Nexus Buddy 2 - Granny Editor for Civ 5 2.5.3

[Deliverator]

So deliverator, did you ever or do you plan looking into custom cameras and lights? Nexus buddy won't even open that kind of file for lack of "meshes" and "animations" so I guess it's not even possible to test this kind of thing.

Nexus Buddy 2 uses the Firaxis Granny libraries to open .gr2 files and the limitation to only open files with meshes or animations comes from that. Unfortunately, I don't think that can be overcome.

 

[Wodhann]

Nexus Buddy 2 uses the Firaxis Granny libraries to open .gr2 files and the limitation to only open files with meshes or animations comes from that. Unfortunately, I don't think that can be overcome.

I see. I'm wondering how they did it then (create cameras and lights I mean).

 

[Nutty]

They used the real deal, which costs beaucoup bucks.

 

[Wodhann]

I still think it's weird how we can't access them. It's like, the information is in there somewhere, if we could just be able to move cameras and lights around, we would have already have an insane amount of control.

 

[Ekmek]

I still think it's weird how we can't access them. It's like, the information is in there somewhere, if we could just be able to move cameras and lights around, we would have already have an insane amount of control.

actually we're lucky with what we have. but if you know some software guys willing to dig in there...

 

[Wodhann]

Nexus has been crashing a LOT to me lately. Usually when just opening gr2 and overwriting with br2 it works fine (rarely crashes, but it does sometimes), but for some reason when I open fbx files (I'm testing doing custom animations) it keeps randomly crashing as I go through the process of overwriting meshes and making/assign textures. Sometimes it will crash when saving. Sometimes, it doesn't crashes at all. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that the process is longer in this case.

Other times it will randomly duplicate meshes/textures and I have to start over because I can't seem to be able to delete the duplicates.

Making custom animations work is already proving to be a nightmare for me and nexus is NOT making it any easier.

 

[Ekmek]

I notice it crashes a lot when I try to have two instances (like oopying the names of texture files). It keeps getting more unstable the more in crashes

 

[Nutty]

NB2 is pretty unstable for me too. If I'm just assigning textures, I use the old 0.1a version.

 

[Deliverator]

Nexus has been crashing a LOT to me lately. Usually when just opening gr2 and overwriting with br2 it works fine (rarely crashes, but it does sometimes), but for some reason when I open fbx files (I'm testing doing custom animations) it keeps randomly crashing as I go through the process of overwriting meshes and making/assign textures. Sometimes it will crash when saving. Sometimes, it doesn't crashes at all. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that the process is longer in this case.

Other times it will randomly duplicate meshes/textures and I have to start over because I can't seem to be able to delete the duplicates.

Making custom animations work is already proving to be a nightmare for me and nexus is NOT making it any easier.

I tried to fix this instability without success. Perhaps someone else can try now that the source code is available.

You can get around a lot of the instability by using Save As instead of Save whenever you update Materials or Textures. It seems the crashes are to do with overwriting the currently open file.

 

[Wodhann]

I tried to fix this instability without success. Perhaps someone else can try now that the source code is available.

You can get around a lot of the instability by using Save As instead of Save whenever you update Materials or Textures. It seems the crashes are to do with overwriting the currently open file.

I see. Thanks

There's also a problem with granny viewer - when I click load file, a lot of times the viewer will crash as the load dialog comes up. I have to shut down the granny, open, try again, then it will crash again, then shut it down again and so on so forth untill it finally works.

 

[Deliverator]

There's also a problem with granny viewer - when I click load file, a lot of times the viewer will crash as the load dialog comes up. I have to shut down the granny, open, try again, then it will crash again, then shut it down again and so on so forth untill it finally works.

Granny Viewer I definitely can't do anything about unfortunately. It is just an executable that RAD Game Tools themselves used to make available.

Myself I set up granny viewer to be the default program for opening .gr2 files in Windows so that I can just view a gr2 by double-clicking. So I don't really ever use load file.

 

[Deliverator]

Let's not clutter this thread anymore with this discussion. There were links talking about this on the previous page of posts in this thread. If you still don't get it after the spoiler below, PM me:

Spoiler :

In three (relatively) easy steps:
1. Extract the old version of Nexus from the SDK linked here.

2. Change one entry in the Registry:
Run regedit.exe, navigate to the following key:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Firaxis\Nexus\Viewer

and change the Executable value to the full path of wherever you extracted the old version of the viewer. It should end with \Nexus\x86\Viewer.exe



3. IMPORTANT: From now on, you need to remember to launch the old version of the Nexus executable (\Nexus\x86\Nexus.exe) instead of using the SDK launcher menu. Just make a shortcut to it on your Desktop (right-click Nexus.exe, choose Send To > Desktop (create shortcut).

