ZModeler 3.3.0 release notes

[Oleg]

ZModeler3 engine have been upgraded to DirectX11. Since this version is incompatible with previous builds, it is unavailable via automatic updates. You can download and install this version into a different folder manually. No more updates will be made for ZModeler 3.2.1 on DirectX9 engine. Also, mind the minimum OS requirement for ZModeler 3.3.0 is Windows 8.1. Mind the backward-only compatibility of .z3d files - you can open old files in ZModeler 3.3.0, but you can't open newly saved files (saved in 3.3.0) in any older version of ZModeler.

Direct Download link.
64-bit version: Download ZModeler 3.3.0 (~20Mb)
32-bit version: Download ZModeler 3.3.0 (~16Mb)

Version 3.2.1 is still available for download via direct links below.
In case you might get problems with this release, you can still use ZModeler 3.2.1 (or if you still run Windows 7 on your computer, this is the only option).
64-bit version: Download ZModeler 3.2.1 (20.26Mb)
32-bit version: Download ZModeler 3.2.1 (15.54Mb)


Changes log.

Version 3.3.0 Build 1230

• Bug fix: Intel(r) Graphics on-CPU video hardware issue: texture size provided by DX11 driver for DXT textures is incorrect, caused ZModeler to crash on save of .z3d files and on save of .dds textures.
• ATS/ETS2 version selection on export. Support for game version 1.47 materials. "truckpaint" material environment level is defaulted to 25% (Output level 64) and is not adjustable in material file.
• Load/Save of viewports layout in .z3d file is optional (Settings->General->Files->Z3d->Viewports layout.

Version 3.3.0 Build 1229

• Textures drag & drop (one or multiple textures) can be used to get rid of some textures and assign one texture instead of another on all affected materials. When only one texture "A" is dropped over texture "B", the dropped texture "A" will replace texture "B" in materials and texture "B" is removed from textures browser. When multiple textures "A,B,C,D" are dropped onto texture "E", all these textures "A,B,C,D" are removed from textures browser and their usage in all materials is replaced with texture "E". You can use this drag & drop technique to get rid of duplicate textures.
• Textures can be renamed in textures browser.
• "Remove duplicates" button in textures browser.
• New textures browser layout with big texture preview area (on the left or on the right side). If your screen resolution is small or you prefer old browser layout, set "Layout" option to 0 in Settings->Profile->Editor on "Preferences->Textures Browser" branch. Setting Layout = 1 will enable new layout with preview sample on the right side and setting Layout = 2 will enable new layout with sample on the left side.
• DX9 Luminance textures (L-8) are now loaded as Alpha-only textures (A-8) instead of Red-color-only (R-8) to look better on materials.
• GTARage "licenseplate" material is configured to use font texture on DETAIL2 texture slot instead of being a transition texture on DETAIL texture slot. An exporter will make a proper GTA material conversion from both styles of material setup in ZModeler, so you can export your old .z3d saves without additional changes.
• Bug fix: Ghost materials leading to app crash in scenario of using File->Merge->Cancel.
• Bug fix: material parameters (options) were not being copied when material is duplicated.

Version 3.3.0 Build 1228

• Material's color settings and alpha/blend parameters could be changed on material's states like samplers.
• PNG textures loaded (or any other SRGB texture) is converted to normalized RGBA. Textures Save As option and storing in exported files refined with respect to this conversion.

Version 3.3.0 Build 1227

• Geometry wireframe rendering refined (both anti-aliased and non anti-aliased). It is advised to use non-antialiased lines for performance reasons.
• Opacity fade out of non-border outline wireframe and fade out of non-editable objects can be adjusted in Settings\General\Meshes window.

Version 3.3.0 Build 1226

• Windows 8.1 is now the minimum compatible version. ZModeler 3.2.1 is still available for Windows 7 users (licenses/validations can be installed and applied). No further updates for 3.2.x series will be made.
• Engine library upgraded to DX11. Textures management re-implemented on DX11 and OS-installed WIC (Windows Imaging Component interface). Hardware support of modern block-compressed (BCx) textures. Discrete video card on laptop devices should be available for selection without any need to create per-application profile in external tools like nVidia tool.
• Rendering device properties simplified to toggling multi-sampling on/off and wireframe lines antialiasing on/off.
• Shaders code was remastered to DX11. Soft-skin rigging implemented on matrices versus old dual quaternions technique. Less rigging-related artifacts expected.
• Pure (general purpose/viewports-only) shaders code remastered. Added an option to fade out (desaturate and/or make transparent) back-facing geometry. See Settings\General\Views\Meshes).
• Dots on geometry (vertices, spline points, etc.) size is adjustable. See Settings\General\Views\Nodes
• Flat-shading is implemented in shaders and should not give any impact on performance or memory usage when toggled on.
• Minor UI tweaks (axes tripod, UV Mapper texture background). UV Mapper fly-out windows (objects list, materials list, background settings) retain adjusted size even after restart. Corrected icons size in Materials and Textures browsers, "Pivot" button, etc.
• Viewport's "Light" option is now entitled "Ambient light" and should be toggled off by default.
• "Active" button for current animation allows to toggle animation off explicitly (to put affected objects into bind pose).
• "Unbind" button in animation's Tracks Editor to unbind controlled scene objects from selected animation(s) or track(s) with a single click.
• Easy adjust tool in UVMapper allows to manipulate selected elements with ease: move, scale, rotate. Also, this tool has a build-in free form deformation mode (double-click on control point to switch between FFD and normal mode).
• Stitch in UV window works on polygons level too (compatible with "compact fragments to object" UV editing mode).
• "Recently-used" combo (for example, File Import\Export\Open\Save folder selection) has an option to explicitly delete rows in drop-down list to remove entries simpler. Known bug/limitation: to hover the 'x' area need to move mouse from one row to another to refresh selection.
• "Browse for folder" window in SCSSoftPrism 3D importer can use modern style with locations panel. Old style can be enabled by setting "OldBrowseForFolder" to non-zero value in "Preferences\Filters\SCSPrism3D" branch of "Settings\Profile\Editor" window.
• Refined build-in textures (e.g. environment/reflection) and missing texture placeholders (increased size).
• Properties window for "Bounding\Box" (for one object selection) and "Dimensions" (for multiple objects selection) allows to edit X,Y,Z values explicitly to resize selection.
• Skeleton and bones draw refined and optimized. An option to draw skeleton though solid objects (See Settings\General\Views\Nodes (common).
• Accumulated fixes of various bugs that were reported during this upgrade period and were impossible to release for 3.2.1 version.

