GTA IV: .WFT import filter in ZModeler v2.2.1
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:46 am
GTA IV: WFT files import filter release notes
Filter is available in ZModeler v2.2.1 and supports import of .wft files. The following features are available:
- Import of scene with objects separation to hierarchy.
- Import of materials and loading of textures.
- Import of collision model
- Import of skeleton model.
The entire mesh geometry is natively stored as a single object in WFT file. This gives a performance boost ingame, but not suitable for editing. The filter provides a Slice Model feature when geometry is sliced to objects which are laid in a hierarchy structure. When this option is toggled On, filter will create a hierarhcy based on dummy nodes and will lay all objects in this hierarchy. This includes geometry, dummy and collision volume nodes. When this option is Off, a single solid geometry is created and additionally a skeleton model is created. When dealing with vehicle models, it's recommended to use sliced model feature.
GTA4 does not provide full varity of materials settings. Evenmore, there are several shaders (see Data\Shaders folder) which can be used as materials. Each shader has dozen of adjustable options and requires predefined set of textures. In current implementation filter loads reffered textures onto material texture slots and drops adjustable options onto Extensions\User Defined Options page. Since no export is available, most of these options have no well-defined meaning and proper range of values; they are also a subject to change later.
Material name is composed from shader name with a cropped default shader prefix[/b]. You can change this prefix in Options\Settings\Profile\Editor\Preference\Filters\GTAIV\Default shader prefix. By default, filter uses gta_vehicle_ prefix and removes this part from shader name. Thus, materials apper as vehglass, paint2 etc. which is actually a gta_vehicle_vehglass, gta_vehicle_paint2 shaders respectively. This is also a subject to change, so don't expect it to be a follow up rule.
Additionally, material name might contain [CLR:num] tail part. This is GTA paint-color reference. Value of num could be 1,2 or 3 and it seems like you can use this feature on almost all shaders/materials. Remark: paint1, paint2, paint3 shaders should not be considered as one- two- and three- color paintcheme. These are different shaders for glossy, metalling and other types of car painting.
You should extract all textures from pc\models\cdimages\vehicles.img\vehshare.wtd archive and make a folder with extracted textures a search-path for zmodeler's textures service.
Additionally, you should extract textures from pc\textures\vehicle.wtd to that folder too. These are old textures (from GTA3/VC/SA) but they might be used too.
Bump-mapping textures are loaded as disabled texture slots. Dirt/mud texture is loaded, since it requires explicit UV-mapping; damage texture looks like dynamically created and not loaded into materials editor. Environment/reflection textures are rarely specified by shaders, but I recommed to have vehicleenvmap128.png texture be available in search-paths for environment-reflective materials.
Collision volumes are either laid in their own hierarchy tree (when Slice model is off) or added to general hierarchy tree (when Slice model is on) with [COL] signature in object tail. These objects, their names and settings are a subject to change.
Skeleton model is temporary available and should not be used. Consider using Sliced Model option.
Filter is available in ZModeler v2.2.1 and supports import of .wft files. The following features are available:
- Import of scene with objects separation to hierarchy.
- Import of materials and loading of textures.
- Import of collision model
- Import of skeleton model.
The entire mesh geometry is natively stored as a single object in WFT file. This gives a performance boost ingame, but not suitable for editing. The filter provides a Slice Model feature when geometry is sliced to objects which are laid in a hierarchy structure. When this option is toggled On, filter will create a hierarhcy based on dummy nodes and will lay all objects in this hierarchy. This includes geometry, dummy and collision volume nodes. When this option is Off, a single solid geometry is created and additionally a skeleton model is created. When dealing with vehicle models, it's recommended to use sliced model feature.
GTA4 does not provide full varity of materials settings. Evenmore, there are several shaders (see Data\Shaders folder) which can be used as materials. Each shader has dozen of adjustable options and requires predefined set of textures. In current implementation filter loads reffered textures onto material texture slots and drops adjustable options onto Extensions\User Defined Options page. Since no export is available, most of these options have no well-defined meaning and proper range of values; they are also a subject to change later.
Material name is composed from shader name with a cropped default shader prefix[/b]. You can change this prefix in Options\Settings\Profile\Editor\Preference\Filters\GTAIV\Default shader prefix. By default, filter uses gta_vehicle_ prefix and removes this part from shader name. Thus, materials apper as vehglass, paint2 etc. which is actually a gta_vehicle_vehglass, gta_vehicle_paint2 shaders respectively. This is also a subject to change, so don't expect it to be a follow up rule.
Additionally, material name might contain [CLR:num] tail part. This is GTA paint-color reference. Value of num could be 1,2 or 3 and it seems like you can use this feature on almost all shaders/materials. Remark: paint1, paint2, paint3 shaders should not be considered as one- two- and three- color paintcheme. These are different shaders for glossy, metalling and other types of car painting.
You should extract all textures from pc\models\cdimages\vehicles.img\vehshare.wtd archive and make a folder with extracted textures a search-path for zmodeler's textures service.
Additionally, you should extract textures from pc\textures\vehicle.wtd to that folder too. These are old textures (from GTA3/VC/SA) but they might be used too.
Bump-mapping textures are loaded as disabled texture slots. Dirt/mud texture is loaded, since it requires explicit UV-mapping; damage texture looks like dynamically created and not loaded into materials editor. Environment/reflection textures are rarely specified by shaders, but I recommed to have vehicleenvmap128.png texture be available in search-paths for environment-reflective materials.
Collision volumes are either laid in their own hierarchy tree (when Slice model is off) or added to general hierarchy tree (when Slice model is on) with [COL] signature in object tail. These objects, their names and settings are a subject to change.
Skeleton model is temporary available and should not be used. Consider using Sliced Model option.
will be buying as soon as I can borrow the family credit card. (As a household we have very strict rules on the usage of credit cards)
that was textured when i viewed it in sparkiv but there was no wft file for the model in the img file i was in. So i replaced the head wdr model file with the grenade wdr model file in the weapons img file and in game the head was still textured O.o Does this mean that the .wdr files can look for textures in other img directorys that the creator sets or is the texture in the wdr file with the model?