Let's all try and help each other with these Art 'Assets'

[Firebug]

wait so is it entirely possible to get a 2 handed swordsman animation (or as close as we can to) by using samurai armour animations on a swordsman body?

 

[Deliverator]

wait so is it entirely possible to get a 2 handed swordsman animation (or as close as we can to) by using samurai armour animations on a swordsman body?

Yes, you would copy the Samurai Armor .ast file (for the animations info) then replace the GeometrySet with whichever Swordsman Armor Geometry set you want to use then cook it up!

 

[hugojackson18]

Awesome stuff guys, can't wait to have some time to make some units myself! I'll be waiting for Deliverator's new tutorial first!

Btw Deliverator, if you have extracted some leaders already, would you mind sending it to me as an obj or fbx so I can open them in maya? I didn't manage to do it yet and I need to really dissect their geometry topology.

Thanks!

 

[Firebug]

We've gotten so far as to get 3D models and swap animations for units, but have we figured out anything to do with improvements or building yet? I feel it would easier.

 

[Amatheria]

We've gotten so far as to get 3D models and swap animations for units, but have we figured out anything to do with improvements or building yet? I feel it would easier.

I'm on that, making new resources and buildings, but these codes are too much for me. I created new resources, but the improvements don't show them once built.

 

[Firebug]

Have you done the landmarks.arfdef and mentioned it in the mod.art.xml?

 

[Amatheria]

I've put the landmarks.artdef in the resources, improvements and landmarks part of the modart, but inside my landmarks.artdef I only added the ResourceTag:

<AssetObjects::ArtDefSet>
<m_Version>
<major>4</major>
<minor>0</minor>
<build>245</build>
<revision>187</revision>
</m_Version>
<m_TemplateName text="Landmarks"/>
<m_RootCollections>
<m_CollectionName text="ResourceTags"/>
<Element>
<m_Fields>
<m_Values/>
</m_Fields>
<m_ChildCollections/>
<m_Name text="RESOURCE_RUBY"/>
<m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>false</m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>
</Element>
</m_RootCollections>
</AssetObjects::ArtDefSet>

I think it only need this one, but maybe I deleted something useful.

 

[Goldflash]

Yes, you would copy the Samurai Armor .ast file (for the animations info) then replace the GeometrySet with whichever Swordsman Armor Geometry set you want to use then cook it up!

Would it be possible, using this technique, to make a mounted unit that sues swords? I remember reading in some other threads that mounted units work a little differently.

 

[Firebug]

Mounted Units's animations would include sitting, that's what i'd imagine at least. So changing a mounted unit's animation to that of a swordsman won't work because they'd stop sitting down.

Correct me if i'm wrong of course.

 

[Infixo]

The minimum files you would need to get the mesh into the game is:
1. Asset file that points to your geometry & material
2. Geo file to go with the fgx file
3. Material file that point to your textures
4. Tex files with you .dds files
5. UnitBins.artdef file that points to your asset (this does not work properly yet and you need to add it back manually after the cooking/build process)
6. Units.xlp file that has you new asset
7. Mod.Art.xml file to tell it what to cook

I've read the thread carefully, looked through T-34 unit and have 1 question. Where's the connection between Gameplay unit (e.g. UNIT_T34 as defined in .xml <Units>) and the new model? I found this in Units.artdef and wanted to make sure that this is it:

<Element>
  <m_CollectionName text="Units"/>
  <m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>false</m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>
    <Element>
      <m_Fields> .. </m_Fields>
      <m_ChildCollections> .. </m_ChildCollections>
      <m_Name text="UNIT_T34"/>
      <m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>false</m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>
    </Element>
</Element>

 

[Wolfdog]

I've read the thread carefully, looked through T-34 unit and have 1 question. Where's the connection between Gameplay unit (e.g. UNIT_T34 as defined in .xml <Units>) and the new model? I found this in Units.artdef and wanted to make sure that this is it:

<Element>
  <m_CollectionName text="Units"/>
  <m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>false</m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>
    <Element>
      <m_Fields> .. </m_Fields>
      <m_ChildCollections> .. </m_ChildCollections>
      <m_Name text="UNIT_T34"/>
      <m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>false</m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>
    </Element>
</Element>

Yes you are correct, that is the connection and in that part of the units.artdef it will point to your unit member/s.

 

[Deliverator]

I've read the thread carefully, looked through T-34 unit and have 1 question. Where's the connection between Gameplay unit (e.g. UNIT_T34 as defined in .xml <Units>) and the new model? I found this in Units.artdef and wanted to make sure that this is it:

<Element>
  <m_CollectionName text="Units"/>
  <m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>false</m_ReplaceMergedCollectionElements>
    <Element>
      <m_Fields> .. </m_Fields>
      <m_ChildCollections> .. </m_ChildCollections>
      <m_Name text="UNIT_T34"/>
      <m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>false</m_AppendMergedParameterCollections>
    </Element>
</Element>

Yes the link in made purely by the fact that the entry in the Gameplay data and the .artdef have the same name.

 

[Deliverator]

Awesome stuff guys, can't wait to have some time to make some units myself! I'll be waiting for Deliverator's new tutorial first!

I've started on a tutorial but it's going to a while to get all the information in my head down. Still I've made a start and I'll keep chipping away at it!

 

[Infixo]

You are a hero

 

[Deliverator]

Btw Deliverator, if you have extracted some leaders already, would you mind sending it to me as an obj or fbx so I can open them in maya? I didn't manage to do it yet and I need to really dissect their geometry topology.

Here you go! Attached is Hojo in .fbx format.

 

[Deliverator]

I've solved the problems with Leaders missing skeletons and the missing triangles with .nb2 import to Blender.

The first was due to a hardcoded limit in the script which set the maximum number of bones to 1000. The Civ 6 leader have more than 1000 bones. I've locally updated the import script to raise the limit and the skeleton imports OK.

The "missing triangle" issues was because I wasn't handling Meshes with multiple Tri-Groups in the .nb2 export code in CivNexus6. I guess I never had this problem with Civ 5 because everything only used one Tri-Group per mesh. Anyway I've locally updated CivNexus6 and it now exports all triangles.

So here is Harald completely intact in Blender:

And Hojo too:

 

[Firebug]

So is Leader modding looking easier then in Civ5?

 

[hugojackson18]

Here you go! Attached is Hojo in .fbx format.

Amazing thanks a lot Deliverator! You're the man

 

[Deliverator]

So is Leader modding looking easier then in Civ5?

It's not going be easier I think. About the same I reckon.

The Good News

We have working tools for modding the .fgx Granny files much earlier in Civ 6's life than we did for Civ 5.

The Blender stuff from this Youtube tutorial is still relevant.

The Materials side of things *may* be simpler/better because it is handled by the Asset Cooker using the .mtl file.

The Bad News

Civ 6 Leaders are really complex - some have 1700+ bones. Rigging a new mesh to a Civ 6 Leader skeleton is going to be even less fun than with Civ 5. The best option is going to be to gradually modify and reskin an existing Leader to achieve what you want. You could create all your own animations but that is a shed-load of work.

 

[Deliverator]

BR2 Overwrite seems to be working fine for Civ 6 Leaders. I exported LEAD_SPAI_Phillip.fgx into Blender made his nose big and then exported to .br2. Having performed the overwrite the updated meshes animate nicely. Next to see how it appears in game when all the Materials are cooked in.