[Apache Thunder]

Ok first off, I do have the scripts needed to do this and have gotten "most" of certain sections of San Andreas into 3DS Max with textures showing up as well. I had to export all the txds from the gta3_int.img as well since there are many objects that use them. (Since at first I thought I didn't need the gta3_int stuff since that was interiors?)

One thing I need to get a grip on is how SA stores these object positions and where they are stored.

The main issue is that many things are missing from the scene when I import only the IPLs found in the data/maps folder. So I need help on where to find the rest of the object positions and get those into my max scene with the rest of everything.

I am in the process of trying to import San Andreas into 3DS Max for lightmapping and to export the map to a different game engine. I am thinking of porting the map too Battlefield 1942 which is a first person shooter. San Andreas would make for a great urban map and is massive compared to the normal maps in BF1942. So San Andreas will practically be it's own entire mod to BF1942. So if I can get the entire map ported then 90% of my work is finished! Then I just have to place control point spawns, vehicle spawns, possible night conversions, and add singleplayer if the bots can handle the map.

To give you an example of another total conversion mod I have done for Battlefield 1942. I've ported Battlefield Heroes to BF1942 and this youtube channel shows my progress through it from the beginning to the end.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL193...2A&feature=plcp

So I know BF1942 like the back of my hand. So on that side of things, I got stuff figured out.

EDIT:

After some further research, the stream IPLs in the gta3.img file do contain the rest of the object positions, but for some reason the object "names" aren't stored there like they are in the normal IPLs in the external data folders. (or at least I have yet to find a decompiler that preserves these names if they are present in the binary files)

I found that the IDE files define the object id, mesh file and TXD library for each object in a city group. Thus I took a line from one of the decompiled stream IPLs, found the id for it in the ide file, then renamed the "dummy" text that the decompiler put in so that it reads the correct object name again. Then kam's importer scripts will finally recognize them and it imported that object along with the rest of the map. (And I did import the rest of the map, so it put it in the right place with textures working and everything)


Further details on what I figured out from the IDE files are in this post:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?act=ST&...entry1061640993

I'm sure more seasoned modders around here already knew what the IDE files were used for. But me being 100% new to GTA modding mistaken them for object placement when infact they define the object ID, name and texture (among other things) for each object used in the stream IPLs. The IPLs in the data folders appear mainly to used for the cull/lod system and contain mainly the low poly stuff that the game switches to.

I'm probably 99% of the way there in figuring out what I need to know to begin porting the objects out of the game engine and into another. It will just be a bit time consuming.

So the steps I'll go through:

1. Import/export all DFF files as listed in the IPL files and IDE files.

2. Create proper object templates for all objects so that new game engine will recognize them.

3. Import San Andreas into 3DS Max for lightmapping and also for object positions. I will then use scripts I already have to export all the objects as positions for a "StaticObjects.con" file that the game engine uses to store all non-dynamic objects. PlayerControlObjects in BF1942 are stored in a second file in a different location depending on what game mode the player has chosen to load the map in. GTA stores map object positions across 3 or more files. But in BF1942, it's a LOT simpler.


Also after importing a ped model to compare scale with a soldier mesh used in BF1942, I needed to resize the BF1942 mesh to 10% the size it used to be to match the scale of the ped mesh in GTA.

Thus I would need to scale up all GTA objects I export to BF1942 by that amount and when I get the San Andreas map into Max for object position exporting, I will also resize that entire map as a group so that the object coordinates will be scaled up to match. So it looks like GTA stuff isn't too exatic when it comes to scale and still uses the metric system for scale in their mapping system. It's just a tenth in size compared to BF1942. It will be interesting to see what the travel times will be when flying a jet clear across the map. If the map size limit (which I think is also the current world size) for GTA is 6000x60000 then that means I would move the decimal point to the right which would add another zero to that number.

So now the full size of the map will be 60,000 by 60,000 once in BF1942.

To give you a comparison on how large that is compared to a normal map in BF1942, El Alamein is only 2048 by 2048 meters in size. Also note that BF1942 prefers things to be in the power of 2. (128x128 is on example of a valid size in the power of 2).

Thus I will probably make the final full map 65536 x 65536 in size. Will give plenty of extra room if I need it.

Looks like after 3 or 4 days (during this time nobody has bothered to reply to this thread....thanks a lot guys... (sarcasm) ) I've finally figured this out.

This post has been edited by Apache Thunder on Tuesday, Aug 28 2012, 06:17

[Apache Thunder]

Made a little progress. Used the "better" import plugin that runs on top the Kam's scripts. So I imported all the "barriers" objects into Max 12, Then fixed their smoothing groups, then exported as 3DS format since I had to get them into Max 7. (BF1942 scripts currently don't work with the modern Max versions). Then rescaled and exported. Used Max 12's untouched GTA Materials as a reference when fixing the resulting RS file (RS files define what textures each material on a mesh will have and it's properties). So that I restored the correct textures.

I still need a way of getting the GTA scripts to import as a standard material. Deleting the GTA_Material script makes it import as standard material, but then the improved plugin
seggaeman made no longer works.

But at least the BF1942 scripts builds correct RS files and in the material order is the same. So I just when into the RS file and added the texture file names back in the same order they were listed in Max 12.

The result:


(note that the mod I was running in the screen shot is the BFheroes conversion mod. It is just a place holder for testing the first object I ported. I will eventually create a new mod that house all the GTA assets and map)


Uses the the collision mesh from GTA as well, though I resized it since GTA oversized the collision mesh to prevent CJ from hopping over it too early in the story line. But in BF1942, that would be a problem, so I resized the collision mesh, but other then that it's the original GTA collision mesh as well. Won't know if the normal groups are still good until I lightmap it. But smoothing groups have always been a bit of an issue in BF1942, so I can live with that.

I've built a batch file that will copy only the DFF files I need. So far I've gotten the batch file to get all the stuff in the "generic" folder. So I will start on those. Once I finish them, I'll move on to the map specific objects in the map's IDE files.

[ilir]

I see you wrote a lot, but what's your point actually?

This post has been edited by ilir on Thursday, Sep 6 2012, 20:35

[JimmyJim]

Hi there.

Sorry to bring back an old thread. But i need help.

I know you have made a few helpful steps to get the entire GTA:SA map into 3D max. But i still cant do it. Would it be possible for you to do a very basic how to.
I am simply lost trying to figure this out, ive spent about 8 hours trying to get it to work. I can export a single item to 3D max using MEd, but i need the whole map. Or at least a large section of it.

I have 3D max 9 and kams mod installed. What else do i need?


1. Import/export all DFF files as listed in the IPL files and IDE files. (How do you do this?)

2. Create proper object templates for all objects so that new game engine will recognize them. (How?)

I will owe you massively if you can do this for me... it has been driving me mad.

Thank you very much for your time