How to Convert Civ4 Buildings into Civ5 Tile improvements

[Ekmek]

DRAFT

REQUIREMENTS
Blender
NexusBuddy
Nifscope
My Test Improvement mod (http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=22949)

STEPS
1. Download attached templates

The Civ4 Building:
2. download Civ4 building from Database: (link) A lot of great art work there
3. open Civ4 nif with nifscope (should be automatic after install if you click the nif file in your folder)
4. select the Mesh you want to convert. Choose file->export to OBJ
5. Save OBJ to your working folder

Working with the template:
6. Open the Tile_temp.blend file (its an import of the holysite.gr2)
7. Select Import wavefront obj
8. Select your civ4.obj file
9. The imported mesh will be very small.
9a. Click on your imported mesh in the outliner.
9b. Select transform properties and link the resize (Usually you size it to 0.25). Make it comparable to the holysite and you'll be fine.
10. select your imported mesh and then shift+select the holysite. Join the objects
10b. NOte for multiple meshes repeat this step. But you have to separate each separate mesh that uses a different texture dds file.
11. Go to edit mode. Make sure all vertices are unselected (pressing A a couple of times will do this)
12. Once all are blank select the Point01 vertex group in the vertex group block.
13. The holysite will be highlighted. Press 'X' to delete it.
14. Your imported mesh remains. Press 'A' to select all then assign it to the Point01 Vertex Group.
15. Go back to object mode and export as a BR2.

Convert to GR2
16. Select the WTI_B.GR2
17. Go to advanced and over-write meshes with BR2.
18. select your BR2
19. Once meshes are overwritten go back to materials
20. Click the Box01_wonder material and change the diff dds file to the one for your building.
21. Assign it to your mesh
22. Save as GR2 then do the fxsxml work.


OPTIONS
Multiple meshes
join objects each time but don't delete the Point01 just invert selection and once assigned separate it.

Converting Civ5 Wonders to Tiles
Import Civ5 Wonder NB2 and join objects. Export BR2.

Creating a Ground decal
1) open Ground.gr2 and change diff.dds to the one you want to use.


END DRAFT - WILL UPDATE AND ADD PICTURES

 

[Ekmek]

Reserved #1

 

[Ekmek]

Reserved #2

 

[bouncymischa]

Will you have any advice about converting models with animations? I've been able to figure out how to convert basic, static models so far, but I've got quite a few with animations I'd love to convert, but I have no idea how to get the animations to transfer over...

 

[TPangolin]

Would this method work with something like resources? (animals etc).

 

[Ekmek]

Will you have any advice about converting models with animations? I've been able to figure out how to convert basic, static models so far, but I've got quite a few with animations I'd love to convert, but I have no idea how to get the animations to transfer over...

I haven't done it yet but it should just be a matter of rigging the right bones. This method has one bone to rig to (Point01) which enables the pillage effect. So rigging to horses or something else should be very similar.

 

[bouncymischa]

I haven't done it yet but it should just be a matter of rigging the right bones. This method has one bone to rig to (Point01) which enables the pillage effect. So rigging to horses or something else should be very similar.

Hrm... I'm unfortunately not very sure what the "rigging" process would be like. I've been meaning to try and study the unit conversion tutorials, but it's been a bit hard to bridge what I've got for animated building models and units, since I'm not sure if my buildings have "skeletons" the way units do...

I suppose I'll have to experiment more!

In the meantime... any suggestions on what a good scale for improvement models would be? I've been meaning to post some of the models I've converted so people can use them, but I'm not sure what a good size is for a lone building:



It's probably a bit too big, but too small and it doesn't take up much of the hex...

 

[Ekmek]

Ate you using blender? I usually scale it in comparison to the holy site but thats for wonder like units

 

[bouncymischa]

Ate you using blender? I usually scale it in comparison to the holy site but thats for wonder like units

Yes, I am, although I've been using the airfield from danrell's building tutorial previously. I'll have to nab your holy site for comparison as well, since it should help give me a good scale for some of the other buildings I want to convert. I've got some middle eastern palaces I want to convert for a desert civ, and some Shinto shrines to convert for my Reimu civ that the holy site would be a good scale for.

I think for things like this mage's college, I'll just have to grab more buildings and make complexes of buildings, like the Academy, so that they can occupy the hex more properly without being oversized.

 

[Ekmek]

check out the wonders I converted to tiles. It should be a good comparison

 

[JFD]

There doesn't seem to be a "TI-TEMP.GR2" file included in the above link, and trying to overwrite any other .gr2 file with my b2 file causes an "unhandled exception" error. Any help?

EDIT: Oh, maybe outdated Blender scripts. Will test. The first point still applies though, but maybe the specific .gr2 file isn't necessary.

EDIT: Indeed

 

[Ekmek]

It doesn't work for any of the WTI's? That's weird. I may have to see if there is something changed in the nexusbuddy. This was done with version 8

 

[JFD]

No, it was indeed outdated scripts; works fine now. Thanks for the tutorial.

 

[Ekmek]

Great

 

[JFD]

I've done well with this tutorial, but what would I need to do to convert a model that has multiple texture files?

 

[Ekmek]

I was going to ask how you got your Schloss in game. I see you had to put everything in sql. Even though this mod works when I mix it with a civ I have issues. grr..

anyways, it shouldn't be that hard. I did it with the mission. you just need to add a material for the other textures and still rig those meshes to the base one like the other part.

 

[bouncymischa]

Hmmm, interesting. Since I have my own method for converting Civ 4 models to Civ 5 for use as improvements, I hadn't really gone through this tutorial before, but it looks similar to the methods I've been learning for converting unit models.

The use of the ground decal is particularly interesting, though, since I've never been able to add one to my own models. I'll have to check out how you get that .gr2 to work with other models.

 

[Lekso]

Hello. I couldnt really manage to create improvement. i got Blender 2.74 but could install the scripts to export it as br2. im reading the posts over and over again but makes no sense and im really frustrated and dissapointed. if you could help me with that. i'd like to capture a video tutorial for this. (including Blender modeling texturing)

 

[Ekmek]

I use 2.49 blender which might be the probkem. Did you get a successful br2 exported?

 

[Lekso]

I use 2.49 blender which might be the probkem. Did you get a successful br2 exported?

yes i could but only for Blender 2.49. seems its not possible to make blender 2.7+ to export file as br2. it kinda sucks.