Author Topic: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia  (Read 42364 times)

ZeaLitY

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Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« on: August 05, 2009, 07:01:50 am »
That's the purpose of this forum—to help with the above, in case I encounter any problems. I think the models are the last content from Chrono Cross that should be ripped to the encyclopedia (we've already got background art and the character menu art, as well as relevant dynamic art such as the Chrono Cross element effect on salient pages), but it's been awhile since I've kept track of what all gets dumped, so suggestions are welcome. (Though I'm guessing people won't be interested in walkmeshes, but who knows...)

Only people who can see this are Vehek, utunnels, FaustWolf, Luminaire85, myself, and the other administrators.

Correspondence so far:

Quote from: FaustWolf
Make sure you've got, I think it's version 0.4.0 of Luminaire's importer. I think you should be good to go since version 0.4.0 can handle 128x128 textures (previously we had to stuff some data in to fake all textures at 128x256). However, I'm not sure whether the latest version could correctly handle double-texture enemies.

As a quick check, see if you can view these properly:

Serge Battle Model (example of 128x256)
Serge Field Model (example of 128x128)
Dario Battle Model (example of dual-texture with two 128x256 textures)
Quaddfid Battle Model (this should be really screwed up, actually -- that and the underwater jellyfish monster are the ones you'll have most trouble with since its textures function somewhat differently than most others'. I think they've got three textures and/or three palettes. If Quaddfid works properly, color me surprised).

Blender does have problems with translucency. So for some of the underwater creatures and the Time Devourer we'll have to call in someone like Unaisis or one of the other experienced modelers.

Last December I got about a third of the way through isolating all the field models from their respective rooms, to create a field model pack like I did the battle model pack  (do you have that one?). That's been nagging on me since I left it unfinished, so I might make some time to finish that. Various objects, like doors and the Dragon Tear, should be in the field models.

I still don't have summons because I was having trouble isolating their textures in TileMolester, let alone their battle model data, which seems to be stored in whatever kind of unstructured format spells are stored in. The summons will definitely be last.

Quote
I had hoped to write a script for converting the Cross model files into images and/or more common 3D file formats, but it turns out Blender's scripting interface is not well suited to this sort of batch processing. Unfortunately that leaves only the brute force approach.

There is no a priori limitation on transparency from the importer; as long as your texture image files have black (0, 0, 0) set to transparent, then the transparency info will make it into Blender. The trouble is getting Blender to show it properly. If I remember right, my experience was that you needed to render (F12) to have the transparency work. If you have access to the old thread, you might skim the last part of it to see if I or anyone else left any tips behind.

Field models, battle models, and monsters covers the majority of the models. There are a few odds and ends, such as the boats, the cats you are transfomed into on the Zelbess, etc. There could be other things I suppose; that's just what I remember from the time.

You'll probably notice as you go along that strange lines that, for example, bisect a character's face. This is a bug with the handling of the texture info that I was unable to resolve at the time.

Let me know if you run into any trouble or have more questions.

P.S. Not sure how familiar you are with Blender, so this may be anywhere from painfully obvious to incomprehensible, but I might suggest a workflow similar to the following:

For each model:
1. Create a new model in Blender (File -> New or Ctrl+X).
2. Delete the cube that appears by right-clicking on it and pressing X.
3. Execute the import script to import the desired model information.
4. Change draw type to "Textured" to see model with texture applied.
5. Save model in Blender format (.blend).
6. Export model in other formats if desired. (No idea which ones would be good.)
7. Attempt to take screenshot(s).

Quote
Hmmm, I feel like I've encountered that purpleness before, but I don't remember what was going wrong. I just tried it myself with both Blender v2.49 and v2.49a and it seemed to be fine (no purpleness).

Current issue is that I'm getting nothing but a purple texture. I've tried 2.44 (script didn't work), 2.48, and 2.49a, using Python 2.6.2. I'm running Vista, if that matters. Attaching image and .blend output file for Serge, in case someone else wants to try opening it and seeing if the texture appears.

