[NikoBellicGTAIV]

Hi! Well, I did it. I modded GTA IV for the first time! Well, I just added a box, but it's a start. Thing is, I added a box... somewhere... in the city. The modding tutorial Import your custom object shows an outdated version of GIMS (I didn't do some things he did on GIMS since I can't find them with my version, which is the latest). One part shows him displaying a Liberty City map. I have that option, but when i click it, it shows a big gray flat shape, same size as map, meant to show the map but doesn't have anything. It's all gray. I'm pretty sure this has to do with the fact the tutorial and me use different versions of GIMS, and 3ds max (I use 2012). If anyone would help me display the map so I could know where I'm placing my box it would be very apreciated.

[Limiter]

I do not know why you can't see the map texture. Maybe try to see it in all airport, or see did you mess around with the f3 or f4 keys. Most likely, you will have installed one of the gims file. Ask 3doomer on GIMS thread where you download gims and maybe someone will know.

In the meantime, if you want to see your object in game, but don't know where it is, a nice trick would be to make another box and put it slightly bit above the box that you were to export. Record the coordinates of the box down on a price of paper. Download simple native trainer from sjaak and alter one of the teleporting lines in trainer.ini with the coordinate you recorded earlier. Start gta iv, and press f3 to launch the trainer. Scroll to teleport and select the one you altered. Eg, if you altered teleport to statue of happiness, select that one and you should teleport right to the top of the box.

[NikoBellicGTAIV]

I asked him and he gave me the solution, add the map texture to the flat shape. Anyway, i placed the box above Happiness Island, placed the ODD, ODR and OBN (converted to wdd) in a new file called boxtest.img, inside a new foulder called "newfile". I don't know what to do with the IDE and WPL. if they're for textures, I don't want textures for my box, I just want it to look like it looks in 3ds max. I went there and didn't appear. I have an Intel card and use GTA IV with commandlines, otherwise I get missing textures. This means poor rendering, but still playable. When I say poor rendering I mean stuff takes time to appear sometimes. Also, the box is small, and I don't know the exact height I have to place it for it to be in either the floor or above but visible.

[Limiter]

Okay, so if your exported the file correctly to happiness island, go to the spot where you expect it to apear, either by directly if you know where, or use the teleporting tick I said in the above post.

IDE/WPL...IDE contains a linkage to a wtd file if you have textures set as dictionary, otherwise it will be null. Basically what an ide do is define characteristics for an object, such as draw distance, and the models connections with wtd, night lighting ect.. Make sure when you export this file that you do set the draw distance to something suitable, such as 2000+ if you don't use LODS, otherwise don't expect to see your object from afar. wpl is just a placement file, it decides where your object is located in game. If you can't see where your object is, or even "feel" the collision, you have a problem.

First check inside openIV, click your wdr file and see what it looks like, then click your wbn and see what it looks like, if your wbn does not look anything like your wdr's shape, you have an error for collision. If these two files are good, and assuming you updated your GTA.dat and images.txt okay, then I would say your IDE/WPL have a problem.

This post has been edited by Limiter on Thursday, Sep 15 2011, 01:40

[NikoBellicGTAIV]

Well, I checked and the wdd file is the box, and the collisions (wbn and wbd) are very different. They look like a box that was hit many times with a stick. It's clear that there is a problem. When I reextracted the files, I think I missed some dummies in the hierarchy (using the schematic view) in 3ds Max. Also, I'm using the 1.0.0.0 game, could that be the problem? I can patch it, but for now I use the unpatched version because some stuff I need in game doesn't work properly (that's playing with Intel).

[Limiter]

Don't use 1.0.0.0 of GTA IV, though that is not your problem. The reason why I say this is that 1.0.0.0 have very bad frame rate problems even on a very decent computer.

Update to ssomething 1.0.4.0 or greater, I use 1.0.6.0.

Like I anticipated, your collision is wrong. You will not even be able to feel it in game if it looks all battered up. You need the cllision to look somewhat like your .wdr. First, before youe export your collision, make sure you apply vertex weld to your object and set it to 0.001. I mean, the tutorial never need it like this but trust me, this will pretty much solve your collision.

Since you say your wdr is fine, then I will say that either your ide/wpl is messed up, or you updated your images.txt wrong. Make sure you copy and paste rockstar's sample of the line, because the amount of space between your path to your images and the "0" is strict.