Download link and main info! [latest ver 0.0.82e -- 19 Jun 2016]

Nice icon!
I would try to keep it more squared (now it is tall and thin), by one or more of: removing the chainmail part at the bottom of the plate,; and/or repositioning the paper tags (which could look better if square shaped, btw); and/or adding separated forearm or full arm plate models on the sides (with their own paper tags).

Meanwhile: new version.

ver 0.0.31: (25 Oct):
- Doesn't choke-n-die anymore on finding an invalid or corrupt brf when scanning module.ini
  (it just reports this in module error report, among other errors, if requested)
- Added "combine mesh" tool (combines a set of rigged, static or animated meshes into one)
- Added a mesh tool to attach and rig a mesh to a single skeleton bone (useful e.g. for boots)
- Minors: "del" deletes selection, multiple textures selectable,
  left-right arrows change tab,  [Edit:] F3 renames (like in windows file system).

Click to expand...

The two mesh tools (second and third items in the above list) can be useful when combined to obtain better meshes for boots.
I'll post a minitutorial about this in a sec. They probably have other uses, I'm sure (especially the combine tool).

I've no idea about what's happening with horse animations. They sure look wrong, especially in warband. I suspect the skeleton M&B uses for horses is actually not the one found in any commonRes brf files.

Boots with openBRF
a minitutorial

Rationale:
In native, there are two kinds of boot models (or lower leg armours).
Either you have a pair of static meshes (one for left foot, one for right foot), oriented in a weird orientation (a little like helms).
Or you have single "pair-of-boots" rigged model (attached to calf and feet bones), oriented in a natural position.

The latter is preferable, because it accounts for calf-to-foot junction (whereas in the former the boot is rigid).

With openBRF, you can easily go from the former to the latter.

How to:

- Select left boot, "attach it to a single bone", choosing the "calf.l" bone of the human skeleton.
- Redo with the right boot, using "calf.r" (or, duplicate the left boot/calf and "mirror" it).

[tech note: this moves the mesh in skeleton space, from the calf space where it was.
It also introduce rigging, but we are not using that rigging]

- Now select the two meshes (click on one, ctrl-click on the other), and "combine" them in a single mesh.
  You probably want to rename it (F2).

At this point, the you have a "pair of boots" mesh, featuring two boots one next to the other. They are rigged to calf.l and r bones.
To actually make a better rigging, we need to attach the foot parts to foot bones instead:

- Save your work. Find a boot mesh that features a pair of boots, in native (probably you want to use search: ctrl+F).
- Copy it (ctrl+C).
- Go back to your pair of boots. Paste rigging (it's under edit menu).

You are done. Or, are you? Let's see how it looks like.

- To see it, select an animation in the combo box and preview the rigging under that animation
  (or, remove texture view and select "color by rigging", to see if the feet parts are colored different from the calfs).

If it looks bad (like the feet deforming) its because you selected a pair of boots mesh that was too different in vertex disposition from your own pair. So try with a different one. Select it, copy it, re-paste rigging. If you are unsure, copy multiple pairs.



Note: this trick cannot be used for the naked calfs used when the character doesn't wear any footwear. For them, you need two rigid calf meshes.

Mtarini, another suggestion for ease of use, would it be possible to have a "name" field when selecting objects along with everything else, to save having to right click and click rename on every object.. seems lazy, but it really speeds up workflow!

Dain IronFoot: eh, I know what you are up to (other forum)  and I really want that to get done.

Finding space for a name box could be an issue and clutters the gui. Instead, I'll do this:
F3 now renames the objects (just like in windows)
plus, when you import "mymesh.foo.obj" it now uses the name "mymesh.foo" for the mesh (not just "mymesh" as before).

Does that solves it for you?

Changes not worth a new version. I just updated the exe in the zip (and whatsnew description) . Re-download now!

Cool..  good news

Some bad news though.. OpenBRF broke the rigging on a load of my armour meshes, apparently just by resaving the BRF It's always been broken in previews, but fine in game. No idea why otherwise..

That's bad news. Maybe is not the meshes which broke, but your version of the skeleton openBRF uses to display them (or the skins).
If the skeleton is different (e.g. resized), all rigged mesh will look very funny. Can that be the case?

Said skeleton is inside a special "reference.brf" file which is kept in openBrf folder.

To fix that, you should replace the reference.brf file in openBrf folder with the one you'll find inside the zip you downloaded from mb repository. If that fails, I would like to know. I also would like to see the files that appear broken.

- Minors: "del" deletes selection, multiple textures selectable,
  left-right arrows change tab,  [Edit:] F3 renames (like in windows file system).

Click to expand...

Excuse me, but isn't F2 in windows used to rename files?

You, sir, are right.

mtarini said:

Nice icon!
I would try to keep it more squared (now it is tall and thin), by one or more of: removing the chainmail part at the bottom of the plate,; and/or repositioning the paper tags (which could look better if square shaped, btw); and/or adding separated forearm or full arm plate models on the sides (with their own paper tags).

Click to expand...

Better?




I tried putting the upper tabs on either side but it looked like it's part of the armor instead of paper tabs. Gauntlets just won't fit, there's not enough space on either side to include it and the tabs unless I make it really tiny.

Mtarini will you be able to add vertex painting? It could be very useful, because it does not need to make separate textures for each colour variation.

I really like that icon. REALLY GREAT!!!
Can you find a way to fill space on one side? Did you try one guantlet, or one helm, on just on the right side?
Also, can you make an icon file with all the level of details and transparency (from 16x16 to... dunno, 64x64).
Finally, I would need it to include a variant for the "documents" -- i.e. the icon for brf files (probably the same image, only over a piece of paper folded in one corner, using standard iconography).
Or, send it to Swyter, I know he can. I also like his icon, btw. Maybe I'll leave the choice.

F2 not F3: you guys are right. Will fix that.

Vertex painting: i know it is very useful to have color per vertex in our models. Maybe I'll end up embedding a vertex painter.

However, I would very much prefer openBRF users to paint on an external application (e.g. blender or 3d studio max or z-brush or...) and then export with it, to re-import the result in OpenBRF. This for many reasons, including this: applications like those are bound to offer a much more sophisticated and better interface to vertex painting. The problem, however, is that the OBJ format does not include per vertex color.

Currently, the only solution I know is to use MeshLab as an external appl to paint (google for it). Meshlab allows you to paint your mesh and saves in .ply format (among many other possible formats), which OpenBRF can import. But I'm still waiting for someone to suggest some other intermediate format that would allow OpenBRF to understand your vertex painting.

I would very much prefer openBRF users to paint on an external application

Click to expand...

Second that. MeshLab is a very useful tool. Many nice features and it's free too!

Thx for the new version mtarini. Testing now.

mtarini said:

I really like that icon. REALLY GREAT!!!
Can you find a way to fill space on one side? Did you try one guantlet, or one helm, on just on the right side?
Also, can you make an icon file with all the level of details and transparency (from 16x16 to... dunno, 64x64).
Finally, I would need it to include a variant for the "documents" -- i.e. the icon for brf files (probably the same image, only over a piece of paper folded in one corner, using standard iconography).

Click to expand...

Yeah, I can do an icon library... maybe one of the armor pieces e.g. helmet can be a variant for the documents. As for the sides, there's only a little bit of space shy before being perfectly square. It can barely fit a gauntlet, but it looks weird all by itself. Maybe if I add the name "openBRF" vertically at the side instead? I'll post an update later.

mtarini said:

Vertex painting: i know it is very useful to have color per vertex in our models. Maybe I'll end up embedding a vertex painter.

However, I would very much prefer openBRF users to paint on an external application (e.g. blender or 3d studio max or z-brush or...) and then export with it, to re-import the result in OpenBRF. This for many reasons, including this: applications like those are bound to offer a much more sophisticated and better interface to vertex painting. The problem, however, is that the OBJ format does not include per vertex color.

Currently, the only solution I know is to use MeshLab as an external appl to paint (google for it). Meshlab allows you to paint your mesh and saves in .ply format (among many other possible formats), which OpenBRF can import. But I'm still waiting for someone to suggest some other intermediate format that would allow OpenBRF to understand your vertex painting.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately since I can't import my PLY files directly into openBRF (have to import OBJ into openBRF before exporting as PLY to open in meshlab in order to preserve UV coords, which Blender doesn't for PLY) I wouldn't mind having an embedded vertex painter. Then again, it depends on which is easier to do vertex painting, I still find vertex painting in Blender very easy to navigate around and somewhat more precise than meshlab's. So if openBRF's painter is easier to navigate around than meshlab's I'd use meshlab to apply some filters before importing back into openBRF to do the fine tuning. If not, I can still do it all in meshlab.

If anyone knows an alternative PLY export script for Blender please let me know, 'cos I still rather do it in Blender + if I need to edit the mesh I wouldn't have to redo the painting all over again.

Icon: than, I would go for no helmet and no writings. It's nice as it is. Maybe, add a little of chain between the hip plates, not making the image longer of course.
If it comes easy, I would like a bluish shade for the metal parts. or even golden, 'cos plain gray makes it too gray scale only.
the document variant could be just the sheet of paper version. How does it look on 16x16?

Can I see a ply file exported by blender? Maybe text coords are there, but in a format that currently is not understood.

mtarini said:

Icon: than, I would go for no helmet and no writings. It's nice as it is. Maybe, add a little of chain between the hip plates, not making the image longer of course.
If it comes easy, I would like a bluish shade for the metal parts. or even golden, 'cos plain gray makes it too gray scale only.
the document variant could be just the sheet of paper version. How does it look on 16x16?

Can I see a ply file exported by blender? Maybe text coords are there, but in a format that currently is not understood.

Click to expand...

It's not discernible at 16x16, need to work on it a bit as I don't like how it's being resampled. I can do the bluish shades and chainmail.

Sent you the PLY file, check your PM.

Yay! I'm happy! A new version! yeah! Kudos!

48x48, 32x32, 16x16 respectively. 256x256 not shown here.







I took out the tabs for the document type, though probably it wasn't necessary (will upload version with tabs in a minute). I was thinking of maybe adding a pair of scissors onto the document icon (e.g. cutting the armor out of paper), or would that be too much?

Update on my situation with the horses. The transfered rigging on my new mesh seems fine in game, it was just that OpenBRF wasn't displaying it properly. Go figure 

Currently loving this tool long time. <3

Kolba said:

Mtarini will you be able to add vertex painting? It could be very useful, because it does not need to make separate textures for each colour variation.

Click to expand...

What actually is vertex painting?

Lumos said:

Kolba said:

Mtarini will you be able to add vertex painting? It could be very useful, because it does not need to make separate textures for each colour variation.

Click to expand...

What actually is vertex painting?

Click to expand...

It stores colour in your vertex, see below:


And if you look at mtarini's post here you can see what you can use it for.