FreshLook

FBX to GR2 is what I'm just now working and it's not done yet. If you are interested in a binary release anyway, let me now. I think the click and drag is only feasible if you just need to pass one command line argument (the path to the file). If you just need to convert one file, then the tool could be used that way. There some uses of the tool that would require to use the command line: You can convert a MDB/GR2 to FBX by typing a search string: the tool searches in the ZIP files located at the Nevewinter Nights 2/Data. You can convert multiple MDB/GR2 to FBX at once: this is useful for converting body+boots+gloves+head+cloack+skeleton+animation into one FBX.

I guess the easiest thing would be to release the binaries. The tool isn't finished yet. MDB/GR2 to FBX conversion is quite advanced. FBX to MDB/GR2 is like 30% done. At the moment the tool is command-line based (you need to use cmd). I'm worried about weather this will be a problem. Maybe I'll have to do a GUI. If you want to try the tool at its current state I could release binaries. yaml-cpp is a YAML parser in C++. The repo is https://github.com/jbeder/yaml-cpp . To compile the entire solution you should download this repo and generate the Visual Studio project files with CMake.

Yes, the tool can read that ASCII FBX file. However, if you intend to convert a random FBX found at the Internet directly to MDB it will probably not work because the models in the FBX should follow certain conventions required by MDB. At present, I don't know exactly what the conventions should be, but I guess they should be similar to those used by Exportron and the Blender MDB plug-in. For example, is *_C2 and *_C3 required for placeables? So, generally a random FBX should be imported into Blender (or max, Maya, ...), modified to follow conventions, exported to FBX and then converted to MDB. You could convert that ASCII FBX file to another format supported by Blender, maybe using Autodesk FBX Converter.

I have started to develop the conversion from FBX to MDB. I have almost completed the conversion of RIGD, COL2 and COL3 packets. Here an example: I have converted PLC_MC_BARREL01.MDB to FBX (using mdb2fbx) I have imported the FBX into Blender (you could use 3ds Max, Maya, ...) I have modified the model in Blender I have exported the modified model to FBX (using Blender exporter) I have converted the new FBX to PLC_MC_BARREL01.MDB (using fbx2mdb - this is the new thing)First image is the original PLC_MC_BARREL01.MDB and second image is the modified one: http://i.imgur.com/pPSWEuL.png http://i.imgur.com/5VrdnBx.png

That's correct.

Thank you very much. The final tool can now import as you say. About the exporting, I have experimental code that I did when I was investigating the GR2 format. Soon I will be working in adding exporting to the final tool and then it will be complete.

Example of converting a NWN2 skin + skeleton + animation to FBX. I have converted C_Wolf_CL_Body01.MDB + c_wolf_skel.GR2 + c_wolf_Una_run.gr2 to FBX and then imported it into Blender:

The tool now links the skin with the skeleton. Here an example: The next thing I will do: skin + skeleton + animation to FBX.

Progress report: When converting a MDB to FBX, the tool also converts the skeleton used by the MDB to the same FBX. Here an example: I convert P_HHM_CL_Body01.MDB to FBX and then I import the FBX into blender: http://i.imgur.com/JH1gbHX.png I still need to link the skin with the skeleton. If you want to know what I have implemented so far look at here: https://github.com/Arbos/nwn2mdk/issues/1 . I could make an alpha release if someone wants to try it.

I've taken a look and it seems the script doesn't set the normals of the Blender mesh, however it doesn't surprise me because Blender only supports custom normals since version 2.74. Moreover, Blender doesn't currently support custom tangents and binormals.

Some people may load it on a SSD other than C:. I used J:, for example. Exactly. It might be bst to allow users to pass the path in as a command line parameter or use a configuration file (similar to how doxygen works.) I decided to use a configuration file if it exists and look for typical installation directories if it doesn't exist. An error message is displayed if NWN2 is not found. It seems that the Blender MDB plugin doesn't import the normals of the MDB. Look at the seam of this barrel: http://i.imgur.com/zj4RnCR.jpg Fortunately a FBX file can store normals and Blender have an option (enabled by default) to import these normals. Here an FBX of the same barrel imported in Blender: http://i.imgur.com/QOz682t.jpg FBX can store tangents and binormals also, but I don't know if Blender imports them also. I will have to test.

