GUIDE: Adding new units

[Huntinator]

Hello peeps...I am using the tools for 3DS Max 6 and have made a simple sphere model. I exported it as a .nif file only...it has no animations. It shows up ok in the veiwer with no errors. I'm trying to start simple and work my way up. I've been reading through the threads and i'm unsure which tutorial I need to follow to get my model into the game. Do I need to make a custom mod? What xml files do I need to modify? Basically I need to know what to do once I have completed a model in Max and have it exported. Theres so much info on here I don't know where to start!...that's a good thing though.

 

[timboobaa]

Hello peeps...I am using the tools for 3DS Max 6 and have made a simple sphere model. I exported it as a .nif file only...it has no animations. It shows up ok in the veiwer with no errors. I'm trying to start simple and work my way up. I've been reading through the threads and i'm unsure which tutorial I need to follow to get my model into the game. Do I need to make a custom mod? What xml files do I need to modify? Basically I need to know what to do once I have completed a model in Max and have it exported. Theres so much info on here I don't know where to start!...that's a good thing though.

Can't help you, but I second this request 'cos I need exactly the same info. Quick way to get custom models in game.

 

[Huntinator]

Timboobaa...I think the deal is that there is no quick or easy way to get custom models into the game. It's going to be a learning proccess for us. I'm trying some of the tutorials right now so if I have any luck i'll post the steps back here...please do the same if you have any luck and maybe we can help eachother out.

 

[timboobaa]

Timboobaa...I think the deal is that there is no quick or easy way to get custom models into the game. It's going to be a learning proccess for us. I'm trying some of the tutorials right now so if I have any luck i'll post the steps back here...please do the same if you have any luck and maybe we can help eachother out.

Thanks Huntinator, check out the Civ4 XML Editor by General Tso, it's in the Utilities section .

 

[Huntinator]

Hey Timboobaa...what are you using to make your models with? I have gotten my model into the game by following the "Six easy steps to getting units into Civ" tutorial in the tutorials index thread. If your using "3DS Max 7" I can tell you the steps I took. "3DS Max 7" is the only version that I could get to load the example files error free. You can do it with other versions but you'll have to start from scatch. It's much easier to use the example files as a starting point.

 

[timboobaa]

Yes, I'm using 3DS Max 7, I tried Blender but couldn't get it to export correctly yet. That tutorial you recommend looks great.

 

[Huntinator]

Timboobaa...lemme know if you get through the tutorial...it was a little confusing to me but you may not have the hard time I had with it. If you have any questions post them here and i'll check back to see. I'm still working on some strange things with my model fading in and out in the game but atleast hes in there for now. Lemme know how it goes...BTW...do you know how to post a pic on here?

 

[Huntinator]

Hey Timtoobaa, Duh...I figured it out..heres my Sasquatch model in the game...

 

[timboobaa]

wicked, i'm way behind.
edit; did you make that guy -he's brilliant

 

[JeffIllinois]

I can't get the darn pakbuild utility to work, I've been playing Civ3 and adding units was easy, this looks daunting. I have civ4 vanilla, and it could use a few units, hopefully I can figure this out.

 

[Nemesys]

I was wondwering...would it be possible to take the unit graphics from a mod(let us say varietas delectat, for example) and put them into another mod (e.g. Rise of Mankind) not doing that one by one, but moving them all together? these two mods have some different unit classes and different tech trees, but for the units which are "in common" would that be possible?

Cheers
nem

 

[RulerOfDaPeople]

I don't understand why I have to add an entirely new unit class. If I'm just using a (new Knight) unit to replace a Knight, for example, shouldn't I just keep the Unit Class (Knight) exactly the same as it was?

That and also how do you save a dds file? I do not see it as a save as option in any one of my photo editing software aps.

 

[Bangra 7]

How do I add multiple units to the Civ IV Vanilla MOD?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I have just 2 questions:
1. What is the diference betwen NIF and SHADENIF.
2. What is KFM for?

 

[phungus420]

I have just 2 questions:
1. What is the diference betwen NIF and SHADENIF.
2. What is KFM for?

1) I don't know. But almost all mods only use the NIF file, so I don't think Shadnif is important.
2)This is the animation file.

How do I add multiple units to the Civ IV Vanilla MOD?

The exact same way as in Warlords and BTS. You need to actually read through the tutorial at the beggining of the thread to learn how to add units.

 

[Infantry#14]

The website http://civ4wiki.com/wiki/index.php/CIV4UnitInfos that lists all the tag info is no longer available. Is there an alternate link?

 

[phungus420]

Most of the tags you should intuitively understand. Fireaxis set up the XML so that it's all pretty clear and straightforward. If you have a question about a specific tag, just ask in the main modding forums, and someone will know.

 

[Sightburner]

I have a question.

Working on my mod, I just added my unit - and everything ran fine, as far as loading the XML goes. Unit appears in Unit Categories in the Civilopedia, but is not listed on the Civilopedia's "Civilization" page. UU area of the page is just blank.

Anyone know what's up?
Thanks in advance

~S~

 

[The_J]

Have you added the unit to the CivilizationInfos.xml?

 

[Sightburner]

Have you added the unit to the CivilizationInfos.xml?

Yep. I updated all of the necessary XML files (Civilizationinfos, Unitclassinfos, Unitinfos & Art_defines). Like I said, everything works, except for that one screen.

~S~