18331

You can download it here:
http://www.xeberon.net/download.php?...t3vieweren.zip

I heavily encourage you people to distribute this throughout the entire Warcraft III modding community, as long it remains untouched and with proper credits. But please do this, since i want to help all the w3 modding people.

(Please could someone make this thread sticky? Thanks!)

MDX/MDL conversion? Yobgul's File Converter was poorly made (but the only converter? ), for this reason it has bugs. If you don't have win2k or xp the program doesn't close properly and stays in the memory; and if you do have win2k or xp you get an error when closing it. When converting a MDX to MDL, it sort of creates a bug that doesn't allow you to convert the MDL back to MDX until you reopen the program.

I figured this would be a good suggestion since you call it an "all-in-one program"

1) KDEWolf, how was this thread intended? The way I regarded it or the way bludragn regared it?
2) I have a suggestion: The tool should read the installpath of Warcraft III from the Registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Warcraft III\InstallPath

Hmm, i´m not really sure wheree it goes wrong but when i convert from TGA to blp and then import in game it makes the whole skin invisible and only shows areas where alpha channels are on the model. :/
But it does work fine with image extractor 2. ))):I

when i try to unzip the file it dont even work nothing happens so i cant even dl this prog

bludragn:
We intended to do it but it's friggin hard to do. We are going to ask some guys for help (though i don't think we'll be able to find Yobguls). And it's ok to post this here.

Starcraftfreak: It was meant to automatically do that, or how do you think it loads the skins from the warcraft III folder? What happens to you?

TrollZzz: Convert it as 32 bit always (bytes actually).
4 bytes = Red
4 bytes = Green
4 bytes = Blue
4 bytes = Alpha

SpiritofWrath: Humm it isn't a problem with the zip file since it works for everybody else.

Why the hell does it then ask if I start it for the first time to browse for war3.mpq? This file is inside the installpath!

BTW, you haven't answered my other question.

Here is another suggestion. Just look at the attached image and you know what I mean.

simple really, how do i turn a .blp into a .mdx

no offens it kinda sucks @ viewing models....you can zoom or move around as well

btw its just a rip of an earlier tool i think

oh yeah and just not being rude, it is MUCH better than image extractor ii cuz its preety cool to flip the skins around

ok i took a blp made it a tga, edited it (its the priest) now im done editing and i want to view it as a model
how do i do this???

suggestions.....

make WE zooming controls....
ability to make animations play
ability to save animations as a animated gif (now THATS going to be good)

btw the particles are kinda screwed rite now

A BLP or TGA file is a 2D image used as texture for models. it's the skin (this is why it is called skinning), which is "streched" over the model. The model is a file, which contains the 3D geometry of the structure it represents. The texture is the thing that is attached to the model.

To cut a long matter short: You can't convert a texture (2D) to a model (3D). They are two distinct things.

Maybe there is someone else who can explain this in a more professional way as I'm not someone who knows so much about textures and models.