XeNTaX

Jff007 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:53 pmI found a mod someone had made for Neverwinter Online ... It looks like they replaced the data within the original file with the second file, but I noticed that some aspects had been changed when I compared the data. I was wondering if those can shed light on exactly which offsets allow for the mesh swapping.

Jff007 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:53 pm My other question is on what tools/toolsets you recommend for trying to work this out. I've been using HxD to read and edit the files, and then a .mset converter and the game itself to test for any progress. Is there a tool that would allow me to organize the data better/in a more readable format than HxD?

Bigchillghost wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 11:09 am From what I can see, the main difference between "2-F_Neck_Scarf_01.mset" and "3-F_Body_Cloth_Wight_Orig_02.mset", is that in the latter file, the last zlib data block is changed, which's not the actual geometry data, something related to face materials perhaps. It also changed the signature at address 8 (original is 0x08EBE869 in known samples), and removed the one ahead of the first zlib block (0x86D846FF). But the strings weren't changed a bit. So if this mod ever worked, the filename or the recorded string should be irrelevant to the replacement.

Bigchillghost wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 11:09 am Creating a template for the format with your hex editor, if it supports such feature, will make it easier to loacte the variables you want to address and validate that if your modification meets with the known specification. But still you'll have do most of the replacements and calculations manually. An automatic script (or whatever programs for such treatment) might be a better solution, the premise of which, however, is based on the fact that you've figured out how to do it manually.

Jff007 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 8:09 pm Every attempt I've made at creating a template has led to syntax errors, unfortunately.

Bigchillghost wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:42 am Which editor did you use?

Bigchillghost wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:42 am Here's a format template created with HexEdit as a start:
...
You can create a new empty template first and save it to reveal the location of the templates folder. Then place the mset template in it and restart HexEdit to get it work. Beware NOT to use it on that mod sample you provided coz it'll crash the program.

roswell wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:15 pm I don't see any information for materials or textures. Is there something in the .mset file that tells what the model uses, or is this information found elsewhere?

Jff007 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 5:48 pm So, that template worked for most of the files, but it crashes on a few of them, giving an error of "unexpected EOF".

Jff007 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:06 am From what the mset export/convert program states, there's .mtl data within the .mset, but I haven't identified it yet.

                var mz_tris =     mzm[i, 0];
                var mz_verts =    mzm[i, 1];
                var mz_norms =    mzm[i, 2];
                var mz_binorms =  mzm[i, 3];
                var mz_tangents = mzm[i, 4];
                var mz_sts =      mzm[i, 5];
                var mz_sts3 =     mzm[i, 6];
                var mz_colors =   mzm[i, 7];
                //var mz_weights =  mzm[i, 8];
                //var mz_matidxs =  mzm[i, 9];
                var mz_verts2 =   mzm[i, 10];
                var mz_norms2 =   mzm[i, 11];

                int fc = file.Models[mz_tris.Model].FaceCount;
                var vc = file.Models[mz_tris.Model].VertexCount;

                // ...
                var l_tris =     mz_tris.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDFace[fc] : null;
                var l_verts =    mz_verts.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDVertex[vc] : null;
                var l_norms =    mz_norms.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDNormal[vc] : null;
                var l_binorms =  mz_binorms.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDBinormal[vc] : null;
                var l_tangents = mz_tangents.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDTangent[vc] : null;
                var l_sts =      mz_sts.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDTextureCoordinate[vc] : null;
                var l_sts3 =     mz_sts3.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDTextureCoordinate[vc] : null;
                var l_colors =   mz_colors.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDColor[vc] : null;

                //var l_weights =  mz_matidxs.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDBoneWeight[] : null;
                //var l_matidxs =  mz_weights.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDBoneMaterials[] : null;

                var l_verts2 =   mz_verts2.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDVertex[vc] : null;
                var l_norms2 =   mz_norms2.DataProcessed != null ? new ThreeDNormal[vc] : null;

Bigchillghost wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:41 pm These samples contain uncompressed data chunks where the recorded data sizes are zeros. Template is updated at the same post.

roswell wrote: ↑Tue Oct 12, 2021 5:49 pm Ok, but, the texture filename isn't stored in the .mset file. So, if there's just a material index stored, what does that index reference?
Is there a master listfile of texture filenames somewhere?

According to the MSET decompiler source code, each mesh object has 12 predefined zlib streams. There is a zlib stream for material indices (index 9), but I don't understand why they're listed per vertex, instead of per face. Source code calls them "bone materials", but it looks like they never figured out how to use them:

roswell wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 12:11 pm btw, are STO models animated in any way? Do they have bones/joints or skeletons? Any external animation or skeleton files? Just wondering why source code mentions "bone weights", when I don't see any bones in the file or any kind of hierarchy.