ROM Hack BotW model modding

[Grmmish]

Just wondering... Gamebanana had the Mario Kart 8 Tutorial for modding. Says to rig your characters, blablabla.

First of all my goal is just to get a custom model that is RIGGED in BotW. Easy enough. But the problem is BotW models (Link.sbfres) has a model cut up. So the usual rigging is not able.

MY QUESTION
I'm a professional game developer so I rig, UV Map, model and animate from scratch. (One day, Mocap... One day...) I use professional programs unlike trash Blender and irrelevant 3DS Max that is completely bested by Autodesk Maya and... Every other program in the world. But sadly since modders like to be user-friendly they create their scripts and tools around tool-lacking freeware applications such as Blender and 3DS Max. (3DS Max isn't free and gets the job done. Just like Blender but 3DS Max is better in every way than Blender and 3DS Max is obsolete since the same company released Autodesk Maya. ._.) I understand not everyone can afford a program that is most useful for rigging and etc. but THIS technical setback leads to my question: Could I rig in my own program?
I went through the tutorial. I made sure the polygon count is correct. I cut the model up properly. I named everything properly. Made sure to isolate vertices. Made the dope.csv and used the BFRES_Vertex.py script and bam. Gives an error. But the error is lengthy.
I notice when importing models into 3DS Max that is rigged the bones are not labeled as real bones despite them working the same way. ._. Not sure what that's about... Can move my model properly and all, though. Odd. I am assuming the problems I am facing is I gabbed my (.obj, .fbx, etc.) model and put it in my own program. Cut it there. Rigged it there. Then, as a rigged model with UV maps and textures, brought it over as a general filetype (.obj, etc.) and replaced the original files.... Nothing. Don't understand. Same error. Again... Not sure how to rig with 3DS Max and although to tutorial tells you... One part it says "Add a Skin Modifier and select Add" and then it is just auto-rigged somehow... O-o?? I ran into that problem and just completely stopped that tutorial. If I have better methods of rigging... I want to make sure I can use them before I waste my time with inferior methods unless I have to just to mod BotW.

 

[KillzXGaming]

What error are you having in particular? Rigging should be fine from any program aslong as it imports into 3ds max or blender properly. The bone names do need to be how they were originally though, so be sure to keep them the same or else the rig won't import over.

 

[Grmmish]

Let me check. And yes I know all needs to be named correctly. Rigging in BotW is much harder due to the cut up bodies. Let me check right now:

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

 

[KillzXGaming]

Oh i see. Your UVs are out of the box. Make sure they stay within those.

 

[Grmmish]

How do you know this? Thanks for the help I will check that right away.

 

[KillzXGaming]

It errors out where the uvs are and fails due to format limitations. Some formats will only allow uvs to be within the box and some won't have that issue.

 

[RetroGamer732]

It errors out where the uvs are and fails due to format limitations. Some formats will only allow uvs to be within the box and some won't have that issue.

Just curious, was a tool every released that allows us to inject models with a higher poly/vert count into bfres's for botw?

 

[Grmmish]

Now I am getting the problem where all of my mesh has the Editable Mesh attribute while one has, instead, the Editable Poly one. IF I remove this the CSV script works, else it does not work.

 

[Grmmish]

I figured that out BUT now I get this error:

local MeshFace = getFace tmesh TexFaces[1]

It says that line is problematic of the CSV Script. (Cannot convert type undefined to integer.) I believe it means that line results in null or anything that cannot be converted into integer... Meaning the scene did not do that line properly. I believe that is also a UV problem?
Here're my UVs and texture ontop of it:

????
(Yes yes. I know the UVs aren't aligned properly. I am just ravenous as this point and don't care and just want to get this done to ensure it works... Especially since OFTEN I got the glitch of models imported having this odd stretching issue even after following the steps directly... Randomly does it want to work.)

P.S.:

Uvs.. Bla blab la... BFRES HIgher poly model count

Not yet. Only for Mario Kart 8 and select others. NOT Breath of the Wild.

 

[pr0dukt]

I'd still like to see that barb set retexture Cloud Strife Mod converted over from the WiiU version. Anyone with more free time than me willing to adopt the task?
Otherwise I will get around to it eventually. It's too well crafted of a mod, for the Switch Version to be Neglected.

 

[Grmmish]

I'd still like to see that barb set retexture Cloud Strife Mod converted over from the WiiU version. Anyone with more free time than me willing to adopt the task?
Otherwise I will get around to it eventually. It's too well crafted of a mod, for the Switch Version to be Neglected.

Trust me. I would REALLY love to... But everytime I follow these instructions and FINALLY get the thing to be in Breath of the Wild... Bam. Either things are invisible or stretching despite me taking the step by step measurements to avoid that... Etc.
If you claim you can do this well, then I would love someone to take a bit out of their time to help me because I really do not see the problem.: /
(I even converted a SBFRES to a BFRES then imported it into 3DS MAX then MADE SURE NOT OT TOUCH ANYTHING and then CSV converted it to csv and then did the csv to bfres thing then back to sbfres and checked it in the game... Despite me changing nothing ,everything is not stretch, oblong and just makes no sense. :/ I don't understand.)