[aasguard]

getting a error when i start it up oleg https://prnt.sc/D5zVNXYsNkVA and when it loads i can not import as there is something missing from it

[Oleg]

Do not put ZModeler on your desktop, "My documents" or "Downloads" folder. Make sure to run ZModeler as Administrator. ZModeler starts several processes and uses inter-process communication. Running application in a regular way or from any user-account protected folder might block processes to start properly.

[vxkez]

Uh..... so why cant my textures work right i need help i mod for GTA5 /FIVEM PLS help !!!

[Oleg]

Your screenshot is very small, I can't see anything. Upload full scale screenshot or describe in detail what exactly is wrong.

Also, there was an update addressing textures (mostly affect non-compressed ARGB, BGRA textures) just recently (3.3.0.1228).

[madoyaghi]

hey my normal maps are all messed up in the new 3.3.0 i just moved from 3.2.1

https://gyazo.com/26778e2a71624cc24ab3ffff85f1971a

[Oleg]

ZModeler 3.2.1 uses DirectX9 engine and it has no native support of ATI2 (BC5U) textures, so these textures are converted to another texture format on load. Even though ZModeler shows you texture type ATI2, it is not actually ATI2 texture data in the engine. On export (where texture data is actually needed to save texture data) ZModeler performs BC5 packing again, so this is not actually visible for the user that ZModeler performs conversions.

ZModeler 3.3.0 uses DirectX11 engine that supports ATI1 and ATI2 textures natively, so no conversion is performed and BC5 texture can actually be used. However, your saved .z3d files contain different texture data (but still claims "this is ATI2 format"). I advise you to use "Replace" button in textures browser and reload problematic textures from your hard drive. Once they are loaded by ZModeler 3.3.0, they will appear fine and you can use your projects further.

Here's an example how this native texture look alike after loading from the hard drive:

[madoyaghi]

yes i figured that out but too bad the textures thats saved from 3.2.1 doesn't work in any paint program they ruined

[Oleg]

You can save texture ZModeler 3.3.0 - these textures will be loadable by other tools. In case of problematic textures (BC5), save them from ZModeler 3.2.1, and load again into ZModeler 3.3.0 (it will load these DDS files even if other texture tools reject them).

[madoyaghi]

no ZModeler doesnt load normal maps that was saved from 3.2

ZModeler is ready.
Failed to load texture "white_leather_n.dds". file:texturesservice.cpp line:668
VFailed to load texture: "white_leather_n.dds". file:basictextureswicanddds.cpp line:308

[Oleg]

pass it through any other image conversion utility to fix. The texture data could be messed up already and ZModeler can't load such a texture. For example, make an export to .yft file and put this texture there as an embedded texture. Then extract it from .yft file with OpenIV.

The texture is a set of texture data objects (mips) and DDS heading that specifies how to read the data. In ZModeler 3.2 some texture heading are ignored and only the most significant heading data values are used to read texture data. That is why it can still show and use this texture. Upon saving, bad .dds heading data makes the texture unloadable buy most of DDS loaders. When you put this texture as embedded in .yft, the texture data (unchanged) is equipped with yft embedded texture heading, and OpenIV will be able to reconstruct correct DDS heading for this data to save a proper DDS image.

I can not make any changes to ZModeler 3.2.x product anymore, so I can not fix this issue with ZModeler 3.2. textures.

Also, keep in mind that ZModeler 3.2. uses DX9 engine and does not support some of texture formats like ATI1, ATI2 (BC5 normal map), so texture data in ZModeler 3.2. could be incompatible with DDS texture heading (e.g. ATI2 texture loaded in ZModeler 3.2. sill has ATI2 DDS heading, but the actual texture is BC3-converted DXT5 texture). This can cause problems too.