Sycamoyr on 20/5/2015 at 21:38
Hi all, I've been avoiding this custom object thing for far too long now. I checked out (
http://dromed.whoopdedo.org/dromed/reducing_object_count) this tutorial on reducing object count by R Soul, which is inspiring but it's generally suggestion rather than a tutorial on how to specifically go about making grouped objects.
I just downloaded Anim8or and went through a few tutorials on how to use it, but now I would like to know how to group Thief II objects in Anim8or (i.e: where are the vanilla Thief II objects and how do I use them in Anim8or?). What thief object file extensions can I load into the program or would I need to change file extensions?
I'm totally lost so any help or suggestion pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated :confused:
LarryG on 20/5/2015 at 23:32
Alright, at a high level this is what you do to edit an existing Thief object in Anim8or:
1. Find the .bin file referenced in the Shape > Model Name parameter by the object archetype. If an OM object it will be in the thief resources file (.RES). A resources file is simply a .zip with the .RES extension. Inside the resources file are all the important resources.
2. Convert the .bin file to a .3ds file. There are a couple of conversion programs involved: BinToE.exe and Eto3ds.exe. Do a search of this forum for DEOCI and you'll find a nifty tool that R Soul made to simplify this process.
3. Sometimes the conversion will fail, and you are out of luck. You'll just have to make the model from scratch. Oh well. But assume it worked, now you have a .3ds file of the desired object. Open it in Anim8or. You will probably have to reassign the textures to the corresponding parts of the object, as the conversion process can mess that up.
4. Once you have the textures properly assigned you can start making whatever changes you want. When you are done, save the object as a new .3ds file.
5. Now you need to convert the new .3ds file to the .bin format for Thief to use. There are two utilities to do that: 3dsToE.exe and bsp.exe. The first creates a .e file from the .3ds, and the second takes the .e and make a .bin. Nameless Voice created a nifty utility "3ds to bin" that wraps those executables with a nice front-end. Do a search of the forum and I'm sure you'll find it.
As to the grouping concept, just have the object geometry for multiple objects in a single .3ds file before you create the new .bin.
There is also a long thread called something like Get Using Anim8or by Sluggs, started sometime in dawn of time (2003 or 2004). Find it and read it all. It's long and you can skim it, but there are gems of information in there. Also do a search on Anim8or, and peruse the threads that are found. Some will be of no relevance, but some may offer you insights.
Oh, one more thing, the R Soul Reducing Object Count tutorial is less relevant with NewDark. NewDark increased the object count such that you aren't likely to need to group objects any more.
Sycamoyr on 21/5/2015 at 21:55
Thanks for the good advice Larry G!
I'll definitely get to studying this process a bit more, but it really helps to at least have a better grasp of what is involved in the process.
Sycamoyr on 23/5/2015 at 15:39
This should be useful, many thanks!
Will I need to get 3Ds Max to be able to use them? They do not appear to work in Anim8or.
LarryG on 23/5/2015 at 15:45
But don't expect that to have the final version of the objects in 3ds ... it doesn't. It's more of an insight into how the OM modelers worked.
Sycamoyr on 26/5/2015 at 23:30
So... is there a reliable way to convert .3ds files to .an8 files?
I found, (
http://www.anim8or.com/resources/) on the Anim8or website, a software which can convert a .3ds to a .x file and I'm really not sure what that means. I did a search for "convert .3ds to .an8" and got some rather questionable websites.
R Soul on 26/5/2015 at 23:35
Anim8or can import them. It's in the menus. I think it's Object > Import.
Sycamoyr on 26/5/2015 at 23:39
Quote Posted by R Soul
Anim8or can import them. It's in the menus. I think it's Object > Import.
When I try to import a .3ds file, it crashes Anim8or.
Yandros on 26/5/2015 at 23:44
Could be the object is too complex for Anim8or. What kind of object is it?