 

[KillzXGaming]

Just curious, was a tool every released that allows us to inject models with a higher poly/vert count into bfres's for botw?

For switch no not atm and this includes all switch games where all the tools are private.

Trust me. I would REALLY love to... But everytime I follow these instructions and FINALLY get the thing to be in Breath of the Wild... Bam. Either things are invisible or stretching despite me taking the step by step measurements to avoid that... Etc.
If you claim you can do this well, then I would love someone to take a bit out of their time to help me because I really do not see the problem.: /
(I even converted a SBFRES to a BFRES then imported it into 3DS MAX then MADE SURE NOT OT TOUCH ANYTHING and then CSV converted it to csv and then did the csv to bfres thing then back to sbfres and checked it in the game... Despite me changing nothing ,everything is not stretch, oblong and just makes no sense. :/ I don't understand.)

It can be alot of trial and error. Need to keep the skin influence count to 4, remove zero weights, etc all in the skin modifer. I suggest previewing with smash forge https://github.com/jam1garner/Smash-Forge/releases and preview the model + animaitons (Player ones are in Pack\TitleBG.pack\Model\Player_Animations.sbfres. Simply open the model + the animations and they should play fine. Also for converting wii u mods feel free to use this tutorial as i made a very simple converter to copy over models from wii u to switch (keeping in mind the poly count must be the same).

 

[Grmmish]

For switch no not atm and this includes all switch games where all the tools are private.


It can be alot of trial and error. Need to keep the skin influence count to 4, remove zero weights, etc all in the skin modifer. I suggest previewing with smash forge https://github.com/jam1garner/Smash-Forge/releases and preview the model + animaitons (Player ones are in Pack\TitleBG.pack\Model\Player_Animations.sbfres. Simply open the model + the animations and they should play fine. Also for converting wii u mods feel free to use this tutorial as i made a very simple converter to copy over models from wii u to switch (keeping in mind the poly count must be the same).

Always a huge help, aren't you? I bet only fortunate souls stumble upon you. :]

I will check out the Smash Forge. The thing is.. Not sure what exactly I'm looking for. Is this just a model viewer so I can see the animation of the BFRES or something BEFORE it goes into Breath of the Wild?

Also I am aware that this is probably not really much of the place to ask for such lengthy help. :/ So I'm doing my best to just focus on one smaller thing at a time.
But how much head scratching I am doing just figuring out how the cloud Strife Mods, Linkle and other well made mods were even made with all of these problems that seem to simply be random even though I am following the tutorial EXACTLY. (As far as I know. Unless their are microscopic words between each space. XD) Thanks though.

Edit:
OH OH OH! Before I forget! Do you have any clue how one would go about modifying chest contents? I just want to modify what is in the starting chests of BotW. I saw it' spossible. (Someone changing it to Master Sword and PAraglider) but I have no idea. I feel it has something to do with these mubin and smubin files I have no access to converting as far as I know. :/

Thanks for the help even if you don't know or answer.

 

[KillzXGaming]

Always a huge help, aren't you? I bet only fortunate souls stumble upon you. :]

I will check out the Smash Forge. The thing is.. Not sure what exactly I'm looking for. Is this just a model viewer so I can see the animation of the BFRES or something BEFORE it goes into Breath of the Wild?

Also I am aware that this is probably not really much of the place to ask for such lengthy help. :/ So I'm doing my best to just focus on one smaller thing at a time.
But how much head scratching I am doing just figuring out how the cloud Strife Mods, Linkle and other well made mods were even made with all of these problems that seem to simply be random even though I am following the tutorial EXACTLY. (As far as I know. Unless their are microscopic words between each space. XD) Thanks though.

Edit:
OH OH OH! Before I forget! Do you have any clue how one would go about modifying chest contents? I just want to modify what is in the starting chests of BotW. I saw it' spossible. (Someone changing it to Master Sword and PAraglider) but I have no idea. I feel it has something to do with these mubin and smubin files I have no access to converting as far as I know. :/

Thanks for the help even if you don't know or answer.

Yeah forge is mostly a mdoel viewer but it can kinda edit some things. I'm not sure on modifying chest contents, but you can get help on the BOTW discord https://discord.gg/uqvJ7s.

 

[xXMafraXx]

I'd still like to see that barb set retexture Cloud Strife Mod converted over from the WiiU version. Anyone with more free time than me willing to adopt the task?
Otherwise I will get around to it eventually. It's too well crafted of a mod, for the Switch Version to be Neglected.

I was working on this, most of the mod is done. The only problem right now is Cloud's coat that used a little workaround to accept a higher poly count on wii u, and the same method doesn't seem to work on switch (or its just going to take bit extra work to convert it to switch's format).

 

[TechMechanic]

I remember there being a HUGE fully automated python powered script that stripped out all of the model files out of BotW. It required a certain version of 3dsmax and a few other things. I remember running that for what seemed like more than a day only for it to get hung up on a certain portion. Now I need to go back and find that...