Tutorial: Removing Hero Glow from an mdl+

Tutorial: Removing Hero Glow from an mdl
By Zealot888

Ok sucky a$$ forum vets, this is like the fifth post I've had to answer myself. There is a serious breakdown in the whole 'share information in a forum' thing going on at w3campaigns. A recent example at http://www.wc3campaigns.com/forums/s...&threadid=7151 It would have been nice if a model vet could have given a simple clean five minute answer, but noooo. :gfu: I began trial and error, and after a straight day of labor I figured out how to do this stuff. The easiest model to zap the glow is the Arthaswithsword.mdx

(1) Extract desired mdx out of the war3.mpq with mpqview or Warcraft III Explorer.
http://www.wc3campaigns.com/modules....=getit&lid=499
http://www.wc3campaigns.com/modules....=getit&lid=506


(2) Convert the mdx to an mdl. Download War3 file converter at http://www.wc3campaigns.com/modules....=getit&lid=277 . In order to get it to run you must have a 1.0 version of War3 installed. Reinstall War3 and do not patch it yet. Let’s say the directory you want the file converter to be is c:\program files\file converter. Copy all the 1.0 files (except the 400 mb war3.mpq and all directories) to the directory you want you war3 file converter to. Now copy the war3 file converter to that directory and overwrite. The file converter should now work. Now upgrade War3 to the latest version.

(3) Open the mdl up in notepad

(4) For this example we are using the Arthaswithsword.mdl. This is the area of the mdl we are looking for, the one that starts iwth 'materials' and then has a number:


Materials 5 {
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 0,
}
Layer {
FilterMode Blend,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 1,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 1,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 2,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 4,
}
}
}


Which one is the team glow? It’s this one:

Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}

Why? I don’t know. But the pattern in all heroes glow is that their filter is additive and the static alpha is usually .75. Some heroes had something like .8, .6 so it’s give or take. All you have to do is change the “additive” to “transparent”. Viola:

Materials 5 {
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 0,
}
Layer {
FilterMode Blend,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 1,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 1,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 2,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 4,
}
}
}






(5) Convert the mdl back to an mdx.

(6) Insert the mdx into the map or mpq with a tool like mpq2k. http://www.wc3campaigns.com/modules....=getit&lid=265

(7) Now on to different models. Here is what I found to be successful with other hero models. Take this line:

Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}
and copy over the suspect hero glow area of another model with this one, and change the texture id (which is 3) to the id of the model before it. Example, here is the Tauren Chieftain:

Materials 7 {
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 1,
Alpha 1 {
Linear,
3333: 0.75,
}
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 2,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 1,
Alpha 1 {
Linear,
3333: 0.75,
}
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
}
Layer {
FilterMode Blend,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
}

Now this one I wasn’t sure which of the .75 additive’s was the hero glow as there are two suspect areas. I think both were. In most other models just changing the additive to transparent didn’t quite work. So I just replaced the two areas with the arthaswithsword line and returned the texture ID back to what it was for the tauren chieftian. Here is a working TC:

Materials 7 {
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 1,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Additive,
Unshaded,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 2,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 1,
static Alpha 0.75,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode Transparent,
TwoSided,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
Material {
Layer {
FilterMode None,
Unshaded,
static TextureID 3,
}
Layer {
FilterMode Blend,
static TextureID 0,
}
}
}

Really nice job on that. And your right that the mods are being lazy. Ive seen more non mods help others, and sometimes the mods themselves. They got put there for a reason, but they have failed at that.

thanks i have been trying for a week it works

Now, how do we ADD hero glow to units? :ggani: