Editing .m2 or converting to .mdl

[pyriel]

How to Edit World of Warcraft files and Import them into Warcraft III

Introduction :
In this tutorial you will learn how to export and optimize World of Warcraft models, edit them as desired, or make them able to be used in Warcraft 3. Also includes quick information on how to export sounds and music.

What you need:


A Copy of World of Warcraft
Mdlvis - http://xgm.ru/files.php?do=download&id=725&h=aa4b
My Warcraft Studio - http://www.cnitblog.com/Files/linghu..._0.10.6337.rar
Magnos Model Editor - http://magos.thejefffiles.com/War3Mo...odelEditor.zip
Warcraft 3 File Convert by Yobguls - http://www.wc3campaigns.net/showthread.php?t=78916
WoW Model Viewer [Optional - http://www.wowmodelviewer.org/index....tory&Itemid=35
Animation Remover by Oinkerwinkle - http://82.170.159.98/uploads/users/C...nimremover.zip
Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, any Image Program



How to Export it:

Optional – First of all, open WoW Model viewer, and look through the models, searching for one (or more) models you would like to export. Once you’ve found a model you like, go onto step 1.
Please note: Particle Emitters do not Export, therefore you will have to apply them once you’ve extracted and converted. And also .wmo models do NOT export.

Step 1. Open up My Warcraft Studio, and then open Model.mpq, browse through the models until you find the one you want, then right-click it, and click Extract File. From this a window will open up, select where you want to save it as, and don’t worry about the .m2 format will get onto that later.
Please note: The file you are looking for may not be in Model.mpq, so try looking at Patch.mpq, and WoWTest -> Data -> Patch.mpq.


Step 2. Open up Mdlvis, and press Ctrl – O, and change the files of type to .m2 in the window that comes up. Locate the file you have exported beforehand with My Warcraft Studio, and open it up. An error box will come up, and just click OK. Your model will now be opened in Mdlvis. Once you’ve done this, go to the top left, and click ‘Oaee’, scroll your mouse down to the third option, and click on it. This is where you convert your model to .MDL [/COLOR](NOT .MDX). Once you’ve found a place to save it, click Save. A Window will come up, from this, just click OK. Close Mdlvis and move onto Step 3.

Step 3. Open up your saved .mdl in Notepad. Pressing Ctrl – F will open up a Find Window, in this type in ‘Texture’, without the quotations. This will bring you down to the section where the Texture paths are given.

Step 4. Once you know the texture names, go and open up My Warcraft Studio again, and then open Texture.mpq. Scroll to the Creature section, or whatever the skin path is given. If it is something like; “Boar_Skin01.blp”, the skin will be located where you found the model. But if it is something like “WorldGooberG_FissureRock.blp”, then that is where you will find the texture. Once you’ve located the texture, click it, and click ‘Save Image’ (NOT Extract file). Save it as any file type you like, as long as it isn’t .blp. I recommend .png because it keeps the Alpha Channels.
Please Note : Some skins are not required, either glows, reflects, or skins that resemble something like a skin that is located in Warcraft 3.

Step 5. Open up your Image Program, and flip the file. This will make it work properly. Save it as a file type that keeps the Alpha though. Once you’ve completed this, open up a program that will convert the file type you’ve just save to .blp.

Step 6. Go back to the file you saved in Notepad, and edit the skin to a file name of your choice. Remember to keep it the same as your .blp skin.

Step 7. Open up Magnos Model Editor and open up your model. Go to Windows, Material Manager, this will open up another window. From here, right-click the first Material, and click edit. Another Window will open up. If there is two layers located within here, right-click the first one, and check that ‘No Depth check’ is not ticked. If it isn’t, check the other one. If it is, untick it. Then Click OK. Once you’ve checked all of that material, continue down the list in the same way. Once completed, close the Material Manager, and click File -> Save.

Tricky Part:
Step 8. Open up Windows Tab again, and click Geoset Manager. Here there are tons of unused, and used, geosets. Right-click the first one, and while watching your model as well, click remove. If your model hasn’t changed, click save. If it has, reopen your previous version. Continue repeating these actions until you are sure there are no more geosets left to remove that do not alter your model.


Step 9. Open up the Animation Controller from Windows Tab. This shows the list of animations that the model has. Also open up the Sequence Manger, from here you can rename animations. Rename all the animations you don’t want to something you can remember to remove later. Rename the animations you do want to something appropriate.
Please note: Some animations are made twice, so you will have to right click one of them, and click remove. Otherwise it will destroy the animation you do want when we remove the animations properly later.

Boring Part:
Step 10. Open up Animation Remover, and load your Model. Find the animation you would like to remove, and click REMOVE. Once you’ve done this, open up the file you just saved it as, and repeat till all the animations you don’t want are gone.
Please note: It is recommended you make a backup of your file before doing this step

Step 11. Open your file in Yobguls Converter, and covert it to .mdx. Your model has now been successfully converted and optimized. Import your model into the World Editor, with the correct skins, and test it out.

Extra: It is also possible to convert sounds, music, and other files from World of Warcraft, and this is easier. Just open the Sounds.mpq or Speech.mpq, and right click and export it.




so, if you read that you probably noticed i left out alot about editing the .m2's and getting them back in game. That's intentional, Being able to do something like that, i believe, is something experienced editors can and need to figure out on their own, it CAN be done, i assure you, but the potential for misuse is pretty big so this guide has also given you all the hints and programs i think the experienced editor will need to figure it out, where as the warsong pvp cheaters are outta luck

i cant take full credit for this guide..it was given to me, i figured it out now im posting it here..with a few changes for current wow, and editing programs


enjoy and i wanna see some sweet edits from you guys from this!

[houseplant2]

ok so with everything you have listed here you can edit m2 files. right. just have to figure it out. this is an awsome guide by the way. i just have no need of mdx file as of yet. i have been trying to edit m2 files for months with no success. i spent hours trying to use the 3ds import and export scripts i have found with no luck. im not really great at using 3ds so im sure there lies some of the problem. thanks for this. i look forward to it.

[JimbobGo]

The only problem with getting them back into game is proper conversion. I have everything I need....for the old m2 format but not the current one and the code for such far beyond my abilities to "tinker" with. >.>

[houseplant2]

what do you use for the old format. That is primarily what i use and am interested in editing. that is the pre 2.0 wow models. thanks for any help. It shouldnt make a difference about giving out that info. as after 2.0 the model structure changed and the info wouldnt benefit someone playing live. so they wouldnt be able to cheat with it....i would think. any way. any help would be greatly appreciated. I tried the programs above and some of them said i was missing dll files. Im at work and cant go looking for them at the moment.

[faizer]

Good copy and paste lol

[Froogle]

Copy/Paste from Clan WEnW . . . link: 82.170.159.98/?p=topic&id=2169

[pyriel]

actually its copy paste from a wordpad document on my desktop, but as i said..

i cant take full credit for this guide..it was given to me, i figured it out now im posting it here..with a few changes for current wow, and editing programs

no idea where ther person who gave it to me got it from, probably that site you linked Froogle

[Frig]

mh i just want to edit the epicraptor m2 so that it opens the original located feathers for the real spot (behind the head) but Mdlvis won't move *geez*
it says something like that : erm bla bla storm.ddl is not there *cry*
but i dunno where to find the "storm.dll" >.<
erm if anybody is able to help with that or post a link to a "full" version of Mdlvis it would be realy helpful so i can get the ****ing feathers.
nothing is more annoying than white squares behind a nice black raptor head