how to make a new armor mod

[acateatsarat]

Hi, I'm trying to convert an armor from overriding an existing armor in the game to be a stand alone .dazip file, but I don't know how

 

I searched in the topic and found out that the .mao file controls which texture files to use on the .msh file of the armor, but what do I do? and what about the .gda file and the .2da file? would anyone please help me in this

 

thank you and I really appreciate your help

[amycus]

It would help if you told us what 3d editing software you are using. Also, how far have you progressed (is it textured and rigged)? Did you import a vanilla mesh to make sure that it is in the same scale and fits the body?

 

you get all these files .mmh, .mao, .msh etc later when you export the textured, rigged model through certain 3rd party tools. What these should be for you depends on what 3d editing software (blender? max? you are using, hence why I asked before. I'm a max user, and use "eshmes tools" for that. Blender uses another import/export script.

 

The only file you need that you don't get after exporting the mesh that you need, is the .gda file. You get this from the .2da file that should already be in your computer if you have installed the game. Some good videos to watch:

 

 

The latter one is about a weapon, not an armor, but it should show you how most of these "weird files" are created.

[acateatsarat]

well, the body mesh and the textures are already there, I just want to make the armor or body mesh doesn't override an existing one in the game and be a separate cloth, but I can't figure out how to make it.

[amycus]

well, the body mesh and the textures are already there, I just want to make the armor or body mesh doesn't override an existing one in the game and be a separate cloth, but I can't figure out how to make it.

 

The first video I posted shows you that, but it assumes that you have already exported the 3d scenes as .mao, .mmh, .msh files. The video also shows you how to make the .gda file.

 

Since you said that the texture and mesh is done I will assume that you havn't done the rigging yet. If you wish more specific advice you will have to tell us what 3d editing tool you are using (blender? 3ds max?), and then install an addon made for that specific software. These will make it possible for you to export the mesh and textures to the files you need as well, but first you should import a skeleton so you can rig the mesh.

 

Addon for blender: http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=268

Addon for 3ds max: http://www.dragonagenexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=895

 

Once again, please tell us what 3d editing tool you are using. That makes it much easier for us to give you instructions. I'm a max user, so if you use blender my knowledge is a bit limited, but I'm sure there are others reading this that are more familiar with blender if that's what you are using.

 

Edit: here is an extracted part of an old thread of my own when I needed help to get custom armor working. As mentioned before, I use max though, so keep that in mind:

 

 

1) open up the mesh (warden.obj) and put on its textures with dragon age material (from eshme's tools)

2) Delete the part that you are currently not going to export (that is, if I'm doing the cuirass, I delete everything besides that and save as a new scene)

3) Use eshme's tools to import a corresponding, similar vanilla item (when I do the cuirass I import hm_arm_dwpa_0.mmh - doubt it means anything but I never bother importing its textures)

4) Use "smooth" modifier on the custom mesh, collapse the stack. Use "unwrap UVW"

5) Select vanilla mesh, cut its "skin" and "edit normals" modifiers. Delete the vanilla mesh.

6) select the custom mesh, and paste the 2 earlier modifiers. 3 active modifiers are now present ("unwrap uvw", "edit normals", and "skin").

7) Use "select and link" tool on the mesh and the "GOB" (found at the very center of the scene.)

8 ) Use "model manager" in eshme's tools. Find the name of my custom mesh, and edits its parameters to "mesh".

9) export it with eshme's tools, with the option of creating a .mao file too (world scale is set to x100).

10) locate the exported files, and then I continued from there with this walkthrough to get it in the game itself:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvJ8yhGborY&feature=related

 

Copy pasted from: http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/313360-custom-armor/

Edited August 14, 2011 by amycus

[acateatsarat]

Alright, I did as the first video said exactly but the model appeared in the toolset as the default model and not the new one that was used to override it, in other word, I have the same model appears in 2 different variations in the toolset, one of them should be the new one, so what should I do now?

 

The 3d program I'm using is light-wave with the export plug-in made by tmp7704, but as I said the model is already made so I didn't have to do anything in it

 

If you tell me that 3ds max is easier, I'll change to 3ds max but tell me which version that works with the addon

Edited August 15, 2011 by acateatsarat

[acateatsarat]

OK, here's what I'm trying to do so far:

I'm trying to make the underwear pants mod (made by tmp7704) to be a stand alone mod and not override the default underwear, and here's what I'd done exactly:

1- I renamed the files from "hm_arm_nud(a)_*" to "hm_arm_pant(a)_*"

2- then I created a module and named it "pants_mod"

3- then I created a .gda file with the following entries:

 

 

250----Commoner male pants----arm---pant----a

 

4- then I put all the files into core\data folder

 

the result is that I found a new variation in the "clothing" named "Commoner male pants" but the problem is that it's using the same model as the default underwear and not the ones that I renamed,

 

so please I need help in that matter

Edited August 15, 2011 by acateatsarat

[acateatsarat]

Finally, I managed to make the model appear in the toolset, :biggrin:

I did that by editing the .mmh files and replace any "hm_arm_nud(a)_*" with "hm_arm_pant(a)_*"

 

the problem now is that the new model has the texture of the default underwear model,

I don't know, maybe I should edit something in the .mao file or what?

Edited August 15, 2011 by acateatsarat