Have people who can't get the old Nexus 3D Viewer to work followed the exact process from this post - repeating here.

I've just set up Nexus and the 3D Viewer on a new Windows 8 machine and it works fine. This is what I did:

1) Installed the latest Steam SDK.

2) Renamed the folder under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common from Sid Meier's Civilization V SDK to Sid Meier's Civilization V SDK_steam_latest.

3) Downloaded the old version of the SDK with the working viewer.

4) Unzip the contents to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V SDK.

5) Start Nexus from the old sdk folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\sid meier's civilization v sdk\Nexus\x86\Nexus.exe

6) Set the Asset Path to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V.

Note - not the Assets subfolder.

7) Select the Viewer.exe from the same old SDK folder as the Viewer.

After this I was able to view the vanilla units.

If you go wrong with the paths they can be updated via the registry as Nutty says.

I have it working on my Windows 8.1 laptop using this method. I think the key part is that you put the old Nexus viewer executable in the same location at the one from the later SDK by renaming the folders.

 

[Nutty]

I suppose at this point further updates to the SDK are unlikely, so it won't hurt to use the Nexus path from the latest SDK--and therefore not bother with changing any registry entries...

 

[Wodhann]

Won't renaming the latest SDK have undesirable effects?

By the way deliverator, your link points to the editing of a post not the post itself.

 

[Deliverator]

Won't renaming the latest SDK have undesirable effects?

By the way deliverator, your link points to the editing of a post not the post itself.

I haven't noticed any undesirable effects and it is simple to reverse the folder renaming if you want.

I fixed up the post link.

 

[Wodhann]

Your method didn't work. Got the same error. (And yes, the registry leads to the correct viewer)

 

[Nutty]

You can leave the rest of the SDK in the default folder, and only replace the Nexus portion.

i.e., rename the "new" Nexus folder to, say, Nexus_steam_latest, then copy just the "old" Nexus folder into the new SDK folder. The rest of the old SDK can be discarded.

I'm successfully using this method.

Your method didn't work. Got the same error. (And yes, the registry leads to the correct viewer)

There's got to be something you're doing differently.

EDIT:
To be clear: you're getting about 18 error messages in a row after Nexus.exe is launched (at the same time the Civ Launcher comes up), starting with the first pic below, right?

Those error messages are from a version mismatch. I get them when starting the new version of Nexus.exe (either manually or with the SDK launcher) instead of the old Nexus.exe. If I launch the new Nexus.exe and the registry path is pointed to the old Viewer.exe, I get 8 or 9 error messages in a row, starting with the second pic.

On the other hand, if I use the new Nexus.exe and the registry path is pointed to the new Viewer.exe, I get no error messages, and just see nothing in the 3D Viewer.

[Sorry for the continuing hijack in this thread from this topic]

 

[Wodhann]

No, if you can remember, those aren't the errors I'm getting. The error comes when I load up an asset (I believe when we were talking via PM about this I sent you a screenshot or something).

 

[Nutty]

Right, the stupid "Thanks for playing!" one (that we all occasionally get)...

From Wodhann's PMs (if anyone else has any bright ideas):

Error message and Crash report:

Spoiler :

Application: Nexus
User: Unkown (Not an in-house user.)
Time: Sunday 13/04/2014 23:21:48

Runtime: 32 bit
OS: Windows 2008 (Service Pack 1)
Machine: (~~Removed~~)

Exception: System.NullReferenceException
Source: Civ5NexusModes
Thread: Main Thread
Description: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Stack Trace:
in Civ5NexusModes.AssetViewer.AssetViewForm.LaunchAutoAssets()

in Civ5NexusModes.AssetViewer.AssetViewForm.LoadAsset(String pending_asset)

in Civ5NexusModes.AssetViewer.AssetViewForm.set_Asset(String value)

in Civ5NexusModes.AssetViewer.AssetViewForm.buttonOpen_CommandOpenPressed(Object sender, EventArgs e)

in Firaxis.Framework.ToolStripOpenButton.ToolStripOpenButton_ButtonClick(Object sender, EventArgs e)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripSplitButton.OnButtonClick(EventArgs e)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripSplitButton.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)

in Firaxis.Framework.ToolStripOpenButton.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEventInteractive(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEvent(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea)

in System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)

in System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)

in System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)

in System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.WndProc(Message& m)

in System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)

in System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)

in System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

 

[Civitar]

Not sure if I should ask here, but this seems the best place to get an answer. What is the maximum number of vertices that are supported by Nexus Viewer? An Elven Heavy Swordsman has 8119 because of elaborate armor, while the dragon has only about 3000. And if the number of vertices is too high, two questions: (a) will it still work ingame? (b) how can I reduce the number of vertices?
Thanks.