[BMS Tool] F4 3D Database Builder - v4.8

[Guest]

Hi folks,

As promised, here is the tool we use at BMS to manage the 3D Database, coded by Mike Rivers years ago and kept updated by Dunc and myself over the years.

Latest version is 4.8.

The 3DDB Builder is a command line tool allowing extracting, building, updating and testing of the 3D database.

With this tool, you will (almost) not need LOD Editor anymore as you can export directly from 3D Studio Max to LOD, create your own parent file with any text editor, get the parent dimensions from MAX Script, and finally add them to the 3D database. There are some special cases where you would still need LOD Editor (zbias node is one of those case), but for most of the 3D models, you should be able to add them to the 3D database with this tool.

Last revision of the documentation is in the archive linked above.

If you want to make your own command files for long term lazyness or whatever, just paste the CMD command referenced in the manual in them.

There is an updated OpenGLLOD included, this one will load textures from HiRes folder if available before reverting to regular folder.

If you have any question, just ask

Be careful, if you want to use this tool to rebuild an extracted 3DDB, you must use the /build_old argument. The new format (/build) is NOT compatible with 4.33.3.

Ben

[l3crusader]

@Switch:

PS: Can we make this a sticky pretty please?

Done

[Arty]

First off thank you.

Could u elaborate on this?

@Switch:

Be careful, if you want to use this tool to rebuild an extracted 3DDB, you must use the /build_old argument. The new format (/build) is NOT compatible with 4.33.3.

Στάλθηκε από το MI 5 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk

[Guest]

It’s a new HDR format which allows handling of .LOD file > 2 GB, only compatible with 4.34.0.10 and above.

No need for you guys to worry about that right now

[Raptor]

Thanks!

[engerek]

4.34.0.10
Tell me more about this please

[Dee-Jay]

@engerek:

4.34.0.10
Tell me more about this please

Nothing you need to know. This is internal Beta test version.

[Guest]

@engerek:

4.34.0.10
Tell me more about this please

Well it makes sense we are still developing, doesn’t it? :). Those development builds have numbers as well

Please keep on topic now.

[Arty]

Ok thank you Switch for the detailed information.

[Blu3wolf]

The documentation has this to say on building the extracted DB:

Copy both EXE and DLL from <installdir>\Tools\3DDBBuilder to where your extracted 3D database is located.

In the Textures folder, you must have a 256 colours BMP file named as the highest texture number found in <installdir>\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj. Resolution nor colour does matter, so one pixel will do just fine. This will write in HDR the last texture id.</installdir></installdir>

should the created BMP file have a file extension? Or should its filename solely be the number, with no extension?

8037, or 8037.bmp?

Cheers.

Also, I think there is an error in the documentation of the build instruction for the new format, on the same page:

Shift+Right click on <installdir>\Data\TerrData\Objects, select open command prompt window here and use the following command:

Windows PowerShell command:
.\3ddb_builder.exe /extract

CMD command:
3ddb_builder.exe /extract</installdir>

I have the suspicion that the commands should be /build rather than /extract.

[Blu3wolf]

What is the behavior of 3DDB_Builder in the event that there are multiple files in the Textures folder, when Building the DB?

[white_fang]

Cool , now we can get all of JanHas protected models … bwahaha
Merry Xmass:blowpar:

[Guest]

@Blu3wolf:

What is the behavior of 3DDB_Builder in the event that there are multiple files in the Textures folder, when Building the DB?

BMS does not care about KoreaObj.TEX. The only reason you put a bmp named as last tex id is that it is somehow needed for KoreaObj.HDR. You can delete KoreaObj.TEX from your install, it’s all the same, except Lod Editor won’t work obviously.

@white_fang:

Cool , now we can get all of JanHas protected models … bwahaha
Merry Xmass

Nothing prevents you from exporting models with Lod Editor already. If they can’t be opened, I guess it is probably because models are using unsupported node types, DOF maths or whatever else is not supported by Lod Editor.

[Blu3wolf]

@white_fang:

Cool , now we can get all of JanHas protected models … bwahaha
Merry Xmass:blowpar:

Please note that you cannot legally use any of JanHas models for any purpose other than website design or magazine layouts, as per his license.

@Switch:

BMS does not care about KoreaObj.TEX. The only reason you put a bmp named as last tex id is that it is somehow needed for KoreaObj.HDR. You can delete KoreaObj.TEX from your install, it’s all the same, except Lod Editor won’t work obviously.

I was referring to the /Textures folder that the tool creates on extraction. Can you explain the behavior of the tool if there are multiple files in that folder, when you try to build the DB?

It is becoming clear that I should have only a single file in there. I was trying to work out what logic was required for the GUI I have been pottering around with, when I asked. I guess I can just delete all files in the folder, and write a new file each time the tex id changes.

[Blu3wolf]

This post is deleted!

[Guest]

@Blu3wolf:

I was referring to the /Textures folder that the tool creates on extraction. Can you explain the behavior of the tool if there are multiple files in that folder, when you try to build the DB?

It is becoming clear that I should have only a single file in there. I was trying to work out what logic was required for the GUI I have been pottering around with, when I asked. I guess I can just delete all files in the folder, and write a new file each time the tex id changes.

Then all files will be appended to TEX file, obviously. Again, it does not really matters as the file is not used by BMS.

I was actually looking at the 3DDB builder source code, see if we could skip this altogether, and somehow parse the tex id through argument in command line.

[Blu3wolf]

So, the 1x1 .bmp file gets added to the .TEX file? I confess I really dont know anything about this .TEX file. Im basically trying to go off of the documentation helpfully included with the 3DDB Builder.

For the current functionality at least, my GUI looks at the source folder when extracting the DB, and will use that to figure out the highest texture number so the end user need not worry about it. Then it (will) write a 1x1 .bmp file to the correct location just before building the DB, although I havent written that functionality just yet.

[Guest]

The tex files is where all the textures used to be stored before BMS made the switch to DDS like 10+ years ago. So, since then, this file is useless except for legacy tools support such as LodEd as they are still looking for it.

But as I said, the HDR needs this also to build the db.

[white_fang]

@Switch:

Nothing prevents you from exporting models with Lod Editor already. If they can’t be opened, I guess it is probably because models are using unsupported node types, DOF maths or whatever else is not supported by Lod Editor.

Ha, I knew it wuz just-a-hack. Really I need just copy paste to some teathre, of my choice of course. .

@Blu3wolf:

Please note that you cannot legally use any of JanHas models for any purpose other than website design or magazine layouts, as per his license.

Duly noted. …. , dont worry I’m not into magazine ‘models’, other then … some nice curvy ones… uuuh, … yeah.

…whoops…btw,
Thank you very much for the tool Switch!!!

[Guest]

@Blu3wolf:

I have the suspicion that the commands should be /build rather than /extract.

Oops you’re right, didn’t notice this.

I’ll update first post, thank you