FaustWolf

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2009, 02:32:22 pm »
In case anyone was missing it, here's the Chrono Cross battle model archive, sans the summons.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ehzpvr

The summons are stored in a different model format, I think it's sort of without the header structure (just raw vertices and animation data) but I'm not entirely sure yet. I need to get all the summon textures from VRAM dumps because those are stored in a funky format too (it probably conforms to the altered .TIM format for the most part, but the image width is greater than what TileMolester allows without some creative distilling).

I'm working on the field models, and hope to have a comprehensive model pack ready to go between Friday and Sunday.

ZeaLitY

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2009, 03:15:22 am »
Update: when I use the models / textures in that pack, the texture shows up fine.

Previously, I was using the dumped OUTs (forgot if I was using yazoo's or Nemesis's tool), and trying

3056   Model   Serge

with

3055   Texture   Serge.

Current issue is just playing with camera controls to get front, back, side, and default angles in Blender's render mode to take screenshots.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2009, 03:19:13 am by ZeaLitY »

FaustWolf

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2009, 02:10:02 pm »
Ah, sweet. I guess the textures are .PNGs in that pack, and that's the input Luminaire's model viewer needs?

ZeaLitY

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2009, 01:30:22 am »
Well, regarding the line issue, is there any class of models that doesn't have any issues at present with 0.4.0? I could go ahead and make screenshots of those, and then hold off on the rest until improvements come.

FaustWolf

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2009, 12:38:38 pm »
Player character battle models should be perfectly fine I think.

Vehek

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2009, 03:02:50 am »
How's the field model labeling going?

ZeaLitY

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2009, 03:22:31 am »
Player character battle models should be perfectly fine I think.

Serge has a slight line on his chest, though his face is okay.

utunnels

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2009, 03:38:54 am »
I don't know if that is blender's problem, I tried some models a while back and some of the characters have a line/gap in the middle.
Did you experience this currently?

ZeaLitY

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2009, 04:00:08 am »
Yeah; it's been an issue with importing since the beginning. It's been too long for me to remember if some lines like that are endemic to the characters in-game, though...

V_Translanka

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2009, 07:39:52 am »
So then, is it possible to get each individual weapons' models? Or has that already been done...?

FaustWolf

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2009, 01:38:44 pm »
Vehek, I've got the field models about 2/3 of the way identified. Then comes the arrangement. Tomorrow would be a realistic date for release of a field model pack. Did you say that you had some field models arranged already, Vehek?

ZeaLitY, can you post a screencap of the Serge problem? I want to make sure the textures in the pack aren't misaligned or something. I also seem to remember people getting different results in Blender's "Render" mode from the normal model viewing mode. I wonder if that would take care of it?

utunnels

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2009, 10:21:07 pm »
Maybe this is an old version:
http://www.duose.com/p/2009/0203/70630_375.png

You see a black line in the middle of Kid's face? If the camera gets zoomed in, it'll be more obvious.

Vehek

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2009, 11:19:07 pm »
Disk 2 NPC models dump.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MAMTK3L5
Archive Password: p0w3r
This time, the room numbers match the in-game numbers, not the "8-fewer" of Terminus. I've only included the rooms I know are different from disk 1. I also tried to make the program I used automatically organize double-texture, but it still might have missed a few. And lastly, the 12-byte unknown-data headers have been removed already.

The list of rooms in there only includes ones utunnels didn't list in the past.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 12:01:27 am by Vehek »

FaustWolf

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Re: Adding Cross models and images to encyclopedia
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2009, 11:41:03 pm »
Oh jeez, I totally forgot about Disk 2 for the field models. So that's a lifesaver, thanks!

Are the disk 2 battle models in the battle model pack? If AI FATE isn't in there, then I never got around to that either. Growr.