I have create an issue for the roadmap: https://github.com/Arbos/nwn2mdk/issues/1. Anyone can comment there for feature requests or anything.

What are typical NWN2 installation directories? This is for automatically looking for NWN2 files. For now, I have this list: C:\Program Files\Atari\Neverwinter Nights 2C:\Program Files (x86)\Atari\Neverwinter Nights 2C:\GOG Games\Neverwinter Nights 2 Complete

I have created a github repository and started to push clean code. https://github.com/Arbos/nwn2mdk To meet the differents need, I have divided the project into subprojects. In the end decided not to use C++ RTTI or exceptions. In this way, the code could be used in projects where they aren't allowed.

I will not redistribute granny2.dll. If the user has NWN2 installed, the tool can load the one coming with it.Do you have some requirements about C++? RTTI and/or exception disabled? preferred naming convention?

Yes, they have Visual Studio Community 2017, that's what I'm using. I don't see any problem that could prevent using gcc or clang. We could use CMake, which is also supported by Visual Studio 2017 (I have no tried it).Are you interested in Linux? The only way I know to decompress GR2 files (all GR2 files that ship with NWN2 are compressed) is by using the granny2.dll that ships with NWN2. To work with uncompressed files I don't need granny2.dll at all.I'm programming in C++. Since you want to use the code, is it ok for you?I'm between MIT license (simple) and Apache License 2.0 (not simple but it seems more legally robust).

I agree and in fact I was already on it. I'm refactoring the quick and dirty code that I coded at the investigation phase before publishing it. Since I wanted to test it and found very tedious the manual decompression of MDBs I automated it. Do you use Visual Studio? What version? I updated to Visual Studio 2017. I have to give proper names to the projects, decide a copyright license and so on. If I want to remain anonymous, I don't know what copyright to put.

I find very tedious to look for MDB, GR2 or textures files in the zip files and extract them. I'm programming it to be done automatically. For example, you want to convert PLC_BC_HOUSE01.MDB to FBX. The tool looks for it in the zip files and extracts it, figures out all it's dependencies (textures and skeletons), looks for them in the zips and extracts them. Finally converts to FBX. The same idea could be extended to look in ERF-type files and specific folders.

I've only done tests with Blender, but in theory it should work, that's the goal. When I publish the tool people will be able to try it, I do not have 3ds max.

I created a new run animation. I took the original P_HHM_UnA_run.gr2 file, modified it, and created a new gr2 file. The animation is the same as the original but with straight arms: I think this is the first animation created without Exportron in history.

I was succesful generating a gr2 file: I read P_HHM_UnA_run.gr2 and generated a new one with the same data but uncompressed. It works in NWN2, so I verified that when generating gr2 files I don't need to worry about compression, only when reading. Still, writing gr2 files is harder than reading. Now I will try to generate gr2 files with my own data.

I import the FBX and set the final frame of the Timeline to 20 so the animation loops.

I achieved converting a GR2 animation (P_HHM_UnA_run.gr2) to FBX and imported it into Blender: The next milestone is to generate GR2 files and get them working in NWN2.

Great news! But do you mean *_skel.gr2 files (the ones defining the creatures' skeletons, as in post #13), or all gr2 files? (meaning in that case we won't need to have 3ds max 8 and the Expotron plugin to be able to create new animations) I'll sure keep on checking this thread regularly. I mean gr2 files that contain an animation like P_HHM_UnA_idle.gr2. As far as I know, NWN2 has gr2 files that only contain a skeleton and gr2 files that only contain an animation. I already decoded and converted to FBX a gr2 with a skeleton (post #13 was P_HHM_skel.gr2). Now I decoded gr2 files with animations. The next milestone is to dump an animation to a FBX and visualize it like I did with a skeleton. So I think I'm able to decode all gr2 files (though I will need more tests). Until I'm not able to generate gr2 files and get them working in NWN2 I can't guarantee an alternative to Exportron. I'm focused in investigating the gr2 format so I can announce as a soon as possible that an alternative is possible.

Greetings @Snowmane72, I'm in the phase of investigating the GR2 file format in depth and writing quick and dirty code to solve all the unknowns as early as possible so I can continue with the confidence that I'll be able to achieve all the goals. At this stage I'm not sure how you could help me and the code isn't in a state that is ready to share yet. In a next phase I would release code and binaries and then I could get help even if it's just testing.